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1/23/2015
Introductions
Introduction to Sociology
Instructor:
Jim Fisher, PhD, MRP, AIPC
395 State Street
Ellsworth, ME 04605
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
(207) 667-7131 (weekdays)
(207) 374-3678 (evenings/weekends)
 Who are you?
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Where were you raised?
Where are you living now?
 Why are you here?
Theory
 Syllabus
 Objectives
 Expectations
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Timeline
Rules, Rules and more Rules
Method
Application
Hancock County 2025
CHAPTER 1
 Sociological Human Ecology
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Population
Organization
Environment
Technology
THINKING LIKE A SOCIOLOGIST
 Where have you been in
Hancock County?
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Towns
Parks
Schools
Hospitals
Key Topics
 1-1 What Is Sociology?
 1-2 What Is a Sociological Imagination?
 1-3 Why Study Sociology?
 1-4 Some Origins of Sociological Theory
Sociology
 Sociology: the systematic study of social interaction
at a variety of levels
 Systematic study assumes social behavior is regular
and patterned.
 1-5 Contemporary Sociological Theories
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Sociology
Sociology
Social Interaction: the process of acting toward and
reacting to people around us
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Interaction between individuals
Interaction between groups
Interaction between nations
 Sociology studies how we are similar.
 Each individual is unique in some ways but like other
people in most ways.
 We are more alike than we are different.
Sociology
Sociology--Application
 Sociology is more than common sense.
 Common sense:
 Is subjective
 Ignores facts
 Varies across groups and cultures
 Is based on myths and misconceptions
The Sociological Imagination
 Sociological imagination: the ability to see the
connection between individual lives and larger social
influences
 Developed by C. Wright Mills
 Distinguishes between:
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The Sociological Imagination
Microsociology: focuses on small-scale patterns of
individuals’ social interaction in specific settings
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Individuals interacting as friends
Patterns of interaction within families
Personal troubles (biography)
Structural issues (public and historical)
Professor of sociology at
Columbia University
1946 -1962
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The Sociological Imagination
Rank Country
1 Niger
 Macrosociology: focuses on large-scale patterns
and processes that characterize society as a whole
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Comparison of divorce rates for different countries
Effect of trade policies on unemployment rates
2 Uganda
47.49
3 Mali
45.62
88 Venezuela
20.10
89 Ecuador
19.96
90 Dominican Republic
19.67
149 United States
13.83
150 New Zealand
13.68
220 Japan
Crude Birth Rate = Births / Population * 1,000
CBR
50.54
7.31
The Sociological Imagination--Application
How could each of these situations be both a trouble
(micro) and a structural issue (macro)?
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Illness
Unemployment
Oil spill
Source: www.indexmundi.com/map/?v=25
Why Study Sociology?
 Interesting
Studying Sociology
Why is sociology important?
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 Integrative
 Interpretive
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Making informed decisions
Understanding diversity
Shaping social and public policies
Thinking critically
Expanding your career opportunities
 Industrious
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Studying Sociology
Why is sociology important?
 Sociology career opportunities.
 Administrative
 Social
support and management
services and counseling
 Sales and
marketing
 Research and
development
 Media
Origins of Sociology
Famous Sociologists
Origins of Sociological Theory
 Sociology is based on theory and empirical
information.
