Download Sociology

• Bias: unfairly favoring something/someone over
something/one else
• Culture: everything made, learned, shared by members of a
society
• Discrimination: the treatment of a person based on the
group/class/category to which he/she belongs
• Diversity: recognizing and appreciating the variety of
characteristics that make individuals unique
• Ethnicity: classification based on a shared common culture
• Race: classification based on physical appearance
• Prejudice: an unfavorable opinion or feeling formed
beforehand or without knowledge, thought or reason.
Intro to Sociology
Essential Questions
Copy on a separate sheet of paper
 EQ 1: Comparison: How are natural
sciences and social sciences different?
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True or False
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On same sheet, copy and answer after
you take your notes:
◦ Sociologists concentrate on the individual not
the group.
◦ Sociology has little in common with other
social sciences.
In groups, try to define the following
words
Natural Science Social Science
Natural Science v. Social Science
(T-Chart in your notes)
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Natural Science
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Social Science
Put these words in the T-Chart
Using your own knowledge, try to determine which are social and
which are natural sciences.
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Biology
Anthropology
Economics
Psychology
Chemistry
Physics
History
Geology
Political science
Sociology
Social
behavior
Science: the study of various aspects of human social
Anthropology: the study of humans, past & present
Economics: study of the choices people make in an effort to
satisfy their wants and needs
Psychology: study of behavior and mental functions
History: study of past events
Political
science: study of the state, government and politics
Sociology: the study of human society
Section 1
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Why are you the way that you are?
◦ Write 5 words to describe you!
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Our daily lives shape our view of the
world.
◦ Makes us Diverse
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Sociology- study of society (behavior,
interaction, relationships).
◦ Why do you think sociology is important?
(Pair-Share)
Section 1-Notes
Society: collection of people with
territory, interaction, and culture
 Sociologists- mainly interested in social
interaction.
 Sociologists focus on group rather than
the individual.
 Sociologists examine social phenomenaobservable facts or events that involve
human society.
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Section I Notes
 By
adopting a sociological
perspective- you can look beyond
commonly held beliefs to the hidden
meanings behind human actions.
◦ Tells you that your behavior is
influenced by social factors and that you
have learned your behavior from others.
◦ Help you find acceptable balance
between your personal desires and your
social environment.
• Seeing the general in the particular.
Sociologists seek out general patterns in
the behavior of particular people.
• Although every individual is unique, a
society shapes the lives of its members
(marrying for love in the US vs. a
traditional village in rural Pakistan)
• Seeing the strange in the familiar: challenging the
idea that we live our lives in terms of what we
decide, considering instead the initially strange
notion that society shapes our experiences.
• Ex: If we said: “You fit all the right social
categories; that means you would make a
wonderful husband!”
• When we ask why someone “chose” to go to a
certain college. Isn’t it strange to assume that
college is simply a matter of personal choice?
Especially because someone who comes from a
family earning $75,000/yr is 3x more likely to go
to college than someone from a family that
earns less than $20,000
Section 1 Notes
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Sociological imagination- The ability to see
the connection between the larger world
and your personal life
◦ Developed by C. Wright Mills: American
sociologist
◦ “The capacity to range from the most
personal topics to the most intimate features
of the human self-and to see the relationships
between the two.”
Sociological
Imagination is a mindset for
“doing” sociology. It stresses connecting
individual experiences to societal relationships.
Sociologists
must "translate private troubles
into public issues," which is something that is
very difficult for ordinary citizens to do.
EQs and True/False statements
http://youtu.be/y-2iDdR9ihg
SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGE OF THE DAY
Ironic Societal Responses
HW
Homework:
• Write about a “private trouble” that
should be a public issue. The DNC is
in town and there’ll be a lot of
politicians talking about a variety of
different issues. What is one issue that
you’d want them to talk about? How
does it relate to your life? (1
Paragraph)
Wednesday/Thursday
Chapter 1 Section 2
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Previewing
Analysis: Outline the 5 sociologists and
categorize them by their theories as group
study or individuals
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Inference: Based on your readings what can
you conclude about current perspectives
compared to early perspective of sociology?
