Transcript Introduction to Sociology

Introduction to
Sociology
By: Mr. Alain Saulnier
Digby Regional High, 2008
Chapter 1:
The Sociological Perspective
What to Expect in This Chapter...

Defining the Sociological Perspective
• The Sociological Imagination
• Sociology and Common Sense
• Sociology and Science



Sociology and the Social Sciences
The Development of Sociology
Theoretical Perspectives in Sociology
Defining the Sociological
Perspective


“Sociology is the scientific study of
human society and social interactions.”
What makes sociology “scientific?”
Levels of Understanding Drug Use
Personal experience
with drug use
Awareness of friends
and associates’ patterns
of drug use
Systematic study
of a random
sample of drug
users
Sociology and Common
Sense

Common sense assumptions are usually based on very
limited observation.

Sociology seeks to:
• use a broad range of carefully selected observations; and
• theoretically understand and explain those observations.

While sociological research might confirm common
sense observation, its broader base, data and
theoretical rational provide a stronger basis for
conclusions.
Sociology and Science
The Scientific Method


Science is “...a body
of systematically
arranged knowledge
that shows the
operation of general
laws.”
As a science,
sociology employs
the scientific method
Analyze Data
Gather Data
Choose research design
Formulate hypotheses
Review of literature
Sociology and the Social
Sciences
The Development of
Sociology



Sociology emerged as a separate
discipline in the nineteenth century
This was a time of great social
upheaval due largely to the French
and Industrial Revolutions
Several early sociologists shaped
the direction of the discipline
Auguste Comte (1798-1857)
French Philosopher, Physician, Positivism, & Father of Sociology
Worked during French Revolution & Napoleon Bonaparte rule.



Responsible for coining the term
“sociology” Father of Sociology
Set out to develop the “science of
man” that would be based on
empirical (data or evidence)
observation called Positivism
Focused on two aspects of society:
• Social Statics—forces which produce
order and stability
• Social Dynamics—forces which
contribute to social change
Harriet Martineau (1802-1876)
English journalist, political economist, abolitionist, writer & philosopher


Authored one of the earliest
analyses of culture and life in
the United States entitled
Theory and Practice of Society
in America
Translated Comte’s Positive
Philosophy into English
Herbert Spencer (1820-1903)
English philosopher, classical liberal, political & sociological theorist


Authored the first sociology text,
Principles of Sociology
Most well known for proposing a
doctrine called “Social Darwinism”
• Suggested that people who could not
compete were poorly adapted to the
human environment and inferior
• This is an idea commonly called
survival of the fittest
Karl Marx (1818-1883)
Jewish German Philosopher, political economist, sociologist,
humanist, political theorist, revolutionary Father of Communism


Marx is the father of conflict theory
Saw human history in a continual
state of conflict between two major
classes:
• Bourgeoisie—owners of the means of
production (capitalists)
• Proletariat—the workers

Predicted that revolution would
occur producing first a socialist
state, followed by a communist
society (wrote: The Communist Manifesto )
Emile Durkheim (1858-1917)
Jewish French Sociologist (specialist on education, crime, religion
& suicide)



Durkheim moved sociology
fully into the realm of an
empirical (data & evidence)
science using research
methods
Most well known empirical
study is called Suicide, where
he looks at the social causes of
suicide
Generally regarded as the
founder of functionalist theory
Max Weber (1864-1920)
Calvinist German Political economist & Modern Sociologist
(University of Berlin)



Much of Weber’s work was a critique
or clarification of Marx
His most famous work, The Protestant
Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism
directly challenged Marx’s ideas on
the role of religion in society
Weber was also interested in
bureaucracies and the process of
rationalization in society
The Sociological Imagination
C. Wright Mills (1916-1962)
American Sociologist (USA) (Columbia University, Manhattan NY)


C. Wright Mills coined the term
“sociological imagination” to refer
to “...the vivid awareness of the
relationship between private
experience and the wider society.”
Wrote the controversial books titled
White Collar: The American Middle
Classes (1951) & The Power Elite
C. Wright Mills
(1956)
C. Wright Mills (1916-1962)

