Download Chapter 1 – Introduction

Chapter 1 – Introduction
Sociological Imagination
•
Sociologists are concerned with how social conditions influence our
lives an individuals
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The sociological imagination (C. Wright Mills) helps one to see the
relationships between social conditions and one’s own situation in
life.
Sociology, the Human Science
Sociology is the scientific study of human societies and human behavior in the
many groups that make up society
A core idea of sociology is that individual choices is always determined to some
extent by a person’s environment.
The term micro, macro, and middle refer to different levels of complexity in
the subjects of social research
1. The micro level of observation studies the implications of individuals
behavior.
2. The macro level is concerned with whole societies and by the way in
which they are changing.
3. The middle level studies the effect of communities and organizations
on individual levels or behaviors.
From Social Thought to Social Science
1.
Like all sciences, sociology developed out of the human desire to
understand and predict
2.
18th century philosophers emphasized the idea of progress guided
by human reason, rather than viewing the human condition as
preordained and unchangeable.
3.
The American, French, and English Revolutions were social
movements fueled by the concepts of egalitarianism, democracy,
and self-government.
4.
The science of sociology emerged from the social ferment of the
eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. This was at the tail
end of the Scientific Revolution.
1.
The early sociologists tended to think in terms of macro
sociological terms; their writing dealt with whole societies.
Karl Marx believed that conflict between workers and owners of
capital would cause major upheavals.
1. The main dynamic of modern development is the
expansion of capitalism. Rather than being cohesive,
society is divided by class differences.
2. Marx believed that we must study the divisions within a
society that are derived from the economic inequalities of
capitalism.
Emile Durkheim sought to explain social change as resulting from
population growth and changes in the organization of work and
community life.
1. The main dynamic of modern development is the division
of labor as a basis for social cohesion and organic
solidarity.
2. Durkheim believed that sociology must study social facts
as things, just as science would analyze the natural world.
His study of suicide led him to stress the importance of
social factors, qualities of society external to the individual,
on a person’s actions. Durkheim argued that society exerts
social constraints over our actions
Max Weber was the first to understand the importance of
bureaucratic forms of social organization.
1. The main dynamic of modern development is the
rationalization of social and economic life.
2. Weber focused on why Western societies developed so
differently from other societies. He also emphasized the
importance of cultural ideas and values on social change.
The Rise of Modern Sociology
1.
North American sociology emphasized empirical investigation of
social issues. Empirical information permits sociologists to form
conclusions backed up by systematic, measurable evidence.
2.
In the early years of the twentieth century social surveys were
undertaken to gain empirical data about social conditions.
3.
The “Chicago School” of sociology focused on the relationships
between the individual and society. The term human ecology
describes the relationships among social order, social
disorganization, and population distribution.
Major Sociological Perspectives
1.
Interactionism is a sociological perspective that views social
order and social change as resulting from repeated interactions
among individuals and groups.
1.
Rational-choice or exchange models of behavior study what people
seem to be getting out of their interactions and what they contribute in
return.
2.
Symbolic Interactionism is the study of how social life is
“constructed” through acts of social communication.
1.
Max Weber (1864-1920) & George Herbert Mead (1863-1931)
2.
The functionalist perspective is based on the idea that various
social structures exist to fulfill vital functions of society.
1.
3.
Conflict Theory explores the role of conflict and power in social
change.
1.
4.
Auguste Comte (1798-1857)…..Emile Durkheim (1858-1917)
Karl Marx (1818-1883)
The ecological, interactionist, functionalist, and conflict
perspective can be used in combination to provide a
multidimensional view of society and the world.