Unit 1

BASIC SOCIOLOGY

Topics in Unit 1What is Sociology?CultureSocial Structure and Group BehaviorSocializationSocial Stratification and Class Structure

WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY?

Sociology isA science that studies social behavior in

human groups

Sociologists focus on the influence of social relationships on people’s behavior and attitudes.

They are interested in group behavior, they examine the behavior of individuals in terms of the roles they have in the group.

Topics Sociologists StudyRange of topics varies because human interaction

and behavior take place in a wide variety of groups and circumstancesBeliefsValuesRulesWays of organizing familiesEducational systemsReligionsPolitical SystemsEconomic systemsThe roles people play

Patterns in Human Behavior

Sociologists study events, such as failing a test, athletic competition, etc, and look for the things outside the individuals that influence the behavior.

Social FactsSociologists see patterns in people’s

behavior that relate to things outside of them, such as where they live, what religious and

racial group they belong to and what their income is.

They use social facts to explain the patterns. A social fact is any social activity or situation

that can be observed and measured.

Examples of social facts include:Attendance at sporting eventsCrime patternsPatterns of religious affiliationMarriage ratesUnemployment and underemployment

ratesPatterns of education level reached

Why study sociology? C. Wright Mills (an American sociologist)

says that you can enrich your life when you come to possess sociological imagination or vision.

Sociological Imagination is a way of looking at the world that sees the connections among the seemingly private concerns of individuals and important social issues.

Mills says that we are bewildered if we don’t understand how our personal situations fit in with the “real” world.

To understand their lives and human condition, people with sociological imagination ask questions about 3 basic areas:

Society: What is the particular structure of this society as a whole? What are its essential components and how are they related to one another?

History: Where does this society stand in human history? What came before and how is the society changing? How is it different from societies of the past?

People: What kinds of men and women exist in this society today, and how are they changing? In what ways does the society influence them? How are they free and how are they repressed?

The answers to the question can help people apply societal patterns to understanding individual events.

Sociological imagination lets individual “step out of themselves” and understand much more about their worlds.

Sociology and other Social Sciences

 The social sciences are a group of related disciplines that study various aspects of society and human relationships. They include 7 areas:AnthropologyEconomicsGeographyHistoryPolitical SciencePsychologySociology

The social sciences overlap. Many social scientists flip between the disciplines in order to better understand the forces that help shape human lives. However, each field has a distinctive point of view.

Anthropology• The origin, behavior,

and physical, social, and cultural development of human beings

• Cultures

Economics• The human production,

distribution, and consumption of goods and services

• Theory and management of economies or economic systems

Geography• Earth and its features

and the distribution of life, including human life, on the planet

• Patterns of activity as they are distributed on Earth

History• The record of the past

human events-civilizations, social activity and interaction of societies, people, ideas, and forces that change societies

• Change and the past

Political Sciences• Government and its

processes, principles, and structures; political institutions and politics

• How governments work

Psychology• Mental processes and

behavior in humans and animals and how they are affected by the individual’s physical states, mental states, and the external environment- including other living things

• Individual behaviorSociology• Human social behavior

and groups• Groups in society, how

they work, and what it means to be a member of a given group.

The Social Sciences

What Sociologists Do Professional sociologists might:TeachAdviseResearchCounsel

Many people study sociology because it prepares them for careers in journalism, politics, public relations, business or public administrations. It is also a base for law, education, medicine, social work, and counseling.

How do Sociologists Study?

Sociology is a science, so they :Conducting Research Sociologists rely on systematic, thorough

research. It must reflect the scientific method and it must be ethical.

Applying Sociology Sociologists often apply sociological knowledge

to existing social situations. There are 3 main ways in which sociological research and everyday reality intersectUnderstanding Issues- It can help us to better

understand today’s issues.Overcoming Traditional Barriers- Because

sociological research is objective, sociology can speak to all people, not just dominant members of the society or group.

Coming Up with Solutions- If we better understand today’s problems, we have the tools to help solve them.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIOLOGY

European Roots Sociology grew out of both the

Enlightenment ere (where scientific knowledge was applied to human society) and the Industrial Revolution (where new machines and factories transformed the lives of ordinary people).

Key Figures

 1. Auguste Compte- “Father of Sociology”Believed that sociologist should be

concerned with 2 basic problemsOrder-What forces bring order to society?Change- What forces bring change?

Key Figures

2. Herbert Spencer- “survival of the fittest” Applied Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection to society

Social Darwinism- theory that society will evolve through natural selection and those aspects that best serve society will survive

Key Figures

3. Karl Marx- believed that the organization of the economy is basic to society and that political, social, and religious belief grow out of the economic structure

Founder of Communism

Key Figures

4. Emile Durkheim- studied societies by examining the functions different institutes served

Function- the work or purpose of an aspect of society that meets a social need.

Key Figure

5. Max Weber- To fully understand behavior, must learn the subjective meanings people attach to actions.

Ideal type- a model that can be used to measure reality

Development of Sociology in the USAmerican professors studied the European

leaders and contributed to the advancement of the field

Major US Sociologists1. George Herbert Mead2. Charles Horton Cooley3. Talcott Parsons4. C. Wright Mills5. Robert Merton

Sociology in the US has long been associated with the development of solutions to social problems

3 MAJOR SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES

There are 3 major theoretical perspectives (ways of seeing something) to illustrate different ways to approach the study of society.

1. Functionalist- Emphasizes stable, interrelated social structures, each

meeting a social need Dysfunction-something that disrupts or inhibits the work

of the system as a whole.

Manifest functions- apparent and consciousLatent functions-often unconscious, unintended, hidden

Example: SchoolsManifest function- teaching basic knowledge and skillsLatent function- passing on mainstream culture and

united people to core values

2. Conflict Perspective- Concentrates on aspects of society that encourage

competition and change. Violent and peaceful negotiations between groups

Believe that conflicts arise over competition over limited resources (including power and wealth)

Groups and societies compete as they attempt to preserve and promote their own special values and interests

Those with the most power –ability to control the behavior of others-get the largest share of what is considered valuable in society.

Change happens when the power switches to another group.

3. Symbolic Interactionism Perspective- Study the way individuals respond to each other.

Interaction based on mutually understood symbolsStarted by Charles Horton Cooley and George

Herbert MeadThey view society as a collection of small

interactions; they are much more interested in the small parts than in society overall.

 They emphasize the role of symbols- something

that stands for or represents something else.

The meaning of the symbol is not determined by its own physical characteristics

Those who create and use the symbols assign the meanings to them

The symbols are understood by everyone in the society to mean the same thing.Ex: Red light=stop

Basic Assumptions of symbolic interactionism

1. We learn the meaning of the symbol from the way we see others reacting to it

2. Once we learn the meanings of symbols, we base our behavior (interaction) on them.

3. We use the meaning of symbols to imagine how others will respond to our behavior

We can visualize how others will respond to us before we act

We guide our interactions with people according the behavior we thin others expect of us and we expect of other

Dramaturgy- depicts human interaction as theatrical performancesPeople present themselves through dress,

gestures, tone of voice (like actors on a stage)Teenagers sometimes act in a particular way

in order to attract the attention of someone they want to like them Presentation of self or impression

management