Download The Sociological Perspective

The Sociological
Perspective
Chapter 1
Concepts to Know (p1-5)

Culture

Beliefs

Social Order

Scientific Method

Positivism

Capitalism
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Social Change
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Weberian Theory
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Value Consensus
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Traditional Society
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Mechanical Solidarity
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Organic Solidarity
What is Sociology

The study of how membership of social groups, from families to schools and
workplaces influences people’s behavior.

Sociologists are interested in how facts:
- are created
- connect to one another to create “social reality”
- theories explain how facts are connected
Auguste Comte (1798-1857)
Positivism – it is possible to study the social world in the same way that scientists
have studied the natural world (Scientific Revolution)

All human societies pass through 3 stages
1. theological – based on religious beliefs and controls
2. metaphysical – “transition” where religion is challenged by science
3. positive – science and reason have replaced religion

Social order is created and maintained through cooperation (consensus)
Karl Marx (1818-1883)
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Order is created and maintained through conflict

4 time periods of human history
1. primitive communism
2. ancient society – kings/pesants/slaves
3. feudal societies (pre-industrial) – lord/serf
4. capitalist / industrial societies – bourgeoisie/proletariat

Force / Persuasion characterize relationships
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Social Classes based on inequality – wealth / power / influence

Occupy Wall Street

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSQgCy_iIcc
Max Weber (1864-1920)

Social Change – A major shift in a political, economic, or cultural order.

Process of Modernization
- industrialization, urbanization, rationalization (bureaucratic organization)
- comes from charismatic leaders – Jesus, Mohammed, Calvin

Unlike Marx – Weber says that political struggles, ideas, beliefs, science,
forms of government may all transform a society
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICppFQ6Tabw
Emile Durkheim (1857-1917)

Followed Comte’s consensus tradition

Societies are understood through their relationships between institutions
- school, work, religion, education

Societies exist because of “value consensus”
- agreement about the things that people in a society think are important

Traditional Societies – “mechanical solidarity” – kinship groups, clans

Modern Societies – “organic solidarity” – industrial societies where people are
bound together by what they do.

Behavior can be scientifically studied
- suicide has social causes, not just biological or psychological causes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9W0GQvONKc
Concepts to Know (p6-10)

Hypothetico-deductive method
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Hypothesis
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Falsification
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Researcher bias
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Interperitivism
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Value-freedom

Postmodernism
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Objectivity
Sociology as Science
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Scientific Approach
- reliable – results can be replicated
- valid – measures what is claimed to be measured
(crime statistics, but 90% of crimes go unreported)

“hypothetico-deductive method” – method of systematically testing
hypotheses

“hypothesis” – statement that is being tested
Scientific Ethics

1. Universal – knowledge is evaluated using universally agreed criteria.
Personal values play no part. Focus is “falsification” – trying to identify
weaknesses in process.

2. Communal – scientific knowledge is public. Peer-review used in process,
not trust.

3. Disinterested – main responsibility is the pursuit of knowledge. No personal
gain in outcomes. (pharmaceutical trials?) Or you may have “researcher bias”
where validity is questioned.
Positivism

Positivism - It is possible and desirable to study the social world in the same
way as the natural scientists.

Positivism should have “value freedom” (values of researcher not bias the
process)

Positivism (scientific knowledge)
– Factual, Objective, evidence-based, testable

Non-scientific
- opinion, guesswork, untested assumptions, faith
Interpretivism

Interpretivism (anti-positivism) – different people in different situations
understand the social world in different ways.
“to truly understand what it is like to be homeless, one should become
homeless”

Method (does not go from hypothesis to conclusion)
1. Planning
2. Data Collection / Data Analysis
3. Evaluation

Qualitative Research – experiences and feelings of respondents
Post-Modernism

Not a scientific method

Post-Modernism – people construct narratives (stories) to make sense of the
world.
- Buddhism
- Communist Manifesto

“objectivity” – freedom from personal or institutional bias

“respondent” – a person who is the subject of research
Qualitative Questions / Quantitative Questions – which perspectives would use
which questions
Concepts to Know (p10-12)

Feminism
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Gender
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Social Policy
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Social Program
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Social Control
Feminism and Gender
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More recent social issue

Often involves equal pay, sexual discrimination
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Gender – feeling masculine or feminine
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Sex – biological characteristics
Social Policy

Social Policy – ideas or actions pursued by governments to meet a particular
objective.

