Chap 1 Sociology

1. Chapter 1
An Invitation to Sociology

2. The Sociological Perspective

3. What is Sociology?

4. What is Sociology?
 Sociology studies human social behavior.
 It assumes a group, rather than an
individual, perspective.
 Sociologists look for the patterns in social
relationships.
 Individuals can benefit by using their
sociological imaginations to look at
events in their personal lives.

5. The Nature of Sociology
 Perspective is a particular point of view.
 We all see what is happening around us
through our own perspectives—our own
point of view.

6. What is unique about sociology?
 Sociology has its own perspective– the
sociological perspective (a view that
looks at behavior of groups not individuals)

7. The Importance of Patterns
 In society you will inevitably find patterned
relationships.
 Social structure (the patterned interaction
of people in social relationships)

8. How do group behavior and individual
behavior differ?
 Emile Durkheim you should not define
something by the sum of its parts
 argued that we do not attempt to explain
bronze in terms of its separate parts,
instead we consider bronze a totally new
metal created by the combination of several
other metals

9. The Bronze Effect
 the mixing of individual parts creates a new
whole and new characteristics.

11. How do group behavior and individual
behavior differ? (Example)
 2011 Stanley Cup
Canuck fans rioted
 Canuck fans after the
game disrupted the
peace as a group but
would not have done so
as individuals.

12. Why do people conform?
 Members of a group think, feel and
behave in similar ways.
 Conformity occurs because members
value the group’s ways.
 Conform when personal preferences are
not that of the group

13. Acquiring the Sociological
Imagination
 The sociological perspective enables us
to develop a sociological imagination.
 C. Wright Mills sociological imagination
(the ability to see the link between society
and self)

14. CW Mills & Sociological Imagination
 Sociological imagination- knowing how social
forces affect our lives can prevent us from being
prisoners of those forces.
 C W Mills called the personal use of sociology the
sociological imagination– the ability of
individuals to see the relationship between
events in their personal lives and events in their
society.

15. What is gained by using our
sociological imagination?
1. Understand effects of events
2. Awareness permits to learn and get a
fuller understanding of the events
3. Questions common interpretations of
human social behavior.

16. The Origins of Sociology

17. European Origins: French Revolution
 New political ideas were spreading in from France
and America, where revolutions against the
monarchy had taken place in the 1770s and 1780s.
 After the French revolution wars carried on across
Europe for nearly 25 years, and the common
people were those forced into the militaries of the
period to do the actual fighting.
 Finally there was a long economic depression and
living conditions did not improve much between
1790 and 1840.

18.  It is not surprising that political discontent
was common, especially among the
working people crowded into the new
industrial towns.
 The reaction of the government in the late
18th century to this discontent was also
predictable --they tried to crush political
and social unrest by force.

19. European Origins: The Industrial Revolution and
the effects of the French Revolution
 Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th
centuries spurred many new ideological studies.
 Many of the sociologists studied the impact of
urbanization on society as well as the familial
unit, etc.
 Auguste Comte’s sociology was overly
intertwined with his own ideas of the correct polity.

20.  In his view, society had broken down as a
result of the French Revolution.
 The Revolution was a good thing -- the
Revolution had also been necessary
because the ancien regime -- based as it
was on obsolete theological knowledge --
no longer served as a respectable basis for
shared opinions.

21.  It was the progress of the sciences that
had undermined this basis.
 The Revolution offered no grounds for the
reorganization of society because it was
negative -- that is, the Revolution
destroyed the old without creating the
new.

22. What were Auguste Comte’s major
ideas?
 Sociology
 Positivism (the belief that
knowledge should be derived
from scientific observation
 Social statics (the study of
social stability and order)
 Social dynamics (the study
of social change)
 Positive Philosophy

23.  Main concern as an adult was the
improvement of society believed if
societies were to advance, social behavior
had to be studied scientifically coined
the term sociology.
 Wanted to use scientific observation in
the study of social behaviorpositivism–
should be a science based on knowledge
of which we can be “positive” or sure about.

24.  Distinguised between social statics the
study of social stability and order & social
dynamics student of social change
 He published theories in a book Positive
Philosophy believed sociology could use
scientific procedures and promote social
progress.

25. Karl Marx
 Marx believed that society was based on a
class struggle between the “haves” and
“have nots”.
 Marxs believed that only when the workers
(have nots) get tired of the domination by
the wealthy oppressors, they will revolt and
create a classless society communism.

26.  Bourgeoisie (class owning the means for producing
wealth)
 Capitalist (person who owns or controls the means for
producing wealth)
 Proletariat (working class; those who labor for the
bourgeoisie)
 Class conflict ( the ongoing struggle between the
bourgeoisie (owners) and the proletariat (working) class)

27. Emile Durkheim
 Much of Durkheim's work was concerned
with how societies could maintain their
integrity and coherence in modernity; an
era in which traditional social and
religious ties are no longer assumed, and
in which new social institutions have come
into being.

28.  Durkheim was also deeply preoccupied
with the acceptance of sociology as a
legitimate science.
 He refined the positivism originally set
forth by Auguste Comte, promoting what
could be considered as a form of
epistemological realism, as well as the
use of the hypothetical-deductive model in
social science.

