Download Lecture Two - Sociological Theories

The Sociological
Perspective
What is Sociology?

Study of Society…what does that mean?
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It examines the ways in which the forms of social
structure & social categories & various social
institutions affect human attitudes, actions, and
opportunities.

Sociology enables us to understand the structure and
dynamics of society, and their intricate connections to
patterns of human behavior and individual life
changes.
Why Care About Understanding Society?
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We are products of society and society is a product
of us
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Understand why and how we came to be like we are

Our position within the social structure (society)
determines how we will act, think, and what
resources we have
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Our place in society is the intersection of many
social relationships
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Gender, race, class, age, geography, sexuality
Examining the present with the past

“[Humans] make their own history, but they
do not make it just as they please; they do
not make it under circumstances chosen by
themselves, but under circumstances directly
encountered, given and transmitted from the
past.” - Karl Marx

To understand the present social
arrangement in society, sociologists must
also look into the past
How sociologists study society
Sociologists look to
explain how and why
things happen. In
every question a
sociologist asks and
every answer they
give you will find an
explanation of the
how and why


Keep this in mind over
the semester!
Critical Thinking is Required

Sociology is a critical,
analytical, and
empirical discipline
and sociological
thinking is a process of
actively and skillfully
conceptualizing,
applying, analyzing,
synthesizing, and
evaluating
Beliefs vs. Sociological Analysis
As social beings, we see the social world through
our own lens of experience and belief system and
often make judgments based on our personal
beliefs

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To remain objective, sociology helps us see how that
lens was formed and be honest about our assumptions
What we see with sociological analyses often
challenges many of our thoughts and beliefs


Come to class prepared to be exposed to alternate
explanations of the world and to try and understand
them
Exercise: Who am I?
On the same piece of paper from before:

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Ten answers to the question – “Who am I?”
Next:

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Pair up with a class member and share
Chose 3 answers and introduce your partner and their
answers
Next:
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Examine the data on the board and write a paragraph
explaining it – note any patterns
Finally:
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Do men and women define themselves differently?
Examining our Analysis
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Is our analysis based on beliefs or what is in
the data?

What are we missing? Are there more
meaningful/additional relationships to
explore?
What we did…

Collected data

Interpreted data and looked for patterns
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Used concepts – gender

Asked questions: factual, interpretive and not
moral or aesthetic
In conclusion:

Sociology provides us with the tools to
examine the social world empirically,
analytically, and critically

To do this objectively we have to constantly
examine how our own perspectives and
experiences shape how we view and interpret
the world around us
The Sociological Perspective

Sociology seeks to understand the
relationship between the individual and
society with:
C Wright Mills: Sociological Imagination

A quality of mind that allows us to connect:
“Personal troubles of the milieu”
with
“Public issues of social structure”

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

Social Structure Explanations

Political Explanations
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Individual Explanations
Social Consciousness

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."

He asks us to critically examine the things
that are familiar to us as unfamiliar

“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?
In Conclusion…

A sociological perspective requires us to think
critically and analytically about the social world
around us, our place in it, our relationships to
others, and our own personal beliefs and values

While sociologists study many aspects of society
and social issues, the core concepts of the discipline
are power, inequality, social justice, and social
change