CHAPTER 1/2: SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION/ WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY?

what is the sociological imagination

ability to link individual experiences with broader societal forces, to consider not only individual shortcomings and characteristics, but also social issues when examining the causes of problems in society.

what view does the sociological imagination critique, provide examples

shortcoming being an individualistic character— misery is a flaw in character that must be suffered in isolation.

• poverity is imagined to be a problem of individual failing.

• racism is rationalized as simply an act of individual prejudice

• homelessness is reduced to a freely chosen decision made by lazy people

what is the worldview without sociological imagination

individuals are to blame, rather collective

who coined the name, sociological imagination

c wright mills

what did mills argue

that people tend to interpret social problems as the result of individual character flaws (the sociological imagination)

social issues vs personal problems, connect to sociological imagination

Personal problems are challenges faced by individuals

Social issues, on the other hand, are challenges rooted in societal factors

thru imagination, personal troubles might reflect broader social patterns, transforming what seemed like isolated issues into socially influenced phenomena.

which philosopher wrote the oldest recording writing reflecting sociological imagination

confucius from china

what did confucius believe

leaders should engage in moral practices that modelled the principles they wanted their citizens to follow than to overuse laws to enforce morality

who said “if u use laws to direct people and punishments to control them, they will merely try to evade the laws”

confucius

why and where did sociology become more widespread

france germany and britain as a response to industrialization, urbanization, and mass population growth

in sociology, what is weber known for

identification of a set values embodied in early Protestantism, which he called the Protestant work ethic.

what did weber think protestant work ethic contributed to

modern capitalism

what were the 3 ideas webers protestant work ethic was based on

1. “there is a predestined group of people chosen to be “saved”

2. success through hard work was considered one proof of membership, another being the accumulation of the capital

3. working hard, making money, living a materially ascetic life by acquiring property and saving money

how does protestant work ethic relate to capitalism

the religious value of restless, continuous, systematic work in a worldly calling as the most evident proof of rebirth and genuine faith, must have been the most powerful conceivable lever for the expansion of capitalism”— criticized CALVINISM as work reflecting faith

what is sociology

systematic study of human behaviour

carl dawson

The social gospel movement was created by people in the ministry who wanted to use Christian values to address social issues. They aimed to improve human welfare by tackling problems that arose from industrialization and unchecked capitalism.

everett hughes

focused on the “ethnic division of labour”— a situation that enabled English Canadians to rise above French Canadians in large companies, creating a disparity that he wished to correct.

horace minister

pointed out the blurred distinction between sociology and anthropology— ethnography

samuel clark

known as the father of the canadian approach to discipline

whos associated with the term cultural mosaic

john porter

cultural mosaic

a metaphor to characterize Canada’s multicultural society

melting pot

encourages the rapid assimilation of recent immigrants into their new society

vertical mosaic

systematic discrimination produced by a hierarchy of racial and religious groups

3 early women sociologists

• Helen Abell

  • founder of rural sociology in Canada

  • played an important role in identifying systematically the roles women played on the farm

• Annie Maclean

  • studied working women

• Aileen Ross

4 sociological promises

1. Sociology promises to help us think critically

1. It promises to explain why we act the way we do

2. It reveals the possibilities of human action

3. It shows us the correct route to induce positive social change

list all types of sociology

• by approach

• structural functionalism

• conflict theory

• symbolic interactionism

• feminism

• postmodernism

sociology by approach

breaking it down into the different approaches sociologists use to pursue their inquiries

structural functionalism

examines the elements that maintain societal stability and cohesion. how social norms govern behaviour and what happens when those norms break down, such as feelings of anomie 

two dimensions of structural functionalism

1. social structures

2. functions

what philosophers are associated with structural functionalism

durkheim— emphasized how societal institutions function to keep society in order

merton— functions

parsons- different parts of society work together to maintain order

father of functionalism/sociology

durkheim

social fact, whos it develoepd by

patterned ways of acting thinking and feeling that exist outside of any one individual but exert social control over everyone

durkheim

3 characteristics of social fact

1. developed prior to and separate from any individual (no one invented it)

2. characteristic of a group

3. involves a constraining force that pushes individuals into acting in a particular way

what is illustrated in suicide by durkheim

The sociological imagination and the social fact

did durkheim believe in psychologys impact on suicide

if the general psychological model was correct, then suicide should be a random behaviour

causal variables in social fact for suicide

sex (males), religion (protestants), marital status

social solidarity

the common theme among the causal variables— the degree to which members share beliefs and values and the intensity and frequency of their interaction

4 types of sociological imagination according to durkheim

• altruistic

• fatalistic

• egoistic

• anomic

altruistic suicide

occurs when social integration is too high. Individuals sacrifice themselves for the benefit of the group or a cause, such as in cases of martyrdom.

