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Sociology in Our Times
The Essentials
Diana Kendall
Fourth Edition
Chapter 1
The Sociological
Perspective and
Research Process
Chapter Outline
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Putting Social Life into Perspective
Comparing Sociology with Other Social
Sciences
The Development of Sociological Thinking
Contemporary Theoretical Perspectives
The Sociological Research Process
Research Methods
Ethical Issues in Sociological Research
Why Study Sociology?
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Gain better understanding of ourselves and our
social world.
See how behavior is shaped by the groups to
which we belong.
Gain insight into society and the larger world
order.
Careers in Social Science
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Health and Human Services: Counseling,
Education, Medicine, Social Work
Law: Criminal Justice, Law
Business: Advertising, Labor Relations,
Management, Marketing
Communications: Public Relations,
Journalism, Broadcasting
Academia
The Sociological Imagination
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Ability to see a relationship between individual
experiences and society.
The link between personal experience and
social contexts.
Distinguishes between personal troubles and
social issues.
Sociology and Anthropology
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Anthropology is the study of human existence
over geographic space and evolutionary time.
Sociology is the study of contemporary social
organization, relations, and change.
Sociology and Psychology
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Psychology is the study of behavior and
mental processes—what occurs in the mind.
Sociological research examines the effects of
groups, organizations, and institutions on
social life.
Sociology and Political Science
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Political scientists concentrate on political
institutions.
Sociologists study political institutions within
the context of other social institutions, such as
families.
Early Social Thinkers:
Auguste Comte
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Considered to be the “founder of sociology.”
Believed objective knowledge could only be
attained through science.
Early Social Thinkers:
Harriet Martineau
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Focused on social distinctions based on class,
race, and gender.
Believed society would improve if women and
men were treated equally, enlightened reform
occurred,and there was cooperation among all
social classes.
Early Social Thinkers:
Emile Durkheim
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Believed the limits of human potential are
socially, not biologically based.
Considered the founding figure of the
functionalist theoretical tradition.
Early Social Thinkers:
Karl Marx
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Viewed history as a clash between conflicting
ideas and forces.
Believed class conflict produced social change
and a better society.
Combined ideas from philosophy, history, and
social science into a new theory.
Early Social Thinkers:
Max Weber
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Believed sociological research should exclude
a researcher’s personal values and economic
interests.
Researchers should try to see the world as
others see it.
Provided insights on rationalization,
bureaucracy and religion.
Jane Adams
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Founded Hull House, one of the most famous
settlement houses, in Chicago.
One of the authors of a methodology use by
sociologists for the next forty years.
Awarded a Nobel Prize for assistance to the
underprivileged.
W. E. B. Du Bois
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One of the first to note double-consciousness,
the identity conflict of being both a black and
an American.
Pointed out that people in the U.S. espouse the
values of democracy, freedom, and equality
while they accept racism and group
discrimination.
Major Theoretical Perspectives
Theory
View of Society
Functionalist
Composed of interrelated parts that work together.
Conflict
Characterized by social inequality.
Symbolic
Interactionist
The sum of interactions of people and groups.
Postmodernist
Microlevel
Postindustrialization, consumerism, and global
communications bring into question assumptions
about social life and the nature of reality.
Sociological Research
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Conventional (Quantitative) Research
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Goal is objectivity. Focus is on data that can be
measured numerically.
Qualitative research
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Words rather than numbers are used to analyze
meanings and patterns of social relationships.
Conventional Research Model
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Define the research problem.
Review previous research.
Formulate the hypothesis.
Develop the research design.
Collect and analyze the data.
Draw conclusions and report the findings.
Qualitative Research Method
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Problem formulation is used to clarify a
research question and create questions for
participants.
Researchers collect and analyze data to
assess the validity of the starting proposition.
Data is gathered in natural settings (homes
and workplaces) rather than a research setting.
Research Methods:
Survey Research
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Describes a population without interviewing
each individual.
Standardized questions force respondents
into categories in which they may not belong.
Relies on self-reported information and some
people may not be truthful.
Research Methods:
Analysis of Existing Data
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Analyze data originally collected by others.
Materials studied may include:
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written records (books, diaries, poems, and graffiti)
narratives and visual texts (movies, television
shows, advertisements, greeting cards)
material culture (music, art, and even garbage)
Research Methods:
Field Research
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Study of social life in its natural setting.
Observing and interviewing people where they
live, work, and play.
Generates observations that are best
described verbally rather than numerically.
Approaches to Field Research
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Participant observation
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Collecting observations while part of the activities of
the group being studied.
Ethnography
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Detailed study of the life and activities of a group of
people over a period of years.
Research Methods:
Experiments
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Study the impact of certain variables on
subjects’ attitudes or behavior.
Designed to create “real-life” situations.
Used to demonstrate a cause-and-effect
relationship between variables.