Download Chapter 1 Section 2

Chapter 1
Section 2
Sociology: Then and Now
Pages 9-17
Objectives
• 1. Describe how the field of sociology
developed.
• 2. Explain how the three main theoretical
perspectives in sociology differ in their focus.
• The analysis of society-sociology did not
evolve until the 1800s.
• The factors that led to the development of
sociology :
• A. rapid social and political changes that took
place in Europe during the Industrial
Revolution. The factory replaced the home as
the main site for manufacturing.
• B. Rapid growth of the urban area led to a
multitude of social problems. You had housing
shortages, crime increased, and pollution. People
adjusting from rural to urban life. Interactions in
the rural were based on personal relationships.
• C. Over time it became harder to ignore the effect
of society on the individual. Political movements
emerged such as: the American and French
Revolutions.
• D. By the 1800’s many scholars believed that
the social world was based on a set of basic
principles that could be studied and analyzed
with the use of scientific research methods.
The Early Years
• The heritage of Sociology took place in the
1800s in the countries of France, England, and
Germany.
• The most influential sociologists were Auguste
Comte, Herbert Spencer, Karl Marx, Emile
Durkheim, and Max Weber.
Activity
• I will divide you into five groups.
• You will be assigned one of the early
sociologists covered in this section.
• A. Auguste Comte
• B. Herbert Spencer
• C. Karl Marx
• D. Emile Durkheim
• E. Max Weber
• Imagine that you are museum curators who
are creating exhibits about your assigned
sociologists for a fictional Sociology Hall of
Fame.
• Each group will conduct research on its
sociologist and then use the information to
create a multimedia exhibit.
• I will provide a place for your group to set up
your assigned exhibit.
Current Perspectives
• Interactionist Perspective: ( Max Weber)how
individuals interact with one another in society.
Sociologists are interested in the ways in which
individuals respond to one another in everyday
situations.
• Symbol: anything that represents something else. For
something to be a symbol members of society must
agree on the meaning that is attached to it
• Symbolic Interaction: how people use symbols when
interacting. Study topics such as child development,
relationships within groups, and mate selection.
Symbolic Interaction and Mate
Selection
• You will be divided into groups.
• Imagine that you are editors for a magazine targeting
young adults.
• Conduct research on some of the uses of symbolic
interaction in mate selection.
• Create a one or two page magazine feature providing
advice to young men and women on attracting a mate.
• The feature’s content should be based on the research,
and each feature should include at least one illustration
or photgraph.
• Features will be displayed.
• Theory: explanation of the relationships
among particular phenomena. Theories are
developed to guide work and interpret
findings.
• Theoretical Perspectives: outlines specific
ideas about the nature of social life.
Functionalist Perspective
• Based on the ideas of Comte, Durkheim, and
Spencer.
• Viewed society as a set of interrelated parts
that work together to produce a stale social
system.
• Consensus. Agree best for society and work
together to ensure the social system runs
smoothly.
• Family and education serve society.
• Dysfunctional : negative consequence on the stability
of the social system. [i.e. crime]
• Manifest: intended and recognized
• Latent: unintended and unrecognized
• Manifest and Latent Functions: Public education
provides a good example of manifest and latent
functions. The manifest function, or intended purpose,
of public schools is to educate youth. However, schools
have several latent functions. They help socialize
children, teach teamwork and cooperation, and teach
societal values such as being honest.
Conflict Perspective
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Karl Marx example of conflict
Conflict Perspective: forces in society that promote
competition and change.
Sociologists do not limit attention to acts of violent conflict.
They study nonviolent competition between various groups
in society-men and women, people of different ages, or
people of different racial or national backgrounds.
Sociologist study: family decision-making, relationships
among racial groups, and disputes between workers and
employers.
Conflict leads to social change, inevitable feature of society.