Introductory Sociology 1

1
Introductory Sociology 1

• What is sociology?
• Lecture 1

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Sociology as a joke

• So you should major in subjects like English,
  philosophy, psychology, and sociology -- subjects
  in which nobody really understands what anybody
  else is talking about, and which involve
  virtually no actual facts.

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Sociology is no joke

• Weve come from those jokes about what do you say
  to a sociology graduate Big Mac and fries,
  please to the point where sociology graduates
  are running universities. Yes, I know its
  terrifying.

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Sociology, a definition

• Sociology studies the relationship between
  individuals and society and the various things
  that impact on this relationship
• Such as history
• Personal biographical experience
• Political power

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Sociology, a definition

• Individuals do not exist as islands separate from
  society
• Society is composed of people
• Individuals and society are two
• sides of the same coin

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Sociology is fun

• Sociology is a collection of ideas, concepts,
  theories and methods of investigation for
  studying people in society
• Sociologys subject matter comprises the very
  social world that people inhabit

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Sociology as diversity

• In studying people in society, sociology studies
  a subject matter that is open to constant change
  and variability
• The diversity of ideas, theories, concepts and
  methods of investigation within sociology reflect
  this diversity

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Sociology as consensus

• Society is real
• Society consists of institutions that comprise
  the social structure
• Social institutions are coercive
• Social institutions are social products
•  

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Sociology as consensus

• Knowledge about society must transcend common
  sense
• Knowledge about society can be scientific
• Knowledge about society must capture peoples
  biographical experience, motives and intentions
• Knowledge about society must capture unintended
  consequences of action

10
Sociology versus common sense

• Black people come over here and nick our jobs
  and our women
• Catholics have eyes too close together and hair
  on the back of their neck
• Muslims are killers
• Looking after kids is womens work
• Smoking doesnt kill you

11
Sociology is not common sense

•         Professional sociology seeks to go
  beyond the fragments of personal and individual
  experience to explore general features of society
•  
•         It focuses on how peoples personal
  fragments interlock to form a structure over and
  above individuals. This incidentally is why the
  concept of the social structure is so fundamental
  to sociology as a discipline.
•         It seeks to offer an explanation of what
  it going on in the social world rather than mere
  description
•  
•         It seeks to base its explanations on
  reliable evidence.