The Sociology Society

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The Sociology Society

• Introduction to Sociology

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We need to first consider the question What is
Sociology?
We need to think about its object of study.
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• We are going to think about this class as a
  society (hence The Sociology Society)
• What are its essential features?
• How does it function as a group?
• What will be its rules?
• and so fourth......

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If sociology is the study of societies and social
relationships, we need to think about the most
obvious contradiction that between our unique
individualism and our ability to act
socially. For example We are all individuals
(unique/different in some way), but we live in
groups (some pre-existing (such as family) some
we develop (such as friends)
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Sociology is The study of social groups (which
involves the idea of culture a way of
life) The study of how group membership shapes
us (identity) and how we shape the behavior of
others. Ultimately, sociology is the study of
social order (this is what makes it different
from the other social sciences) The examination
of how potentially chaotic individualism is
shaped by our social relationships (society)
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• Lesson instructions
• You will discuss, in small groups, the questions
  listed in this exercise.
• You will record your discussions in note form so
  that you may relay that information to the whole
  class.
• After each question has been discussed, each
  group will report their deliberations/answers
  back to the whole class.
• You will start a Sociology Glossary which will
  include key concepts, definitions, and brief
  examples you encounter during this exercise.

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Question 1
How are we different?
Class differences Age Gender Ethnicity Nationality
Family Educational differences Religion Lifestyle
differences
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This leads us to the concept of

• Social Action the idea of individual choices in
  what you do.
• Peoples behavior is based on meaningful
  understandings of what they do, and is a response
  to, coordinated with, or oriented toward the
  actions of other people.

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Additional concepts

• Social interaction how people relate to one
  another and influence each others behavior.
• Social phenomena observable facts or events
  that involve human society.
• Sociological perspective looking at social life
  in a scientific systematic way looking beyond
  commonly held beliefs to the hidden meanings
  behind human actions.
• Sociological imagination the ability to see the
  connection between the larger world and your
  personal life. (C. Wright Mills)

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Copy this organizer in your notes and complete it
by drawing an image in each box to illustrate the
sociological imagination.
Illustration
Illustration
Sociological Imagination
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Question 2

• What do we have in common?
• If we are so different / individual / unique how
  are we able to live together?
• We learn to behave socially!

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How we behave socially...

• Depends upon our...
• Roles a set of behaviors, attitudes,
  obligations, and privileges expected of
  anyone who occupies a particular status.
• Values general ideas that people share about
  what is good or bad, desirable or
  undesirable.
• Norms specific guidelines for action that say
  how people should behave in particular
  situations.
• Social status a position in a social
  structure that determines where a
  person fits within the social order.
• Sanctions rewards for conforming to a social
  norm or penalties for violating it.

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This leads us to the concept of

• Culture a way of life we share.
• or
• The learned norms, values, knowledge, artifacts,
  language, and symbols that are constantly
  communicated among people who share a common way
  of life.

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Your Assignment

• For the next class, you must bring several
  magazines. They should be magazines that you
  would otherwise recycle. You will be cutting out
  pictures from these magazines. Ask your family
  and friends for magazines if you have none of
  your own.
• How many? As many as you can carry to class.
  The more the better.

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Question 3

• How is it possible for our society to function?
• Relationships
• Rules
• Responsibilities
• Provide examples of each and some indication
  of how they serve as the social glue that bind
  people together.

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Question 4

• How do we learn the rules?
• We learn through
• 1. Experience (memory)
• 2. Observation (finding out for ourselves by
  watching how others behave)
• 3. Teaching (parents, friends, teachers, etc.)

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Sociology Then and Now

• How did the field of sociology develop?
• In what ways do the three main theoretical
  perspectives in sociology differ in their focus?

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The Start of Sociology

• The nature of social life and human interaction
  has been of interest to scholars throughout
  history. However, sociology did not develop
  until the 1800s.
• Several factors led to the development of
  sociology.
• The rapid social and political changes that took
  place in Europe as a result of the Industrial
  Revolution were of primary importance.
• Change in work habits (agricultural to
  industrial)
• The growth of cities

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Urbanization caused social problems

• Unemployment
• Housing shortages
• Crime increased
• Pollution
• Change in personal relationships
• Overtime, it became more difficult to ignore the
  effect of society on the individual.

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Scholars question life

• Sweeping political, social, and economic changes
  caused some scholars to question the traditional
  explanations of life.
• They attempted to prove their beliefs through
  observation, controlled experiments, and
  carefully collection and analysis of information.
• In the 1800s scholars in France, Germany, and
  England believed that the social world was based
  on a set of basic principles that could be
  studied and analyzed through the use of
  scientific research methods.

