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What is Sociology ?
  Scientific study of society and human behavior (Henslin,
2007)
  Systematic, scientific study of human society (Thio, 2000;
Macionis, 2003)
  Scientific study of human and social behavior (Robertson,
1989)
  The process of scientific inquiry into social attitudes and
behaviors and the cultural products of those attitudes
and behaviors (Lamberton, 1998)
  The scientific study of human society; the study of social
behavior and the interaction of people in groups (Landis,
1980)
Science
 Requires the development of theories that
can be tested by systematic research
 A body of knowledge obtained by logical,
systematic methods of research which
allows researchers to form generalizations
  Nothing less than a special form of consciousness (Berger,
1963)
 Places isolated, seemingly meaningless
events into patterns we understand
Branches of Science
Social Sciences
  Sociology
  Natural Science
  Economics
  Psychology
  Social Science
  Political Science
  Anthropology
Subfields of Sociology
Why Study Sociology?
  Social Psychology
  Cultural Anthropology
  Sociobiology
  Community Medicine
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Perspective
A variety of points of view of any
given subject.
Sociological Perspective and
Sociological Imagination
Global Perspective
The study of the larger world and our society’s place in it.
Sociological Perspective
  Learning to look at society in different ways
  Helps us see general social patterns in the behavior of
particular individuals
C. Wright Mills
Sociological Imagination
Allows us to
see the
strange in
the familiar.
  Encourages us to realize that society guides our thoughts
and deeds
From our limited experiences …
  Judge the greater society
  Place blinders on our views
  Develop our prejudices
  Develop our discriminations
  Develop our concepts of right and wrong
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Sociological Imagination allows
us to think “globally”
  Where we live makes a
great difference in
shaping our lives
  Societies are
increasingly
interconnected
  Many US problems are
more serious elsewhere
The Development of Sociology
  Social/Political Factors of the Industrial Revolution
  Rise of factory-based economy
  Emergence of great cities
  European political and social changes
  Flood of Anthropological Data
  Influences from Natural Sciences
  Good way to learn
about ourselves
Auguste Comte
 1798-1857
 The Father of Sociology
 French philosopher who
coined the term
“Sociology”
 Favored “positivism”
 Concerned with Statics
and Dynamics
Karl Marx
 1818-1883
 An economist,
concerned with Social
Change through Social
Conflict and revolution
 Developed theories of
Class Conflict
Herbert Spencer
 1820-1903
 Like Comte,
concerned with Social
Order and Social
Change
 Developed “Organism”
theory
 Applied Darwin’s
Theories of Evolution to
societies
Emile Durkheim
 1858-1917
 French Sociologist,
concerned with Social
Order and Social
Integration
 Pioneered sociological
research with his study
of suicide
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 DURKHEIM’S STUDY OF SUICIDE
Seeing the General in the Particular
 MORE LIKELY TO COMMIT
  MALE PROTESTANTS WHO WERE WEALTHY AND UNMARRIED
HAD HIGHER SUICIDE RATES
  PROTESTANTISM AND INDIVDUALISM
 LESS LIKELY TO COMMIT
  MALE JEWS AND CATHOLICS WHO WERE POOR AND MARRIED
  BEING CATHOLIC AND GROUP-ORIENTATION
 ONE OF THE BASIC FINDINGS: WHY?
 THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THESE GROUPS HAD TO DO
WITH “SOCIAL INTEGRATION”
RATE OF DEATH BY SUICIDE
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
20.2
10.9
6.2
12.4
African Americans
Whites
By Race and Sex
Males
  THOSE WITH STRONG SOCIAL TIES HAD LESS OF A CHANCE OF
COMMITING SUICIDE
4.9
1.9
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Both Sexes
Females
U.S. Bureau of the Census
Max Weber
Harriet Martineau
  1864-1920
  German Sociologist who
emphasized under- standing
the social world from the
viewpoint of the individuals
  Claimed that religion is a
central force in social
change, particularly in the
advancement of capitalism in
Protestant and Catholic
countries.
