SociologyThe Science of studying

society

• Social Static- study of social stability • Social Dynamic- study

of social change

• Conflict Perspective- emphasis is on competition, change and constraint within society

• Functional Perspective- looks at the contribution of each part of society (family, economy, religion, etc.)

• Symbolic Interaction Perspective- focuses on the interaction of people based on mutually understood symbols

• Theoretical Perspective- set of assumption about an area of study

Independent Variable

• A character that causes something to occur

• The independent variable brings about change.

Dependent Variable

• A character that reflects the change

• It is dependent on the independent variable.

• Reflects the change from the independent variable

Quantitative Variable

• Can be measured numerically

Survey• People respond to questions

• It is usually done independently

• Less chance of lying

Interview• A survey method in which the researcher

asks question and records responses

Sample

Representative Sample• Whole Population

• Open Ended Question– What is your opinion of

the state of education today? • Closed Ended

Question• Education today is in

need of total reform– Agree– Disagree– Strongly Agree– Strongly Disagree– Neutral

Ethnography- the study of Ethnicities

Texas Youth 2002

Case Study- investigative study of a group, incident or community

Field Research

Participant Observation- the researcher becomes part of the

group

Auguste Comte 1798-1857Auguste Comte 1798-1857

• Known as the “Father of Sociology”

• Used the scientific method to identify what holds society together (positivism)

• Comte was more of a social philosopher than a true sociologist

• Thought that the study of society could bring about social reform

Harriet Martineau 1802-1876

• First female sociologist

• “when one studies a society, one must focus on all its aspects, including key political, religious, and social institutions”

Herbert Spencer 1820-1903

• Compared Social Stability to the human body

• Used ideas of Charles Darwin and thought that only the fittest societies survived (Social Darwinism)

Karl Marx 1818-1893

• Believed that the engine of human history is class conflict and economics as a force for social change

• Society was a battle of the have’s (bourgeoisie) against the have not’s (proletariat)

• Struggle could only end through revolution when the workers defeated the capitalists

• The result would be a classless society where people will work according to their abilities and receive according to their needs

Emile Durkheim 1858-1917

• Studied how social forces effect behavior

• Identified social integration, how people are influenced by their social group, effected peoples behavior.

• Human behavior can’t be understood on individualistic terms, it must always be examined with the effects of social forces

Max Weber 1864-1920

• Studied religion as a force for social change

• Human beings act on the basis of their own understanding of the situation

• Sociologist must discover personal meaning, values, beliefs and attitudes

• Verstehen- put yourself in the place of others in order to better understand their world

Jane Addams 1860-1935

• US women social reformer

• Women had a responsibility to clean up their communities and make them better places to live, arguing they needed the vote to be effective

• Role model for middle-class women

WEB Dubois 1868-1963

• African-American who studied sociology and race relations

• Sociology he used was not theoretical but for social reform

• Studies led him to write books on social reform in America