Origins of Sociology…

WHY DID I TAKE THIS CLASS?

•On a piece of paper write down a list of all the problems you face in a day, week etc…

SO

CIO

LO

GY Definition -

The systematic

study of human society

and social interaction

.

A society is a large social grouping that shares the same geographical territory and is subject to

the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations.

What are some examples of Societies?

HOW DO YOU START THINKING LIKE A SOCIOLOGIST? USE YOUR SOCIOLOGICAL

IMAGINATION!!! See the relationship between individual experiences

and the larger society. Sociologists study how human behavior is shaped by

group life and how group life is affected by individuals. See how your behavior is often shaped by the groups to

which you belong and the society in which you live. Refrain from using “commonsense” notions about

society and how people behave in society. Often, these notions are completely false—sometimes they are used intentionally to perpetuate certain beliefs or theories. Accept that the society you live in is complicated and

your place in society may make it difficult to make accurate conclusions.

PU

RP

OS

E… Using

knowledge about human society in pursuit of social welfare.

Enables us to distinguish between personal troubles and public issues. Personal Troubles – must be solved by the

individual. Public Issues – require societal solutions.

Look back at your list of problems. What are personal troubles? What are Public Issues?

Are any both?

PERSONAL V. PUBLIC ISSUES When, in a city of 100,000, only one man is

unemployed, that is his personal trouble; for its relief we properly look to the character of the man, his skills, and his immediate opportunities.

But when, in a nation of 50 million employees, 15 million men are unemployed, that is an issue, and we may not hope to find its solution within the range of opportunities open to any one individual. The very structure of opportunities has collapsed.

This requires us to consider the economic and political institutions of the society, and not merely the personal situation and character of a scatter of individuals.

INDIVIDUALISTIC MODEL VS. THE SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION

In US, males and whites are far more likely than females and blacks to kill themselves; people in US are almost 2x as likely as Italians to commit suicide. If we use an individualistic model to explain such

differences, we’ll tend to see them as nothing more than a sum of individual suicides.

This model doesn’t go very far because it doesn’t answer the question of why these differences exist in the first place.

We need to pay attention to the fact that words like “female,” “white,” and “Italian” name positions that people occupy in social systems. This draws attention to how those systems work and what it means to occupy those positions in them.

USING THE SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION

Sociologically, a suicide rate is a number that describes something about a group or a society, not the individuals who belong to it!

We need to look at how belonging to a group/society effects patterns of suicide Look at how society is organized

USE YOUR SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION…

Think about Anorexia in America 1/200 American women

suffer from Anorexia Are they simply mentally ill

individuals or is this a societal problem caused by the media, socialization etc??

ORIGINS OF SOCIOLOGICAL THINKING

AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT (EIGHTEENTH CENTURY-ISH)

Emphasized the individual’s possession of critical thinking.

Skeptical of religion and traditional monarchies.

Dominated by thinkers called philosophes.

People began to test and measure research and theory as opposed to using superstition, myth and astronomy

AGE OF REVOLUTION (1760-1830-ISH)

Enlightenment led to intellectual, political and economic revolutions.

American Revolution French Revolution

Caused early Sociologists to be concerned with social order and stability.

INDUSTRIALIZATION AND URBANIZATION (19/20TH CTR) Industrial Revolution caused industrialization

and urbanization.Since people began to live in close proximity to

one another, early sociologists began to notice patterns.

Overcrowding and growth led to many more interactions between people and subsequent social ills Homelessness, unsanitary conditions,

poverty, pollution, crimePeople became concerned with change.

THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVESFour ways of looking at the world

WHAT IS A THEORY?

A set of logically interrelated statements that attempt to describe, explain, and (occasionally) predict social events.

Provide framework or perspective, or an overall approach or viewpoint toward some subject that allows us to examine various aspects of social life.

FUNCTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE Concerned with how social institutions fill

social needs and provide stability.Society is a stable, orderly system characterized

by societal consensus (agreement) Society consists of interrelated parts that

serve functions needed by the system.Compared to living organisms.

Interdependent working parts (organs). Functional requirements that must be met for society to

survive.

FUNCTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE Societies develop social structures, or

institutions that persist because they play a part in helping society survive.Family, education, government, religion and

economy. People are socialized into roles and behaviors which

fulfill the needs of society. Values provide guidelines for behaviors.

Change occurs when:People accept societal norms, but find alternate

ways of achieving these norms.People reject norms and find alternate goals.

CONFLICT PERSPECTIVE Focuses on a person’s or group’s ability to

exercise control over others in producing social order.

Groups engage in ongoing power struggles for control of scarce resources in society.Each try to maximize their benefitsOften applied to conflict between classes

How inequalities based on race, sex, and income affect the ability to meet wants and needs.

Those in power seek to stay in power.

CONFLICT PERSPECTIVE Major Assumptions about Society.

Competition exists between all people.Structural inequality is inherent in all societies.Revolution will occur if members are unable to

meet basic needs.War will result from revolution as all groups

struggle to maximize benefits of society.

SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONIST PERSPECTIVE

Interactionists focus on people’s face-to-face interactions and the roles people play.

Humans are active creative participants who construct their social world. Must constantly adjust behaviors to the actions of others.

Society is the sum of the interactions of individuals and groups Our thoughts and behavior are shaped by our social

interactions with others We would not have a “self” without

communication with other people

Functionalist

Society is a system of interrelated parts that is

relatively stable.

Each part works to keep society

operating in an orderly way.

Members have general agreement

about what is morally right.

Conflict

Society is a system of social inequality.

Society operates to benefit some categories of

people and harm others.

Social inequality causes conflict

that leads to social change.

Symbolic Interaction

Society is an ongoing process.

People interact in countless settings

using symbolic communications.

The reality people experience is variable and

changing.

POSTMODERN PERSPECTIVES Existing theories have been unsuccessful in

explaining social life in contemporary societies.Contemporary societies are are characterized by post-

industrialization, consumerism, and global communications.

Advances in telecommunications and economic conditions have changed how we interact.Globalization – the interconnectedness between

nations.

Old methods are outdated, but Postmodern Perspectives are not yet fully developed.

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•Functionalist?•Conflict?•Symbolic?