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SOCI 101

Introduction to

Sociology

Professor

Kurt Reymers, Ph.D.

WWW.morrisville.edu/SOCIOLOGY

A. What

Is

Sociology?

1. Sociology is…

a. Sociology is the science of society…

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1. Sociology is…

a. Sociology is the science of society… “Things are not what they seem.” - Peter Berger

b. Science is the art of “reality testing”…

1. Sociology is…

a. Sociology is the science of society

b. Science is the art of “reality testing”…

c. Society is a network of significant others in relation to the self…

1. Sociology is…

a. Sociology is the science of society… b. Science is art of “reality testing”… c. Society is a network of significant others in

relation to the self…

d. The Self is a conscious organism that can

contemplate its own existence among many significant others (the self is reflexive and aware of its own being)... We T-H-I-N-K about ourselves and our relations to others.

This self-understanding is a key component to gaining the sociological perspective…

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e. The “Unit of Analysis” in Sociology is the SELF

Self : Sociology (a conscious organism in relation to a network of others) Molecule : Chemistry Atom : Physics Cell : Biology but: Selves are not as predictable as

molecules, atoms and cells! (with consciousness comes choice and Free Will – but how much?)

A. What is Sociology?

2.The Sociological Perspective: Understanding the connection between

self and society:

K.A.R.P.

[- an acronym – a word formed from the initial letters of a name (e.g. LOL)

- also, a mnemonic – a memorization trick for learning]

K.A.R.P. K = Knowledge of one’s Self is gained through

self-teaching, which involves contemplation of your self (Identity) in terms of the:

A = Appropriation of Ideas (values, beliefs, attitudes)

that are learned from significant others (Social Norms);

R = Replication (or repetition) of those ideas & values in

your own words and actions (as you participate in Social Roles).

Reflection upon and understanding of this process leads to a self-awareness of your:

P = Project, or a sense of meaning about the

roles you choose to fill during your life within the Social Institutions to which you belong.

(Ed Powell, Univ. at Buffalo sociologist)

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How do you find your project?

Do what you love. “The aim of life is to know thyself.” - Socrates

“The unexamined life is not worth living.” - Aristotle Project = Deciding and pursuing ROLES that satisfy YOU. But, this is not an individual experience. It is a collective one.

Human interaction within a network of significant others guides the decisions you make throughout life and helps you gain self-knowledge.

In order to understand your self, you must make the connection between your biography

and the history of the social era from which you get the ideas that make up your mind.

Self Society Biography History (Reading 1 SOCI - C.Wright Mills, 1959)

2.a. Social Norms When people interact, social norms develop.

Norms are shared IDEALS for behavior.

A norm is a prescription for collective action, an agreed upon way of behaving; a social consensus.

IDEA = THOUGHT

Norms occur in the “conscience collective” of society (Source: Emile Durkheim, early French sociologist).

Human social groups experience a “consciousness of kind” when sharing norms. (Source: Franklin Giddings, early American sociologist).

Question: - Describe some basic social norms.

By our nature, we imitate and we learn from our institutional interactions our social ROLES, or expected social behaviors ACTUALLY performed by individuals.

BEHAVIOR = ACTION

The concept borrows from the field of theater, “acting” on the “stage of life,” so to speak.

Questions: - What role are you “playing” now?

- What other roles have you “played” in your life?

2.b. Social Roles

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2.c. Social Institutions Social interaction takes place in the context of social

institutions. Social institutions are the purposeful organization

of individuals into social groups and categories. The universal social institutions are:

Family Religion Education

Economy Politics acronym: “FREEP”: the five institutions

Institutions define our social lives, and involve nearly every aspect of our personal lives as well. So, big changes in our institutions mean big changes in our personal lives.

(For more, see Talcott Parsons, 1928, The Social System)

B. What is Culture? 1. Culture refers to the symbols, values, behavior

and material objects (artifacts) that together form a people’s way of life.

a. Sociologists point out that

“Culture is to people like water is to fish.” In other words, we take our cultural inheritance for granted. It seems natural to us – but it is not.

Ethnocentric: centered on one’s own ethnicity (or culture), to the point where you cannot judge another culture on their own terms.

Culture Shock: the disorientation experienced when confronted with a new set of norms and values

B. What is Culture?

2. How can we better understand the idea of culture? Culture is BOTH:

a. Material culture – tangible, physical cultural artifacts. Example: paper money

b. Non-material culture – intangible,

mental cultural meanings. Example: value of a “dollar”

It is through CULTURE that thought

and action come together.

ACTION

THOUGHT

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B. What is Culture?

3. Components of Culture

There are four main components to culture:

a. Symbols

b. Language

c. Values, Beliefs and Norms

d. Artifacts

B. What is Culture? a. Symbols A symbol is anything that carries a particular meaning

recognized by people who share a culture. Each of our social institutions is populated with a vast number of symbols which hold specific

meaning to us.

Examples: economic institutions = $ € £ ¥

religious institutions = political institutions =

language = w w ت people =

C. Components of Culture b. Language and Communication A system of symbols that allows people to communicate with

one another.

i. Origins: 3500 BC, Mesopotamia Written language developed with civilization.

ii. Purpose: Cultural transmission Language passes on cultural ideas. How?