Can you think of 3 examples?
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Intended and Unintended consequences.
Problems

Social Problem – public outcry to fix something
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Sociological Problem – try to understand behavior
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These can be the same or different.
Welfare
Why We Need Socialized Healtcare
Why We Don’t Need Socialized
Healthcare

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPq6_7AFsp4
Social Problem / Sociological Problem

Social Problems – crime, poverty, unemployment
- only considered a problem when the dominant group in society deems so

Sociological Problems
- fundamental problems – food, shelter, socialization
- the nature of social order
- focus – how and why behavior comes about
Social Control
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Social control – rewards and punishments that societies use to maintain order

Can you list 3 examples of social controls?
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List positives and negatives of each.
Research Presentation for Next Class

Welfare
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Medicare
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Social Security
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Education
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Be READY to present for 10 minutes.
Concepts to Know (p14-20)

Modern Industrial Society
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Manifest Functions
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Latent Functions
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Globalization
Cross-Cultural / Intra-Cultural Diversity
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Cross-Cultural Diversity – Between different societies
- same sex - holding hands
- personal space

Intra-Cultural Diversity (found in modern industrial societies)
- class
- age
- gender
- ethnicity
- religion
- global culture

Modern Industrial Society – type of society characterized by particular forms
of political, economic (mass production), and cultural (science and reason)
beliefs
Functions

Manifest Functions – intended consequences

Latent Functions – unintended functions (think of government)

Globalization – economic, political, and cultural processes that occur on a
worldwide basis
Concepts to Know (p20-26)
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Functionalist Theory
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Marxist Theory
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Structuralist
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Macrosociology
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Determinism
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Economic Determinism
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Relations of Production
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Forces of Production
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Ideology
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Liberal Feminism
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Marxist Feminists
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Radical Feminism
Functionalist Theory v. Marxist Theory
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Functionalist Theory – society functions mainly because of consensus
- focus on institutions, government
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Marxist Theory – based on Marx’s ideas – class conflict
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Structuralist – Focus on analyzing society through institutional relationships
- both Functionalist and Marxist theories are structuralist.
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Structural Determinism
–families
-governments
-economies
determine how we view the world and behave
Macrosociology / Determinism

Macrosociology – Large scale approach focused on social structure and
institutions

Determinism – human behavior is shaped by forces beyond our immediate
control (social structure or society)
- things we do, by class, age, gender?
Social Sub-Systems

Systems solve problems
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Economic - physical survival (relationships to get what you need)
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Political – governing, maintaining order, creating rules
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Family – socialization, function as adult members of society
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Cultural – social integration, common values and norms
- school, churches, media
Conflict

Conflict Structuralism – societies are generally considered stable because
powerful groups impose order on less powerful groups.

Conflict w. feminism
– struggle between men and women

Economic Determinism – economic relationships
- lord/serf, employer/employee
- work is especially important to Marx b/c it provides the resources for us to
survive
Marxism + Conflict

Relations of Production – social relationships people must enter in order to
survive.

Capitalism – hierarchy (within companies)
- to control those lesser down the hierarchy
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Workplace as an area of conflict
- the majority have little of nothing and are forced to sell their labor power
(ability to work)

Marx argues that the economically powerful are also politically powerful
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Private ownership allows higher classes to control the media + influence

Media, Education, Religion support the status quo to keep lesser people in
line.
Feminism

Many types of feminism, but they all share the idea of patriarchy (men are
more important than women).
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Liberal Feminism – promotes gender equality
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Marxist Feminism – challenging capitalism to promote gender equality, and
free women from oppression.

Radical Feminism – sees female oppression in terms of patriarchal
relationship.
- public – women paid less, less career mobility
- private – women doing most of unpaid work at home
Approaches and Change

Action Approach – people create and re-create society on a daily basis through
their routines.

Social Change
- Marxism – conflict and clash
- Feminism – anti-discriminary laws in US
- Marxist Feminism – Men are class enemies
- Radical Feminism – Men must be overthrown and matriarchy established
(goes further than Marxist)