Some findings of Sociology support commonsense understandings of social life, while others contradict them. Can you tell the difference?

1. True/False More U.S. students are killed in school shootings now then ten or fifteen years ago.

2. True/False The earnings of U.S. women have just about caught up with those of U.S. men.

3. True/False When faced with natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes, people panic and social organizations disintegrates.

4. True/False Most rapists are mentally ill.

5. True/False Most people on welfare are lazy and looking for a handout. They could work if they wanted to.

6. True/False Compared with women, men make more eye contact in face-to-face conversations.

7. True/False Couples who live together before marriage are usually more satisfied with their marriages than couples who do not live together before marriage.

8. True/False Most husbands of working wives who get laid off from work take up the slack and increase the amount of housework they do.

9. True/False Because bicyclists are more likely to wear helmets now than just a few years ago, their rate of head injuries has dropped.

10. True/False Students in Japan are under such intense pressure to do well in school that their suicide rate is about double that of the U.S. students

IMAGINE YOURSELF AT THE MALL ON A FRIDAY

NIGHT…SITTING ON A BENCH…DESCRIBE

WHAT YOU SEE AROUND YOU

What is sociology???

n.1. The study of human social behavior, especially the study of the origins, organization, institutions, and development

of human society.2. Analysis of a social institution or societal segment as a self-contained entity or in relation to society as a whole.

What does that mean?? The study of why societies act and behave in certain ways

-race -practices -social establishments

-religion -relationships -schools

-stereotypes -economics -beliefs

-behaviors -ethnicity -customs

-culture -problems -rites of passage

SociologySociology = the science that studies human society and social behavior

Focuses on:- social interaction - social phenomenon

Psychology examines more of the workings of the human mind, why persons think and

behave as they do.

Sociology tends to examine groups of persons (societies), communities, and nations. They might examine and discuss such things as folkways, mores, changes in populations, effects of events on entire communities, etc...

So one way to look at it is that psychology is more about the individual or small group, and sociology is more about communities and larger groups of persons.

What is necessary in order to study human

behavior?

Sociological PerspectiveSociological Perspective- - allows human behavior to be

studied in a scientific way- allows us to view the world and

ourselves more objectively

Sociological ImaginationSociological Imagination- ability to see the

connection between the world and our personal lives

Sociology as a Social ScienceSociology as a Social Science

Social science = related disciplines that study human social

behavior

anthropology

psychology

sociology economics

political science

historyComparative study of past and present

Behavior of thinking organisms Study of past events

Choices made to satisfy needs

Organization and operation of gov’t

Study past to explain current behaviors and attitudes

Working in pairs you will examine the societal issue of the Great Depression from the perspectives of each of the social sciences.

Anthropology Economics

Psychology Political Science

History Sociologist

What would each of these be specifically concerned about?