Transcript Chapter 1 ppt

Theories and
Theorists
Chapter 1
(and a bit of 2)
I. Sociology =
study of
groups/societies and
the way they affect
our behavior
A. Social relationships
(humans are social
creatures)
1. sociological
imagination =
ability to see the
connection
between private
troubles and
social problems
2. examines social
institutions:
• family, education, economy,
government, religion—and
how they influence individuals
a. also
i. Role of
examines how
families,
these
schools,
institutions stay religion in
the same and
everyday life
3. main lesson of
sociology =
• structure of
society affects
people, molding
both their
attitudes and
their behavior
B. Types of Sociology
• 1. macrosociology =
a. entire cultures or examines large
societies
scale structures
and processes
b. Functionalism
and Conflict
theories 2. microsociology =
looks at smaller groups or
individuals
3. Jobs/Uses
 a. Sales – Marketing
 b. Social Worker
 c. Teaching
 d. Dealing with Social
Problems – politician,
economist, minister
 e. Anything dealing with PEOPLE
C. It is a science
• 1. Information is
gained through
observations
based on scientific
method
2. Part of Social
Sciences:
history
psychology
geography
political science
economics
sociology
anthropology
D. Early 1. Auguste Comte
a. first to define
Sociologists
sociology
2. Karl Marx (and Frederick Engels)
a. Conflict perspective
3. Emile Durkheim a. Functionalism
4. Max Webera. Symbolic Interactionism
b. Verstehen = understanding  putting
self in other’s shoes to
5. Herbert Spencer
understand perspective
a. “Survival of Fittest”—societies
should
evolve naturally and solve own problems
II. Development in US 
• A. Industrial
Revolution 
problems in cities =
Social Issues
B. First Dept. of C. 1940s study
Soc. in 1893 at center shifted to
U. of Chicago Harvard and
Columbia U.
III. Major Theories/Perspectives
in Sociology
• A. Evolutionary
Theory = societies will
progress through
more complex
1. Strongest will stages
survive
2. Favored by
countries/classes in power
B. Functionalism =
• views society as a
set of interrelated
parts that work
together to produce a
stable social system
1. Emile Durkheim
2. Social institutions
are studied by their
functions in society
a. manifest function =
intended and
recognized
consequence of
some element of
society
i. e.g. car for
transportation
b. latent function =
unintended and
unrecognized
consequence an
element has on
society
i. e.g. car as status symbol
c. dysfunction =
• negative
consequence an
element has for the
stability of the social
system
Incest,
abuse
Learn
better
skills as
criminal
d. If no function,
dysfunctional,
or function
does not have
consensus,
it is considered DEVIANT
i. Hermits, Criminals, Gay
Marriage, respectively…
3. All institutions are
interconnected
4. society held
together through
consensus
Recess and Loss of Consensus
5. Sociologists using Functionalist
Perspective study:
Church and State – set apart by law
but are intricately connected in
belief  degree of connection?
Economy – How much
gov’t intervention
should there be during
a recession? How
much of a factor is the
economy in people’s
problems?
Family Values – whose
values and what values are
best for the kids?
School performance and
standards – Are schools better
or worse than the world? Can
we change? Should we
change? How should we?
What are schools for?
Conflict Theory Intro
C. Conflict
Perspective =
studies competition
over resources and
change from the
conflict that arises
1. Karl Marx – socioeconomic theory
*Competition, conflict,
change, constraint
2. Interested in how those
who possess more
power in society
exercise control over
those with less power
3. Nonviolent competition
as well as violent: sexes,
races, age
4. Decision making in
family, relationships
among racial
groups
controlled by
dominant group
(white male or eldest,
strong male)
5. Labor disputes
between workers
and employers –
employers have
control; workers
may feel
exploited
6. * Competition over scarce resources
is at the basis of social conflict*
a. resources such as power and wealth
are in limited supply— competition
b. once people gain control they then
establish rules that protect their
interests at the expense of other groups
c. inequality leads to social conflict (less
power fight back)—this leads to social
change (inevitable feature in society)
7. Sociologists using Conflict
Theory deal with:
• Labor disputes - what is
best for majority
• Poverty and Welfare –
factors and help
• Racism and Sexism –
exercising group authority
• Gay Rights – conflict with
functionalists – religion +
politics
D. Symbolic Interactionist =
• focuses on
relationships and how
we interact using
symbols and routine
1. Max Weber,
George Herbert
Mead, Charles
Horton Cooley
Symbols and interaction
2. how
individuals
respond to
one another
in everyday
situations
3. meanings that individuals attach to
their own actions and to the actions of
others
4. * symbol =
anything that stands for
something else—
 members of society must agree
on meaning
—used to communicate
values and beliefs
• 5. we learn the
meanings of these
symbols through
interacting with
others
6. our idea of self is based on how we
believe we are seen through other
people’s eyes
•7. interested in interaction between
people that takes place through the use
of symbols
8. Material Culture or
Consumerism
• a. interacting with material
goods gives a sense of self
and socializes us
• - clothes, phones, ie
Anything, ear buds vs. Skull
Candy
• b. materialism  people who
put greater value on objects
• - Gaming friendships –
Object of the gaming system
When do symbols affect
interaction?
9. Goffman explains society by
comparing life to theatre
• a. We are all Actors:
each member of
society has a
“role” to play in
relation to other
members
b. We follow Scripts:
rules for acceptable
behavior
- Taught by parents,
schools, friends, church,
bosses, society through
interaction
- Symbols of authority
reinforce scripts
c.
Director:
anyone who gives rules or
direction; helps you become
who you are
- Interaction: can influence
positively or negatively!
d. Interpretation:
• actor’s interpretation
depends on script,
• what is brought to the
role,
• what other actors do,
• and how audience
reacts
e. Bad Actors:
• those who stray too far from
accepted roles = deviant
• Symbols associated with
deviance (outside roles):
Tattoos
Piercings
Black clothes
Drug Symbols
9. Specialties within Symbolic
Interactionism
a.
Ethnomethodology
= study of routine: how people who are
interacting with each other can create the
illusion of a shared social order even when
they don't understand each other fully and
in fact have different points of view
i.
Routine = glue that holds
society together
—the subconscious rules followed
ii. Routines of society hold us together – go to any state and
find similar routines
- Go to Italy and get charged more for sitting down at a
restaurant!
ii. Within society, we have
routines.
If a person does not respond
to habitual greeting:
then the person will spend time wondering if
they were snubbed or if something was wrong
- Routines unite us and are
symbols themselves.
- Symbolic of a stable
society
b. sociolinguistics =
study of how social
factors influence
i. use speech to speech patterns
communicate
and locate self
ii. Southern speech vs.
North-Eastern/City
speech = crops growing
vs. business world
iii. Bad words for
women vs. Bad
words for men
- shows men’s position of power = Conflict theory
10. Sociologists using Symbolic
Interactionism study:
child development – spanking vs.
not, Montessori vs. traditional…
relationships within
groups
(businesses,
schools, political
parties),
mate selection…
that’s right
eHarmony and
Match.com,
birth order – Oldest child vs. the Baby
Sociopaths – why do some people not
have empathy or follow norms?