Download (a) Sociology

Edited 3/31/01
Soc. 100 Lecture 08.Chapter 1
Introducing Sociology
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Chapter 1 lecture/discussion
(1) Explaining poverty:popular vs sociology
(2) What is Sociology
(3) Challenge of Sociology
(1) Intro:All of us are amateur Sociologist
(a) Sociology; a definition*
(3) The Promise of Sociology*
The Sociological Imagination*
(4) Sociology and common sense*
(5) Suicide a Sociological Perspective
(6) Sociology and TV News
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(1)a Explaining poverty:popular view
• Example: Rosa Lee Cunningham (text p5,6)
• Public Opinion and Poverty
(1) Recognize unequal opportunity
(2) Hold individuals responsible
(3) Sympathetic toward poor
(4) Don’t like welfare programs
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(1)b Explaining poverty:sociological view
• Social Forces Cause
• Rates vary time, place, age, race and ethnicity
*
Note: typical welfare participant is white (70%), live in suburbs, small
towns and rural areas, 2 out of 3 are children, 9 of 10 adults were women,
African Americans had highest ratio, most not become welfare dependant
• Explanation specifics:
Social Structure: economy; poor neighborhoods, lack
of entry level jobs, lack of education
Race: effects neighborhood, home,
education quality, job networks, single
mothers, higher possibility of jail then job
Work: ways to make a living and framework for life
lacking
Culture:by those in poverty helps survive in poverty/ghetto but
perceptions and problems in job interview. (e.g. “Are you
eye balling me!) Inner city residents share hard work, honesty
…values but difficult to apply.Outside groups stereotypes of effect.
Example, Chicago South Side: 2 out of 3 unemployed, ½ no high school, 2/3
4
single
mothers, 6 of 10 on welfare, poor economy
(2)a What is Sociology
Beginning definition: Sociology is the systematic study of the groups and
societies in which people live , how social structures and culture is created and
maintained or changed and how they affect our behavior
• Observation: humans or intensely social
• We are, in large part, who we are because of when and
where and to whom we were born
• Society creates and limits opportunities
• Structure of society affects attitudes, behavior often in non
perceived ways (eg. graying of America)
• Social Institutions: established patterns organized around
important functions: family(replenishment),
education(socialization to group), religion(meaning),
politics(social control), economics(distribution of goods
and services
• Social Stratification: groups, societies are divided into
layers/strata with unequal access
5
*
(2)b What are other Social Sciences
• Psychologist: most interested in internal causes of
behavior and individuals
• Sociologist: interest in external causes of behavior
and groups
• Social Psychologist:interest in group X to
individual
• Anthropologist: similar to sociologist except no
time and space limits
• Economist: focus on economy exchange between
individuals and groups
• Political Scientists: focus on political aspects of
social life
6
*
(2)c Sociology: an alternative definition
*
Sociology; the study of the groups* (small->large)
humans build and how these affect our behavior
groups are relationships, identifications, to which one feels
they are part of.
The smallest are
personal (primary) groups (family)
The largest are
impersonal possibly with no direct interaction
between all members (society).
Sociologist examine Social institutions (family, education,
economy, government, religion) and their affects
on individuals
Sociologist study creation, maintenance and change of
societies and institutions
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Structure of Society molds attitudes and behavior
(1c) Sociology Intro: group discussion
Tell me about the following:
Give a definition of sociology and explain the sociological
perspective in your own words.
Political scientists, Economists, Anthropologists
Psychologists, and Social Psychologist,
How are they similar and how different?
What are Social institutions and what functions do they
perform
Know and be able to
Social Stratification (what is it, examples?) recognize and give
examples of all bold
What is the challenge of Sociology?
and italicized terms
How does Sociology differ from common sense
What is the sociological explanation for Suicide
Compare and contrast Social Science and Mass Media
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(3) Challenge of Sociology: explain social changes
• Sociology developed at end of the 19th century
with accelerating social change
• Industrialization changed work and life styles
• Moves from small, intimate stable communities to
urban tenements
• Urban populations experienced squalor, riots and
organized protest (e.g. French revolution)
• New: nation states, governments, social classes
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• Religion was loosing some of its power
(3)b Tasks of Sociology
-General Enlightenment-direct and indirect effects on
public understanding, policy makers, news, public
opinion poll (developed by sociologist), concepts (social
role, white collar crime, self-fulfilling prophecy, white
flight
HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW: all the T-F questions on the pre test were false
-Questioning public Assumptions (myths, common
sense): the debunking motiv
•missing children kidnapped?(p14, 15),
•crime rate increase?
-Identifying Social Problems: How widespread is family
violence
-Designing Solutions, William J Wilson advisor to
president on urban poverty and welfare reform(5
recommendations p16, 17)
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(3)c Sociological Imagination
Sociological Imagination
-Private troubles vs. public issues*
-Sociological problem vs. "social problem"
(Not discussed in text)
-Difference in role as a sociologist and
use of sociology [theoretical vs. applied]
(Not discussed in text)
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*
(2b) The Sociological Imagination
The ability to see the interplay of biography
and history and the connection between
public issues and personal problems (troubles)*
Social Forces: forces beyond the the control of an
individual explainable in terms of social patterns
not individual psychology
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*
public issues and personal problems (troubles)
public issues(aspects of the society)
personal problems (troubles)
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Examples:
Divorce X Post WWII Marriages
Unemployment X Economic Change
Suicide --check Dirkheim
..
war, economic
(4) Sociology and common sense*
*
1. Overlap of much common sense and
Sociology
(Rich get richer and poor get poorer)
2. Sociology rejects much common sense
(Revolutions and social conditions)
(T-F questions on the pre-test all F)
3. Seeing and believing: which comes first. Perception
is socially based.
