What Is Sociology? Chapter 1 - Key Concepts

Sociology: the scientific study of social behavior and human groups.
Focuses on social relationships, how those relationships influence human behavior, and how societies develop and change.

A way of thinking that links personal experiences to broader social structures.
Awareness of the relationship between the individual and society, today and in the past.
View society from an outsider’s perspective; go beyond personal experiences to understand public issues.

Theory: a set of statements aiming to explain problems, actions, or behaviors; can be explanatory and predictive.
Theories are not final statements about human behavior.
Durkheim used suicide to illustrate understanding behavior within a social context; research on global suicide rate differences.

Comte (1798–1857): coined 'sociology'; theoretical science of society; systematic investigation.
Harriet Martineau (1802–76): wrote the first book on sociological methods; emphasized economy, law, trade, health, and population.
Spencer (1820–1903): applied Darwin to societies; proposed 'survival of the fittest' in social hierarchies.
Durkheim (1858–1917): behavior must be understood in a larger social context; concept of anomie.
Weber (1864–1920): verstehen (understanding); ideal type; response to Marx.
Marx (1818–1883): class conflict; capitalism; The Communist Manifesto with Engels; proletariat uprising.
Du Bois (1868–1963): double consciousness; advocated Black life studies; helped found the NAACP.
Cooley (1864–1929), Addams (1860–1935): early 20th century; focus on face-to-face groups; Hull House; social reform.
Merton (1910–2003), Bourdieu (1930–2002): deviance theory; forms of capital (cultural, social); macro/micro perspectives; global sociology.

Functionalist Perspective
- Sees society as stable and well integrated; parts of society contribute to stability.
- Key concepts: manifest functions, latent functions, dysfunctions.
- Proponents: Émile Durkheim; Talcott Parsons.
Conflict Perspective
- Focus on tension between groups over power/resources; inequality.
- Includes Marxist view; feminism; queer theory.
Interactionist Perspective
- Micro-level; everyday interactions; symbols and meanings; nonverbal communication.
- Founders: George Herbert Mead (micro focus); Erving Goffman (dramaturgy).

Sociologists draw on multiple perspectives to understand society.
A theoretical orientation influences what to study, how to study, and what questions to pose.

Applied sociology uses knowledge to yield practical applications for human behavior and organizations.
Clinical sociology aims to facilitate change by altering social relationships or restructuring social institutions.
Basic sociology seeks a deeper knowledge of fundamental social phenomena.

Illustrated through theory in practice, current research, a wired world, and global thinking.
Emphasizes social inequality and crossing race, gender, and religious boundaries.

Influencers: credibility in a field with wide reach and sponsorship considerations.
Careers: sociology degrees provide a strong liberal arts background for many jobs; valued for communication, problem-solving, teamwork, data analysis, and critical thinking.
Occupations (graduates, 2013 data): social services & counseling 23.7%, sales & marketing 14.2%, administration and support 14.0%, services 11.9%, teaching 11.9%, all other 8.0%, IT/PR/Other 7.9%, social science research 4.6%, management 3.8%.