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Ministry of Education, Science, Youth and Sports of Ukraine
Sumy State University
3235 METHODOLOGICAL INSTRUCTIONS
for practical classes
on Sociology
for foreign students
Sumy
Sumy State University
2012
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Methodological instructions for practical classes on Sociology /
compiler A. M. Kostenko – Sumy : Sumy State University, 2012. –
19 p.
Political science, sociology and psychology department
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CONTENTS
PREFACE ………………………………………………………
Practical class 1. INTRODUCTION ……………………………
Practical class 2. SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH SKILLS
AND METHODS ……………………………………………….
Practical class 3. FAMILY AND HOUSEHOLDS …………….
Practical class 4. MASS MEDIA ……………………………….
Practical class 5. EDUCATION ………………………………...
Practical class 6. WEALTH, POVERTY AND WELFARE …...
REFERENCES ………………………………………………….
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PREFACE
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science – a term
with which it is sometimes synonymous – which uses various
methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop
and refine a body of knowledge about human social activity. For
many sociologists the goal is to conduct research which may be
applied directly to social policy and welfare, whilst others produce
purely academic theory closer to that of philosophy. Subject matter
ranges from the micro level of individual agency and interaction to
the macro level of systems and the social structure.
Sociology is both topically and methodologically a very broad
discipline. Its traditional focuses have included social stratification,
social class, social mobility, religion, secularisation, law and
deviance. As all spheres of human activity are sculpted by social
structure and individual agency, sociology has gradually expanded its
focus to further subjects, such as health, medical, military, and penal
institutions, the Internet, and even the role of social activity in the
development of scientific knowledge.
The lectures cover only the main issues due to the time limit.
After completing the lecture course students are expected to know
the basic terms and concepts of sociology.
Grade Determination
Grade
5
4
3
2
ECTS
“A”
“B”
“C”
“D”
E
FX
F
6
Rating
90 – 100
85 – 89.99
65 – 84.99
55 – 64.99
50 – 54.99
35 – 49.99
<34.99
Methodological instructions are designed to achieve the
following objectives:
 to initiate and encourage group discussions on important
problems of sociology;
 to explain and clarify any confusing or difficult materials in
the lectures or in the individual readings;
 to present and explain additional supplementary materials.
Students must be ready for practical classes; they are to discuss
the assigned problems, reading, or cases. Students must also
complete the problem sets and take part in the class discussions.
Students are encouraged to work in groups on the problem sets
and problematic cases. Collaboration should be treated as an aid to
individual learning, not a substitute to it. Individual work is also
planned. Final examination is performed as an individual work, not a
group exercise.
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Practical class 1
INTRODUCTION
1.
2.
3.
4.
Plan of the lecture
Key issues in sociology.
Theoretical schools of thought.
Types of theory in sociology.
How has sociology changed over time?
Summary
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science – a term
with which it is sometimes synonymous – which uses various
methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop
and refine a body of knowledge about human social activity. For
many sociologists, the goal is to apply findings directly to the pursuit
of social welfare, while others seek purely academic or intellectual
knowledge. Subject matter ranges from the micro level of the
individual agency and interaction to the macro level of systems and
groups social structures.
Sociology is both topically and methodologically a very broad
discipline. Its traditional focuses have included social stratification,
social class, social mobility, religion, secularisation, law, deviance.
As all spheres of human activity are sculpted by social structure and
individual agency, sociology has gradually expanded its focus to
further subjects, such as health, medical, military and penal
institutions, the Internet, and even the role of social activity in the
development of scientific knowledge.
There are many different schools of thought that different
sociologists collectively hold. They include the following:
functionalism, Marxism, neo-Marxism, Weberian sociology,
interpretive sociology (interactionism and phenomenology), the New
Right, the New Left, feminisms, postmodernism, pluralism,
poststructuralism, structurational sociology.
Sociologist Robert Merton (1957) talks of the existence of
three different types or levels of theory in sociology:
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1. First order theory – simple hypotheses that we can try and test
through research.
2. Middle-range theory – ideas about how society works that are not
simple hypotheses, but are less than a whole world view. Such ideas
are models; they explain how and why something works as it does.
3. Grand theory – described by Merton as “master conceptual
schemes” meaning a total world view about the whole of society and
how it works.
