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Welcome: Intro to Sociology
•Get to know you
•Syllabus
•Class Compact
•Philosophy of Education
•Chapter One
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The Sociological Perspective
Syllabus
• You actually need to come to class (100
participation points = same as 1 exam)
• Paper (50 points)
• Exams (4 tests; drop lowest score)
• Class website (100 points)
• Presentation (50 points)
• Questions???
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The Sociological Perspective
How to Write Papers
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Title page
Outline
Intro Paragraph (Thesis)
Body = Main Points (3-4)
Conclusion
Writing Center
APA format for citations Purdue OWL
Double space, size 12 font, Times New
Roman
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The Sociological Perspective
How to Access Wordpress
• Review your syllabus!!!!
• www.wordpress.com
• User Name: introtosoc33063matc
• Password: stuffweshare
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The Sociological Perspective
Class Compact / Learning
Objectives
• What rules do we as a class want to
follow?
• This class costs $496.20. There are lots of
things you can do with five hundred
dollars!!!
• What do you want to get out of this class?
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The Sociological Perspective
Philosophy of Education
Different ways of teaching
•
Banking System
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Socratic Method
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Engaged Pedagogy
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Paulo Freire
How does this fit with Sociology?
YOU NEED TO TALK!!!!
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The Sociological Perspective
Chapter 1
What is Sociology?
3 theories
Research
Dead White Guys
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The Sociological Perspective
• Sociological Perspective = Stresses the social contexts in which
people live
• Looks at how people are influenced by their society and how
social forces affect human behavior.
• Society = a group of people who share a culture and territory
• “The Sociological Imagination” a term coined by C. Wright Mills
refers to being able to look beyond common sense for
explanations of why people act the way they do. It enables us to
grasp the connection between history and biography
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The Sociological Perspective
Social Location
• Sociologists study ones social location to
understand human behavior
• Social Location refers to the corners in life
that people occupy
• Social Location includes:
• Jobs, Social Class, Race, Occupation, Sex, Religion
and other demographics
• Social Location can shape our ideas of who we
are and what we should attain in life
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The Sociological Perspective
The Birth of Sociology
• Sociology emerged in the middle of the
1800’s during a period of social upheaval
• The Industrial Revolution challenged
traditional ideas about social life
• The scientific method, which was used in
the physical sciences, led to the birth of
Sociology
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The Sociological Perspective
MEET THE DEAD WHITE GUYS
Comte
Spencer
Marx
Durkheim
Weber
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The Sociological Perspective
• Lived in France
• Comte was the 1st Sociologist to advocate
using positivism (applying scientific method
to the social world) to studying social life
• Coined the term “Sociology” = The study
of society
1798-1857
• Advocate of social reform
• Practiced “Armchair Philosophy”
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The Sociological Perspective
• Lived in England
• Disagreed with Comte. Said that
Sociologist should NOT guide
reform.
• Thought that societies evolve from
lower to higher forms
1820-1903
• Coined the term “Survival of the
Fittest”
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• Did not conduct scientific studies
The Sociological Perspective
I am not a
communist
• Class conflict is the engine of human
history
• Proletariat vs. the Bourgeoisie
• Marxism is not the same as Communism.
Marx proposed revolution as the way for
workers to gain control of society. He
DID NOT develop the political system (a
later application of his ideas) called
communism.
• Did not think of himself as a sociologist.
• Gave us conflict theory
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1818-1883
The Sociological Perspective
Marxist dialectics is
the idea of
contradiction, with
class struggle playing
the central role in
social and political life.
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The Sociological Perspective
• 1st Professor of Sociology
• Interested in how social forces affect
peoples’ behavior.
• Studied suicide rates in several European
countries in which he concluded social
forces underlie suicidal behavior. Males
more likely, unmarried, non- religious or
Protestant.
• We must examine how social forces, such
as social integration, affect human
behavior
1858-1917
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• Lived in Germany
1864-1920
• Disagreed with Marx
• Religion is the central force
in social change
• The Protestant Ethic
(importance of work) is tied
to the rise of capitalism
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Harriet Martineau
 Attitudes of the Time
1800s Sex Roles Rigidly Defined
Higher education reserved for men
and the wealthy
1802-1876
See forgotten sociologist pg 9
 Harriet Martineau
Published Society in America
Before Durkheim and Weber Were
Born
Known for translating Comte’s
works from French to English
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Jane Addams: Social Reform
Jane Addams
Came from a background of privilege
She worked tirelessly for social justice
Co-founded the Hull House in 1889
Campaigned for laws against child labor
1860-1935
Co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in
1931
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The Sociological Perspective
W.E.B. Du Bois: Race
• 1st African American to earn a doctorate at
Harvard
• Founded the N.A.A.C.P
• "The Veil" shorthand for the Veil of Race,
referring to how race colors all human
relations
We cannot base the education of
future citizens on the present
inexcusable inequality of wealth nor
on physical differences of race. We
must seek not to make men
carpenters but to make carpenters
men." -Du Bois, 1920
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Being oppressed means the absence of choices.
