AN INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY

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AN INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY Sociology as a field of study How sociology relates to others fields of study Influential early thinkers in Sociology Careers in sociology http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azWs-ESXZrk&safe=active (8:43)

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AN INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY. Sociology as a field of study How sociology relates to others fields of study Influential early thinkers in Sociology Careers in sociology http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azWs-ESXZrk&safe=active (8:43). WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Transcript of AN INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY

Page 1: AN INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY

AN INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY

Sociology as a field of study

How sociology relates to others fields of study

Influential early thinkers in Sociology

Careers in sociologyhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azWs-ESXZrk&safe=active (8:43)

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WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY

• Sociology is the study of human social life, focusing on developing an understanding of changes in social structure and human interaction on an individual, societal and global level. Students in Sociology learn to analyze social issues and think critically about the world around them.

• —University of Saskatchewan

• Sociology is the study of the organization, dynamics and consequences of social life. The scope of the discipline is as broad and diverse as social life itself.

• —UCLA• Sociology is the study of social life, social change, and the social

causes and consequences of human behavior.• —American Sociological Association

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WHAT IS SOCIOLOGYhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O35xrV4Xaa4&safe=active (4:18)

• Sociology is a branch of the social sciences which is concerned with the causes and results of human behavior.

• Sociologists study societies at large, as well as smaller groups within societies.

• They analyze the inner-workings of groups of people through looking at factors like social interaction, social change, race and gender relations, and the division of labor, to name just a few.

• A BIG ISSUE FOR SOCIOLOGY WHAT DEFINES NORMAL

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WHAT OTHER DISCIPLINES ARE RELATED TO SOCIOLOGYhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSIdaTSG2Gg&safe=active (4:36)

• Sociology is part of the larger group of studies called social sciences

• Other social sciences include– Anthropology– Political Science– Psychology– Economics– Historians

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DTRjAqC61s&safe=active (2:38)

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WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY

• Sociology is one of the newest social sciences• It concerns itself with: • Social Structure

– The socially defined position in a group or in a society(status) as well as the behaviour (role) of the individual occupying a particular status

• Social Institutions– Are organizations built to meet specific needs for the

overall society– Examples include politics, the family, education and

religion– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8mARj__3HA&safe=active (6:42)

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WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY

• Social Class– Describes a person’s relative position with a society’s

social structure– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU5MtVM_zFs&safe=active (9:28)

• Social Groups– Consist of two or more people who share a common

interest and who see each other on a regular basis

• Social Interaction– Is how people relate to one another and influence

each others behaviour• Exchange, competition, conflict, cooperation and

accommodation are examples of social interaction• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amNiOJv1RyU&safe=active (5:13)

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EARLY LEADERS IN SOCIOLOGY• Sociology developed as a

distinct field of study for several reasons

• Great social and political changes took place in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries including the Industrial Revolution, French Revolution and American Revolution

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EARLY LEADERS IN SOCIOLOGY• Auguste Comte (1789-1857)• Wanted to solve the social

problems caused by the French Revolution

• He believed that sociologists could use the scientific method to discover the laws that governed society

• He called his approach positivism – the scientific process need to give accurate results

Comte was the first person to use sociology to describe the study of society

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EARLY LEADERS IN SOCIOLOGY• Comte felt their were two fundamental issues

for study, order and change• Social Statics

• The process by which the overall structure of society remains relatively stable, or unchanged over a period of time

• Social Dynamics• The process by which elements with society change in a

systematic fashion to allow for social development

• Understanding these concepts would allow people to predict, and perhaps, control their future

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EARLY LEADERS IN SOCIOLOGY• Karl Marx (1818-1883)• Believed that society was divided based on your

relationship to the means of production• Capitalists

– The wealthy who owned the means of production

• Proletariat– Labourers who survive by selling their work

• Mark felt that the imbalance between the groups could lead to conflict

• He felt that social scientists should help the workers overthrow the capitalists and change society

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EARLY LEADERS IN SOCIOLOGY

• Marx believed that the economic basis of society influenced social structure

• Conflict was the most important cause of social change

• Marx defined conflict as the result of opposing forces or beliefs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hRmPxHmkJc&safe=active (3:58)

Marx felt equality was an overriding ideal for a just society

From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs

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EARLY LEADERS IN SOCIOLOGY• Herbert Spencer (1820-1903)• In his 30s, received a large inheritance that

allowed him to pursue other interests• He was interested in how society maintained

itself and was strongly influenced by the views of Charles Darwin, and adopted a biological model of society

• Spencer believed that society was similar to a living organism and saw society as a set of interdependent parts that worked to maintain the system over time

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EARLY LEADERS IN SOCIOLOGY• Using Darwin's model, he

felt that the best aspects of society would survive over time so there was little need to directly address the social ills of the day

• Natural selection would see the “survival of the fittest” societies upgrading the world over time as less fit societies would be weeded out

Spencer's views became known as Social Darwinismhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cxfbq4evdTY&safe=active (2:11)

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EARLY LEADERS IN SOCIOLOGY• Emile Durkheim (1858-1917)• The first sociologist to systematically

use scientific methods to study society• Durkheim was a functionalist

– A person who believes that society works logically, protecting the interests of most of its members

• He believed that society worked logically, protecting the interests of most of its members

• Durkheim did not believe that feelings and thoughts of individuals should be part of sociology http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXQqMyMIAhI&safe=active (1:41)

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EARLY LEADERS IN SOCIOLOGY• Max Webber (1864-1920)• He believed that

sociologists should go beyond what could be seen to try and discover the thoughts and feelings on individuals

• His concept was verstehen– The empathetic

understandings of the meanings others attach to their beliefs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0KKytKF6xE&safe=active (6:16)

Weber is credited with the concept of multiple perspectives

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THE THREE MAIN THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES

FUNCTION CONFLICT SYMBOL

• Sees society as a set of interrelated parts that work together to follow a stable system

• Believe that institutions develop in societies because they benefit their members

• Consensus holds society together

• Believe that in order to understand society, they need to understand the way power is managed in it.

• Believe that a societies normal state is one of conflict and a struggle for power

• Believe people’s actions and behaviours can only be understood by looking at people as individuals.

• Sometimes people attach symbolic importance to their interactions with others

• It is only a symbol if the society agrees to it’s meaning

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CAREERS IN SOCIOLOGYhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1heRxz2kuQs&safe=active (3:05)

• Sociologists mainly find employment within career areas such as government, research, teaching, consulting, community affairs, and marketing.

• Sociologists are found in all tiers of government, including administration, management, human resources, statistics gathering, and data collection.

• Many researchers in Canada have backgrounds in Sociology, and, researchers of all types are in high demand