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Stranded
List 4 things that
your group would
take with them if
they were stranded
on a desert island. Be
prepared to explain
why.
Sociological Perspectives
UNIT 1
True or False…?
Personal troubles are really
public issues :)
~C. WRIGHT MILLS
Unit 1
Sociological Perspectives
Overview
 What is sociology?
 Origins of sociology
 Theoretical perspectives
 Research Methods
 Causation in science
 Procedures and ethics in research
What is Sociology?
Perspectives – particular point of view
2. Sociology- scientific study of social structure; studies human society
and social behavior; study of patterns in society
3. Sociological perspective- a view that looks at behavior of groups,
not individuals
4. Social sciences
5. Social structure- the patterned interaction of people in social
relationships
6. Conformity
1.

7.

8.
All groups encourage conformity
Sociological imagination- ability to see the link between society
and self (social awareness)
C. Wright Mills
Careers in sociology – see Sociology Today worksheet p.12
Perspectives
 Draw a road map to Madigan’s.
 Start from where you are sitting right now.
 Compare maps with others
Why did you choose the route you did?
Defend your route. Why is it the best?
As social beings our perspectives (or social maps) aren’t
always the same as those of other people and therefore
our reality isn’t the same either.
Answer the following statements…
1.
Young men join gangs because________.
2. A woman divorces her husband
because________.
3. Immigrants come here because________.
Personal
Societal
Sociological Imagination
Shoe and Coffee Cup
Focus on the object that has the most personal meaning to you.
Describe the object with a few sentences.
Who manufactures the object?
Who sells the object?
Who buys the object?
When did they start making the object?
Does everyone use it?
Are there other uses for this object?
Who, if anyone, suffers from this object?
Most objects have a wider social and economic significance than just a
personal one.
Other lives are connected to it. The sociological imagination asks us to
see our lives in terms of the larger picture.
The Origins of Sociology
European origins
1. Auguste Comte (kaw NT)
(French: 1798-1857)
Founder of sociology, coined the
term sociology




Positivism- the belief that
knowledge should be derived from
scientific observation
Social statics- study of social
stability and order
Social dynamics- study of social
change
The Origins of Sociology
2. Harriet Martineau (English:
1802-1876)


Emphasized sociology as a science
Feminism



Believed that women's lack of
economic power kept them
dependant
Translated Comte
Author of Society in America
The origins of Sociology
3. Herbert Spencer
(English: 1820-1903)
Social Darwinism

Coined the term “survival of
the fittest”


Evolutionary social change
will occur without
interference from people;
society will prosper as a
result
 Opposed social reform

The Origins of Sociology
Karl Marx (German: 1818-1883)
4.


Identified several different social classes,
predicted that at some point society would
be left with only two
 Proletariats- working class; those who
labor for the bourgeoisie
 Bourgeoisie- class owning the means for
producing wealth (factories & equipment)
 Capitalists- person who owns or
controls the means for producing
wealth
 class conflict- ongoing struggle
between he bourgeoisie and the
proletariat
 class conflict- ongoing struggle between
he bourgeoisie and the proletariat
Proletariat will rise up and overthrow the
bourgeoisie

A classless society will result (communism)
All of
history is a
struggle of
class
The Origins of Sociology
(Later European Scholars)
5. Emile Durkheim (French: 1858-1917)
 Society exists due to consensus of members
of society; functions maintain social order
 Mechanical solidarity: (pre-industrial
societies) social dependency based on a
widespread consensus of values and beliefs,
enforced conformity, and dependence on
tradition and family
 Organic solidarity: (industrial societies)
social interdependency based on a high
degree of specialization in roles


Make people dependent on one another for
goods and services
Suicide
The Origins of Sociology
(Later European Scholars)
Max Weber (German: 1864-1920)
6.



Sociologists must discover the personal
meanings, values, beliefs, and attitudes
underlying social behavior
Verstehen: understanding the social
behavior of others by putting themselves
mentally in their places; allows you to see
things from a different point of view
Rationalization: the mindset that
emphasizes knowledge, reason and
planning


Key influence in the change from an
preindustrial to industrial society
Ideal Type: essential characteristics of a
feature of society
Sociology in Early America
7. Jane Addams (American: 1860-1935)
 Social reformer

Applied sociology: service learning
“A fatal want of
harmony between
theory and [sociology
students] lives, a lack
of coordination
between thought and
action…”
Hull House (Chicago)




Immigrants, sick, poor, and aged received help
Could see first hand the effects of the industrial revolution on the
lower class
Nobel peace prize in 1931
Sociology in Early America
8. W.E.B. Du Bois (American:
1868-1963)

Studied race relations


Social structure of African American
communities
Social Action
Co-founder of the NAACP
 Civil rights
 Pan-Africanism

