Transcript Sociology – Chapter 1

Sociology – Chapter 1
Miss Hickey
Hilliard Davidson High School
The Sociological Perspective
– Seeing the broader social context
• Sociological perspective
– Understanding behavior with broad social context
• Social locations
– Membership due to history and society
• Society
– People who share culture / territory
– The Growing Global Context
• The world is becoming a global village
Sociological Imagination
Sociological imagination is the ability to see the
connection between the larger world and your
personal life.
Sociology and the Other Sciences
• Science – application of systematic methods
to gain knowledge
• Sociology – scientific study of society and
behavior
… more social science
anthropology  the comparative
study of past and present
cultures
psychology the study of
human behavior and thinking
economics  the study of people’s
choices to satisfy their needs. Also
goods and services.
Political science  the study of
the organization and
operation of governments
Who would study
this?
Which social science
would be most interested
in these photos? Why?
Which social science
would be most interested
in studying these people?
Why?
Which social
science would be
most interested
in these people?
Why?
How does you sociological perspective
affect the way you view these photos?
History of Sociology
• Study the following pictures. Why did
sociology develop during these time periods?
Origins of Sociology
• social upheaval
– People forced to rethink social life
• tradition vs. science
• Success of natural sciences
– Failed by tradition  people turn to scientific method
Auguste Comte and Positivism
• French, Founder of Sociology
– Coined the term “Sociology” (scientific
study of society and human behavior)
– Tried to find solutions to the chaos of
the French Revolution
– Influenced by the Scientific Method
• functionalist perspective
• positivism – application of the
scientific approach to the social
world
(1798-1857)
Karl Marx and Class Conflict
• German, middle class family
• Class conflict – term for the struggle
between capitalists and works
(Believed that all business owners
controlled society)
– Bourgeoisie – term for the capitalists
– Proletariat – term for exploited class
– Marxism developed into communism
• Sociologists should fix society
• conflict perspective
(1818-1883)
(1820-1903)
Herbert Spencer
and Social Darwinism
• English
• Believed that social change and
unrest were natural
– Societies evolve from lower
(“barbarian”) to higher (“civilized”)
forms
– Supported Social Darwinism
• “The fittest societies would survive
over time”
• The “fittest” members survive and the
less capable die.
• Functionalist Perspective
Emilie Durkheim and Social Integration
• French Philosopher
• Recognition of sociology
– Studied observable aspects of society
– Applied methods of science to study
society
• social forces impact behavior
• functionalist perspective
• social integration – degree to which
people feel a part of a social group
• social facts – group’s patterns of
behavior
(1858-1917)
Max Weber and the Protestant Work
Ethic
• German, Middle Class
• Studied groups in German society rather than
society as a whole
• Sociologists should uncover the feelings and
thoughts of individuals
– value free (values should not affect research)
– replication of research
– Verstehen- A sociologist places himself in the
place of others and attempts to see things
through their eyes.
•
•
•
•
interactionist perspective
self denial
Spirit of Capitalism
pay attention to subjective meanings
(1864-1920)
Before a SHORT Time to Ponder
values - the standards by which people define
what is desirable or undesirable, good or bad,
beautiful or ugly
objectivity – total neutrality
subjective meanings - the meanings that
people give their own behavior
A SHORT Time to Ponder
• What types of things do you think should be
value free?
• What role should values play in society?
• Some argue that social scientist, unlike
politicians and religious leaders, should
merely attempt to describe and explain the
events of the world, but should never make
value judgments based on those observations.
Do you agree or disagree?
Sexism in Sociology
• 1800s – sex roles were very rigid and defined
• Harriet Martineau
• Society in America (1837) explained American
culture
A SHORT Time to Ponder
• What prompted the creation of sociology?