Key Concepts
Macrosociology, microsociology, functionalism, Marxism,
neo-Marxism, Weberian sociology, interpretive sociology
(interactionism and phenomenology), the New Right, the New Left,
feminisms,
postmodernism,
pluralism,
poststructuralism,
structurational sociology.
Questions for Review
1. What is sociology and what does it mean?
2. What are the key debates in sociology?
3. Why do you think there are so many different theoretical schools
in sociology?
4. Why might the large number of theoretical schools be both a
problem, and a strength of the subject?
5. What do structural theories say?
6. What are the ideas of action sociology?
7. What are the main differences between structural and action
theories?
8. What skills are important for studying sociology?
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Practical class 2
SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH SKILLS AND METHODS
Plan of the lecture
1. The reason sociologists are interested in research.
2. The methods used by sociologists.
3. The role of the sociologist in research.
4. Validity and reliability.
5. Types of data produced by sociologists.
6. The way and reasons of questionnaires use.
7. The way and reasons of interviews conduction.
8. The way and reasons sociologists observe.
9. The way and reasons sociologists use secondary sources.
10. The problems of official statistics.
11. The way sociologists can use life documents.
12. The way and reasons some sociologists mix methods together.
Summary
Sociological research methods may be divided into two broad
categories: quantitative and qualitative.
Quantitative designs approach to social phenomena through
quantifiable evidence, and often rely on statistical analysis of many
cases (or across intentionally designed treatments in an experiment)
to create valid and reliable general claims.
Qualitative designs emphasize understanding of social
phenomena through direct observation, communication with
participants, or analysis of texts, and may stress contextual and
subjective accuracy over generality.
The choice of method often depends largely on what the
researcher intends to investigate. For example, a researcher
concerned with drawing a statistical generalization across an entire
population may administer a survey questionnaire to a representative
sample population. By contrast, a researcher who seeks full
contextual understanding of an individuals' social actions may
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choose ethnographic participant observation or open-ended
interviews.
The following list of research methods is neither exclusive nor
exhaustive: archival research or the historical method, content
analysis, experimental research, longitudinal study, observation,
survey research.
Key Concepts
Archival research or the historical method, content analysis,
experimental research, longitudinal study, observation, survey
research, validity and reliability.
Questions for Review
1. What is data? Why do sociologists want to produce data?
2. Is social research value free?
3. What is representative?
4. Why and how do sociologists choose the methods they use?
5. What issues or aspects of society do you think would create the
most problems for validity and reliability?
6. Which do you think is the best type of data to produce,
quantitative or qualitative? Why?
7. What areas of social life would most suit using questionnaires?
8. Why are interviews a useful research method to use?
9. Why is observation a useful method for sociologists?
10. What warnings come with the use of secondary sources?
11. Why are official statistics criticised by some sociologists?
12. How useful do you think using life documents are?
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Practical class 3
FAMILY AND HOUSEHOLDS
Plan of the lecture
1. The reasons sociologists are interested in the family.
2. Is the family “natural”?
3. Family.
4. Types of family structure.
5. Households.
6. Ideology of the family.
7. Families changes over time.
8. The problems with looking at the family in history.
9. Conjugal roles.
10. The changing patterns of marriage and divorce today.
11. A dark side of the family.
12. Possible future of the family.
13. Childhood as social construction.
Summary
The sociology of the family examines the family, as an
institution and unit of socialization, with special concern for the
comparatively modern historical emergence of the nuclear family
and its distinct gender roles. The notion of “childhood” is also
significant. As one of the more basic institutions to which one may
apply sociological perspectives, the sociology of the family is a
common component on introductory academic curricula. Feminist
sociology, on the other hand, is a normative subfield that observes
and critiques the cultural categories of gender and sexuality,
particularly with respect to power and inequality. The primary
concern of feminist theory is the patriarchy and the systematic
oppression of women apparent in many societies, both at the level of
small-scale interaction and in terms of the broader social structure.
Social psychology of gender, on the other hand, uses experimental
methods to uncover the microprocesses of gender stratification.
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Key Concepts
Family, households, socialization, identity, self-identity, gender
role, social control, imagined community, nuclear family.
