Download What is Theory?

Chapter 2
Sociology’s Family Tree:
Theories and Theorists
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What is Theory?
 Plausible explanation
 Cause-and-effect
 Among observed phenomenon
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What is Theory?
Common-sense theories
Everyone creates theories
Make sense of world
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Common Sense
Theories
Examples:
How to make friends?
How to succeed in college?
How to get a job?
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Sociological Theories
Not just how things happen,
but
Why?
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Theory
Vital to making sense of social
life
Facts make sense because we
interpret them using
Categories
Assumptions
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Categories
Class of people
or things
Particular
shared
characteristics
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Assumptions
Beliefs we hold to be
true
 Often with little or
no evidence
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Assumptions About Human
Nature
1. Selfish or Selfless
2. Aggressive or Compassionate
3. Competitive or Cooperative
4. Basic needs:
 Food / Water
 Companionship
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 Perception of control
Formal Sociological Theory
 Assumptions and categories
explicit
Open to examination
Scrutiny, and
Reformulation
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Sociological Theories
Explain social world
Make predictions->Future
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Sociological theory
Where did it come from?
Theories and theorists
Current theoretical approaches
Sociology as science
Where did it come from?
18th & 19th century
New system of production:
Industrial revolution
Capitalism
Colonialism
Where did it come from?
Enlightenment: New Ideas
Humanism
 Importance of human rather
than divine matters
Science
Knowledge of physical world by
observation & experimentation
New political forms
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Democracies
Auguste Comte
(1798–1857)
Theories and theorists
Auguste Comte
Coined term “Sociology” (1839)
Also called “Social Physics”
Assumption:
Society=Organism
Categories:
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Social Statics
Social Dynamics
Theorist: Auguste Comte
Sociology-> Similar to biology
Groundwork-future sociologists
Helped build the discipline
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Harriet Martineau
(1802-1876)
Categories:
Gender
Politics
Race
Assumptions:
Equality
Belief in science
Theorist: Harriet Martineau
Social activist
Labor unions
Abolition of slavery
Women’s suffrage
Traveled to United States
Translated Comte’s work from
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French to English
Theorist: Herbert Spencer
(1820-1903)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cxfbq4evdTY
The Greatest Individual of the 19th Century
***Theorist: Herbert
Spencer
Categories:
“Fit” and “Unfit”
Men and Women
Rich and Poor
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Theorist: Herbert Spencer
Assumptions:
Society=Organism
Societies adapt to
changing environment
“Survival of the Fittest”
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Theorist: Emile Durkheim
(1858-1917)
Theorist: Emile Durkheim
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX
QqMyMIAhI
Sociology->Academic discipline
Taught courses
Research—”Suicide”
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Theorist: Emile Durkheim
Categories:
Social facts (Material & Nonmaterial)
Types of social solidarity
Mechanical solidarity—
Similarities
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Organic solidarity—
Differences
Theorist: Emile Durkheim
Assumptions:
Society studied as science
Social factors hold society
together
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Karl Marx
(1818-1883)
Theorist: Karl Marx
German philosopher
Political activist
Contributed to Conflict Theory
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Theorist: Karl Marx
Categories:
Social Class
Proletariat
Bourgeoisie
Modes of Production
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Theorist: Karl Marx
Assumptions
Humans want to work
Humans are creative
Humans are social
Society is shaped by
“mode of production”
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Videos about Marx
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ztVeUX8Hpo&featu
re=related
Marxism made simple
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KUl4yfABE
4&feature=related
The Communist Manifesto Cartoon
Max Weber
(1864-1920)
Theorist: Max Weber
Categories:
Types of societies
Traditional
Modern industrial
Social Class
Class
Status
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Party
Theorist: Max Weber
Assumptions:
Modern societies-> Dehumanizing
Increasing bureaucracy
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBCAlZPF0
D0&feature=related
Social institutions=“Iron cage”
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Theorist: W.E.B. Du Bois
(1868-1963)
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Theorist: W.E.B. Du Bois
Categories:
Race
African American perspective:
“double consciousness”
Education
Industrial
Higher
Theorist: W.E.B. Du Bois
Assumptions:
History influences self
“The problem of the
twentieth century is the
problem of the color line.”
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Modern Schools of Thought
Structural Functionalism
Society as:
Stable
Ordered system
Interrelated parts
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Structural Functionalism
Social institutions:
Family
Education
Politics
Economy
Meets need of society
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Function
Conflict Theory
Social conflict basis:
 Of society and
 Social change
Source of Conflict:
 Inequality
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Conflict theory
Conflict and tension
Basic to social life
Disagreements over goals &
values
Sources of Conflict
Scarce resources
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Power
Conflict theory
Focus:
Dominance
Competition
Social change
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Conflict theory
1.Materialist
 Labor and Economic
reality
2.Critical-> existing
arrangements
3.Dynamic historical change
 Inevitable
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Symbolic Interactionism
 Interaction
 Symbols
 Shared meaning
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 Social creation of reality
Feminist Theory
 Gender inequalities
Nature
Source
Gender structures social
world
Remedies to inequalities
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Queer Theory
Sexual identity is social
construct
No sexual category
fundamentally deviant or
normal
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Postmodernist Theory
Social reality is:
Diverse
Changing
No truth, reason, right,
order, or stability
Everything is relative &
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temporary
Theory in Everyday Life
Theory in Everyday Life
Perspective
Level of Analysis
Focus of Analysis
Case Study