Download What is Sociology?: Revision Session

What is Sociology?
Sociology explores
the social world
around us.
It is the scientific
study of society and
human behaviour.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azWsESXZrk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFdUtCAXAUM&feature=fvsr
‘ologies! – How does Sociology
Compare?
• Biologists focus on the body.
• Psychologists focus on the
mind.
• Sociologists focus on the
environment and the social
aspects of human behaviour.
Sociological Imagination
• C. Wright Mills
came up with the
term “sociological
imagination”.
It means...
• The ability to see
the relationship
between individual
experiences and the
larger society.
C. Wright Mills
For example…Private v. Public Issues
Is linked to this...
How this...
Other Sociological Questions…
Does the
culture a child
belongs to
influence their
achievement at
school?
Who is more
likely to
commit a
crime?
Does violence in
the media
encourage violence
in real life?
Why are divorce
rates increasing?
How are a
persons’ life
chances
affected by
their social
status?
A society is a large social grouping that shares the same
geographical territory and is subject to the same
political authority and cultural expectations.
Society
• Human beings are social animals – we all live and
participate in society.
• Culture is the things that are shared by a society:
– Language
– Beliefs
– Ways of doing things
Bonjour!
Culture and Society
• Not all societies have the same Culture
– this is cultural diversity. E.g., the UK
has very different ways of doing things
to China.
• However all Cultures share some basic
ideas (language, family, religion,
property) called Cultural Universals.
• Some people may judge another culture
as it is very different to their own – the
acceptance that there are differences
but that every culture should be
treated with equal respect is called
cultural relativism.
Cultural Transmission
• Culture is passed on to the next
generation in a society through the
process of
• Socialisation
• This is a process which begins in the
family when we are born and continues
all of our lives.
Social Life – is full of rules…
• Norms: The unspoken and unwritten rules of
behaviour in everyday life.
• Mores (pronounced more-ays): Stronger form
of norms – behaviour that is seen as essential to
maintain decency.
• Values: The beliefs that we all share that form
the basis for our norms.
• Role: The norms that go with our status.
• Status: The position that a person has in our
society.
– ascribed status (what you are born with)
– achieved status (the result of a person’s
efforts).
Sociological Perspectives
• There are different types of views in
sociology.
• A bit like the different denominations in
religion!
• They don’t always agree!
Functionalists
• They compare society to a human body.
• All the different parts are like organs,
essential to the overall health.
• They all have their own role and
function.
• If these parts of society fail there
would be a negative affect on all of us.
• Therefore people should do as they’re
told for the good of the whole society.
In other words – every PART of society has the
function of contributing to the WHOLE to help it
‘FUNCTION’
Marxists
• Say society is divided into two
classes:
– Bourgeoisie (ruling class).
– The Proletariat (workers)
• They are in conflict as the
ruling class only stay in power
by exploiting the workers.
• The ruling class use the
different institutions of
society to strengthen their
position at the top of society.
Bourgeoisie
Proletariat
In other words – The rich and powerful stay in power
by taking advantage of the workers.
Feminists
• Believe society is
divided by sex.
• Men have all the
power (called
Patriarchy).
• They want men and
women to have equal
rights.
• They can be men as
well!
In other words – your sex affects
your status – men have the power!
Famous feminist Germaine Greer
Postmodernism
• Postmodernist sociologists claim that
changes that took place in the 20th
century have rendered exiting
sociological theories redundant. Such
theories were devised to make sense of
the modern era with its industrial
societies and nation states. Today, they
claim, these societies have altered so
much that we need a new type of
sociology to make sense of them.
Some famous Sociologists
•
Karl Marx
•
•
•
Robert
Merton
Max Weber
Margaret
Mead
Mix and Match Task
• Check your understanding of today’s key
words by matching them to their
definitions.