Download Sociology In A Changing World, 6e

Chapter 1
Sociology: An Introduction
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The Sociological Imagination
Sociology, The Human Science
From Social Thought to Social Science
Major Sociological Perspectives
Sociological Imagination
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Ability to participate in social life and analyze
the broader meanings of what is going on.
Habit of seeing events in terms of how they
affect individuals prevents people from
improving their society.
Levels of Social Reality
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Micro level - behaviors of the individual and
their immediate others
Macro level - whole societies and the ways
they are changing
Middle-level - communities or organizations
Age of Enlightenment
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Bacon, Descartes, Pascal and Leibniz
recognized the social importance of scientific
discoveries.
The rise of science transformed the social
order.
Age of Revolution
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Old order was breaking down as secular
knowledge replaced sacred traditions.
Became evident that the scientific method
could provide new answers.
Founders of Sociology
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Karl Marx - explained transformations taking
place as societies became urbanized.
Emile Durkheim - established the first scientific
journal in sociology.
Max Weber-compared cities to show how new
forms of government and administration were
evolving.
Women in Sociology
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Harriet Martineau - wrote sociological
interpretations of the early phases of capitalism
and modernity.
Ida B. Wells-Barnett - wrote about the new
forms of discrimination and became a civil
rights spokesperson.
Manjula Giri - example of a scholar-activist, a
dual role that is increasingly common.
Major Sociological Perspectives
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Interactionism - views social order and
change as resulting from the interactions
between individuals and groups.
Rational Choice - focuses on what people
seem to be getting out of interactions and what
they contribute to the relationship or larger
group.
Major Sociological Perspectives
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Symbolic interactionism -focuses on how
social life is “constructed” through mundane
acts of social communication.
Functionalism -asks how society carries out
the functions it must perform.
Conflict Theory - the divisions of people into
classes produces conflict.