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WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY?

Sociology is the systematic (or scientific) study of human society and social behavior. From large-scale institutions and mass culture to small groups and individual interactions.

SYSTEMATIC STUDY VERSUS COMMON KNOWLEDGE

• Systematic study = rigorous methods to establish facts and significant patterns

• Sociologists use empirical evidence (which is fact based or directly observed) to understand human behavior.

• Sociologists do not rely on common knowledge oranecdotal evidence.

• When exploring the social world, it is important to clear our minds of stereotypes, expectations, and opinions so that we are more objective.

SOCIAL SCIENCES OVERLAP

The Real World: An Introduction to Sociology, 2nd EditionCopyright © 2010 W.W. Norton & Company

Sociology is a social science. It can overlap with many other social sciences.

For example, there is a sub-discipline called “social psychology” that focuses on the impact society has on the psychological behavior of people.

SOCIAL SCIENCES (DIFFERENT FROM NATURAL SCIENCES)

The Real World: An Introduction to Sociology, 2nd EditionCopyright © 2010 W.W. Norton & Company

Sociology is not a natural science.

However, there is a branch of sociology called sociobiology that attempts to combine the social sciences with the natural sciences to explain human behavior.

SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION

• Sociological Imagination allows us to understand the relationship between our particular situation in life and what is happening at a social level.

• Sociological imagination can also be described as the intersection of biography and history.

• C. Wright Mills , an important sociologist,coined the term in 1959.

LEVELS OF ANALYSIS

• Sociologists can use different levels of analysis to explore social relationships:• Macrosociology: examines large scale social

structures and how they impact groups and individuals

• Microsociology: examines the interactions between individuals in groups

The Macro-Micro ContinuumThis chart shows the various levels of analysis.

The Real World: An Introduction to Sociology, 2nd EditionCopyright © 2010 W.W. Norton & Company

SOCIETY IMPACTS THE INDIVIDUAL ALL THE TIME• Think of some things

that exist at the social level. For example school, peers or social media…

• In what ways do they affect your life?

SOCIETY IS MADE UP OF PEOPLE

People tend to be happier, when???

When they are with other people.

PEOPLE NEED PEOPLE…Research shows that people are happier whenthey are involved with other people.• Happily married people (especially men)

tend to live longer, are healthier, and if they get sick (i.e. cancer) may survive longer.

• Families who eat together may be happier (and encounter less problems with teen drinking and drugs).

• Loneliness and social isolation can lead to illnesses.

SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES

• For centuries sociologists have been trying to explain human behavior, and they have come up many different approaches.

• The different levels of analysis shows how theseapproaches can vary.

• In this course, we focus on the three main sociological paradigms: 1. Functionalism 2. Conflict Theory3. Symbolic Interaction