Download 1st session - Introduction to the study of sociology

HEALTH AND SOCIETY
Lecture notes - INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF SOCIOLOGY
I. What does sociology mean?
Starting point:
Sociology is the study of human social life, groups, inequalities and societies. It focuses on
identifying, explaining, and interpreting patterns and processes of human social relations.
Therefore the subject is our own behavior as social beings.
↓
Eliot Aronson: “Human is a social animal.”
→ We can explain this sentence from various perspectives. This statement relates to an
important dimension of the human life, especially that we live in large societies, are highly
dependent upon one another, and are bound in a dense web of interrelationships with our
families, our communities, our leaders, and our globalized world.
We can refer here to Aristotle’s “zoon politicon” concept
→ In the direct translation from Greek “zoon politicon” means a political animal. Human
can be distinguished from all other animals by the fact that we form a political society - a
society in which we can establish a certain rational order. Aristotle observed that our virtues,
character as well as our dreams and ambitions are shaped by the society. More importantly,
most of our aspirations and projects do not make sense outside of the context of human
community. You cannot speak about virtues, like courage or beneficence, if there is no
community that you want to help with your actions.
Looking forward to other interpretations we will recognize that few of them states that
“human beings learn their behavior and use their intelligence” to orientate themselves in the
world whereas animals simply act on instinct. (instinct: a natural force that makes animals or
people to behave on a certain way without thinking or learned about before.)
From a closer perspective:
Sociology enables us to understand the structure and dynamics of society, and their
connections to patterns of human behavior and individual life changes.
Structure:
- Relatively constant relationship between individuals and social groups.
- It can be characterized with a hierarchical order.
- These relationships make a system in which specific patterns of relationships between
persons, groups and institutions give an order. The social context of our lives do not
consist of just random assortments of events or actions, they are structured and
patterned in distinct ways. There are regularities in the way we behave and in the
relationships we have with one another.
- It is not like a physical structure which exists independently of human actions. Human
societies are always in the process of structuration.
- the forms of social structure: groups, organizations, communities, social categories
(such as class, sex, age, or race), and various social institutions (such as kinship,
economic, political, or religious). These affect on human attitudes, actions, and
opportunities.
Dynamics: Sociology asks about the sources and consequences of change in social
arrangements and institutions, and about the satisfactions and difficulties of planning,
accomplishing, and adapting to such change.
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Areas studied in examining social dynamics include: culture, values, socialization,
cooperation, conflict, power, exchange, inequality, deviance, social control, violence, order
and social change.
- Comparison in time→ histographical approach
- Comparison between cultures→ cultural anthropological approach
Sociology versus ‘common sense’.
Everybody has a knowledge founded on life-experiences about the society, everybody has an
opinion about such sociological questions as poverty, the homeless, unemployment, gay
marriage, refugee camps, educating children, etc. but just a few of us feel the desire to
identify her/himself as a sociologist. We say that everybody has a common-sense view of
such an important issue as crime, etc. Where are the differences?
An often voiced criticism of sociology is that it is just ‘common sense’, and that sociologists
do little more than state the obvious. → So it is important to explain why sociology is, and
must be, more than just common sense.
- The first point to make about this is that there is often more than one ‘common-sense’
view on any given issue. The role of sociology is to challenge the obvious, and assess the
evidence and arguments for and against any particular position which is advanced.
- Differences with the everyday observation! (See in Neumann, 2007: 2-4.; available on
tarstud.uw.hu)
Sociology as a discipline
It attempts to answer questions mentioned above by using the tools of science.↓
Sociology is a systematic approach to think about, study, and understand society, human
social behaviour, and social groups. It is based on the belief that these areas of social life can
be better understood through systematic study and observation.
Sociology is different in two key ways from other social-scientific approaches to
understanding human behaviour.
 First, it places its major emphasis on the influences of social groups and the larger
society. In this regard, it is different from psychology, for example, which primarily
studies individual rather than societal factors in human behaviour.
 Second, sociology as a discipline does not focus on certain specific areas of human
behaviour (as, for example, does political science and economics), but rather seeks to
explain the broad range of human behaviour as it is influenced by society and by
human social groups. Sociology is concerned, in the broadest sense, with the study of
human society. → Its scope is almost limitless: it is possible, in principle, to have a
sociology of any activity in which human beings engage.
o The principal concerns of the founding fathers of sociology, writing in the 19th
century, were the major social political and economic changes. Early
sociological writing was dominated by attempts explain the rise of industrial
capitalism.
