Transcript Document
Introduction to Sociology Kathy Edwards 7/17/2015 Introductory Lectures 1 What is society? A population that shares: 1. Geographical Territory 2. Culture 3. Identification and interaction 4. Material and physical goods and the way they are obtained. Societies interact within socially structured relationships and share common culture. 7/17/2015 Introductory Lectures 2 What is a group? A distinctive set of relationships with interdependency, feeling of relevancy, sense of membership, and identification with one another. A particular kind of social system with two or more people interacting in regularly patterned ways. A group is a collection of people that regularly interact with something significant in common. 7/17/2015 Introductory Lectures 3 The Levels of Sociological Analysis: Macro Macro level analysis is the analysis of large scale patterns of society and large scale organizations and institutions. The analysis of the social forces which affect societies and large groups. 7/17/2015 Introductory Lectures 4 The Levels of Sociological Analysis: MICRO The analysis of social interaction, face to face interaction between individuals, personal exchange relations. This includes personal interaction including language, body language, perceptions, and interpretations of individuals. Rewards are given in relation to the patterned expectations attached to each person and their role or position in society. 7/17/2015 Introductory Lectures 5 The Social Sciences All include various aspects of human society and behavior. Sociology, political science, anthropology, economics, history, geography, psychology Studies both theories and quantitative analysis of data. 7/17/2015 Introductory Lectures 6 3 Major Theories or Perspectives in Sociology Functional Theory – Macro level Conflict Theory – Macro level Symbolic Interaction and Dramaturgy – Micro level 7/17/2015 Introductory Lectures 7 Theories in Sociology What do all theories ask in Sociology? I. What is the relation between cultural ideas and the social structural institutions? II. What are the elements that are the most important to each theorist: culture or social structure (meaning “ideas” or “material-physical”) 7/17/2015 Introductory Lectures 8 Culture Culture is the way people live, behave, adapt to their environment. Culture is also the man made environment that is transmitted through learning. The collective wisdom of a people, the way we live, interpret our life. Culture is the way we create our reality. 7/17/2015 Introductory Lectures 9 Culture (continued) Culture includes ideas, customs, knowledge, material objects, and behavior. Culture includes the artifacts of a society. 7/17/2015 Introductory Lectures 10 Two types of Culture Material: from the physical environment, tools, art, music, clothing, jewelry, symbols, architecture. Non-material: Ideas, beliefs, value systems, knowledge, symbols, language, emotions, reactions, perceptions, attitudes. 7/17/2015 Introductory Lectures 11