The Study of Society

1
Chapter 1

• The Study of Society

2
Chapter Outline

• What Is Sociology?
• The Emergence of Sociology
• Current Perspectives in Sociology
• The Science of Society
• Strategies for Gathering Data
• Sociologists What Do They Do?

3
Sociology

• The study of human social interaction.
• Concepts of role and social structure allow
  sociologists to analyze human drama.
• Sociological imagination is the ability to see
  personal experience in the context of
  social-structural forces

4
The Founders of Sociology

• August Comte - studied social order (statics) and
  social change (dynamics).
• Harriet Martineau - employed sociological insight
  to advocate womens rights and oppose slavery.

5
The Founders of Sociology

• Herbert Spencer - saw the parts of a complex
  social order as functioning like organs in the
  human body.
• Karl Marx - developed the concepts and
  cornerstones of conflict theory.

6
The Dialect

• George Hegel suggested that for every idea a
  counter idea develops to challenge it.
• As a result of conflict between the two ideas, a
  new idea is produced.
• Dialectic philosophy views change as a product of
  contradictions and conflict between the parts of
  society.

7
The Dialectic

• Change occurs through conflict and resolution
  rather than evolution.

8
 Sociology in the United States

• Three features
• Concern with social problems.
• Reforming rather than a radical approach to
  problems.
• Emphasis on the scientific method.

9
Three Dominant Theoretical Perspectives in
Sociology

• Structural functionalism
• Conflict theory
• Symbolic interactionism

10
Assumptions of Structural-functional Theory

• Stability. How does a social structure contribute
  to the maintenance of society?
• Harmony. How do the parts of a society work for
  the good of the whole?
• Evolution. Social structures evolve and adapt to
  new needs and demands.

11
Structural-functional Analysis

• Two important steps
• Determine the nature of the over-all social
  structure.
• Assess the consequences of various parts of the
  social structure for the social entity as a
  whole.

12
Assumptions of Conflict Theory

• Competition. Competition over resources is
  characteristic of all human relationships.
• Structured Inequality. Those who benefit strive
  to maintain their advantage.
• Revolution. The process of change may be abrupt
  and revolutionary. 

13
Conflict Analysis

• Two basic questions
• Who benefits from structural inequality?
• How do they maintain their advantage?

14
Assumptions of Symbolic Interaction Theory

• Symbolic meanings are important.
• Meanings grow out of relationships.
• Meanings are negotiated.

15
Symbolic Interaction Analysis

• Individuals derive their habits and their sense
  of self through interactions with others.
• Interested in how individuals negotiate their way
  through relationships. 

16
Sociological Research

• State the problem.
• Gather data.
• Find patterns.
• Generate theories.

17
The Wheel of Science
18
 Strategies for Gathering Data

• Experiment - variables are manipulated to test
  theories of cause and effect.
• Survey research - asking a large number of
  people a set of standardized questions
• Participant observation - examines the context of
  human interaction.

19
Sociologists What Do They Do?

• Most are employed in college and university
  settings where they teach and do research.
• Applied sociology seeks to provide immediate
  practical answers to problems.
• Sociologists also work in government, business
  and non-profit organizations.