Download 8/23/2012 1 Bellwork Origins of Sociology

8/23/2012
Bellwork
Origins of Sociology
OPEN YOUR PAC K ETS TO PAG E 8: SOCIOLOG Y
PEOPLE SEARCH
1. EXPLAIN W HAT SOCIOLOGY IS
TARGET:
2 . EXPLAIN HOW SOCIOLOGY EMERGED
W ALK AROUND THE CLASS, TALKING TO
Y OU R CLASSMAT ES AND COMPLET E T HE
CHART.
3 . IDENTIFY KEY CONTRIBUTIONS OF
PEOPLE IN THE FIELD
Origins of Sociology
 Developed in Mid 1800s, when European social
observers began using the scientific method.
 4 factors led to the development of sociology. (SPIN)
Origins of Sociology
 Social upheaval as a result of the Industrial
Revolution
 Political revolutions in France and the United
States—rethink social lives
 Imperialism led to contact with other cultures
 Natural Sciences’ success in using systematic
methods to answer questions.
Auguste Comte
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 Coined term Sociology
 Look at the following symbols.
1. Give a description of each.
 Suggested POSITIVISM (scientific methods to the
2.

social world)

3.

4.
 Sociology used for social reform.

What do you call it?
How does it relate to other aspects of social life?
How does it directly relate to your life?
Does it exist in other countries? If so, in what form?
How is it used?
Historical Analysis
When did the object come into existence? Why? Has it changed?
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Herbert Spencer
Tomorrow
 Societies are evolutionary
BRING ANY ORD INARY OBJECT FROM HOME.
 Survival of the fittest/Social Darwinism
 No intervention, reform is wrong
Karl Marx
Max Weber (Major Figure)
 Economics is not the only thing that effects social
 Conflict perspective: conflict between “haves and
behavior (examined religion, culture, etc).
have-nots” is key to human history.
 Change society through revolution
Verstehen and Social Facts
 Advocated Value Free research

No values or bias

Not possible, but an idea goal.

Replication to validate results.
Verstehen and Social Facts
 Weber argued people should use Verstehen (grasp by
understanding) in order to see beyond social facts to
subjective meanings.
 Durkheim argued that social facts reflect condition
about society, and should be used to understand
other social facts.
 Social facts: patterns that characterize a social
group)
 Sociologists use Verstehen to interpret social facts.
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Sexism in Sociology
 Early Sociology dominated by men.
 Some women did manage to study Soc, but their
findings were ignored (Europe and US)
 Harriet Martineau published “Society in America”
before Weber and Durkheim were born.
Emile Durkheim (Major Figure)
 Goal 1—Get sociology recognized as own academic
discipline
 Goal 2—Social factors influence human behavior
 Goal 3—Research should be practical, learn about
AND solve problems.
The Basics
Suicide (by Emile Durkheim)
 Durkheim studied connections between individuals
and society.
THE ESSENTIAL SOCIOLOGICAL STUDY
 Used social science to show that social forces affect
human behavior.
Bellwork
 Read Jeremy
Durkheim found out that:
 Suicide rates are higher for widows, single and
divorced people than married.
 Suicide rates are higher for people without children
than with children.
 Suicide rates are higher among Protestants than
Catholics.

Explained that stronger social control among Catholics results
in lower suicide rates than Protestants
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The Interpretation
 People have a certain level of attachment to their
groups, which he calls social integration.
 Abnormally high or low levels of social integration
may result in increased suicide rates;
low social integration results in disorganized society,
causing people to turn to suicide as a last resort
 high levels cause people to kill themselves to avoid
becoming burdens on society.

Durkheim’s 4 types of suicide:
 Anomic:
Weak social regulation between the society's norms and
the individual.
 Since the individual does not identify with society, suicide
to escape.

 Fatalistic:


Social regulation is completely instilled in the individual.
There is no hope of change--the only way out is suicide.
Durkheim’s 4 types of suicide:
 Egoistic suicide:
 Individual is weakly connected to society, so few social ties
prevent suicide.
 Altruistic suicide:
 Individual is extremely attached to the society society’s norms
will override their hesitation.
Rate of Death by Suicide, by Race and
Sex, for the United States
 Suicide rates are higher
for white people than
for black people and
higher for men than
women. Rates indicate
the number of deaths
by suicide for every
100,00 people in each
category for 2002.

Source: Kochanek et al.
(2004)
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