-- Bell Hooks, Feminist Theory, 1984
Her writing has focused on the
interconnectivity of race, class, and
gender and their ability to produce
and perpetuate systems of oppression
and domination
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3:16 movie
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YouTube - bell hooks: Cultural Criticism &
Transformation
The Sociological Perspective
The Purpose of Sociology
• Basic VS Applied VS Public
• Basic (pure) = using sociology to analyze some aspect of
society with no goal other than to gain knowledge
• Applied = suing sociology to solve problems
• Public = Promoting a middle ground between research and
reform.
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The Sociological Perspective
Basic Sociology vs. Public
Sociology vs. Applied
Sociology
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The Sociological Perspective
3 THEORETICAL
PERSPECTIVES
Theory-a general statement about how some parts of
the world fit together and how they work
Sociologists use theories to conduct sociological
research. Also, theory allows Sociologists to view a
social problem from many different perspectives
Symbolic Interaction
Functional Analysis
Conflict Theory
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The Sociological Perspective
Symbolic Interaction
• Symbolic Interactionists believe that
individuals evaluate their own conduct by
comparing themselves with others
• Symbolic Interactionists study:
• How people interpret symbols
• How people interact one on one
• How people behave according to how they
define themselves and others
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Functional Analysis
• The Functional Analysis perspective views society as
a whole unit, made up of interrelated parts that work
together.
• Functional Analysis Folks study:
• The structure of society
• How each part of society has certain functions that
must be fulfilled
• What happens to society when dysfunctions occur
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Conflict Theory
• Founded by Karl Marx
• Groups competing for scarce resources
• Groups competing for power and
authority
• Conflict can be positive as it can bring
about positive change
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The Sociological Perspective
Summary Table
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The Sociological Perspective
• Macro Level - Large Scale Patterns in Society
• Functional Analysis and Conflict Theory are
components of Macroanalysis
• Micro Level-Social interactions on a small scale
• Symbolic Interactionism is a component of
Microanalysis
Which level of analysis is best?
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The Sociological Perspective
Applying Theory
• How do these three theories work with Education?
• Symbolic Interaction
• Functional Analysis
• Conflict Theory
• Micro Level
• Macro Level
• Theory informs (provides background for) research
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The Sociological Perspective
Applied VS. Basic
8 Steps
Different Methods
RESEARCH
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The Sociological Perspective
• The Scientific Research Model Follows Eight Basic Steps:
(1) Selecting a topic
(5) Choosing a research method
(2) Defining the problem
(6) Collecting the data
(3) Reviewing the literature
(7) Analyzing the results
(4) Formulating a hypothesis
(8) Sharing the results
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The Sociological Perspective
Types of Research Methods
• Survey
• Participant Observation
• Case Study
• Secondary Analysis of Data
• Documents
• Unobtrusive Observation
• Experiments
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The Sociological Perspective
Surveys
• One of the most commonly used methods of sociological
research are surveys
• The researcher:
• Must make sure that the sample is random and
representative of the population
• Must make sure that the questions (open ended
or closed ended) are neutral
• Must establish rapport with the interviewees
(face to face)
Advantage: A researcher is able to reach a
large number of people at one time
Disadvantage: Low response rate (phone calls,
mail) and people may not be truthful
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The Sociological Perspective
Participant Observation
• The researcher observes
individuals and they are aware of
the researcher’s presence
 Advantage: The researcher is able
to gather useful information
 Disadvantage: The individual may
not act naturally
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The Sociological Perspective
Unobtrusive Observation
• The researcher observes individuals
without the knowledge of the
researcher’s presence
Advantage: The researcher can observe
individuals acting naturally and true to
themselves
Disadvantage: Ethical concerns on the
part of the participants
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The Sociological Perspective
Secondary Analysis Of Data
When the researcher gathers information from secondary
sources it is referred to as secondary analysis.
Secondary sources include: newspapers, historical
documents, police reports, and other data collected by
various societal agencies.
Advantage: It can be a valuable way to
collect information in a timely manner
Disadvantage: Some information may be
missing or inaccurate
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Experiments
• Experiments are not commonly used in
Sociological research, but they can be a
valuable source of information.
• The basic experiment involves:
• The experimental group—those exposed to
the independent variable (something that
causes a change)
• The control group—those not exposed to the
independent variable.
Advantage: The independent variable can be
isolated as the cause of change
Disadvantage: It is a controlled laboratory
setting and not a natural setting.
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The Sociological Perspective
Ethics
• The researcher :
• Must be open and honest with
research subjects
• Must remain free of personal biases
• Protecting Subjects - Brajuha Research
• Misleading Subjects - Humphreys
Research
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Values and Controversy in Research
• Values = beliefs about what is good or desirable in life
and the way the world ought to be
• Controversial issue
• Some sociologies (Weber) thing sociology should be value
free
• Others think sociology should be used to improve social
life and focus on social arrangements that harm people
(poverty, crime, racism)
• Sociologist agree
• Research should be unbiased
• Knowledge is socially constructed
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The Sociological Perspective