Download Introduction to Sociology - Sociology with Mrs. Leger

Introduction to Sociology
The Sociological
Perspective
Journal Question:
Do you think society has the
power to influence your personal
decisions, values or beliefs? Why
or why not?
Learning Targets:
1. I can use the sociological
perspective to see how society
influences my personal life.
2. I can explain the changes that led
to the development of sociology
How much does society influence our
everyday lives?
Definitions
Sociology: the
systematic study of
society
•The Sociological
Perspective: the
special point of view
that sees how a
society affects the
lives of people.
Using the Sociological Perspective
• Jane married
• Jane married
John because he
John because she
doesn’t drink too
loved him
VS much and has a
steady job
Using the Sociological Perspective
• Fred goes to get his
flu shot because he
deeply cares about
he doesn’t want to
get sick and miss
work
• Fred gets his flu
shot because of
societal
VS expectations to
maintain health
and wellness and
not spread disease
Practice using the sociological
perspective
We may make choices about what we do in our lives, but do
our individual choices tell the whole story??
•With your group, come up with at
least 5 choices that you make (either
on a daily basis or long-term basis)
that are ALSO affected by society.
•Use the sociological perspective to
undercover general patterns of
society in the lives of particular
people (you and your peers)
Definitions
• Global perspective:
the study of the larger
world and our
society’s place in it
What is the importance of global perspective for
sociology?
Importance of a Global Perspective
• 1. Where we live shapes the lives we lead
– To understand ourselves and appreciate others, we must
understand how countries differ
Importance of a Global Perspective
• 2. Societies throughout the world are
increasingly interconnected
Importance of a Global Perspective
• 3. Many social problems we face in the US are far
more serious elsewhere
Cartograms
• worldmapper.org
Importance of a Global Perspective
• 4. Thinking globally helps us learn more about
ourselves
Thinking Globally: The Global Village
Thinking Globally: The Global Village
Do any of these statistics surprise you? Which
ones? Why?
Thinking Globally: The Global Village
How do you think the lives of poor people in a
lower income country differ from those typical of
people in the United States?
Thinking Globally: The Global Village
Is someone’s “choice” to attend college affected
by the country in which we live? How?
Origins of Sociology
•Important changes took place in Europe
during the 18th and 19th century
1. The Rise of a New Industrial Economy
2. The Growth of Cities
3. Political Change
A NEW AWARENESS
OF SOCIETY
A New Industrial Economy
•Small-scale manufacturing at
home large scale
manufacturing in mills and
factories
•Inventors used new sources
of energy like the power of
moving water and then steam
to operate large machines
The Growth of Cities
Textile mills
led to an
increased
demand for
wool
Landowners
fenced more
farmland for
sheep to
graze
As cities grew, so did
social problems!
•Pollution
•Crime
•Homelessness
Without land,
farmers forced
to look for
work in cities
Political Change
• Europeans in the Middle Ages viewed societal
structure as God’s will.
• However, the growth of cities attacked Middle
Age tradition
• Shift from moral obligation to God  pursuit
of self-interest
– Influenced by writings of Enlightenment
philosophers
Origins of Sociology
Sociology was born
in England, France
and Germany
precisely where the
changes were
greatest
Auguste Comte: French social thinker
credited with first coining the term
sociology in 1838
Sociological Theory
Theory: a statement of how and why specific
facts are related
Sociological Theory: Attempts to explain the how
and why of social behavior in the real world
So how do sociologists figure out what
issues to study?
The structuralfunctional perspective
Sociologists apply a
theoretical perspective
(a basic image of society that
guides thinking and research)
The social-conflict
perspective
The symbolicinteraction
perspective
The Structural-Functional Perspective
A perspective of sociology that sees society as a
system of interrelated parts that work together to
promote harmony and stability
Social Structure:
Education
Social Function:
Learning, Socialization
Religion
Judicial
System
SOCIETY
According to this perspective,
stability and order
are normal in society
The
Family
Education
Social Functions
•Manifest function: the recognized and
Robert Merton
(expanded our
understanding of social
function)
intended function or consequence of any
social structure
 The function of going to college in our
society is to gain an education to perform
jobs after graduation
•Latent function: the unrecognized and
unintended consequence of a social structure
 Colleges and universities bring together
young people of similar backgrounds
leading to marriages!
•Social dysfunction: a social structure or
pattern that may disrupt the operation of
society
Real World Application: The StructuralFunctional Perspective and Marriage
The traditional family structure
in which the husband was a
breadwinner and the wife
tended children and did
housework was ‘functional’.
Men could earn more income
and women were naturally
better at childcare and thus, the
traditional family structure
worked.
• What are some
manifest functions?
• Latent functions?
• Are there any social
dysfunctions?
The Social Conflict Perspective
• A perspective of sociology that sees society as an
arena of inequalities that create conflict and change
Men
Workers
European
Americans
Women
Management
Racial
Minorities
Social groups struggle
for scarce resources
and power
According to this
perspective, conflict
is normal. Stability
and order are not.
Real World Application: Conflict
Perspective and Marriage
The male breadwinner model
benefits men in 2 ways (among
others):
• It reduces potential
competition from women in
the labor market
• It downplays women’s
contributions in domestic
work
This model demonstrates that men
have the upper hand in society
The Symbolic-Interaction Approach
• A perspective of sociology that sees society as
“played out” through daily interactions between
people . People interact through shared symbols
which give meaning to social interactions
•  “Reality is based on shared subjective agreement
Symbolic Interactionism Visualized
Husband
and Wife
Talk
Smile at the
barista at the
coffee shop
Text your
friend about
the sale at
the Gap
You
respond
to your
boss’s
email
Society
You greet
Your neighbor
on the way to
work
Give up your
seat on the
bus for the
elderly
woman
Move to the next
lane on highway
for the car on exit
ramp
Tuck the
children into
bed
Real World Application: Symbolic
Perspective and Marriage
Symbolic interactionists would
suggest that couples negotiate their
particular roles. Through verbal and
non-verbal interactions, they can
negotiate things like:
•If and how many children they will
have
•How domestic chores should be split
•How will they divide time for
themselves from time with other
couples and friends
Seeing “Sports” Through the Lens of theoretical
approaches
• How would a sociologist
view organized sports
through the lens of a
structural-functional
perspective?
– How do sports help operate
society and build harmony
and stability?
– What are the manifest
functions? Latent functions?
Social dysfunctions?
• How about through the
lens of conflict
perspective?
– How do sports divide
society or create conflict
between social groups?
• Symbolic-interaction
perspective?
– How are sports affected
at the micro-level?
Consider individual
players and symbolic
meaning on the field
(and off the field)
Assignment
• You may work in groups to finish the
theoretical perspectives worksheet
• Anything that you do not finish will be
homework.
• This is due next time you come to class