  Stressed Value Freedom
Jane Addams
 1860-1935
 Key founder of American
sociology
 Developed study
strategies to solve social
problems
 Founded the Hull House
 Instrumental in the
formation of several
government programs
 1802-1876
 First woman sociologist
 Translated Comte’s work
from French to English
 Studied British and
American societies
Charles Horton Cooley
 1864-1929
 Primary Theorist SymbolicInteraction
 “Looking-Glass self”
 There are three main components of
the looking-glass
 We imagine how we must appear
to others.
 We imagine the judgment of that
appearance.
 We develop our self through the
judgments of others.
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W.E.B. Du Bois
Robert Merton
 1868-1963
  1910-2003
 First African American
to receive a doctorate
from Harvard
  Coined the phrases
“self-fulfilling prophecy”,
“role model” and
unintended
consequences”
 Created the NAACP
 Concerned with racial
equality
  Created a theory of
Deviance and applied
it to the American
dream.
 Advocated the use of
force to gain equality
The Work of Sociologists
Theory
  Advertising
  Health Care
  Banking
  Public Relations
 A general statement about how some parts
of the world fit together and how they work;
and explanation of how two or more facts
are related to one another
  Criminal Justice
  Research
 A statement of how and why facts are
related
  Education
  Clinical Sociologists
 Correctly predicts future events
  Government
 Makes the facts of social life
comprehensible and understandable
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Paradigm
Theoretical Paradigm
A conceptual model that serves as a cognitive map to
organize experience so that it has meaning and is
comprehensible to the observer.
Analysis of Orientation
  A basic image of society that guides thinking and
research
  A model of society, or an orienting strategy guiding views
of and questions about society
Major Sociological
Theoretical Perspectives
 Functional Analysis
 Macro
Level
 Conflict Theory
 Symbolic-Interactionism
 Feminist perspective
 Micro Level
Functional Analysis
A theoretical framework in
which society is viewed as
a whole unit, composed
of interrelated parts, each
with a function that, when
fulfilled, contributes to
society’s equilibrium
Functional Analysis
  Focuses on Social Structure and Social Function
  Is macro-level orientation
  Argues that Social Order is based on Social
Consensus
  Originated from the work of Spencer and Durkheim
Also known as functionalism
and structural
functionalism
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Social Consensus
Condition in which most
members of society agree on
what is a “good” and
cooperate to achieve it.
Types of Function
Social consensus is based upon:
  Manifest Function
  Latent Function
  Mechanical solidarity
  Dysfunction
  Organic solidarity
Critical Evaluations of
Functional Analysis
Conflict Theory
 Tends to be
conservative
 Tends to dismiss
change
A theoretical framework in which society is
viewed as being composed of groups
competing for scarce resources.
 Overlooks the
negative
Conflict Theory
Conflict
  Focuses on Social Tension and Social Change
  Is macro level orientation
  Binds groups together as they pursue their own interests
  Argues that Social Order is maintained by direct or indirect
exercise of power
  Focuses attention on social problems
  Originated from the work of Karl Marx
  Leads to beneficial changes that might have otherwise
not have occurred
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Critical Evaluation of the SocialConflict Paradigm
Symbolic-Interactionism
 Fails to come to
grips with orderly,
stable, and less
controversial
aspects of society
A theoretical
perspective that
focuses on how people
use symbols to establish
meaning, develop their
views of the world, and
communicate with one
another.
 Overemphasizes
the negative
Interactionism
 Focuses on details of everyday life and
interaction between people, and on how
meaning is assigned to human interaction
 Is micro level orientation
 Argues that society responds through
symbolic interaction
Symbolic Interaction
The interaction that takes place between people
through symbols.
 Originated from the studies of Max Weber
and George Herbert Mead
Critical Evaluation of SymbolicInteractionist Paradigm
 Neglects the larger
social institutions
and social
processes
 Neglects powerful
issues of stability
and change
Feminist Perspective
  Focuses on inequality and
conflict between women
and men.
  Closely tied to Feminism
points out inequities
between women and
men.
  Awareness of the
importance of women in
the development of
sociology.
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Critical evaluations of Feminist
perspective.
 Ignores how shared
values and
interdependence
can unify members
of a society
 Politically cannot
claim scientific
objectivity
 conflict paint
society in broad
strokes
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