say something!

Sociological TheorySay Something!

Say Something

• Read the information on the slide…whether it’s a picture or written word

• Say Something about what you just read– Make a prediction– Ask a question– Clarify your thinking– Make a connection– Summarize the information so far

• Someone will respond to what you said• That someone will then repeat the process

The Enlightenment (18th c.)

• “Age of Reason”• Emergence of the ideal of political liberty– Societies that were more democratic began to

replace monarchies• Political revolutions– French and American revolutions (1789 & 1776)

• Rise of science and rational thought– Ascendance of science, diminishing importance of

“the church”

Industrial Revolution (19th c.)

• Shift from agrarian to industrial• Urbanization—“push and pull” economy• Extremes of wealth and poverty

Changes Brought by theIndustrial Revolution

• Inventions change the way we live and work, e.g. steam engine in 1763.

• Transportation and communication systems are greatly enhanced, e.g. trains, telegraph.

• Cities begin to dominate the western world.• Creates a new social order with the rise of an influential

middle class.• Poor working conditions for lower classes eventually lead to

new social and political movements.• Desire for markets and resources entice Europeans to take

over foreign lands (imperialism).

Origins of Sociology

• Sociology as a discipline is the product of two dramatic social changes:

1. The Enlightenment

2. The Industrial Revolution

Emile DurkheimKarl Marx

Max Weber

Key ProblemUnderstanding the social forces that produce social order and disorder

Emile Durkheim (1858-1917)

• Key Concepts– Social Facts (They exist!)

• outside the individual, observable– Division of Labor

• Mechanical Solidarity vs. Organic Solidarity– Mechanical = more traditional, shared values, no division of labor– Organic = more modern, high division of labor, more integrated

society, vast differences of opinion

– Anomie• Normlessness = condition of society in which people become

detached from the norms that usually guide behavior

Key ProblemUnderstanding how the economic system of capitalism affects society and its people

Karl Marx (1818-1883)

• Key Concepts– Historical Materialism

• The development of societies is shaped by the ways humans produce life’s necessities

– Class Struggle• By its nature, capitalist society is contentious; conflict between

workers (proletariat) and owners/capitalists (bourgeoisie) – Surplus Value

• The difference between what someone makes off your labor and what they pay you

– False Consciousness • Workers’ acceptance and defense of the capitalist system

Key Problems• Effects of

rationality on modern Society

• Response to Marx’s Economic Emphasiso Not simply

economics that produce reality, you need culture too

Max Weber (1864-1920)

• Key Concepts– Rationalization• Oriented toward science, calculated, measured,

controlled• Rational vs. non-rational—capitalism is highly rational• All this rationality eliminates the human component

– Bureaucracy• Modern society is oppressive, increasingly bureaucratic

because increasingly rational

Three Theoretical Paradigms• Structural Functionalism– Society is viewed as composed of various parts, each with

a function that, when fulfilled, contributes to society’s equilibrium

• Conflict Theory– Society is viewed as composed of groups that are

competing for resources

• Symbolic Interactionism– Society is viewed as composed of symbols that people

use to establish meaning, develop their views of the world, and communicate with one another