egoistic suicide

Happens when there is too little social integration. People who are isolated or lack strong social ties, such as unmarried men or certain religious groups, are more likely to experience this

fatalistic suicide

Results from excessive regulation, where individuals feel oppressed by societal rules and see no way out. Examples include people in highly controlled environments where their autonomy is severely restricted.

anomic suicide

Happens when regulation is too low, often during periods of social or economic upheaval, where societal norms break down, leaving individuals feeling directionless and without purpose

is suicide random

no, some social groups were more prone to suicide due to lower social solidarity

what did merton identify

3 types of functions:

1. Manifest Function: both intended and readily recognize, or “manifest” (i.e. easily seen)

2. Latent functions are largely unintended and unrecognized

3. Latent dysfunctions are unintended and produce socially negative consequences

whats the flaw with mertons functions

does not promote understanding of change or conflict

what are the 4 Cs of conflict theory

1. conflict

2. class

3. contestation- the act of challenging or disputing existing social structures, power dynamics, or ideologies. In conflict theory, it represents one of the key processes through which social change occurs

4. change

what is conflict theory

focuses on the forces that divide society, particularly class struggles and inequality. This theory views social relations as a constant struggle for power, where the wealthy exploit the working class for profit, creating alienation and conflict.

symbolic interactionism

an approach that looks at meaning or symbolism of our daily social interactions

key figures of conflict theory and why

george mead- discovered how the individual self is constructed as we interact and how our sense of self is shaped through social interactions

herbert blumer- coined the term, “symbolic interaction”, arguing that social systems are abstractions that do not exist independently of individual relations

erving goffman- coined the term total institution,

total institution

any one of “a range of institutions in which whole blocks of people are bureaucratically processed, while being physically isolated from the normal round of activities (

what did goffman stress the importance of

stressed the importance of learning the subjectivity of people, he denied both objectivity and neutrality in his research

what are the 4 types of sociology burawoy divided it into in sociology by audience

professional

critical

policy

public

what is the role of critical

according to Burawoy is “the conscience of professional sociology”.

similarities with critical and professional

addresses the same audience as professional sociology, but with different purpose

who are the two people knwon for examining the production of knowledge in critical sociology

foucault and dorothy smith

policy

sociology by audience that discusses generating sociological data for governments and large corporations to be used in developing laws rules and short term plans.

3 areas of policy

education, health, social welfare

sociology by audience- public

addresses an audience that is not part of the academic world of colleges and universities or the political establishment.

what are the 3 traits that herbert gans identified for public sociology

1. their ability to discuss sociological concepts and theories in English

2. breadth of their sociological interests

3. ability to avoid the pitfalls of undue professionalism

undue professionalism

Professional sociology often plays it safe and tends to reference a lot of sources.

feminism

involves correcting centuries of discrimination and male dominated conceptions of gender roles in order to gain and present an accurate view of the social condition of women.

standpoint theory developed by

dorothy smith

standpoint theory

challenged traditional sociology’s preference for objective as opposed to subjective research

• traditionalists held the the objective approach was more scientific and therefore truthful, while the subjective position was ideological; based on biases and prejudices, and therefore distorted.

how should feminism be studied

Patriarchy should be explored at the micro-
level and the macro-level of inquiry

t/f symbolic interactionism is ever changing

true

what does postmodernism value

diversity and differences

which theory has been unsuccessful in explaining life in contemporary societies

postmodernism

which theory believes voice should not be drowned out by the powerful voice of those who are dominant in society (white middle straight men who are upper and middle class

postmodernism

what does postmodernism focus on

Focuses on consumerism, the explosion of
information systems and oppression, and destroying traditionalism

whos a key figure of postmodernism

michel foucault

who termed totalitarian discourse and what does it mean

michel foucault, any universal claim about how knowledge or understanding is achieved, example is american dream

who called the american dream victim blaming

william ryan

critical thinking

using careful observation to arrive at conclusions about our social world rather than base our understanding upon authority,

levels of sociological inquiry

• microlevel

• macrolevel

• global level

microlevel

examines sociology on an individual or small group behaviour

macrolevel sociology

examines sociology at a national level (globalization coca cola)

global level

investigations of international phenomenono (multinational corporations)

KATZ-RIGHTEOUS SLAUGHTER

Everyone has unique identities (virile male, strong man, feminine woman, intelligent girl, etc). When people attack your identity (i.e. you look like a boy or throw like a girl), the individual either accepts the critic or respond aggressively in order to meet the challenge sustain their individuality.

what does katz argue

most murders are not rational which is why police solve the vast majority of them

why did sociology come about

• the scientific revolution/the enlightenment (rationalism) (late 1600's into and including the 1700's): encouraged rational thinking and scientific methods in understanding the social world.

• the rise of the nation-state (democratic revolutions): Democratic revolutions highlighted the importance of political and social structures

• the ill effects of the Industrial Revolution (industrialization and labour) (the application of scientific techniques to the word process): sparked interest in the application of science to human labor and society's development.

what is postmodernism a critique of

a critique of many of the ideas inherent within these tradition