Download Intro to Sociology

•On a piece of paper write down a list of
all the problems you face in a day, week
etc…
SOCIOLOGY
Definition -
The
systematic
study of
human
society and
social
interaction.
A society is a large social grouping that shares the
same geographical territory and is subject to the same
political authority and dominant cultural expectations.
What are some examples of Societies?
HOW DO YOU START THINKING LIKE A
SOCIOLOGIST? USE YOUR SOCIOLOGICAL
IMAGINATION!!!

See the relationship between individual experiences and
the larger society.



Sociologists study how human behavior is shaped by group life
and how group life is affected by individuals.
See how your behavior is often shaped by the groups to which
you belong and the society in which you live.
Refrain from using “commonsense” notions about society
and how people behave in society. Often, these notions are
completely false—sometimes they are used intentionally to
perpetuate certain beliefs or theories.

Accept that the society you live in is complicated and your
place in society may make it difficult to make accurate
conclusions.
PURPOSE…
Using
knowledge
about
human
society in
pursuit of
social
welfare.

Enables us to distinguish between personal
troubles and public issues.
Personal Troubles – must be solved by the individual.
 Public Issues – require societal solutions.


Look back at your list
of problems.


What are personal troubles?
What are Public Issues?

Are any both?
PERSONAL V. PUBLIC ISSUES


When, in a city of 100,000, only one man is unemployed,
that is his personal trouble; for its relief we properly look
to the character of the man, his skills, and his immediate
opportunities.
But when, in a nation of 50 million employees, 15 million
men are unemployed, that is an issue, and we may not
hope to find its solution within the range of opportunities
open to any one individual.


The very structure of opportunities has collapsed.
This requires us to consider the economic and political
institutions of the society, and not merely the personal
situation and character of a scatter of individuals.
INDIVIDUALISTIC MODEL VS. THE
SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION

In US, males and whites are far more likely than
females and blacks to kill themselves; people in US
are almost 2x as likely as Italians to commit suicide.
If we use an individualistic model to explain such
differences, we’ll tend to see them as nothing more than a
sum of individual suicides.
 This model doesn’t go very far because it doesn’t answer
the question of why these differences exist in the first
place.


We need to pay attention to the fact that words like
“female,” “white,” and “Italian” name positions that
people occupy in social systems. This draws attention
to how those systems work and what it means to
occupy those positions in them.
USING THE SOCIOLOGICAL
IMAGINATION
Sociologically, a suicide rate is a number that
describes something about a group or a society,
not the individuals who belong to it!
 We need to look at how belonging to a
group/society effects patterns of suicide


Look at how society is organized
USE YOUR SOCIOLOGICAL
IMAGINATION…

Think about Anorexia in
America


1/200 American women suffer
from Anorexia
Are they simply mentally ill
individuals or is this a
societal problem caused by
the media, socialization etc??

Emphasized the
individual’s possession of
critical thinking.
 Skeptical
of religion and
traditional monarchies.
 Dominated by thinkers called
philosophes.

People began to test and
measure research and
theory as opposed to
using superstition, myth
and astronomy

Enlightenment led to
intellectual, political and
economic revolutions.
 American
Revolution
 French Revolution

Caused early Sociologists to
be concerned with social
order and stability.

Industrial Revolution caused industrialization
and urbanization.
Since people began to live in close proximity to one
another, early sociologists began to notice patterns.
 Overcrowding and growth led to many more
interactions between people and subsequent social
ills



Homelessness, unsanitary conditions,
poverty, pollution, crime
People became concerned with change.
THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES
Four ways of looking at the world
WHAT IS A THEORY?


A set of logically interrelated statements that
attempt to describe, explain, and (occasionally)
predict social events.
Provide framework or perspective, or an overall
approach or viewpoint toward some subject that
allows us to examine various aspects of social life.

Concerned with how social institutions fill social
needs and provide stability.


Society is a stable, orderly system characterized by
societal consensus (agreement)
Society consists of interrelated parts that serve
functions needed by the system.

Compared to living organisms.


Interdependent working parts (organs).
Functional requirements that must be met for society to
survive.

Societies develop social structures, or institutions
that persist because they play a part in helping
society survive.

Family, education, government, religion and economy.



People are socialized into roles and behaviors which fulfill
the needs of society.
Values provide guidelines for behaviors.
Change occurs when:
People accept societal norms, but find alternate ways
of achieving these norms.
 People reject norms and find alternate goals.

Focuses on a person’s or group’s ability to
exercise control over others in producing social
order.
 Groups engage in ongoing power struggles for
control of scarce resources in society.

Each try to maximize their benefits
 Often applied to conflict between classes



How inequalities based on race, sex, and income affect the
ability to meet wants and needs.
Those in power seek to stay in power.

Major Assumptions about Society.
Competition exists between all people.
 Structural inequality is inherent in all societies.
 Revolution will occur if members are unable to meet
basic needs.
 War will result from revolution as all groups struggle
to maximize benefits of society.



Interactionists focus on people’s face-to-face interactions
and the roles people play.
Humans are active creative participants who construct
their social world.


Society is the sum of the interactions of individuals and
groups


Must constantly adjust behaviors to the actions of others.
Our thoughts and behavior are shaped by our social interactions
with others
We would not have a “self” without communication
with other people
Functionalist
Conflict
Symbolic
Interaction
Society is a system
of interrelated parts
that is relatively
stable.
Society is a system
of social inequality.
Society is an
ongoing process.
Each part works to
keep society
operating in an
orderly way.
Society operates to
benefit some
categories of people
and harm others.
People interact in
countless settings
using symbolic
communications.
Members have
general agreement
about what is
morally right.
Social inequality
causes conflict that
leads to social
change.
The reality people
experience is
variable and
changing.

Existing theories have been unsuccessful in
explaining social life in contemporary societies.


Advances in telecommunications and economic
conditions have changed how we interact.


Contemporary societies are are characterized by postindustrialization, consumerism, and global communications.
Globalization – the interconnectedness between nations.
Old methods are outdated, but Postmodern
Perspectives are not yet fully developed.
APPLY THEORIES TO SONG
•Functionalist?
•Conflict?
•Symbolic?