Download Lecture One - Sociological Perspective

Lecture One
Sociological Perspective
The Sociological Perspective
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Sociology seeks to understand the
relationship between the individual and
society.
C Wright Mills: Sociological Imagination
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A quality of mind that allows us to connect:
“Personal troubles of the milieu”
with
“Public issues of social structure”
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Examining these relationships gives us the
knowledge to understand society, our place in it,
and the ability to make changes
HIV/AIDS Globally
Understanding and Explaining HIV/AIDS

Cultural Explanations
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Social Structure Explanations
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Political Explanations
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Individual Explanations
Social Consciousness
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Another sociologist, Peter Berger, believes
that we need a social consciousness or “A
form of consciousness that enables us to see
the "reality" behind the "facades."
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He asks us to critically examine the things
that are familiar to us as unfamiliar
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“It can be said that the first wisdom of sociology is
this – things are not what they seem.”
Practicing Social Consciousness

Have you ever asked yourself: Why do
women shave their legs?

Why is it normal in our
culture for women to
shave their legs and
not men?
Asking How & Why (and when) with
Social Consciousness
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When did this ideal emerge?
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How did this ideal emerge?
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Why did this ideal emerge?
The Origins of Sociology

The sociological discipline emerged at the end of
the 19th C at the intersection of 3 major revolutions
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Scientific Revolution: idea that we can objectively study
society
Democratic Revolution: idea that ‘the people’ are
responsible for making decisions that shape and change
society (not God)
Industrial Revolution: created significant and lasting
changes in society and people’s daily lives
Karl Marx (1818-1883)

Association of Marx with Communism
obscure his contribution to sociology and his
ideas. Communism is a later application of
his ideas.

Marx focused on the economic relations of
society as the source and solution of social
conflict

He believed that social scientist’s task is to
analyze and explain conflict, which drives social
change
Emile Durkheim (1858-1918)

While Marx was concerned with the source of
conflict in society, Durkheim wondered what
tied people to each other and society


Focused on division of labor in society
Durkheim believed that the social scientist’s
task is to analyze and explain solidarity and
the mechanisms through which it is achieved
Max Weber (1864-1920)

Weber believed that the structure of society could be
explained by observing the behavior of people in
society that supports that structure and the
ideas/values that motivate those actions.

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Focused on how society became rationally organized
Weber believed that social scientist’s task is to explain
the course and consequences of social action

He was concerned with social actions and the meaning people
attach to their behavior.
Why are the DWEM’s still relevant?

Early sociologists studied the rapid and far-reaching
changes that brought by Industrialization; these
changes are the foundation of the society we live in
today
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Globalization – cultural, social, and economic
interdependence
Post-Industrial society – economy based on services and
education
Rationalization – dominance of value-rational
thought/action
Division of labor and specialization – jobs, education,
geography