A. Sociology

  • Sociology

    • Scientific study of social behavior & human groups

    • Focus on how relationships influence people’s ATTITUDES and behavior and how societies develop and CHANGE

  • Sociological Imagination

    • From C. Wright Mills

      • AWARENESS of the relationship between an individual and the wider society

      • Ability to VIEW society as an OUTSIDER would

      • Looks beyond limited understanding of human behavior

  • Sociology and the Social Sciences

    • Science

      • body of knowledge obtained by methods based on systematic observation

      • Natural science

        • Study of PHYSICAL features of humans and the ways they interact and change

      • Social science

        • Study of SOCIAL features of humans and the ways they interact and change

    • Studies the INFLUENCE THAT SOCIETY HAS on people’s attitudes and behavior

      • Seeks to understand ways in which people INTERACT & SHAPE society

      • Examines social relationships SCIENTIFICALLY

        • Marital Patterns

        • Pandemic’s impact on education

        • Love in the time of Covid 19

  • Sociology and Common Sense

    • Sociologists do not accept something as a fact because “everyone knows it”

    • Each piece of information must be tested, recorded, and analyzed

      • False assumption that women tend to be chattier than men

  • Sociological Theory

    • Theory: set of statements that seeks to explain problems, actions, or behavior

    • Effective theories have explanatory and predictive power

      • Durkheim suicide studies - suggested suicide related to group life

    • Theories are not final statements about behavior

  • The Development of Sociology

    • Philosopher/religious authorites of ancient and medieval societies made observations of human behavior

    • EUROPEAN theorists in the 19th century made pioneeering contributions to the development of the science of human behavior

  • Early Thinkers

    • Auguste Comte - AC SOCIOLOGY

      • Systematic investigation of behavior

      • Coined the term “sociology”

    • Harriet Martineau - HM SOCIAL PROBLEMS

      • Studied social behavior in Britain and the US

      • Emphasized impact of economy, law, trade, health, and population on social problems

    • Herbert Spencer - HS EVOLUTION

      • Controversially proposed “evolution” in society

  • Emile Durkheim - ED ANOMIE

    • Behavior must be understood within a larger social context

      • Developed a fundamental thesis to help explain all forms of society

    • Anomie

      • Loss of Direction felt in a society when social control of individual behavior becomes ineffective

      • Mechaical and organic solidarity

      • suicide

  • Max Weber - MW VERSTEHEN

    • To comprehed behavior, one must learn the subjective meaning people attach to actions

    • Verstehen

      • understanding; insight

    • Ideal type: construct for evaluating specific cases

  • Karl Marx - KM GROUP IDENTIFICATION

    • Society is divided between 2 classes that clash in pursuit of interests

      • Worked with Friedrich Engels

      • The Communist Manifesto

        • Working class should overthrow existing class system

      • Emphasized group identification and associations that influence one’s place in society

  • W. E. B. DeBois - WEB DeBois CAPITALISM

    • Among the early Black sociologists struggling for racially egalitarian socety

    • Knowledge is essenntial in combating prejudice

    • Believed that capitalism was the primary culprit responsible for the subjugation of colored people around the world; communism as a possible solution to racial problems

  • 20th Century Developments

    • Charles Horton Cooley

      • Used sociological perspective to examine face-to-face groups

    • Jane Addams

      • Combined intellectual inquiry, social service work, & political activism

      • Co-founded of the Hull House w/c provided social services like legal aid, an employment office, childcare, and training in crafting and domestic skills

    • Robert Merton

      • Combined theory & research

      • Developed dominant theory of deviant behavior

      • Advocated bringing together two approaches:

        • Macrosociology: concentrates on large-scale phenomena or entire civilizations

        • Microsociology: stresses study of small groups, often through experimental means

    • Pierre Bourdieu

      • Capital sustains individuals and
        families from one generation to the next

      • Cultural capital

        • non-economic goods reflected in knowledge of language and arts

      • Social capital

        • collective benefit of social networks

  • Theoretical Perspectives

  • Functionalist perspective - STRUCTURE

    • Emphasizes the way parts of a society are STRUCTURED to maintain its STABiLITY

    • Talcott Parsons

      • Viewed society as vast NETWORK of connected parts

      • Each helps maintain the system as a whole

    • Manifest and Latent Functions

      • Manifest functions: open, stated, conscious functions; intended and recognized consequences of an aspect of society

      • Latent functions: unconscious or unintended functions; may reflect hidden purposes

    • Dysfunctions

      • Elements or processes of society that may DISRUPT a social system or reduce its stability

  • Conflict Perspective - COMPETING GROUPS

    • Assumes Social behavior best understood in terms of CONFLICT or tension between COMPETING GROUPS

    • The Marxist View

      • Conflict is part of EVERYDAY LIFE in all societies

      • Conflict theorists interested in how institutions may help maintain privileges of some groups and keep others subservient

    • The Feminist Perspective

      • sees inequality in gender as CENTRAL to all behavior and organization

      • Often allied with conflict theory

      • Proponents tend to focus on MACRO level

      • Contemporary feminist theorists often view women’s subordination as inherent in capitalist societies

    • Queer Theory

      • the study of society from the perspective of a broad spectrum of sexual identities, including heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality

      • Foucault

        • what is regarded as NORMAL or even acceptable human sexuality varies dramatically from by culture and time period

      • important role of the LGBT community in addressing social issues and promoting social change

  • Interactionist Perspective - EVERYDAY INTERACTION

    • Generalizes about EVERYDAY forms of SOCIAL INTERACTION to explain society as a whole

      • Humans viewed as living in a world of meaningful objects

      • Nonverbal communication:

        • includes gestures, facial expressions, and postures

      • Manipulation of SYMBOLS seen in dress codes

    • George Herbert Mead

      • Regarded as FOUNDER of INTERACTIONIST PERSPECTIVE

      • Work encouraged many sociologists to focus more on MICRO-LEVEL societal behavior

    • Erving Goffman

      • Dramaturgical approach

        • People seen as THEATRICAL PERFORMERS

  • Sociological Approach - MAJOR PERSPECTIVES

    • Gains broadest understanding of society by drawing on all major perspectives, noting where they overlap or diverge

      • Each perspective offers unique insights into the same issue

    • Researcher’s work is always GUIDED by his or her theoretical framework