Transcript What is Sociology? - Minnesota State University, Mankato

What is Sociology?
SOC 101
Introduction to Sociology
Paul Prew
Today
Revolution?
What is Sociology?
Syllabus and Course Content
Pandora’s Box
The relationship between social issues and social
movements
The Sociological Imagination
How do we understand the world we live in?
Course Themes
Period of Revolution?
While many generations believe they
are in the middle of a turning point in
history, you are in the middle of some of
the most dramatic changes on Earth
since the extinction of the dinosaurs.
Climate Change
Earth Faces 'Catastrophic Loss of Species’
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0720-08.htm
'Dead zone' startles scientists
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1155178563281860.xml&coll=7&thi
spage=1
First Half of 2006 Is Warmest on Record
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13860976/
Local Connections
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Fire
Summer - 2006
http://www.startribune.com/462/story/555509.html
"The pines will start to come back,
but that's a very slow process,"
said researcher Lee Frelich,
director of the Center for Hardwood
Ecology at the University of
Minnesota.
"If global warming doesn't change
the pattern, we could see a pine
forest again by the year 2150 or
2200.”
http://www.startribune.com/462/story/610328.html
Sociology is:
The Short Definition:
“The scientific study of societies and
human social behavior” (pg 6).
Another Short Definition:
The study of how people organize
themselves as they interact with nature to
meet their needs.
Sociology is the study of how people
organize themselves as they interact
with nature to meet their needs.
How People Organize Themselves
People are not “people” outside of a social
context!
The organization of a society is important to
understand the culture and behavior of people.
Interact With Nature
People cannot survive without nature.
How people obtain their needs from nature shapes
the society where a person lives.
Sociology is:
The Long Definition:
Social interaction of people in groups
Gender, racial and sexual relations
Historical development of civilizations
Political, economic and social institutions
People’s interaction with nature
And much more …
Origins of Sociology
Political Economy
Sociology
Political Science
Anthropology
Economics
History
Agricultural Studies
Syllabus
One Book
Sullivan, Thomas J. 2007. Sociology:
Concepts and Applications in a Diverse
World.
Four Exams
Multiple Choice
No Make-ups !!!!
Final (fifth exam) is Optional
More Syllabus Info
I will provide scantrons for exams.
Let me know if you have concerns or needs
that you would like addressed.
Fine Print
Do not disturb your neighbors.
Do not cheat.
Pandora’s Box
Pandora’s Box
Pandora was sent to punish
people for Prometheus’ gift
of fire.
She was given a box and
told not to open it.
It released all the ills of the
world.
She opened it one last time
and released “hope.”
Answer the following
questions:
1.
What do you think is the most pressing
problem that you will be facing in the next
ten years?
2.
What do you think is necessary to solve this
problem?
3.
How can people like you help in the process
of solving the problem?
Pandora’s Box and
Sociology
Sociology exposes
the issues and
problems that face
us.
Social movements
provide the hope to
solve them.
Ignorance is Bliss
If we do not attempt to understand the society around
us, we tend not to trouble ourselves with the
problems.
In this class, we will look at how the media and
education makes it difficult to understand the world.
We will also look at issues like racism, climate
change and the health care system to better
understand them and also see what people are doing
about these issues.
The Sociological
Imagination
Understanding society by situating
yourself in historical context.
Understanding society by moving from
the large-scale to small-scale and back
again.
What are the relationships between the
large-scale and small-scale?
How do my problems fit in
the bigger picture?
Why are you paying so much for gas?
How am I going to afford tuition?
Why can't I get married if I'm gay?
What kind of job can I expect when I
graduate?
Situate Yourself in History
Your life and the lives of others are part of a
larger picture.
People have agency but there ability to
determine their lives is constrained by other
social forces.
What if the degree you chose has a glut of
graduates?
Larger Picture
Cuba 2004
US 2005
A Category 5
hurricane with 160
mph winds hit Cuba
1.5 million people
evacuated
No deaths
Hurricane with
winds between 125140mph (Cat 3-4)
Stranded victims
and delayed
response
Nearly 1,500 deaths
Large-Scale and Small-Scale
On the small scale, we can talk about
the personal failures of specific
politicians.
On the large scale, we can look at the
poverty in the region and the structure
of agencies responsible for the levees
and evacuation.
No Easy Answers
Because issues are a combination of
large and small-scale forces, there are
no simple answers.
Pointing fingers at immigrants or saying
“they hate us for our freedom” does
more to obscure an issue than
understand it.
Troubles vs Issues
Troubles are specific to an individual
A person is depressed because of a death
in the family.
Issues affect the broader society
Redefinition of depression by
pharmaceutical companies means more
people on anti-depressants.
Course Themes
Ethnocentrism
Ethnocentrism narrows our vision of the
world.
Ethnocentrism also places ourselves in
a superior position relative to other
people in order to justify our actions.
Socialization
Socialization is a necessary component of
becoming a person.
Socialization takes place in a number of
ways.
Family
Peers
Education
Media
Social Stratification
Real Wages Fail to Match a Rise in
Productivity
Hourly Output and Hourly Compensation
The Household Debt Bubble
Consumer Debt
Social Inequality - Race /
Ethnicity
Racial inequality is still a major force in
our world today.
Discrimination in housing and loans
Discrimination in enforcement of law
Minorities are not allowed to determine
their own image.
Mascots
Social Inequality - Gender
How is gender defined?
How do gender and sexuality differ?
Gender inequality.
Women are paid about 75 cents on the dollar
compared to men
Sexual Assault
While declining in recent years, 1 in 6 women
have been a victim of sexual assault.
Family
How can social science methods be
used to shed light on slave families in
the mountain South?
Health Care Inequality
We will look at the leading determinants
of health and longevity.
What is the role of the pharmaceutical
industry in the provision of health care?
Education
What are the trends in education?
What are the impacts of “no child left
behind?”
What does this mean for democracy?
Political and Economic
Institutions
You are affected by institutions that you may
not even know about.
World Trade Organization
International Monetary Fund
International involvement of the US in other
countries.
Middle East policy
Nicaragua and Venezuela
Social Control
While the text focuses on control of
crime, we will look at the control of
people and groups that resist inequality.
Why do people “go against the grain?”
How is repression used to ensure those in
power continue to enjoy the benefits of that
power?
Climate Change
What is happening with the climate?
How will it affect people in the future?
Social Change
How do people respond to the social
world?
How do people attempt to change the
institutions in their lives?
How can you be a part of that process
that is happening anyway?
Next Week
Issues of Bias
Ethnocentrism