Transcript Sociology

What is “sociology”?
Sociology is the systematic
study of social behavior
and human groups.
…says our book.
It goes on to say that sociology:
“…focuses primarily on the
influence of social
relationships on people’s
[=individuals’] attitudes and
behavior, and on how societies
are established and change.”
It is also possible, though, to answer the
question “What is sociology?” by saying
that…
“Sociology” is a late-comer among the social sciences;
It is a cluster of heterogeneous research programs
and theories that splits into a large number of
sub-disciplines, (Anthropology, Economics, Political
Sciences, Psychology
But preserves a sense of unity by invoking a shared
heritage.
In other words,
Similar to how people maintain their unity by telling
themselves stories of shared experiences and
genealogies that trace a common origin,
Sciences also have their narratives of how they
became what they are.
And this is the story of sociology in its briefest
version:
Origins of Sociology

Sociology did not emerge as a distinct discipline
until the 19th century

The rise of the discipline can be attributed to
the following;
1.
Imperialism

Europeans conquered many parts of the world.
They were exposed to radically different
cultures.

Startled by contrasting ways of life, they
began to ask why cultures differed.
Origins of Sociology
2. Scientific Revolution/ Enlightenment;

reason and rationality

use of scientific tools to inquire into social
facts, began to replace religious,
traditional forms of authority
3. Industrial Revolution

Industrialization and Capitalism were
changing economic patterns, growth of
cities
4. The Political Revolution

more democratic values and standards were
being adopted
Sociological Perspective

Seeing the general in the particular

Seeing the strange in the familiar

A collective view beyond the individual view

Peter Berger (1963:23)
 “the first wisdom of sociology is this—things
are not what they seem…Social reality turns out
to have many layers of meaning.”
The Sociological Perspective
OBSERVATIONS ARE CERTAINLY
IMPACTED BY THE PERSONAL
PERSPECTIVES THROUGH WHICH
PEOPLE COME TO VIEW THE WORLD
THE SOCIOLOGICAL
PERSPECTIVE:
PETER BERGER

SEE THE GENERAL IN THE PARTICULAR
 General
Social Patterns in the Behavior of
Particular Individuals
 Individuals are unique…but

Society’s social forces shape us into “KINDS” of
people
 Consider these
 People
more likely to kill themselves
 People more likely to go and succeed in college and
enjoy a favorable quality of life
Seeing the General in the Particular
RATE OF DEATH BY SUICIDE
20
18
20
What Social Forces are at work
here?
18
16
16
14
14
12
12
10
10
20.2
8
8
6
10.9
4
6.2
2
4
4.9
1.9
0
6
12.4
2
0
African Americans
Whites
By Race and Sex PER 100,000 PERSONS
Males
Both Sexes
Females
U.S. Bureau of the Census
Individual in Social Context

Durkheim’s Study of Suicide

More likely to commit
 Male protestants who were wealthy and unmarried
had higher suicide rate

Less Likely to commit
 Male Jews and Catholics who were poor and married

Being Catholic and Group-Oriented

One of the basic findings: WHY?
 the differences between these groups had to do with
“social integration”
 Those
with strong social ties had less of a chance
of committing suicide
SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION
Need for an approach that united the different
camps or “schools” of sociology,
Took a holistic view of society and social issues
The use of what has been termed,
by C. Wright Mills, the “sociological imagination”
—which is a mindset that seeks to understand the
individual as the product of his and her social
worlds, and seeks to understand the peculiarities
and histories of such social worlds.
To apply the
“sociological imagination”
is to…
…observe people’s behavior, beliefs, and
attitudes under the aspect of how they are
shaped by their social contexts.
To do this, we need to be able to…
— view our own society as an outsider would
and
— compare various social worlds, and various
sets of behavior, beliefs, and attitudes,
to one another.
Sociological Imagination:
(Mills 1959 [2000])

Sociological Imagination: “...the vivid awareness of
the relationship between experience and the wider
society.”