White Collar: The American Middle Classes (1951)
contends that bureaucracies have overwhelmed
the individual worker, robbing him or her of all
independent thought and turning him into a sort
of a robot that is oppressed but cheerful. He or
she gets a salary, but becomes alienated from the
world because of his or her inability to affect or
change it.
Mills commuted to Columbia College on his motorcycle. (Photo by Yaroslava Mills).
Sociological Imagination




C. Wright Mills (1959) is best remembered for his highly acclaimed work
The Sociological Imagination, in which he set forth his views on how
social science should be pursued. Hailed upon publication as a convincing
and hard-hitting critique, The Sociological Imagination took issue with the
growing schools of sociology in the United States, calling for a humanist
sociology connecting the social, personal, and historical dimensions of our
lives. The sociological imagination Mills calls for is a sociological
vision, a way of looking at the world that can see links between
the apparently private problems of the individual and important
social issues.
Throughout his career until his untimely death, Mills struggled with the
question, "what is the nature of the social sciences." He uniquely
described the "promise" of sociology for a world of people trapped in a
virtual maze of "private troubles."
Nowadays, people often feel that their private lives are a series of traps.
They sense that within their everyday worlds, they cannot overcome their
troubles, and in this feeling, they are often quite correct.
Mills proposed that the sociological imagination enables the individual a
way to liberate himself from these traps. The sociological imagination is a
quality of mind that will help individuals to use information and to develop
reason in order to achieve coherent summations of what is going on in
the world and what may be happening within individuals.
Mind Stimulating Exercises
Patricia Marchak
Canadian Sociologist & Educator (UBC, Vancouver Institute)


Universities are failing to teach, are
too elitist and too democratic
minded.
Terrorism, terror or fear is a modern
technique of the powerful in
controlling effectively the mass
population (any doubts, just watch
news programs, newspapers or
movies). We are being scared into
fearing A to Z. Bacterias to Bin
Laden, you must be afraid in order to
save yourself. However, you must
purchase security. Soldiers or alarm
systems, all have a cost.
Theoretical Perspectives:
Functionalism



Functionalism sees society as a
system of highly interrelated parts
that work together harmoniously
The image that functionalists use to
understand society is a living
organism
Each part of society works together
for the benefit of the whole much
like a living organism
Theoretical Perspectives:
Conflict Theory




Conflict theory is grounded in the work of Karl
Marx
Society is understood to be made up of
conflicting interest groups who vie for power
and privilege
This dynamic results in continuous social
change, which is the normal state of affairs
Conflict theory focuses heavily on inequality
and differential distribution of power and
wealth
Theoretical Perspectives:
The Interactionist Perspective



Focuses on how individuals make sense of
and interpret the world
This perspective tends to focus on the “microorder” of small groups
Has given rise to several specific
approaches:
– Symbolic Interactionism developed by George
Herbert Mead
– Ethnomethodology developed by Harold Garfinkel
– Dramaturgy developed by Erving Goffman
Comparing Theoretical Perspectives
Perspective Scope of
Analysis
StructuralMacro
Functionalism Level
Point of View
1.
2.
3.
Conflict
Theory
Macro
Level
1.
2.
3.
Interactionist
Micro-Level
1.
2.
Focus of
Analysis
Various parts of society
are interdependent
Social systems are
highly stable
Social life governed by
consensus &
cooperation
Society accommodates
between competing
interest groups
Society unstable and
prone to change
Social life conflict-laden
Functional and
dysfunctional
aspects of
society
Actions have
symbolic meanings
Meanings can vary
How people
make sense of
their world
1. How social
inequalities
produce conflict
2. Who benefits
from social
arrangements
Society as an Illusion
http://www.csus.edu/indiv/m/monkd/optical_illusion.html
The following pictures are NOT animated.
The "illusion" is that this is just a picture of coffee beans;
but it is not. Can you find a man's face among the beans?
Some say that if you find the man in 3 seconds or less,
the right half of your brain may be more well developed
than most.
And here is another type of illusion.
Count the people in the picture below.
After they shift, count them again!
Can you count the black dots?
How many legs does this
elephant have?
Faces or places?
Two elderly faces, or a larger scene?