Transcript Ch. 1 Sociological Perspective

THE
SOCIOLOGICAL
PERSPECTIVE
HOW is the sociological perspective a
new and exciting way of seeing the world?
Why study Sociology?
• To assess the truth of "common sense"
• To see opportunities & constraints in our
lives
• To be active participants in our society
• To help us live in a diverse world...
• To secure a job after college
I. Sociological Perspective: looking for general patterns
in the behavior of particular people.
A. “Seeing the general in the particular.”
–PETER BERGER (1963)
B. SEEING THE STRANGE IN THE
FAMILIAR
"THE CORNERS OF LIFE WE OCCUPY IN SOCIETY"
SOCIAL LOCATION EXAMPLES: JOB, INCOME, EDUCATION,
GENDER, RACE-ETHNICITY
• How does social
class background
shape the kind of job
you expect to have
after graduation?
• What effect will your
background have on
your decision to go
to college?
C. SEEING PERSONAL CHOICE IN
SOCIAL CONTEXT
Is the size
of a family
really a
matter of
personal
choice?
EMILE DURKHEIM
• Research on suicide showed
rate strongly influenced by
social integration (social ties)
• Increased suicide risk:
• Protestant
• Male
• Unmarried
• Wealthy
• Conclusion: greater wealth &
freedom weakens social ties
PRIVATE CHOICES ARE SHAPED
BY SOCIETY
D. SEEING
SOCIOLOGY IN
EVERYDAY LIFE
SOCIOLOGICAL
IMAGINATION
C. WRIGHT MILLS (1963)
• Seeing the connection
between society and your
individual life
• Ex. Great Depression
• Those out of work
blamed the economy for
the high unemployment
• THUS...Sociological thinking
can bring about social
change!
II. ORIGINS OF
SOCIOLOGY
A. RAPID SOCIAL CHANGE GIVES WAY TO
SOCIOLOGY
1. Rise of industrial economy
• Traditions weakened as workers become
part of large & anonymous labor force
2. Growth of cities
• Rapid urbanization leads to new
Msocial problems (ex. crime, homelessness,
unemployment)
3. Political change
• American & French Revolutions encouraged
people to rethink social life
• New ideas introduced (ex. Inalienable rights)
4. Imperialism
• Exposure to radically different cultures and ways of life
• Began to ask, "why do cultures differ?"
5. Success of natural sciences
• Use of the scientific method - objective, test theories
• Secrets revealed - logical step since tradition no longer
gives answers
B. EARLY SOCIOLOGISTS
1. Auguste Comte (1838)
• Named sociology
• Goal: to understand how society really works
• Positivism: a way of understanding based on science
2. Herbert Spencer
• Societies evolve through social unrest = natural
• No one should intervene in evolution of society = no social
reform (Darwin's "survival of the fittest")
3. Karl Marx
• Class conflict will bring about social change
• Sociology's purpose is to make society better
4. Emile Durkheim
• Used scientific method to study of society
• Study only observable aspects
• Identified social facts (ex. patterns of behavior that
characterize a group - ex. More births on Tuesday)
• Research should lead to solutions for social problems
5. Max Weber
• Research should be value-free & objective
• Research should be replicated
• Sociologists should practice "Verstehen" - see
through the eyes of others (subjective meanings)
& go beyond social facts