Sociological Imagination Activity
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Complete the Following Activator Activity in Your Notes
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IN YOUR WORDS:
1. What is a peer group?
2. What role does the peer group play in adolescence?
3. What contributes to the formation of peer groups?
4. Name two common peer groups observed during
adolescence. Explain the difference between the two.
5. Describe a clique and a crowd that you observe at your
school. How do these affect you and your own peer group?
Write a four sentence paragraph discussing your
experiences.
◦ S 1-Introduction of two peer groups
◦ S 2- describe group one
◦ S 3- describe group two
◦ S 4- describe why you are a member of either or are not
a member
Thinking About Sociology
Section 2-Notes
Sociology developed in 1800s.
 Factors that led to development of Sociology
◦ Rapid social and political changes in Europe
◦ Industrial Revolution
◦ Factory replaced home manufacturing
◦ Urban populations
◦ Housing shortages
◦ Crime increased
◦ Pollution
◦ Demand for individual liberty and rights
◦ American and French Revolutions
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Section 2
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August
Comte
Complete the chart to compare the main
“Early Sociologists”
Herbert
Spencer
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Karl Marx
Emile
Durkheim
Max Webber
Read p. 10-14 and take DETAILED notes
on these Sociologists and their theories
Current Perspectives
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Theory- explanation of relationships among a
particular phenomenon. Sociologists develop
theories to guide their work.
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Theoretical Perspective- (school of thought)
provide a foundation for their inquiries.
Outlines specific ideas about the nature of life.
Three Theoretical Perspectives
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1. Functionalist
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2. Conflict
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3. Interactionist
Functionalist Perspective
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Based on ideas of Comte, Spencer, Durkheim.
View society as a set of interrelated parts that
work together to produce a stable social system.
Society is held together through consensus.
Dysfunction-the negative consequence an
element has for the stability of the social system
(crime). Disrupt society, not stabilize it.
Manifest function- intended and recognized
consequence of some element of society. (car
provided speedy transportation)
Latent function- unintended and unrecognized
consequence of an element of society. (car
provided social status or popularity)
Conflict Perspective
Focuses on the forces in society that
promote competition and change
 Relationships among racial groups
 Disputes - disagreements
 Competition over scarce resources
(power/wealth) is at the basis of social
conflicts
 Those in power tend to establish rules
and procedures to protect their interests.
 Those with less power tend to try to gain
access to those resources they desire
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Functionalists and conflict theorists usually focus on
society in general or on specific groups within
society.
Sociologists who use an interactionist
perspective focus on how individuals interact with
each other in society.
Interactionist Perspective
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Interested in how individuals respond to
each other
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Symbol - anything that represents
something else, but members in society
must agree on the symbol (middle finger)
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Symbolic interaction- how people use
these symbols when interacting
Something as simple as…a license plate
Functionalism:
•manifest function: license plates were created to
track vehicle registrations
•latent function: license plates are collectibles
Conflict:
•The state makes car owners and renters have plates to
keep track of us--that shows us the power of the state.
•If we have some higher economic power, we can obtain
personalized plates
Interactionism:
•every car is supposed to have one--if we have a generic one
created by the state, we are simply illustrating our
conformity to the role of auto-owner or renter.
•If we have a personalized plate style, we are symbolically
communicating our support of whatever cause the plate is
showing the world.
•If we have a personalized plate the has unique
letter/number combinations that spell something such as
"SOCTCHR," we are sending a symbolic message about who
we are and that we are rich enough and clever enough to
have this special plate.
As a sociologist, you see:
A rich man driving an expensive vehicle.
How would a Functionalist view it?
 How would a Conflict theorist view it?
 How would an Interactionist view it?
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Assessment Prompt
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TURN TO P.3 in your text
Which of the 3 theoretical perspective
should you use?
Select one of the issues from p. 3 in “Life In
Society”.
Choose 1 of the paragraphs to read and
write 3 Sentences about the topic
◦ 1st how would a functionalist focus on the topic?
◦ 2nd what would a conflict theorist be interested?
◦ 3rd what would an interactionist focus on?
Exploring Cultural Diversity Activity
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Read p 18-19 and compare and contrast Harriet
Martineau and Jane Addams.
Option #1 You are newspaper columnists and you have
traveled back in time to interview one of these two
women. Partner up. One of you will write 5 questions
for Martineau and one of you will write 5 questions for
Addams.