Transcript Sociology - eReportz

Sociology
Tehzeeb Sakina Amir
BBA
Start up session
 Welcome & Class introduction
 Course facilitator introduction
 Course Objectives
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To generate Sociological Thinking
Exploring diverse cultures
Relating sociology to daily lives
Active learning featuring different resources
Start up session
 Teaching methodology
 Teaching will mainly be done through coaching the
students with interactive sessions and presentations.
 The key to success is to keep the concept clear, simple
and always look for its practical application in a
working environment
Start up session
 Class norms - To get the maximum benefit out of the course
students are strongly recommended to:
 Arrive and leave in time! No early leaves / late comings
 Come Prepared! This is not a lecture-only course!
 Planned & surprise class quizzes/activities, be regular!
 Assignments and other related work has to be submitted on time. Late
submission will not be acceptable and will be marked zero!
 Do your own work! Copied work will be marked zero!
 Cell phones switch off please!
 No personal, political and religious examples & comments.
Course outline and grading
 Course content (modules) – soft copy email or copy from
temp folder.
 Testing & Grading
 Grading will focus on your overall performance rather than one or
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two aspects. A mid-term examination & a final examination will be
taken.
Class Participation
Class quizzes, assignments
30%
Mid-term
20%
Term project
20%
Final Exam
30%
TOTAL
100%
Selection of CR & Groups formation
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CR nomination
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Groups formation
Class information (email addresses)
Term Project
Some queries…..
 Do You get influenced by what you see on television?
 Do You use the internet?
 Did You vote in last election?
 Are You familiar with substance abuse in your
environment?
 Are You concerned about the tough job market?
 Do You know the social factors behind prejudices?
 Why relations are different in different cultures?
 Do You wonder on technology usage around us?
Sociology
Sociology
 The systematic study of social behavior and
human groups. It focuses on social relationships,
how these relationships influence people’s
behavior and how societies, the sum total of those
relationships, develop and change.
The Sociological Imagination
 Wright Mills coined this term…
 An awareness of the relationship between an individual and
the wider society.
 This awareness helps us to understand the links between our
immediate, personal, social settings and the remote, impersonal
social world that surrounds and help to shape us….!!
 Ability to view one’s own society as an outsider rather than
the perspective of personal experiences and cultural
biases….is the key element in the social imagination…..e.g.
sporting events
 Social Imagination helps us to understand broader public
issues like divorce, child labor etc.
Sociology …….a science
 Science…..a body of knowledge obtained by methods based
on systematic observation.
 Sociology involves the organized and systematic study of
phenomena in order to enhance understanding.
 To collect precise information
 Objectivity
 Careful recording of the observations/information
 Accumulation of data
Sociology and Common Sense
 Common sense is our own opinions, viewpoints, our own
theories based on personal notions
 Systematic analysis of facts make these ‘common’
experiences a sociological experience!!
Sociological Theory
 Question….. Why do people commit suicide??????
 Because: they have dark hair?
 Because: inherit desire to kill themselves….!!!!
 Sociologists are interested to identify the social forces that
systematically cause people to take their own lives!!!
 A theory is then born to offer general explanation of suicidal
behavior.
 Theories are attempts to explain events, forces, materials, ideas,
or behavior in a comprehensive manner.
 In sociology, theory explains problems, actions or behavior. A
theory is effective if it has both explanatory and predictive powers.
The development of Sociology
 Early thinkers
 Auguste Comte (1798-1857) – most influential philosopher at
the time of French revolution to focus on how society can be
improved.
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Comte coined the term Sociology…
He believed that a systematic study of social behavior would lead to
more rational human interactions.
 Harriet Martineau – English sociologist (1837-1962)
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She offered observations of the customs & social practices of both
Britain and US.
Her work mainly focus on social class distinctions and to gender and
race. She spoke on women and slaves rights and religious tolerance
The development of Sociology
 Early thinkers
 Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) –
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He focused on understanding the social context better in the light of
Darwin’s evolution theory. He explained how societies evolved and
change over time.
He applied Darwin’s ‘survival of the fittest’ view by arguing that it is
‘natural’ that some people are born rich while others are poor.
The development of Sociology
 Emile Durkheim (1858 – 1917)
 His notion was that human behavior must be understood within a
larger social context and not in individualistic terms.
