Transcript Chapter 1 - TeacherWeb

SOCIOLOGY: CHAPTER 1
An Invitation to Sociology
LESSON 1:
THE SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
THE NATURE OF SOCIOLOGY
• SOCIOLOGY is the study of social structure and
interaction by using scientific measurements.
• Social structure  the patterned ways of how
people interact and build social relationships
• Studying sociology from various PERSPECTIVES is key
to building a comprehensive understanding of
human interaction.
THE IMPORTANCE OF PATTERNS
• Group vs. Individual Behavior
Example: Deindividuation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkZgYmZIHAw
Example: Bystander Effect
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSsPfbup0ac
• Conformity to the Group
• Example: Asch’s Conformity Experiment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYIh4MkcfJA
ACQUIRING THE SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION
• This is the personal use of sociology in applying it to your life.
• The ability of individuals to see the relationship between events in their
personal lives and events in their society.
• How to develop sociological imagination?
• Be objective
• Appreciate cultural differences
• Questions that Sociologically Aware persons ask:
1. How is the society structured?
2. How does this society fit within human history?
3. How do the traits of people in this society shaped by the community
in which it exists?
CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS:
1. What is the sociological perspective?
2. How do group behavior and individual behavior
differ?
3. What is gained by using the sociological
imagination?
4. Choose a social issue that interests you. Briefly
describe the issue. Then explain how using your
sociological imagination can help you analyze the
issue.
SECTION 2: THE ORIGINS OF SOCIOLOGY
EUROPEAN ORIGINS
Social events such as the Industrial Revolution and French Revolution spurred
European intellectuals to study the effects of social events on society
(individually and in groups)
1. Auguste Comte: “Father of Sociology”; established that there should be a
distinction between social stability (social statics) and social change (social
dynamics) in society
2. Harriet Martineau: made contributions in research methods, political
economy and feminist theory; highlighted similarities between slavery and
the oppression of women
3. Herbert Spencer: contributed a theory of social change…Social Darwinism
4. Karl Marx: concerned with social conflict between the proletariat (poor)
and the bourgeoisie (wealthy)
5. Max Weber: said that sociologists must consider factors that explain human
behavior (i.e. values, beliefs, attitudes); empathize with those being studied
NOTABLE EARLY AMERICAN SOCIOLOGISTS
1. Jane Addams: social worker who advocated for women’s needs and rights in
society
2. W.E.B. DuBois: advocated for education for African Americans and spoke against
discrimination and segregation
3. Booker T. Washington: believed that African Americans should accept
segregation in exchange for economic gains.
4. Robert Ezra Park: (worked with Booker T. Washington); studied collective behavior
and social interaction
5. George Herbert Mead: laid the foundation for “symbolic interactionism” or how
we interact in our world through the use of language, symbols, and
communication
6. Julian Samora: advocated for civil rights and for the social improvements of
Mexican Americans
SECTION 3: THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES
WHAT IS A “THEORETICAL
PERSPECTIVE”?
A set of assumptions about an area of study…a
different way to look at a dilemma or scientific
question.
• Examples:
• Gender perspective
• Socio-economic perspective
• Racial/Cultural perspective
• Religious values
5 KEY CONCEPTS OF SOCIOLOGY
1. Functional integration –all of the parts of society depend upon each
other
2. Social structure – pattern of social interaction within a group or
society
3. Power – getting one or more groups to become submissive to the will
and wants of another group
4. Social action – how one’s behavior is influenced by his or her
environment
5. Culture – language, norms, values, beliefs, knowledge, symbols, and
physical objects that are common within a group
FUNCTIONALISM
• What is it?
• Places emphasis on the parts of society and
their contributions
• Manifest functions vs. Latent Function
• Manifest  intentional; obvious; readily
identifiable
• Latent  unintentional; subconscious
SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM
• A perspective that focuses on the actual interactions
among people using symbols, language, etc.
• 3 Assumptions:
1. We understand a meaning of symbol from the way we
see others reacting to it
2. We learn the meanings of symbols and then base our
behaviors on them
3. We use the meaning of symbols to imagine how others
will respond to our behavior