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What is Sociology?
 A social science discipline that looks
at the development and structure of
human society (institutions) and
how they work
How Sociologists Analyze
 Observation (obtrusive and unobtrusive)
 Surveys & Statistical Analysis
 Experiments
 Historical Comparison
 Cross-Cultural Comparison
 Archival Research
Levels of Analysis
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

Microsociology - the study of everyday behavior in
situations of face-to-face interaction. i.e. conversation and
group dynamics
Macrosociology - the analysis of large-scale social systems.
The two are closely connected. i.e. widespread social
processes or things typical to all.
What Sociology Examines:
 Sociologists examines the structure
of groups, organizations, and
societies, and how people interact
within each.
 All human behavior is social so
sociology seeks to examine behavior
in all contexts from intimate family
to the hostile mob; from organized
crime to religious groups; it
examines divisions of race, gender
and social class, as well as shared
beliefs of a culture.
The Roles we Play
 We all play certain roles in our
society – Social Scientists refer to
these roles as “status”
 Status is the term used to describe
our position within an institution.
 An institution is any organization
that governs behavior for a person,
group of people or society as a
whole.
ex. house, school, church, etc.
Hierarchy
 Hierarchy is the ranking system used
in any particular environment based
on authority or power
 Each position or role requires a certain
type of expertise which is valued by
society
 In order to distinguish between these
roles people are expected to behave,
dress, etc. in a certain way
 On any given day we can play many
different roles in society – ex. A parent
can drive their kids to school and then
go to work and teach their students
Rules, Norms and Values
 Values – Society carries with it a system
of values for what is important. A
particular set of values are assigned to
each role. Members of society are
expected to accept and internalize
these values.
 Norms – These are expectations set for
a particular role that is considered
standard behavior (boys=blue &
girls=pink)
 Rules – The laws developed by cultures
based on their system of values
Deviance
 Deviance – Any behaviour that is
different from the societal norm. It is
deviant because we, as a society, do not
accept it
 Deviance can range from simple
eccentricities to behaviour that harms
society or is considered disreputable
“We must not say that an action shocks the
common conscience because it is criminal, but
rather that it is criminal because it shocks the
common conscience. We do not disapprove
actions because it is a crime, but it is a crime
because we disapprove it”
Rehabilitation
 Sociology has formed a
strong link with the justice
system
 A fundamental component
of modern imprisonment
is rehabilitation, or trying
to re-educate and
resocialize inmates so that
they can grow to accept
society’s values and norms
Schools of Thought in Sociology
 Sociologists have debated
among themselves about the
real nature of society
 As societies change and
become more diverse
sociologists need to consider
cultural diversity when
considering sociological issues
Structural-Functionalism
 Sociology is designed to ensure the function
of society. Structural-functionalism, suggests
each society should provide its members
with the basic requirements for functioning
 A system must have a way of fulfilling
material needs, a system for socializing and
educating the young, a way of regulating
human reproduction (usually marriage) etc.