SELF culture /language SOCIETY How do people learn language (or any other

cultural trait)? Appropriation and Replication

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C. Components of Culture c. Values, Norms and Beliefs

i. Values are culturally defined standards of desirability, goodness, and beauty, which serve as guidelines for social living. In an

open society, values are always being debated. Variation exists in

the meaning of values; these differences can lead to “Culture Wars.”

ii. Norms = ideals for social behavior

“Folkways”: everyday conventions (saying “good afternoon”)

“Mores”: deeper ideals (virtue, justice – more strictly enforced)

iii. Beliefs are statements that people hold to be true.

Does Belief = Truth?

How do we KNOW what to BELIEVE?

C. Components of Culture c. Values, Norms and Beliefs

Ways of knowing: 1) Observation (“empirical evidence”)

PERCEPTION : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : BELIEF

(I see a chair. I believe it exists.)

2) Reason / Logic (“rationality”) PRINCIPLE : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : BELIEF

(2+2 = 4)

3) Intuition / Faith PERSUASION : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : BELIEF

(“I want to believe” – The X-Files)

4) Authority POLITICS : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : BELIEF

IDEOLOGY: a social system of belief, often religious or political; NOT objectively truthful, yet thought to be “gospel”; for example, Communism or the Bible

B. What is Culture? d. Artifacts are: the wide range of material human

creations that reflect underlying cultural values. We place MEANING into artifacts (all artifacts are

symbolic and hold value). We integrate the four

components of social life into a single whole called “CULTURE.”

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4. Globalization of Culture

Is there a “global culture?” A global culture may be developing in three ways:

1. The flow of goods Material product trading has never been as important

2. The flow of information There are few, if any, places left on earth where worldwide

communication is not possible

3. The flow of people Flow of information means people learn about places on earth where

they feel life may be better

D. Socialization On the Role of Society in the Development of the Self….

“kARp”

1. a. Socialization = Social Experience The lifelong social experience by which individuals develop

their human potential and learn about their culture.

Social experience is also a large part of

b. Personality A person’s fairly consistent patterns of acting, thinking, and

feeling.

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D. Socialization Classic Argument: Nature vs. Nurture?

How much are we guided by biological factors (our DNA) in our growth into human beings, and how much does social learning (our culture) account for?

Nature Meets Nurture

-or-

Self = DNA AND Culture

D. Socialization 1. Nature vs. Nurture

c. How can we test which side of the debate gives a better explanation of personality?

“Control” the equation.

Dependent Variable = Nature: possible tests?

- Examine changes in

brain chemistry OR composition;

Examples: Chemical changes to brain and to personality caused by drinking, drugs

Compositional change to brain and personality caused by structural damage from tumors, accidents, frontal lobotomies

D. Socialization

2. Changing Nature: Altering the Brain The Tale of Phineas Gage Honest, well liked by friends and fellow workers on the Rutland and Burlington Railroad, Gage was a

young man of exemplary character and promise until one day in September 1848. While tamping down the blasting powder for a dynamite charge, Gage inadvertently sparked an explosion. The inch-thick tamping rod rocketed through his cheek, obliterating his left eye on its way through his brain and out the top of his skull. The rod landed several yards away, and Gage fell back in a convulsive heap.

Yet a moment later he stood up and spoke; his fellow workers watched, in horror, then drove him by

oxcart to a hotel, where a local doctor dressed his wounds. As the doctor stuck his index fingers into the holes in Gage's face and head until their tips met, the young man inquired when he would be able to return to work.

Within two months, the physical organism that was Phineas Gage had completely recovered--he could

walk, speak, and demonstrate normal awareness of his surroundings. But the character of the man did not survive the tamping rod's journey through his brain. In place of the diligent, dependable worker stood a foulmouthed and ill-mannered liar given to extravagant schemes that were never followed through. "Gage," said his friends, "was no longer Gage.”

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D. Socialization 2. Changing Nurture: Social Isolation

Dependent Variable = Nurture: possible tests?

- Examine social isolation.

a. Impact on nonhuman primates (Harlow’s monkeys) The Harlows’ experiments showed disturbed development after 6 months of

isolation. They also showed that the need for nurturance is innate (natural) for primates.

b. Impact on human children i. Feral (“wild”) children ii. Anna/Isabel – Kingsley Davis

iii. Genie (2)

After 2 years of care, the following 11 years of isolation left her with the mental capabilities of a one-year-old.

3. Agents of Socialization

a. We Appropriate our inner self (mind) from significant others as we interact and Replicate our outer self (role) in the process of interaction.

b. What “agents” are significant? Our agents of socialization are Parents, Peers, Teachers, and the Media

c. How do we begin to learn our culture? “Mirror Neurons”: the biology of imitation

A recently discovered system in the brain may help explain why we humans are so naturally social, and why we develop culture.

See the work of neuroscientist V.S. Ramachandran.

D. Socialization

4. Personality Development Theory

George Herbert Mead on ROLE-MAKING

i. Self: the self develops only with symbol-use (language) and social interaction

ii. Two forms of self-reflection: I & ME

a. “I” = active, creative, imaginative part of the

self that comes from within

(subjective form of personality; the “soul” or “true, essential self”).

b. “Me” = our perceptions of our “outer” self

(objective form of personality; the “looking-glass self”, a mirror reflection).

Inner

Self

Outer

Self

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D. Socialization

4. Personality Development Theory

George Herbert Mead

iii. Self-development happens as we reflect upon

our place in our social world, and the roles we play.

We learn how to “take roles” when we are young: Stages of Role-Taking Ability:

Examples: infancy playing

house

playing on a

baseball team becoming

a citizen

The state of recognizing the “generalized other” is

a full recognition of one’s belonging to a larger,

complex network of significant relations.