Questions for Review
1. How do you think, are families natural or cultural and why?
2. What types of family do you know?
3. How do you think, does an ideology of the family exist in the
modern society?
4. How do you think, what changes will the family go through next?
5. Do conjugal roles still exist in the majority of families? Explain
your point of view.
6. What in your opinion is the main reason for divorce?
7. How do you think, are father and mother’s gender roles natural?
Why?
8. What do you think the future of the family will be?
9. What is childhood?
10. Can you see anything contradictory about how your society
presently thinks about children and their roles in the family?
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Practical class 4
MASS MEDIA
Plan of the lecture
1. The reasons sociologists are interested in sociology of the media.
2. The way sociologists tried to measure media effects.
3. The methods sociologists tend to use to study the mass media.
4. Problems with definition taken into account during studying the
media.
5. Marxists’ attitude towards the control the mass media.
6. Pluralist’s attitude towards the control of the media.
7. The owners of the media.
8. Who decides what counts as news and how is it selected?
9. Do the media set an agenda for society?
10. Is the media biased?
11. Is the media sexist?
12. Portrait of men and women in the media.
13. Audiences’ responses to the mass media.
14. Creation of moral panics by the media.
15. Global culture created by the media.
16. The effects of globalization on the media and society.
17. The way the media has changed and the way it has changed us.
Summary
Sociologists are interested in the mass media because of the
enormous power it seems to have over our lives. Sociologists want to
address such questions as: how do the media influence the world of
politics and how can politics influence the media? How does the
media affect on our private lives and identities? How important is the
fact that most of our knowledge of the world comes from the mass
media?
Sociologists would say that since journalists (manipulated by
news’ values) manufactured the “news”, the whole process of
making news is socially constructed. Most sociologists, who have
studied the mass media, have drawn the conclusion that as it’s true, it
comes up the fact that media professionals have the power to present
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agendas (lists of issues) as what key issues should society take to
consideration in any time.
Key Concepts
Mass media, Internet, news values, agenda setting, bias,
stereotypic, audience, deviant, moral panic, globalization, public
sphere.
Questions for Review
1. Is Marxist analysis still relevant?
2. How could people’s freedom to choose and interpret the media
representations and images be constrained? How could this influence
your assessment of the pluralist view?
3. Do media owners take sufficient notice of viewers’ opinions?
What factors encourage owners to listen to the public feedback?
4. What effects can the bias have in the media and how important are
these effects?
5. Is it possible for the media to be unbiased?
6. How can women use media’s representations as a source of
identity and meaning?
7. Are men being representing as object of sexual desire in the
media? If it’s so, is it a good thing?
8. Is there one audience for the mass media?
9. Are media messages intended to influence the audience’s
behavior?
10. Do you agree with Thornton’s view that some groups now
actively seek for scapegoats as deviant, since it gives their subculture authenticity? Can sub-cultures use moral panics for their own
purposes?
11. Is cultural globalization mainly the result of changes in
technology?
12. Does the development of the Internet mean that public debate
will be more democratic?
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Practical class 5
EDUCATION
Plan of the lecture
1. The reasons sociologists are interested in education.
2. The key problems of education in sociology?
3. What is meant by education?
4. The difference between informal and formal education.
5. The meaning of intelligence.
6. The meaning of “IQ”.
7. Tripartite system.
8. Criticizing the tripartite system.
9. Comprehensive system.
10. Other types of education.
11. The way education socializes pupils.
12. The meaning of in-school and out-of-school factors.
13. Marketisation of education.
Summary
The sociology of education grabs the attention of all types of
sociologists, whatever their theoretical background is. For some
people, education manages to act as a way of socializing people into
norms (eating food with correct hand or cutlery) and values (e.g.
“ambition” or “honesty”) that seems to be important for particular
society. For others it can be a source of conflict particularly when
issues, surrounding gender, class and ethnicity, are put under the
sociologists “microscope”.
Sociologists make the distinction between “formal” and
“informal” education. Informal education is the kind of education
that was mentioned above, but according to it, we receive a little
reward. The other thing is with enjoyment that we get from the
activity itself. You may learn to cook but, unless you have studied
cookery at school or at college, you may not receive any certificates
for it. By the “formal” education sociologists refer to different types
of schools and learning environments, where pupils, in one way or
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another, will be taught, assessed and accredited with an exam award,
certificate or merit.