Sociology in North America
Early History
• University of Kansas (1890)
• University of Chicago (1892)
– developed the symbolic interactionist perspective
– dominated sociology
• Atlanta University (1897) – all black
• Many women denied faculty appointments
– Little distinction between sociology and social
work
– social activism
Jane Addams and Social Reform
• came from wealth and privilege
• co-founded Hull House
– aged, immigrants, sick and poor
• strived to bridge gap between powerful and
powerless
• worked with others to win the eight-hour work
day and pass laws against child labor
• co-won the Nobel Prize for work in social reform
– only sociologist to win
W.E.B. Du Bois and Race Relations
• Became the first African American to earn a doctorate at Harvard
• Taught Greek and Latin and Wilber-Force University and then hired
by Atlanta University (most of career)
• poor (couldn’t attend meeting of the American Sociological Society)
– When he could attend, subsequent meetings, hotels and restaurants
would not allow him to eat or room wit the white sociologist
– US would not issue passport
• Feared he would criticize United States
• Says more successful African Americas are breaking ties with other
African Americans to be accepted by whites
• Weakened and deprived African American Community
• Founded National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People (NAACP)
• Was neglected; sociology rediscovered and receiving respect
Talcott Parsons and C. Wright Mills:
Theory vs. Reform
• social reform  social theory
• Parsons  abstract models of society
– Influenced a generation of sociolgists
• Mills  urged return to reform
– Saw coalescing of interest on the power elite (top
leaders of business, politics and military) as a
threat to freedom
Continuing Tension and Rise of Applied
Sociology
• applied sociology – use of sociology to solve
problems from the micro level of family
relationships to the macro level of crime and
pollution
– EXAMPLE: founding the NAACP
– middle ground between observation and social
reform
Sociological Perspectives
• Theories- An explanation of relationships
between elements in society.
• Theoretical Perspectives- A general set of
assumptions and ideas about social life.
• Three Sociological Perspectives:
Functionalist, Conflict, and Interactionist
Interactionist Perspective (MICRO)
Important People: Max Weber, Charles Hooley, William Thomas, George Mead
• Focus on how Individuals interact with one
another in society.
– Individuals evaluate their own conduct by comparing
themselves with others
– Society is composed of symbols and shared
perceptions that people use to establish meaning and
develop views of the world.
• Symbols – things to which we attach meaning
– Used to define relationships (Examples: brother, sister, etc.)
Symbols
• Without symbols, our social life would be no
more sophisticated than that of animals
• Symbols allow relationships to exit
– Without them, we could not coordinate our
actions with others
• Applying Symbolic Interactionism: Divorce
Rates (p. 23-25)
Functionalist Perspective (MACRO)
Used by: Comte, Spencer, and Durkheim
• functional analysis – a theoretical framework in which society is
viewed as composed of various parts, each with a function that,
when fulfilled, contributes to society’s equilibrium
• Society is a set of interrelated parts that work together to produce a
stable society. (A harmonious whole)
• Functions are positive consequences on Society
– Manifest Functions- Intended Consequences (Cars provide fast
transportation)
– Latent Functions- Unintended Consequences (Cars provide
people with social standing)
• Not everything in society runs smoothly, and these elements are
referred to as Dysfunctions.
– Example:
Applying Functionalist Perspective:
Divorce
• Read: p.
Spencer’s Organism Analogy
A good way to understand functionalism is to explain society like
an organism.
BrainHeartBloodVeinsRed Blood CellsWhite Blood Cells-
What do each of these body
parts represent in society?
Conflict Perspective (MACRO)
Used By: Karl Marx
• conflict theory – a theoretical framework in which
society is viewed as composed of groups competing
for scarce resources
– Focus on forces in society that promote competition and
change
– study how those with more power exercise control over
those with less power
– Competition over scarce resources is the basis for social
conflict
• Karl Marx – concluded the key to human history is
class struggle
Conflict Theory, cont.
• authority – power that people consider
legitimate, as rightly exercised over them
– Authority is a part of everything, whether it is a small
group, organization or society
• Keeps people from being confused and keeps them in order
• Feminist
– Since the beginning of time, women fight for equal
rights
• Application: divorce increases when women are able to be
self-sufficient (women = more likely to be dissatisfied in
marriage)
A SHORT Time to Ponder
• “Due to the downturn of the economy, the
conflict theory has been strengthened.”
– Do you agree or disagree with this statement?
Support your answer!
Levels of Analysis
• macro level: examine large-scale patterns of
society
– conflict perspective
– functionalist perspective
• micro level: examination of small-scale
patterns of society
– social interaction: what people do when that are
in one another’s presence
– nonverbal interaction: gestures, space, silence