The sociological imagination helps us to grasp the
relationship between history and biography

links between history and biography

links between public issues and personal
troubles
Sociologists
French philosopher Auguste
Comte (1798-1857)
coins the term
“sociology” («sociologie»).
German Philosopher & Activist
Karl Marx
(1818-1883)
l
Sought to explain changes in society by
materialist conception of history- social
changes being brought about by economic
influences, not ideas or values
l
Conflict between classes (refer video: 5-500)
l
Means of production in the hands of elite
l
Workers own none- paid low wages and horrible
work condition
l
Eventual result is class conflict
Communist Manifesto (1848)
With this, the sociological
perspective is born
“Nicht das Sein bestimmt das Bewusstsein,
sondern das Bewusstsein bestimmt das Sein.”
(And now shut up, all you naïve philosophers—and let
ME tell you what the world is really like, and what
history has been all about. In other words, let MY
ideas define existence…)
…back to our little genealogy. So we said
that…
1)
French philosopher Auguste Comte (1798-1857)
introduces the term «sociology».
2) German philosophy-student and rebel-rouser Karl
Marx (1818-1883) decrees that „human existence
determines human consciousness˝—so that rather
than to understand “The Human Being” as an
abstract concept, we should strive to understand
how real people are shaped by their place in society.
…and now let’s go on:
French anthropologist
Émile Durkheim
(1858-1917)
Established sociology as a science
by objectively studying social
facts- e.g. suicide
Believed shared values and
customs hold societies together
Division of labor replacing religion
as primary basis of social
cohesion
Discussed Anomie, loss of moral
controls, standards and despair
German Economist
Max Weber
(1864-1920)
Influenced by Marx but differed on some
points
Rejected
Materialist Conception of History
• Class conflict less significant
• Economic factors important, as well as
Ideas and Values ---> social change
•
Capitalism promoted by Christianity especially,
Protestantism (China, India, Germany)
Rationalization- Science and Bureaucracy;
organization of social, economic life according
to principles of efficiency and technological
know-how
US-American sociologist
Talcott Parsons
(1902-1979)
Interprets society as a system
of regular social behavior,
Develops tools to understand
each sub-system’s structural
function within the larger
system—i.e. its role in the
maintenance of society as a
whole.
SOCIAL PARADIGMS
THEORY: A statement of how and why
facts are related
 PARADIGM: A set of fundamental
assumptions that guide thinking

PEOPLE HOLD DIFFERING
OPINIONS ABOUT THEIR
SOCIAL WORLD
WE ALL COME FROM
DIFFERENT SOCIAL
EXPERIENCES AND THEY
BIAS OUR ASSUMPTIONS
Major Theoretical Perspectives
Theory
View of Society
Functionalism
Composed of interrelated parts
that work together to maintain
stability.
Conflict
Society is characterized by social
inequality; social life is a struggle
for scarce resources.
Symbolic Interactionism
Behavior is learned in interaction
with other people.
•Which one is best?
•Why did SI begin in US?
Major Theoretical Perspectives:
Functionalism

How is social order maintained?

Subsystems/institutions have functions; mutually
interdependent

Concern for social order, stability, and integration

What function does this play?

Manifest and Latent functions

Dysfunctions

Social change occurs through evolution
STRUCTURAL -FUNCTIONALISM


THE BASICS

Macro-oriented (large-scale) paradigm

Views society as a complex system with many interdependent
parts

The parts work together to promote social stability and order

Major changes to the system’s parts is not required or desired;
system seeks to maintain it’s equilibrium
KEY ELEMENTS:

SOCIAL STRUCTURE
 Refers to relatively stable patterns of social behavior found in
social institutions

SOCIAL FUNCTION
 Refers to the consequences of social patterns for society

THE BASICS:
 A macro-oriented paradigm
 Views society as a structured system
based on inequality
 Social Conflict between groups over
scarce resources is the norm

KEY ELEMENTS:
 Society is structured in ways to benefit
a few at the expense of the majority
 Actors such as race, sex, class, and age
are linked to Social Inequality
 Dominant group VS. minority group
relations
 Incompatible interests and major
differences
THE CONFLICT
PARADIGM
SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM
SYMBOLIC INTERACTION IS A MICRO-ORIENTED PARADIGM,
WHICH MEANS IT IS EFFECTIVELY USED WHEN ATTEMPTING
TO UNDERSTAND SMALLER-SCALE SOCIAL PHENOMENA

BASICS:
 The view that society is the product of everyday
interactions


How, and in what way, do people interpret and
negotiate their surroundings?
PRINCIPLES:
 Society is a complex mosaic of understanding that
emerges from the very process of interacting
THINK IN TERMS OF FAMILY,
THE ECONOMY, RELIGION, THE
LEGAL SYSTEM, AND SCHOOL
THINK IN TERMS OF LAWS,
VALUES, NORMS, TRADITIONS,
SOCIAL EXPECATIONS, ROLES,
STATUSES, AND BELIEF
SYSTEMS.
SHOULD BE ABLE
TO SEE THE CONNECTION
BETWEEN BIOGRAPHY AND
HISTORY!