29.  Mechanical solidarity (social dependency
based on a widespread consensus of
values and beliefs enforced by conformity
and dependence on tradition and family)
 Organic solidarity (social interdependency
based on a high degree of specialization in
roles)
Durkheim’s Theories

30. Max Weber
 Verstehen (understanding social behavior
by putting yourself in the place of others)
 Rationalization (the mindset emphasizing
knowledge, reason, and planning)

31. What were Harriet Martineau’s
contributions?
 Harriet Martineau
suffered very poor
health growing up.
 Harriet had to seek
employment as a
writer to support
herself.

32.  She translated the works of Auguste
Comte into English.
 She wrote “Society in America” where she
established a reputation for being a
feminist.

33.  She saw a link between slavery and the
oppression of women.
 Believed women’s lack of economic
power helped keep them dependent by
writing about the inferior position of women
in society she helped inspire future
feminists.

34. Why did Herbert Spencer oppose
social reform?
 Herbert Spencer was
home-schooled.
 He had a great dislike
for conventional
education.

35.  He explained social stability by
comparing it to the human body
society is composed of parts working
together to promote health and well-
being and survival.
 Just as the eyes and the heart make
essential contributions to the functioning
of the human body, religious and
educational institutions are crucial for a
society’s functioning.

36.  Spencer introduced a theory of social
change called Social Darwinism based
loosely on Charles Darwin’s Theory of
evolution.
 Spencer thought that evolutionary social
change led to progress—provided people
did not interfere.

37.  He opposed social reform because it
interfered with the selection process.
 According to Spencer society profits
from allowing individuals to find their own
social class level without outside help or
hindrance.
 To interfere with the existence of
poverty– or the result of any other
natural process—is harmful to society.

38. Theoretical Perspectives

39. The Role of Theoretical
Persepctives
 Perception is the way the brain interprets
an image or event.
Have you ever shared a
different perception of an
event from a friend?

40. Youthful Face
O
L
D
F
A
C E

41. VASE

42. What is a theoretical perspective?
 Theoretical perspective (a set of
assumptions accepted as true)
 Three overarching perspectives
 Functionalism
 Conflict theory
 Symbolic interactionalism

43. Functionalism
 Functionalism (approach that emphasizes
the contributions made by each part of
society)
 How does functionalism explain social
change?
 They see the parts of a society as an integrated
whole; a change in one part of society leads to
changes in other parts

44.  a change in the economy may change the
economy parents may need to work longer or
more jobs leaving less time for family interaction
or major change in spending habits;
 an athlete with a concussion would have to halt
all activity until they are declared symptom free
this may lead to difficulties doing school work,
less interaction with teammates and peers.
Examples:

45.  Functionalism and conflict
 Functionalism assumes that societies tend to
return to a state of stability after some upheaval
has occurred.
 Revolution or absorption?
 Student unrest and other protests during the late 1960s
illustrate this:
 Many Americans became suspicious of the federal
government’s foreign policy
 Schools and universities became more responsive to
students’ needs and goals
 Environmental protection became an important political
issue to many Americans

46.  These changes have not revolutionized
American society.
 They have been absorbed into it, society
is only somewhat different from the way it
was before the student protests.
 According to Robert Merton (1996) there
are two kinds of functions

47.  Do all functions have a positive effect?
 Latent functions (unintended & unrecognized)
 Manifest functions (intended & recognized)
 Dysfunctions (negative consequences of an
aspect of society)
 How does functionalism view values?

48.  One of the manifest functions of school is to
teach math skills, a latent function is the
development of friendships.
 Elements that have negative consequences result
in dysfunction; a dysfunction of school is
bullying
 According to functionalism there is a consensus
on values– most Americans agree on the
desirablity of democracy, success, and equal
opportunity.

49. Conflict Perspective
 Conflict perspective (approach emphasizing
the role of conflict, competition, and
constraint within a society)
 Focuses on the disagreements among
various groups in a society or between
societies

50.  What is the role of conflict and constraint?
 Power (the ability to control the behavior of
others)
 How does the conflict perspective explain
social change?
 Groups and societies can compete as they
attempt to preserve and promote their own
special values and interests.

51.  Which perspective is better?
 Supporters see social living as a contest!
 Those with the most POWER get the control
 Balance of power among the groups shifts,
change occurs.

52. Symbolic Interactionism
 Symbolic interactionism (approach that
focuses on the interactions among people
based on mutually understood symbols)
 What is the significance of symbolic
interactionism?
 Symbol ( anything that stands for something
else and has an agreed-upon meaning attached
to it)

53. Symbolic Interactionism
 Charles Horton Cooley & George Herbert Mead
 Cooley states: Groups exist only because their members
influence each other’s behaviors
 Mead states: society should be study according to how
people interact and relate to symbols
 What are the basic assumptions of symbolic interactionism?
 1. we learn the meaning of symbols from observing the
behaviors of others; 2. once we learn the meaning we
base our interaction on them; 3. we use the meanings to
imagine how others will respond)
 Herbert Blumer believed we should study the patterns
of interactions around symbols
 Erving Goffman dramaturgy (approach that depicts
human interaction as theatrical performances)