(what you see is what you get but it may not
be what is there)
(depth, color, social roles -surgeon & son, race)
4. Social definition/determiners of reality
(Ash 1952 study and autokenetic)
(Sociology vs. Mass media)
14
(5) Suicide, the most individual of acts: a Sociological Perspective
*
Nomathetic vs. idiographic explanations; Sociologists use idiographic explanations
Example: Durkheim's Suicide
{rejected mental state, nationality, biology, climate,)
Type of Suicide
Structure of social relationships
Egoistic
(lack of attachment -Protestants)
Excessive individualism
Anomie
(breakdown of norms, war)
No clear expectations/norms
Altruistic
(excessive attachment, Japanese)
Too much group importance
Fatalistic
No action possible
(excessive control, opposite anomie, prison)
Patterns vs. ( Idiographic) Individual Cases
year, age, sex, 'race', economy,culture (religion) ,marital/family
X
Suicide
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(5)b Copycat Suicide,
Suicide Stories may function as an advisement
Patterns
-average increase of 58 suicides week after media treatment
-more media coverage X increase in suicides
-celebrity suicides X bigger increase suicides
-teenagers more prone to copycat suicides
Why teenagers?
• advising aspect of reporting
• cultural status/situation of teenager
- Kurt Cobain’s suicide shows preventative measures for
controlling copycat suicides can be made
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Page 32-33
(5)b Copycat School Shootings?
Stories may function as an advisement
Patterns
Reality
•less crime in
schools
-number of incidents in 2 years following Columbine
•Low, low
probability of
-is media coverage X increase in number and size?
personal
involvement
Social Factors
changes in family structures (economic, stability--no “village”)
American values of violence (current international events), success,
special people (celebrity worship as seen in pop media, popular
music)
groups/”gangs” like this have existed for some time but “denial”
since MC and white vs ethnic
communications possibilities (internet)
Why teenagers? Are teenagers more prone to copycat
incidents?
• advising aspect of reporting
• cultural status/situation of teenager--peers, ID seeking,
cultural of insults
Can measures for controlling these incidents be made
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(6) Sociology and TV News
Sociology and Mass Media
Characteristics
Characteristics
What
of Mass Media
Sociological Reasoning
are the
characteristics
of
sociological
(2) dramatic picture
reasoning?
(3) unique event / personality
Why-context and relations
(4) bad news / hard news
normal / typical
(5) big business
guided by theory not ad sales
[6] common sense
logic & empiricism
"scientific method"
(1) bite by bite
all social behavior
social forces
Data gathering techniques check out chapter 2 and the web outline for A02
(7)
(8)
(9)
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Next classes:
Be prepared for a quiz and discussion on Chapter 2
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Don’t Print
Truths or Consequences
26. Religious cults that prophesize
the end of the world at a specific
date and time and fail in their
prediction are devastated by the
failure and disband.
27. With crime rates as they are one
has to be most concerned about the
possibility of being killed by a
criminal.
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Don’t Print
3. Quiz Chapter 1a
(__)_________________*****You will receive back answers but not questions****School___
Group, L Name, First, (please print) ***Use back if you need more
space****
______________(1) One major reason the typical welfare recipient (70%) does not
work is because?
______________(2) A riddle: A man and his son are in an accident. The father is
killed; the boy is rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery.
The surgeon comes into the operating room and exclaims "I can't
operate, that's my son." Who is the surgeon?
______________ (3) Solomon Ash found that less then ___in three would disagree
when faced with unanimous agreement on an incorrect estimate
of lengths of two lines.
______________ (4) Why is the typical "missing child" on a milk carton missing
T
or
F (5) TV in the US is a product of a democracy and is uncensored
______________ (6) Name the sex and race of a typical suicide in the US
______________ (7) Suicide occurring during economic booms Emile Durkheim
called___________________.
______________ (8) History typically examines all the particulars of a time or
event while Sociology looks for recurring patterns. The Sociology
approach to knowledge is called?
______________(9,10) Name two differences between TV news and Sociology.
________________________________ and _________________________
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3. Quiz Chapter 1
Don’t Print
Name_____________________
School____________________
*
One major reason the typical welfare recipient (70%)
(1)
does not work is because? he/she is under 18
(2) A riddle: A man and his son are in an accident. The
father
is killed; the boy is rushed to the hospital for emergency
surgery. The surgeon comes into the operating room
and exclaims "I can't operate, that's my son." Who is the
surgeon? the boys mother
(3) Solomon Ash found that less then 1 in 3 would disagree
when two people before them agreed on an incorrect
estimate of lengths of two lines.
(4) The typical "missing child" on a milk carton is likely
runaway or
taken by family member
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(5) TV in the US is a product of a democracy is uncensored
T or F
*
(6) Name the sex and race of typical suicides in the US
M,W
(7) Suicide occurring during economic booms Durkheim
called anomie
(8) History typically examines all the particulars of a time
or
event while Sociology looks for recurring patterns. Soc
is a
nomothetic approach to knowledge
(9,10) Two of the differences between TV news and
Sociology are:
scientific method of gathering/reporting, theoretical
perspective*