SOCIOLOGY Chapter 1, section 1

1
SOCIOLOGYChapter 1, section 1

• THE STUDY OF OUR SOCIETY
• AND
• ITS INHABITANTS

2
SOCIOLOGY DEFINED

• Sociology the scientific study of social
  structure.
• individuals, groups, and institutions that up
  human society

3
SOCIOLOGY

• Sociologists study a group rather than an
  individual perspective. Sociology involves
• Predominant (major) behaviors
• Attitudes
• Types of relationships within society

4
PERSPECTIVE

• Perspective is a particular point of view.
• Sociologists study patterns of behavior and
  perspectives shared by various groups in society.
• EXERCISE Construct a map showing how you would
  get to Charlotte High School (from where you are
  sitting)
• Why did you choose that route? Defend your route
  as being the best or the easiest or the
  quickest.
• As social beings, our perspectives or social maps
  are not always the same
• Thus, our reality is not the same, either

5
SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

• Sociological Perspective allows you to look at
  the behavior of groups not individual or
  personal
• Sociologists attempt to explain these actions
  without relying on personal factors.
• For example young men join gangs because SOCIETY
  has taught them to be masculine - to be
  tough.

6
SOCIAL STRUCTURE

• Social Structure is the patterned interaction of
  people in social relationships.
• Sociologists are interested in a groups
  patterned interaction.
• What are some patterns you can identify in a
  classroom or cafeteria?

7
GROUP VS. INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR

• All groups encourage conformity ((behavior that
  matches a groups expectations)
• The group is more than the sum of its parts
  (individuals)
• Conformity occurs in a group because members have
  been taught to value the groups ways
  (perspective).
• Question Do you conform to groups even when your
  personal preferences are not the same as the
  groups? Can you give an example?

8
SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION

• A Sociological Perspective allows us to develop a
  Sociological Imagination
• S.I. - the ability to see the link between
  society and yourself.
• A developed S.I. helps us
• make our own decisions (not conform)
• Challenge and question conventional wisdom
  (ideals people assume are true)

9
SOCIOLOGYChapter 1, section 2

• THE ORIGINS
• OF
• SOCIOLOGY

10
CONTRIBUTORS TO SOCIOLOGY

• Auguste Comte French philosopher, considered
  the father of Sociology
• Developed theory called Positivism.
• Positivism states that social behavior and events
  can be measured scientifically.
• Distinguished Social Statics from Social Dynamics
• Social Statics The study of social stability and
  order.
• Social Dynamics The study of social change.

11
Harriet Martineau

• Popular English writer
• Established the idea of feminism
• Linked slavery and the oppression of women
• Supporter of the emancipation of women and slaves
• Womens lack of economic power dependence on
  men

12
HERBERT SPENCERS AND SOCIAL DARWANISM

• Compared society to the human body and believed
  society had structure.
• Like the body, society is composed of parts
  (structure) that work together for survival of
  the whole.
• The eyes and heart are essential to the function
  of the body
• Religious and educational institutions are
  essential for societys function.
• Introduced Social Darwinism (based on Charles
  Darwins theory of natural selection a
  survival of the fittest concept)
• S.D. - individuals or groups achieve advantage
  over others as the result of genetic or
  biological superiority.
• Believed people evolve into the different
  classes that makeup society.
• Society should not interfere and try to make poor
  people rich. This is done naturally.
• Harm is done if society interferes with the
  natural social selection

13
Karl Marx

• Karl Marx supported the theory of economic
  determinism and despised Capitalism.
• Economic Determinism states that all social
  patterns and institutions were controlled by
  economic factors.
• Argued that economics is the driving force behind
  history.
• Ec. Det. formed the basis for Socialism.
• Marx believed that CLASS STRUGGLE/CONFLICT is at
  the core of society.
• Society is made up of a struggle between the
  haves of society and the have-nots
• Promoted a classless society.
• Haves or owners of society Bourgeoisie
• Have-nots or workers of society Proletariat
• Believed workers would overtake owners
  (capitalists) and create a classless (communist)
  society

14
EMILE DURKHEIM

• Preindustrial times society based on Mechanical
  Solidarity
• Society existed because of a conformity among
  members of society
• Dependence on family and tradition
• Industrial societies based on Organic
  Solidarity social interdependency
• Organic Solidarity suggests that members of
  society play specialized roles.
• Each are dependent on one another for goods and
  services. No one is self-sufficient
• People need stores and store owners need
  consumers

15
Max Weber

• Walk in my shoes!
• To understand group behavior, one must use the
  method Verstehen.
• Put yourself mentally in someone elses place
• Allows you to shed your values and see things
  from a different perspective
• Identified rationalization as a key influence in
  the change of preindustrial to an industrial
  society
• Rationalization emphasizes knowledge, reason, and
  planning
• Pioneered research techniques that helped prevent
  personal bias from affecting results

16
W.E.B. DUBOIS AND JANE ADDAMS

• Dubois
• African-American educator and social activist
• Concentrated on racial discrimination within
  Americas society and the assumption that blacks
  were inferior to whites
• Addams
• Worked for social reform
• She saw many examples of government and
  businesses exploiting workers
• Focused on the social problems created by the
  imbalance of power among the social classes.

17
SOCIOLOGYChapter 1, section 3

• THEORETICAL
• PERSPECTIVES

18
THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES

• Theoretical Perspective is a set of assumptions
  accepted as true
• Sociology includes 3 major Theoretical
  Perspectives
• 1) Functionalism
• 2) Conflict Theory
• 3) Symbolic Interactionism

19
FUNCTIONALISM

• Functionalism emphasizes the contributions or
  functions of each part of society.
• Stresses the ways in which groups work together
  to create a stable society.
• Society is an integrated whole
• Change in one part creates change in others
• How does Functionalism explain social change?
• Changes in the economy may change the family
  (Industrial Revolution and farming family size)
• Other examples?

20
CONFLICT PERSPECTIVE

• Conflict Perspective emphasizes the role of
  conflict, competition, and constraint.
• Focuses on the disagreements among groups or
  between societies
• Examples?
• How does Conflict perspective explain social
  change?
• As the balance of power among groups shift,
  change occurs.
• Examples?

21
SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM

• Symbolic Interactionism focuses on the
  interaction among people and on mutually shared
  symbols.
• A symbol is something chosen to represent
  something else
• Object, word, gesture
• We learn the meaning of a symbol from the way we
  see others reacting to it
• Whistling in America means something different
  then in Latin America.
• Disaproval