Theoretical Perspectives
What is theoretical perspective?
A
set of assumptions accepted as true
3 theoretical perspectives:
 functionalism, conflict theory and symbolic
interactionism
Musical Floobs
1. You must sit out if you don’t have a chair when the
music stops.
2. Anyone left without a place to sit at the end of
future rounds may share a chair with someone.
How is this game
representative of the
functionalist and the conflict
perspectives?
When resources (chairs {floobs})
become limited, cooperation becomes
necessary (functionalist).
In the first round, as resources
(chairs{floobs}) became limited,
competition developed-the conflict
perspective. Students sitting on the
floor eliminated the need for
competition or conflict and the
cooperation made the situation
functional for everyone.
Theoretical Perspectives
1.
Functionalism (Comte, Spencer, Durkhiem)
 Approach that emphasizes the contributions made
by each part of society



Ex. economy, family, government, & religion
A change in one part will effect another
After social upheaval, society will stabilize
a. Manifest functions- intended and recognized
consequences of an aspect of society (x. in school is to
learn math)
b. Latent functions- unintended and unrecognized
consequences of an aspect of society (x. in school
close friendships)
c. Dysfunction- negative consequences of an aspect of
society (X. bullies, not learning, impersonal)
Come Here!!!
 Stand behind the strips on the floor facing a partner
 Persuade your partner, without speaking, to come
across to your side
 One person in each pair will be a winner
Conflict perspective emphasizes competition and the
use of power over one group by another
When one group feels powerless in relation to
another, conflict exists
Theoretical Perspectives
Conflict theory (Marx)
2.





Approach emphasizing the role of conflict, competition, and
constraint within a society
• Opposite of functionalist perspective
groups or societies compete as they attempt to preserve and
promote their own special values and interests
View social living as a contest; who gets what?
Ppl with the most power get the largest share of what is
considered valuable (scarce resources)
• After power groups gain control of resources, they est. rules
and procedures to protect their interests

Conflict…leads to social change
Social Movements promote change
• X. womens’ movement
•
Gender inequality is created by society, and enforced by family,
ed. & religion
Theoretical Perspectives
Symbolic Interactionism (Weber, Blumer)
3.

Focuses on the interactions of people based on
mutually understood symbols
•
Symbol: anything that represents something else
(gestures, words, events, objects) all members of
society need to agree on the meaning
• Basic assumptions
1. Learn meaning of symbols by watching ppl’s reaction
2. Base our behavior (interaction) on the meaning of the
symbol
3. Determine how others will respond to the meanings of
the symbols based on the meaning of them (internal
conversations)

Dramaturgy (Goffman): depicts human interactions as
theatrical performances
Changes in America from 1900-2000
1. 4
2. 98%
3. 61%
4. Four
5. Seven
6. 30%
7. 97%
8. 70%
Research Methods
The goal of sociological research is to test common sense assumptions and
replace false ideas with facts and evidence.
1.
Quantitative research (uses numerical data)
 Surveys
 Population- a group of people with certain specified characteristics
 Sample- group of people that represents a larger population
 Representative sample- a sample that accurately reflects the
characteristics of the population as a whole
 Questionnaire- a written set of questions to be answered by a
research participant
 Interview- survey method in which a trained researcher asks questions
and records the answers
 closed-ended questions- choosing from a limited predetermined set
of responses/open-ended- answer in your own words
 Secondary Analysis (Precollected data)- using precollected information
for data collection and research
 experiment
Research Methods
2.
Qualitative research (uses
narrative and descriptive data)
 Field research- takes place in
a natural setting
 Case study- intensive study
of a group, incident, or
community
• Participant observationcase study where the
researcher becomes a
member of the group being
studied
Research
Topics of Study
 Cheating…
 Cliques…
 Bullying…
Methods of Study
 Survey Questionnaire/Interview


@ least 5 subjects
3-5 questions

Record personal stats
 Case study using participant observation
Causation
-The belief that events occur in predictable ways and
one event leads to another


Multiple causation- event occurs due to several factors
Variable- characteristic that is subject to change
Quantitative- can be measured numerically
 Qualitative- defined by its presence or absence in a category
 Independent- causes something to occur (CATCH!)
 Dependant- reflects a change
 Intervening- changes the relationship between an independent
and a dependent variable
 Correlation- a measure of the relationship between two variables
 Spurious correlation- relationship between two variables that
is actually caused by a third factor

Questions, Questions…
1.
2.
Write five questions about society that you would like
to see answered.
Include any approach or subject as long as it could
be measured and involves social dynamics.
 Ex. Do men work harder than women?
What are the major differences in the ways teens
communicate compared to adults?
3. Look at each question. Write down all of the
variables that you would have to examine to begin
to research that question.
Procedures and Ethics in Research
 Scientific Method
 Identify the problem
 Review the literature
 Formulate a hypothesis
 Develop a research design
 Collect data
 Analyzing data
 State findings and conclusions
 Ethics