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Notes - Current Theoretical Perspectives

• A theory is an explanation of the relationships
  among particular phenomena.
• Sociologists develop theories to guide their work
  and help interpret their findings

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• Sociologists also adopt broad theoretical
  perspectives to provide a foundation for their
  inquiries. A theoretical perspective is a
  general set of assumptions about the nature of
  things. In the case of sociology, a theoretical
  perspective outlines specific ideas about the
  nature of social life.

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Three broad theoretical perspectives form the
basis of modern sociology.

• These are functionalist perspective, conflict
  perspective, and interactionist perspective.
• Each one presents a slightly different image of
  society or focuses on different aspects of social
  life.

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Functionalist Perspective

• The functionalist perspective is broadly based on
  the ideas of Comte, Spencer, and Durkheim.
• People who employ this perspective view society
  as a set of interrelated parts that work together
  to produce a stable social system.
• According to functionalists, society is held
  together through consensus. In other words, most
  people agree on what is best for society and work
  together to ensure that the social system runs
  smoothly.
• Topics of interest to functionalist sociologists
  include the functions that family or education
  serve in society

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Functionalist Perspective cont.

• Recognizing that not everything in society
  operates smoothly, functionalist also label
  certain elements dysfunctional. A dysfunction is
  a negative consequence an element has for the
  stability of the social system. Dysfunctional
  elements, such as crime, disrupt society rather
  than stabilize it.

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Functionalist Perspective cont.

• In addition to being either positive or negative,
  functions can be either manifest or latent.
• A manifest function is the intended and
  recognized consequence of some element of
  society. For example, a manifest function of the
  automobile is to provide speedy transportation
  from one location to another.
• A latent function, on the other hand, is the
  unintended and unrecognized consequence of an
  element of society. A latent function of the
  automobile is to gain social standing through the
  display of wealth.

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Conflict Perspective

• People who employ the conflict perspective focus
  on the forces in society that promote competition
  and change.
• Following in the tradition of Karl Marx, conflict
  theorists are interested in how those who possess
  more power in society exercise control over those
  with less power.

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Conflict Perspective cont.

• Conflict theorists do not limit their attention
  to acts of violent conflict. They are also
  interested in nonviolent competition between
  various groups in society men and women, people
  of different ages, or people of different racial
  or national backgrounds.
• Some of the topics that conflict sociologists
  research include decision-making in the family,
  relationships among racial groups, and disputes
  between workers and employers.

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Conflict Perspective cont.

• According to conflict theorists, competition over
  scarce resources is at the basis of social
  conflict. Because resources such as power and
  wealth are in limited supply, people must compete
  with one another for them.
• Once particular groups gain control of societys
  resources, they tend to establish rules and
  procedures that protect their interests at the
  expense of other groups. This leads to social
  conflict as those with less power attempt to gain
  access to desired resources. Conflict, in turn,
  leads to social change. Thus, conflict theorists
  see social change as an inevitable feature of
  society.

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Interactionalist Perspective

• Functionalists and conflict theorists tend to
  focus on society in general or on groups within
  society. However, some sociologists adopt an
  interactionalist perspective, focus on how
  individuals interact with one another in society.

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Interactionalist Perspective cont.

• These sociologists are interested in the ways in
  which individuals respond to one another in
  everyday situations. They are also interested in
  the meanings that individuals attach to their own
  actions and to the actions of others.
  Interactionalist theorists are heavily indebted
  to the work of Max Weber.

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Interactionalist Perspective cont.

• Interactionalists are particularly interested in
  the role that symbols play in our daily lives. A
  symbol is anything that represents something
  else.
• In order for something to be a symbol, however,
  members of society must agree on the meaning that
  is attached to it. Such things as physical
  objects, gestures, words, and events can serve as
  symbols.
• The American flag, the bald eagle, Fourth of July
  celebration, and Uncle Sam are examples of
  symbols used to represent the United States. In
  the case of gesture, a salute is a sign of
  respect for authority.

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Interactionalist Perspective cont.

• Interactionalists focus on how people use symbols
  when interacting. This process is called
  symbolic interaction.
• The interactionalist perspective is used to study
  topics such ad child development, relationships
  within groups, and mate selection.
• This theoretical perspective has been
  particularly influential in the United States

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Which theoretical perspective should you use?

• Each one poses different questions and provides
  contrasting insights into the social world.
  Combining the elements each has to offer will
  provide you with a more complete understanding of
  human behavior.