 Theory: a set of statements that explains why a
phenomenon occurs
Karl Marx
Emile Durkheim
Herbert Spencer
Max Weber
Auguste Comte
Sigmund Freud
 Empirical information: information based on
observations, experiments, or experiences
Harriet Martineau
W.E.B. Dubois
Origins of Sociological Theory
 Auguste Comte
 “Father of sociology”
 Argued for the empirical
study of society
 Analyzed social statics
and dynamics
Origins of Sociological Theory
 Harriet Martineau
(1802 – 1876)
 Translated Comte’s work
 Emphasized systematic
data collection
 Authored first book on
sociological method
 Opposed slavery and
Auguste Comte (1798 – 1857)
The Course in Positive Philosophy
advocated for women’s
rights
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Origins of Sociological Theory
Origins of Sociological Theory
 Émile Durkheim
 Karl Marx
 Analyzed social facts,
 Analyzed the Industrial
social solidarity, and
division of labor
 Conducted study of
suicide and social
integration
Revolution
 Studied capitalism, class
conflict, and alienation
 Author of
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The Communist Manifesto
Das Kapital
(1858 – 1917)
University of Bordeaux
Rules of the
Sociological Method
Origins of Sociological Theory
 Max Weber
(1818 – 1883)
Germany - England
Origins of Sociological Theory
 Jane Addams
 Argued for the
(1860 -1935)
importance of ideas,
ideologies, and
charismatic leaders
 Used verstehen or
subjective understanding
 Argued for value free
sociology
 Cofounded Hull House
 Studied social
disorganization and
immigration
 Sociology - Social Work
(1864 -1920)
University of Munich
The Protestant Ethic
Origins of Sociological Theory
Contemporary Sociological Theories
 W.E.B. DuBois
(1868 – 1963)
Harvard Graduate
First African American to
earn a Doctorate in the
US
 Cofounded NAACP
 Examined oppressive
effects of race and class
 Authored Black
Reconstruction in
America 1935
Functional
Conflict/
Feminist
Symbolic
Interaction
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Contemporary Sociological Theories
 Theories are tools and evolve over time.
Contemporary Sociological Theories
 Functionalism emphasizes order, cohesion, and
 Contemporary theories grew out of the 1950s and
1960s.
consensus.
 Society is a complex system of interdependent parts
that work together to ensure a society’s survival.
Contemporary Sociological Theories
 Functions are purposes and activities to meet
different needs that contribute to a society’s stability.
 Manifest functions are intended and recognized.
 Latent functions are unintended and
unrecognized.
 Dysfunctions have negative impacts.
Contemporary Sociological Theories--Application
 A school uniform
 What are the manifest functions?
 What are the latent functions?
 What are the dysfunctions?
 A fast food restaurant
 What are the manifest functions?
 What are the latent functions?
 What are the dysfunctions?
Robert Merton
(1910 – 2003)
Columbia University
Contemporary Sociological Theory
 Conflict theory examines the ways in which groups
disagree, struggle over power, and compete for
scarce resources.
 Karl Marx predicted that conflict would result from
widespread economic inequality.
Contemporary Sociological Theory
 Conflict theory studies the “haves” versus the “have-
nots.”
 The “haves” dominate in social, political, and
economic activities over the “have-nots.”
(1818 -1883)
Communist Manefesto
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Contemporary Sociological Theory
Contemporary Sociological Theory
 Feminist theories explain the social, economic,
 Symbolic interactionism looks at individuals’
and political position of women in society.
 Women suffer injustice because of their sex.
 Feminists seek to free women from traditionally
oppressive expectations and constraints.
everyday behavior and communication through
symbols and shared meanings.
 It is a micro-level perspective.
 Society is socially constructed.
George Herbert Mead
(1863 – 1931)
Contemporary Sociological Theory
1.
Humans act towards things (including other individuals)
on the basis of the meanings they have for them.
2. The meaning of things arises out of the social interactions
one has with one's fellows.
Contemporary Sociological Theory
 Constructing meaning occurs through behavior
and interpretation.
 Symbols stand for something else (words, gestures,
pictures)
 Symbols have shared meanings and definitions of the
3. Meanings are handled in, and modified
situation.
through, an interpretive process a person
uses in dealing with the things he or she
encounters. (Blumer, 1969)
Herbert George Blumer
(1900 –1987)
Contemporary Sociological Theory--Application
 How do humans mark their territory?
 How do we define the different racial categories that
people are assigned?
 How do we know how to feel about a war?
Contemporary Sociological Theory
 Functionalism: How does structure help society
work?
 Conflict: How are resources distributed?
 Feminist: How does life reflect gender?
 Interactionism: How do we construct meaning
through symbols?
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Chapter Review
1.
What is sociology?
2. Why do we need sociology?
3. What is the sociological imagination?
4. Describe the contributions of the early social
thinkers.
5. What are the contemporary sociological theories?
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