 He focused on the functions that religion performed, he viewed that
religion enforces a group’s solidarity.
 Another his main interest was ‘The division of labour in Society’ –
he said that growing division of labour in industrial societies where
workers become more specialized, led to what he called Anomie
 Anomie refers to the loss of direction felt in a society when social
control of an individual has become ineffective.
 State of anomie occurs when individuals lost their sense of
direction and purpose often during when change is profound
The development of Sociology
 Emile Durkheim (1858 – 1917)
 He believed that Sociology should provide direction for change.
 When people become confused and unable to cope with the new
social environment they may resort to taking their own lives.
 His work on Suicide earned a lot of popularity
 His view that industrial societies have dangers of alienation,
isolation and loneliness.
 He advocated new social groups – mediators between the
individual’s family and the state – which would provide a sense of
belonging for members of huge, impersonal societies e.g unions
The development of Sociology
 Max Weber (1864 -1920)
 He coined a term Verstehen – German word for ‘understanding’ or
‘insight’. He pointed out that we can not analyze social behavior by
the same type of objective criteria, we must learn the subjective
meanings people attach to their actions – how they view and
explain their behavior.
 His another key concept ‘the ideal type’ – it is a construct or model
for evaluating specific cases. He presented a model of bureaucracy.
His use of term ideal is not for a particular business or a positive
evaluation. Instead he meant to provide a useful standard for
measuring how various characterisitics of bureaucracy make what it
is.
The development of Sociology
 Karl Marx (1818-1833) – he shared Durkheim and Weber
 Formed a platform ‘The Communist Manifesto’ in which he argued that
masses of people with no resources other than their labor, should unite to
fight for the overthrow of capitalist society.
 In Marx analysis, society was clearly divided into two classes that clashed in
pursuit of their own interests.
 He saw factories as centre of conflict between the exploiters (owners) and
the exploited (the workers)
 ‘Das Kapital’
The development of Sociology
 Modern Developments
 Charles Horton Cooley (1864-1929)
 He wanted to learn more about society but he preferred looking at smaller
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units/groups (family/friends) as the seedbed of society.
These seedbeds shape the people’s ideals/beliefs/values and social nature.
Jane Addams (1860-1935)
She combined intellectual inquiry, social service work and political
activism all with the goal of assisting the underprivileged and creating a
more egalitarian society.
Robert Merton (1910-2003)
He combined theory and research. His theory of deviant behaviors , he
noted different ways in which people attempt to achieve success.
In his view some may deviate from socially approved acts/ways.
Major Theoretical Perspectives
 Functionalist Perspective
 Conflict Perspective
 Interactionist Perspective
Functional Perspective
 A sociological approach that emphasizes the way in which
the parts of society are structured to maintain its stability.
 Each part of society contributes in its survival. Though all
parts do not contribute to its stability.
 Key concepts:
 Manifest and Latent Functions
 Open stated conscious functions are Manifest. They are intended
and recognized.
 Latent are unconscious and unintended functions that may reflect
hidden purposes of an institution.
 Dysfunctions
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It refers to an element or process of a society that may actually
disrupts the social system and its stability.
Conflict Perspective
 Assumes that social behavior is best understood in terms of
conflict and tension between competing groups. Conflicts
should not be violent but they can be in the form of
negotiations, politics, competitions or minor disputes.
 The Marxist View – struggle/conflict between social
classes.
 W.E.B. Du Bois – an African American view – egalitarian
society, knowledge can combat prejudices and achieving
tolerance and justice.
 The Feminist View – inequity in gender as central to all
behavior and organization.
Interactionist Perspective
 Generalizes about everyday forms of social interaction in
order to explain society as a whole.
 It views human beings as living in a world of meaningful
objects. These objects can be material things, actions,
relationships and even symbols.
 Face to face interaction and non-verbal communication
A comparison of perspectives
Functionalist
Conflict
Interactionist
View of
society
Stable
Tension and
struggle
Actively affecting everyday
interactions
Level of
analysis
Macro
Macro
Micro
View of
the
individual
Socialized
Shaped by power,
coercion and
authority
Manipulate symbols and create
social world though interactions
View of
social
order
Maintained
through
cooperation
Through force and
coercion
Maintained by shared
understanding of everyday
behavior.
View of
social
change
Predictable
and
reinforcing
Change takes place Reflected in interactions and
all the time
communications