SOCIOLOGY Ninth Edition

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SOCIOLOGY Ninth Edition

• Jon M. ShepardVirginia Polytechnic Instituteand
  State University

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Chapter 1

• The Sociological Perspective

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Chapter Outline

• Using the Sociological Imagination
• The Sociological Perspective
• Uses of the Sociological Perspective
• The Social Sciences
• Founders of Sociology
• Theoretical Perspectives
• Theoretical Perspectives and Sport

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Defining Sociology

• Sociology is the scientific study of social
  structure.
• Maintains a group focus.
• Emphasizes patterned social relationships between
  members.
• Uses social factors to explain human social
  behavior.

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Sociologists Focus

• On the group, not the individual.
• On patterns of social behavior.
• On social forces that encourage conformity.
• On the effects people have on social structure.

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Benefits of Sociology

• Provides a vision of social life that extends
  beyond ones limited personal experience.
• Research contributes to public policies and
  programs.
• Enhances the development of occupational skills.

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Snapshot of America Literacy Rates
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Origins of Sociology

• Born out of social upheaval created by the French
  and Industrial Revolutions.
• In an attempt to understand the chaos of their
  time, early sociologists emphasized social
  stability and social change.

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Early Sociologists

• Auguste Comte
• Believed society could advance only if studied
  scientifically.
• Harriet Martineau
• Contributed to research methods, political
  theory, and feminism.

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Early Sociologists

• Herbert Spencer
• Social progress occurs if people do not interfere
  with natural processes.
• Karl Marx
• History unfolds according to the outcome of
  class conflict.

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Emile Durkheim

• Two major contributions
• The psychological explanation of social life
• Introduction of statistical techniques in social
  research.

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Max Weber

• Method of verstehen assumed an understanding of
  human social behavior based on putting oneself in
  the place of others.
• Explored the process of rationalization in the
  transition from traditional to industrial society.

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American sociology

• Born during a time of social upheaval (following
  the Civil War).
• From the 1800s to World War II, the center of
  American sociology was the University of Chicago.
  
• After World War II, sociology departments in the
  East and Midwest rose to prominence.

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Assumptions of Functionalism

• A society is a relatively integrated whole.
• A society tends to seek relative stability.
• Most aspects of a society contribute to the
  societys well-being and survival.
• Society rests on the consensus of its members.

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Assumptions of the Conflict Perspective

• A society experiences inconsistency and conflict
  everywhere.
• A society is continually subjected to change.
• A society involves the constraint and coercion of
  some members by others.

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Income Before and After Tax, 1980, 1998, 1999
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Assumptions of Symbolic Interactionism

• Peoples interpretations of symbols are based on
  meanings they learn from others.
• People base interaction on their interpretations
  of symbols.
• People can gear their interaction to the behavior
  they think others expect of them and they expect
  of others.

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Theoretical Perspectives and Sport Functionalism

• Socializes people to the basic beliefs, norms,
  and values of society.
• Promotes a sense of social identification.
• Offers a safe release of aggressive feelings
  generated by the frustrations, anxieties, and
  strains of modern life.
• Promotes the development of physical fitness and
  sound character.

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Theoretical Perspectives and Sport Conflict
Theory

• Sport is a social institution in which the most
  powerful oppress, coerce, and exploit others.
• Reflects the unequal distribution of power and
  money.
• Prepares people for a world full of stopwatches,
  time schedules, and production quotas.

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Theoretical Perspectives and Sport Symbolic
Interactionism

• Concerned with meanings assigned to symbols of
  sports activities.
• Meanings and interpretations affect the
  self-concepts of the participants as well as the
  relationships among those involved.

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Paradoxes In Sport
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Paradoxes In Sport
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Paradoxes In Sport
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Paradoxes In Sport
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Paradoxes In Sport