 What this means is that sociology cannot, in general, be used to solve technical
problems. Is it the role of sociology, for example, to make recommendations about the
kinds social arrangements which are most desirable? Or should it avoid essential
political questions and focus, instead, on developing neutral understanding of social
world?
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Sociology put an emphasis on studying groups more than individuals. We say that the
unit of the sociological research is the group. There are basic differences between
the term of group used by sociology and social psychology.
Social group: people sharing social relations.
o Their sociodemographical factors, their sociocultural position in the society are
fairly similar. We handle these factors as social indicators by which sociologist
can sort people into abstract groups, these are means of social classification.
Generally there are no interactions between people relating to a social group.
(It could be impossible anyway.) → ex. age, professional, settlement,
economical, etc. More extended groups.
Social psychological group: social psychology attempts to understand relationship
between minds and behavior in a group where group members tied together by their
perceptions, interactions and they are under the same psychological impacts. → ex.:
small groups as colleagues, friends, audience of television shows, etc. Smaller groups.
Our social backgrounds have a great deal to do with what kinds of decisions we think
appropriate.
Sociological imagination
By enabling us to understand the larger social forces that influence our own behaviour and
that of others, sociology helps us to understand the viewpoints of others different from
ourselves. Through providing such understanding, sociology can be a powerful tool for the
betterment of communities and organizations.
We all have common-sense views on things, however as you begin to challenge these
assumptions, you are on the way to being sociological. Sociologist study society in a reasoned
and disciplined way. It means, they have particular methods for studying society.
Example of Anthony Giddens - From a cup of coffee to the coffee trading
This example helps us to get closer to sociological thinking and develop a sociological
outlook. Giddens says: “Learning to think sociologically (…) means cultivating the
imagination. Studying sociology can’t be a routine process of acquiring knowledge. A
sociologist is someone who is able to break free from immediacy of personal circumstances
and put things in a wider context.”
Sociological work –according to C. W. Mills – depends on sociological imagination.
↓
It requires us to think ourselves away from the familiar routines of our daily lives and reflect
to our individual position in a wider society.
Imagine a very simple everyday situation: an act of drinking a cup of coffee.
Dimensions: - a refreshment
- the symbolic value of the act as it is a part of our day-to-day social activities.
It is a social ritual which takes a central place in the Western everyday
routine.
- Coffee is a drug. Many people drink coffee for an extra lift it provides.
Coffee is a habit-forming substance. Coffee (or chocolate) addicts are not
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regarded as other drug users in the Western societies. Like alcohol coffee is
a socially acceptable drug. Why?
- Coffee is relating to complicated set of social and economic relationships
stretching across the world. Links people in the wealthiest and the most
impoverished countries → it is grown primarily in poor countries and it is
consumed in rich countries with a great profit.
Coffee is one of the most valuable commodity in the international trade.
From a sociological approach of the coffee it is really important to study the
global transactions relating to it.
- Lifestyle choices: you can prefer and patronize independent coffee houses
rather than corporate coffee chains. → Sociologist studies how globalization tendencies
heighten people’s awareness of global issues.
II. Why should we study sociology?
That is: how can sociology help us in our lives?
Sociology has many practical implications on our lives. Following Mills’ ideas:
 Awareness of cultural difference
Quite often, if we properly understand how others live, we also acquire a better
understanding of what their problems are. By sociological research we can detect and
interpret problems emerging in the society and work out vary of solutions. (teacher in
the classroom with children from diverse ethnical roots, stereotypes, and reduce these)
 Assessing the effects of policies
Sociological research provides help in assessing the results of policy initiatives.
Evaluation of policy programs (block houses after the second w. w.).
 Self-enlightenment
Some ways this is the most important “advantage” of studying sociology. Sociology
can provide us with self-enlightenment –increased self-understanding. The more we
know about why we act as we do, and about the working of the society, the more
likely we to be able to influence our future. (ex. environmental movements,
Alcoholics Anonymous, etc. )
Bibliography:
Giddens, A.: Sociology. Polity Press, 2001. pp. 0-20.
Haralambos and Holborn: Sociology - Themes and Perspectives. Collins Education, 2004.
Denny E. – Earl S: Sociology for Nurses. Politiy Press 2005. 7-26.
http://www.haralambosholborn.com/default.asp?id=272569&char=a
http://www.sociologyonline.co.uk/soc_essays/Origins2.shtml
C Wright Mills, (1959), The Sociological Imagination, reprinted (2000), Oxford University Press
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