Key Concepts
State education, informal and formal education, intelligence,
parity of esteem, streams, socialize.
Questions for Review
1. How do you think, what kind of education is more important:
formal or informal? Why?
2. Think of examples to show how you possess each of Gardner’s
intelligences?
3. Why many parents argue that grammar schools should not be
abolished?
4. How might teachers’ views about the type of school they work in
affect the methods and ways of teaching their pupils?
5. How do you think, what type of education is increasing?
6. How would the major sociological theories explain the processes
of socialization you have listed?
7. How might a self-fulfilling be associated with all factors
mentioned above?
8. How do different schools in Europe finance and run their school
systems?
9. Why do so many sociologists criticize the education?
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Practical class 6
WEALTH, POVERTY AND WELFARE
Plan of the lecture
1. Key issues of wealth, poverty and welfare in sociology.
2. Sociologists’ points of view of defining wealth and income.
3. The owners of the greatest wealth.
4. The way sociologists explain inequalities in wealth and income.
5. Poverty.
6. Sociologists’ definition of poverty.
7. Does poverty still exist?
8. Causes of poverty.
9. Poverty between the sexes.
10. The way class, ethnicity and poverty are linked.
11. State actions, which are done to reduce poverty.
12. Sociologists’ explanation of the welfare state.
13. Welfare (dependency) culture.
14. Other forms of welfare provision existing apart from the state.
Summary
The concepts of “wealth”, “poverty” and “welfare” are met in
daily life and they are easily understood in everyday language.
However, sociologists attempt to delve a little deeper for gaining
greater understanding of these social concepts.
Sociology tends to be theoretical in that social behavior. It is
understood in terms of theories. These theories are applied to
contexts and they provide our understanding of particular social
experiences. However, sometimes it can be difficult for the youth
budding sociologist to fully grasp the “essence” of these concepts
and gain a full appreciation of experiences such as being “poor”;
being “wealthy” or being “dependent on welfare”.
Key Concepts
Wealth, poverty, absolute poverty, relative poverty, social
exclusion, fatalism, welfare dependency, ethnicity, welfare state,
underclass, welfare pluralism.
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Questions for Review
1. Why are sociologists interested in wealth, poverty and welfare?
2. What is the most advantageous sort of wealth to have?
3. Does the ownership of wealth always give its owner power?
4. Which of the following points are the most important in
determining person’s wealth: class, race or gender?
5. Is it possible to eradicate poverty?
6. Is it possible to measure poverty objectively?
7. Is it impossible to eradicate poverty, if it is relative?
8. To what extent can stratification be seen as the cause of poverty?
9. Is gender more or less important as an indicator of poverty, than
class? Why?
10. What is the difference between poverty and inequality?
11. Why has the welfare state failed to eradicate poverty?
12. Is it possible for the welfare state to act as a referee and protect
the welfare and rights of the poorest sections of society?
13. How do you think, is the idea of an underclass sociologically
useful or it is accurate?
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REFERENCES
1. Rogers A. A sociology of mental health and illness / A. Rogers,
D. Pilgrim. – New York : Open University Press, 2005. – 269 p.
2. Elias
N.
What
Is
Sociology?
[Електронний
ресурс] / Norbert Elias, Stephen Mennell, Grace Morrissey. –
Columbia University Press, 1978. – Режим доступу :
http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=6630238
3. Strydom P. Discourse and Knowledge: The Making of
Enlightenment Sociology [Електронний ресурс] / Piet Strydom.
– Liverpool University Press, 2000. – Режим доступу :
http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=102331378
4. Alexander J. C. Self, Social Structure, and Beliefs: Explorations
in Sociology [Електронний ресурс] / Jeffrey C. Alexander,
Gary T. Marx, Christine L. Williams. – University of
California Press,
2004.
–
Режим
доступу
:
http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=105367022
5. Bruce S.
Sociology:
A
Very Short
Introduction
[Електронний ресурс] / Steve Bruce. – Oxford
University
Press,
1999.
–
Режим
доступу
:
http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=22100043
6. Albrow M. Sociology: The Basics [Електронний ресурс] /
Martin Albrow. – Routledge, 1999. – Режим доступу :
http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=102870242
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