Sociology


What is sociology?

Sociology is the study of human societies and social interaction




Levels of analysis

  • Micro

    the self, one on one small groups

    focus on individual experiences


  • Meso

    groups (workplaces, sports clubs, hobby groups)

    focus on group experiences, or interactions between groups


  • Macro

    cities, nations

    focus on social structures and institutions


  • Global

    international studies

    focus on interactions between nations




Reading quiz

Wright Mills once said that sociologists need to develop a sociological "_________" to study how society affects individuals. 

  • Imagination

  • Method

  • Habit

  • Theory

link between Personal issues and societal issues (sociological imagination).



What best describes Wright Mills's concept? 

  • The ability to compare the relationship between different social issues and how they affect societies at the macro level

  • The ability to see the relationship between different personal troubles and how they affect individuals at the micro level

  • The ability to see the relationship between personal experiences and the larger society in which we live

  • The ability to compare the relationship between different societies at the global level




What are public or social issues?

  • Individual-level issues that are determined by personal choices

  • Issues that are beyond an individual's control, rooted in society

  • Public opinion issues concerning disagreements on the values of a culture

  • Structural issues concerning the policies and legislations of societies


Society

  • A society is a group of people e who share a culture and territory and who interact.


Culture

  • A culture is the shared beliefs, values and practices in society. E.g Muslim people


Muslim don’t share society because they don’t live in the same territory however they share the same beliefs and values etc.



Social scripts

  • Social patterns a that have persisted in time at the micro-level of interaction e.g high five, colors associated with genders


Social structures

  • Social patterns that have persisted in time at a macro-level of interaction e.g family, education, dominant language, legal systems, economy, religion, leaders, healthcare,


Central areas of research

  • The relationship between individual agency (free will) and structural determination


Power inequality and marginalization

  • Marginalized groups: A group that occupies a social location outside of the centers of power. (Gender, race and class) e.g women, people of power, disability