What is Sociology?

• The systematic, scientific study of society

• Society = Human Groups

What types of issues will we explore in this class?

• What is normal? • What influences how people behave?• Why do we like the things we like?• Is Canada different from the United States? • Is our culture better than others?• Why are some people popular?• What makes certain neighbourhoods “sketchy”?• Why does racism exist?• Should we bring back the death penalty?• Where does power come from?• Why is religion important?• How is religion harmful?

Sociology is a Science

• Sociology uses the Scientific Method• Basically: asking questions and seeking

answers• Question• Research – gathering pre-existing information• Hypothesis• Experiment Design• Testing• Analysis• Conclusion

Secondary Analysis

• Pre-Collected Data

– Stats Canada

– Scholarly Journals

– Census figures

– Historical documents

– First person accounts

Surveys

• Population size dictates sample size

• Work best with closed ended questions

• Likert Scale - effective for analysis of results

Field Research• Case Studies

– In depth study of a single group or incident

• Participant Observation– Researcher becomes part of group being studied– John Howard Griffin

• Black Like Me

– Ted Conover• Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing• Rolling Nowhere

• Drawbacks: – case studies and participant observation can be prone to

researcher bias– Can provide anecdotal evidence

• Personal Interviews– Similar to survey taking, done in person

Experiment Design

• Variables – characteristics subject to change

• Control Variable – constant and unchanged

• Independent Variable – a characteristic that causes something to occur

• Dependent Variable – a characteristic that reflects change

• Qualitative Variable – defined by its presence of absence (marital status)

• Quantitative Variable – can be measured numerically (literacy rate)

Correlation: how two variables are related

• Can be negative or positive

• Beware of spurious correlations!

Ethical Issues in Research

As professionals, it is ethically unacceptable to cause suffering in the name of research

• Nazi Experimentation

• The “Forbidden” Experiment

• The Stanford Prison Experiment

The Sociological Imagination

• Awareness of the relationship between and individual and wider society

• Seeing the General in the Particular

• The ability to look at a situation from different points of view and view one’s own society as an outsider

• Seeing the Strange in the Ordinary

El Colacho

• Spanish festival

• Started in the 1600’s and pre-dates Christian traditions

• Takes place annually

• Muslims & Hindues in Western India

• Been going on for 500 years

• 50 ft drop onto a linen sheet

• No accidents

(so far)

• Indian Baby Dropping

Journal # 1

Are people from different societies more similar or more different?

The Pioneers of Sociology

• Text pages 14 – 22• Create a quick three line biography of each of the

following people:– Auguste Comte– Harriet Martineau– Herbert Spencer– Karl Marx– Emile Durkheim– Max Weber

• Include names, dates, nationality and most important predominant theories and ideas about society

Auguste Comte

• 1798 – 1857

• French

• Positivism – the belief that knowledge should be derived from scientific observation; based on fact of which we can be “positive”

• Social Statics – The study of social stability

• Social Dynamics – The study of social change

Harriet Martineau

• 1802 – 1876

• English

• Successful writer of fiction

• Translated Comte

• Society in America – Feminist perspective

• Drew link between slavery and oppression of women

Herbert Spencer

• 1820 – 1903

• English

• Proponent of Social Darwinism and evolutionary social change.

• Concept of Social Darwinism now widely discredited as an attempt to prop up political conservatism, imperialism and racism of the late 19th century

Karl Marx

• 1818 – 1883• German• Philosopher, economist; not really a sociologist• Wrote The Communist Manifesto• Identified social classes

– Proletariat – working class; who labour for the…– Bourgeoisie – Class that owns the means to produce

wealth

• He predicted major conflict between these groups and ultimately a classless society brought about by Communism

Emile Durkeim

• 1858 – 1917• French• Society exists because of a broad consensus among

members of society.• Conducted and published the first methodical study of

society in his book Le Suicide (1897)• Mechanical Solidarity – social solidarity based on

widespread consensus of beliefs, conformity and dependence on tradition

• Organic Solidarity – Social interdependency based on a high degree of specialization in roles.

Max Weber

• 1864 – 1917

• German

• Believed intentions of people could only be understood through Verstehen

• Described antipositivism – scientific method alone is not adequate to study society –philosophic ideas, concepts and language of research play a major role in shaping perspective

• Perspective – Way of seeing things

• Theoretical Perspectives – Set of assumptions about an area of study

Three Prominent Theoretical Perspectives used in Sociology

• Functionalism

• Conflict Theory

• Symbolic Interactionism

Three Prominent Theoretical Perspectives used in Sociology

• Functionalism

• Conflict Theory

• Symbolic Interactionism

Functionalism

• Emphasizes the contributions made by each part of society

• Each aspect of society exists because it performs a function important to our society

• Manifest Functions – intended consequences of an act

• Latent Functions – unintended consequences

• Dysfunction – negative consequence of an aspect of society

Conflict Perspective

• Society is characterized by a struggle between the powerful and the oppressed

• Emphasizes conflict, competition, change and constraint within a society

• Social living is seen as a contest, “who gets what?” being the central question.

• Those with the most power work to maintain the status quo and thereby maintain their dominance over less powerful groups in society

Feb. 9: Theoretical Perspectives (cont’d)The Schoolyard Bully

• Functionalism vs. conflict theory

• How would each of these theories account for bullying?

The World’s Oldest Profession

Functionalism vs. Conflict Theory

• How would a functionalist approach explain prostitution?

• How would a conflict theorist explain prostitution?

Symbolic Interactionism

• Focuses on interactions among individuals

• Based on mutually understood symbols

• The meaning of a symbol is not determined by its physical characteristics.

• Those who create and use symbols assign meaning to them

• Sociologists Cooley & Mead – groups exist because members influence each other’s behaviour

Review Quiz

1. People join a gang because it gives them a sense of belonging and purpose.

2. People join a gang because they feel weak and impoverished by an oppressive society

3. People join a gang because they watch other young people around them joining gangs; or perhaps their older siblings/parents had gang affiliations

Society

• Society: People living within defined territorial borders and sharing a common culture and social structure

• Culture: Consensus on values and beliefs, realized with norms, enforced with sanctions makes the society stable

• Social Structure: The underlying patterns of relationships in a group

3 Types of Societies

Societies are classified by how they meet their basic needs

1. Preindustrial

2. Industrial

3. Post Industrial

Preindustrial societies

• Hunter/Gatherer

• Horticultural

• Pastoral

• Agricultural

Industrial & Post-industrial Societies

• The Industrial Revolution created a society that relied upon science and technology to produce its basic and necessary goods and services

• Textbook: Pages 160 - 161• Read about Ferdinand Tönnies and Emile

Durkheim• Define: Gemeinschaft, Gesellschaft, Mechanical &

Organic Solidarity.• How do the ideas of Tönnies and Durkheim relate

to each other?

Post Industrial Society

Textbook: Page 162 - 163

• Where are we headed?

• How does Sociologist Daniel Bell define Post-industrial society?

• What problems does historian Francis Fukuyama describe for a post-industrial society?

The Internet in 1969

Journal #2 – The Internet

• Read the article Sociology looks at the Internet

• Summarize in point form what each perspective focuses on when seeking to understand “The Internet”

• Homework: Answer question #1 with an organized and thoughtful response, perhaps a couple paragraphs. (Due Monday)