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What is Sociology?
Sociology
 Is the study of human society
and social interaction.
 Sociologists try to develop
theories about the
interrelationship between
group life and the individual
 Is important to study because
it shows how individual
behavior is shaped by our
society and the larger global
context in which our society is
located.
 Used to understand human
behavior based on science
What sociologists study
 „Culture
 „Socialization
 „Stratification (social inequality,
 income)
 „Race & gender (stereotypes)
 „Deviance & crime
 „Family
 „Religion
The Sociological
“Lens”
 Example—Death Penalty
 A social behavior—How would different social sciences
look at it?
 Psychology
 Political science
 Sociology
The Sociological “Lens”
 ExampleSuicide
 Is it an
individual or
societal issue?
 How does it
vary
geographically?
 Teen suicide in
the US v
Jihadist Suicide
“The Sociological Imagination”
Sociologists often refer to the
ability to see the connection
between individual behavior and
the larger social context as the
sociological imagination.
The sociological imagination
helps to distinguish between
person troubles and public
issues.
Personal troubles affect the
individual and his/her networks
and require that a person create
a solution, while public issues
affect large numbers of people
and may require sociological
solutions.
Sociological Imagination
Example:
 Single mother Rita Harris has been
working as a software engineer in
Hartford, CT for 10 years. Her job was
outsourced to India. She blames
herself for not working hard enough. Is
it really her fault?
 80% of Americans carry some form of
debt- credit card, mortgage, college
loan, etc. As a country, we have the
propensity to overspend. Is this a
personal or public issue?
 In the last 10 years, a majority of
young Americans wait until their late
20s and early 30s to get married.
The Benefits of Studying
Sociology
 It is a way to appreciate our own society from the
outsider’s perspective
 It allows us to understand problems from a wider
perspective
 MACRO (big) level
 “top down” approach
MICRO (small) level
“bottom up” approach
Sociological Questions: How do
people differ?
 By race, or the way people are distinguished by physical
characteristics such as skin color
 By ethnicity, or their cultural heritage or identity based
on factors such as language or country of origin
 By class, or their relative location within the larger
society based on wealth, power, prestige, or other values
resources
 By gender, or the meanings, beliefs, and practices
associated with sex differences
Modern Sociological Perspectives
1. Structural-Functional
2. Social Conflict
3. Symbolic Interactionism
Functionalism
 Society is like a living organism
 Living organism has parts
 All parts together make a living
organism
 All parts are important in maintaining a
balance (nothing is trivial)
Functionalism
 Parts of living organism such as human body
 Hands, feet, legs, arms, eyes, kidney, digestive system, etc.
playing important role in making life possible (they all have
a specific FUNCTION)
 Society develops social structures or institutions that
keep society surviving
 Education, religion, government, economy, and family
structures
 When adverse conditions affect one institution, they affect
all institutions (for example- terrible family life will impact
the school performance of kids)
Functionalism
 Examples…
 Poverty
 Crime/delinquency
 Prostitution
 How are they functional? (adding to the stability)
Functionalism
 When a part of society undermine the stability it is no
longer functional
 It is “dysfunctional”—adding to the instability of the
society
 When crime, prostitution, poverty are out of control they
are dysfunctional
Equilibrium
 Equilibrium is the state of balance maintained by social
processes that help society adjust and compensate for
forces that might tilt it onto a path of destruction
Conflict
 Social behavior best understood in terms of conflict or
tension
 Groups compete for control of scarce resources in
society
 Inspired by Karl Marx
 Functionalism looks for “stability” whereas conflict
sociology looks tension in society
Conflict
 Everyone is society is competing for power and
resources
 Apply it to
 Shopping
Development of Conflict
Sociological Lens
 Marx—division of society into “owners” and “workers”
 Continuous conflict between the two classes ending in
revolution
 Group membership determine behavior & attitude
Interaction Perspective
 Social behavior is better understood in terms of
interaction among people
 Interactions take place through symbols—verbal & nonverbal communication
 “Walk the world in someone else’s shoes”
Interaction
 Dramaturgical approach (Goffman)—everyday life is
like a theater and stage
 We wear a series of masks and act different ways in
different situations- its our interaction with the environment
and each other
 Interactionists focus on people’s face to face interactions
and the roles people play
 Customers who interact with cashiers rely on previous
experiences to guide the interaction
 Why do we spend money to impress others? What
symbols do we use to improve our interactions with
others?
Goffman’s Dramaturgical Analysis
 Methods used to market status, sex, and
success?
Social Disintegration
 Social Integration is the degree to which people are
connected to their social groups.
 Anomie is a state of relative normlessness that comes
from the disintegration of our routines and regulations.
-Anomie is common when we go through sudden
changes in our lives or when we live in larger cities.
-Sudden changes bring stress and frustration.
Anomie at Graduation

To illustrate this, I often tell my
students to remember how they
felt the day after high school
graduation.

They walk for graduation then
wake up the next morning with
very few demands on their time
and energies.

This sudden shift in demands from
very intense to almost absent,
leads many to feel extremely
frustrated and lost. Add to that
they are now adults and no longer
students (children) and you get a
prime formula for anomie (role
shift + vague expectations about
what is expected + sudden
change=anomie).
Irish Anomie“feeling like they don’t belong”
Theory Puzzles
 You will paired up with a classmate.
 You will be given an envelope containing little puzzle
pieces. Your job is to organize the pieces until you have
created six squares. Each square corresponds to a
category- sports, health, family, age, environment, and
religion.
 Once you have finished the puzzles, raise your hand and
I will come around and tell you the next step (and give
you a handout which I will collect for participation credit)
Theory Puzzles
 Structural- Functional
 Society is seen as a system whose parts work together in
order to promote solidarity and stability. There are stable
patterns of social behavior, and all structures have
consequences which serve as a function for society.
 Social Conflict
 Society is seen as a structure that is full of inequality. This
massive inequality generates conflict and is the motivation
for change. All social structures benefit the elite (the
wealthy) and further deprive the poor.
 Symbolic Interaction
 Society is the product of everyday interaction of individuals.
It is complex, changing, and subject to their own views,
experiences, memories, thoughts, and expectations.
Social Issues Skit
 Each group will be assigned the task of coming up with a
two minute skit about your social issue. You have 15
minutes to come up with a skit.
 Marriage
 Homelessness
 War
 Physical abuse
 Euthanasia
 Drug Abuse
 Crime
Social Issues Skit Reflections
 The room will be divided up into three theory teamsstructural-functional, social conflict, and symbolic
interaction.
 Each group will present their skit. After viewing each
skit, each theory team will have two minutes to develop
an explanation of, or opinion on, the issue presented
according to your assigned theory.
 A representative from your team will then present their
theory to the class.