Transcript sociology - Humble ISD

SOCIOLOGY
WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY?
 Sociologists are interested in all sorts of topics. For example,
some sociologists focus on the family, addressing issues such
as marriage, divorce, child-rearing, and domestic abuse, the
ways these things are defined in different cultures and times,
and their effect on both individuals and institutions. Others
examine larger social organizations such as businesses and
governments, looking at their structure and hierarchies. Still
others focus on social movements and political protest, such as
the American civil rights movement. Finally, sociologists may
look at divisions and inequality within society, examining
phenomena such as race, gender, and class, and their effect on
people's choices and opportunities. As you can see, sociologists
study just about everything.
Definition of SOCIOLOGY
 so·ci·ol·o·gy noun \ˌsō-sē-ˈä-lə-jē, ˌsō-shē-\
 1: the science of society, social institutions, and social
relationships; specifically : the systematic study of the
development, structure, interaction, and collective behavior of
organized groups of human beings
 2: the scientific analysis of a social institution as a functioning
whole and as it relates to the rest of society
Some of the most fascinating
subjects explored by sociologists
include:
 Sex and gender: Do men and women have different hiring, employment, and promotion experiences?
This would be a research question for a sociologist specializing in how sex and gender affect the
workplace.
 Medical sociology: How is AIDS transmitted (and thus prevented) in different subgroups of the
population? How has public opinion about AIDS shifted? These are the concerns of medical
sociologists.
 Organizations and occupations: Which management styles increase productivity and worker
satisfaction would engage the attention of an organizational sociologist.
 Racial and ethnic minorities: Do minority children get “tracked” within the public schools? Do minority
parents get “cooled out” from participating in and knowing about the informal power structure within
schools? Someone specializing in minority relations would explore these questions.
 Family: Are children of divorced parents more likely to divorce, or to reject marriage themselves? What
factors predict whether abused children would are better in foster care or reunited with their birth
family?
A degree can lead to employment opportunities
in all of the following areas:
 Criminal Justice- In corrections, rehabilitation, law enforcement, the justice
system, parole system.
 Business and Industry- Advertising, Consumer and Market Research,
Management of Non-profit organizations, Human Resources, Training and Human
Development, Leadership Training.
 Research and Planning- Governmental and regional planning departments,
research firms, evaluation research, public opinion research.
 Agencies-Social Services, Mental Health Services, Adoption, Child Care, Youth
Services, Developmental Disability Services.
 Government- Social Science Analysis, Census Bureau and other federal
agencies, Administration, Policy Analysis, Personnel, Homeland Security.
 Education- Public and Private Schools, Colleges and Universities, Administration,
Alumni Relations, Placement Offices, Educational Research.
 Advocacy- Environmental, Child Welfare, National Policies, Victims Rights, Labor
Rights, Community Organization.
 Communications- Technical Writing, Newspaper and Magazine Reporting, Public
Relations.
social contract
 The social contract is an intellectual device intended to
explain the appropriate relationship between individuals and
their governments. Social contract arguments assert that
individuals unite into political societies by a process of mutual
consent, agreeing to abide by common rules and accept
corresponding duties to protect themselves and one another
from violence and other kinds of harm.
FIRST SOCIAL CONTRACT IN
AMERICA
 The Mayflower Compact was the first governing document of
Plymouth Colony. It was written by the colonists, later
together known to history as the Pilgrims, who crossed the
Atlantic aboard the Mayflower. Almost half of the colonists
were part of a separatist group seeking the freedom to
practice Christianity according to their own determination and
not the will of the English Church. It was signed on
November 11, 1620 , by 41 of the ship's 101 passengers,
while the Mayflower was anchored in what is now
Provincetown Harbor within the hook at the northern tip of
Cape Cod.
CAN IT FAIL?