INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY

Chapter 1

What is sociology?

How do sociologistsstudy society?

What is Sociology?

Definitions:•The study of human society, including both social

action and social organization using scientific

research methods and theories

•A scientific search for ordered, recurring patterns of

social life that focuses on groups

Why should we study Sociology (the influence of our society)? Is there any value in it? Is it worth our time?

• Understand and solve social ills• Understand ourselves better• Help people live better lives• Help us get along (within and between cultures)

Sociological Theories

▪ Theory = A statement of how and why specific facts are related

▪ Theoretical Approach = a basic image of society that guides thinking and research

▪ Could think of it as a “perspective” or “lens” on how to study the world

Sociology uses the scientific method.It is not just “common sense”

Some of the methods differ from the natural sciences:• Observe people and look for patterns• Case study of one person or family• Surveys• Analyze historical documents or data already collected

More on this in chapter 2…

Scientific Method

1. Select a topic

2. Define the problem

3. Review the literature

4. Formulate a hypothesis

5. Choose a research method

6. Collect data

7. Analyze the results

8. Share the results

Sociologists strive to be objective (not biased)

▪Could you evaluate a society without using your own judgment and ideas about how people should live?

Perspective

Can you define it?Give some synonyms.

Perspective--- a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a

point of view.

Outlook Standpoint

Position

Point Of ViewView

Stance

Attitude

Frame

of Mind

Interpretation

Focus

Sociological Perspective-Understanding human behavior by placing it within its

broader social context

-Are you a product of Nature or Nurture?

Sociologists focus more on “nurture” or how you

are raised

-Sociologists look at behavior as a result of our

environment or society (people sharing a culture or

territory)

The Sociological Perspective (Adapted from I. Robertson, Sociology, NY: Worth Pub. 1981)

The basic insight of sociology is that human behavior is shaped by the groups to which people belong and by the social interaction that takes place within those groups. We are who we are and we behave the way we do because we happen to live in a particular society at a particular point in space and time. People tend to accept their social world unquestioningly, as something "natural." But the sociological perspective enables us to see society as a temporary social product, created by human beings and capable of being changed by them as well.

The sociological perspective invites us to look at our familiar surroundings in a fresh way. It encourages us to take a new look at the world we have always taken for granted, to examine our social environment with the same curiosity that we might bring to an exotic foreign culture.

The study of sociology leads us into areas of society that we might otherwise have ignored or misunderstood. Since our world view is shaped by our personal experience and since people with different social experiences have different definitions of social reality, sociology helps us to appreciate viewpoints other than our own and to understand how these viewpoints came into being.

Sociology also helps us understand ourselves better. Without the sociological perspective (which has been called the "sociological imagination"), people see the world through their limited experience of a small orbit of family, friends, co-workers. The sociological imagination allows us to stand apart mentally from our limited experience and see the link between private concerns and social issues. It permits us to trace the connection between the patterns and events of our own and the patterns and events of our society.

Examples of using Sociological Perspective▪ Is whether or not someone goes to college a personal choice?▪ 5 in 100 people (globally) attend college▪ Early in the US, women were not admitted to male colleges

▪ African-Americans not to White colleges▪Most college students are 18-30▪Cost is a factor

▪ A child from a family earning $75,000 a year is almost three times as likely to go to college as someone in a family earning $20,000

▪Looking at these factors, attending college is not just based on personal choice

▪ Macionis, Sociology

Having children

▪ US women have fewer than two children

▪ India – 3

▪ Cambodia – 4

▪ Saudi Arabia – 5

▪ Niger – 6

▪ Yemen – 7

Women in poor countries have fewer opportunities for education and work; more likely to remain with a husband; less likely to have contraception

Why the difference?

Suicide

▪What factors would play a role in the suicide rate of a group?

▪ Emile Durkheim studied records of suicide in France in the 1800s.▪ More likely take their own lives

▪ Men

▪ Protestants

▪ Wealthy

▪ Unmarried

▪ Durkheim made a connection between social integration and the likelihood of suicide

Suicide in the US today

▪Durkheim’s findings hold true today ▪ Suicide is rare, however (10 in 100,000)

▪ 12.2 suicides for every 100,000 white people

▪ This is twice the rate of African-Americans

▪ More common in men

▪ White men 4x more likely than women

▪ Durkheim stated that those with more social freedom also had less social integration

▪ Men have more freedom; also less poverty

▪ Minority groups are more likely to live in poverty; limiting freedom/choice

Employment

▪ If you didn’t have a job, would you say…

▪ “Something is wrong with me, I can’t find a job.”

Or

▪ “The economy has collapsed; there are no jobs to be found.”

A Global Perspective

▪GP: the study of the larger world and our society’s place in it

▪Why?▪ It is a logical extension of the sociological perspective

▪ We need to see ourselves as part of a larger world

Most resources used

Middle =80 nationsAs likely to live in rural areas as citiesAs likely to ride tractors and bikes as carsConsiderable social inequality

Many lack safe housing and adequate nutrition

Low =60 nations Most people are poor, but a few are wealthyMost in Africa, some Asia

The Global Village

▪ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFrqTFRy-LU

▪ http://www.100people.org/statistics_detailed_statistics.php

Global Village

▪ 80 percent of the income is earned by just 200 people

▪ Getting enough food is the biggest problem

▪Workers produce enough to feed everyone, but half, including children, do not have enough food

▪ The 200 poorest people have less than the richest person and have no clean drinking water

▪ There are many schools and a university, but 1/3 of the village cannot read or write

▪ The US citizens would be the richest in the village as we hold a privileged position in the village

Why a Global Perspective?

1. Where we live shapes the lives we lead.Difference in developed and developing?

2. Societies throughout the world are increasingly interconnected.How many products do you own from other nations?

Talk with someone via computer from another country?

3. Many social problems that we face in the US are far more serious elsewhere.

What problems are you aware of?

4. Thinking globally helps us learn more about ourselves.We gain an understanding of our own beliefs and values when we learn about

others.

Applying Sociology

1. Have you ever worked a low-paying job? Did you work hard? Any benefits?

2. Barbara Ehrenreich states that most “well-off” people in the US are dependent on low-wage workers. What do you think she means by this?

3. Do you think most people with jobs at Wendy’s or Wal-Mart have a real chance to enroll in college and to work toward a different career? Why or why not?

Sociology and Personal Growth

▪ The SP helps us assess the truth of “common sense”▪ We cannot judge the world based solely on our own experience

▪ The SP helps us see the opportunities and constraints in our lives▪ Not so we can make excuses but so we can have some control over our lives and meet our goals

▪ Makes us better players in the “game”

▪ The SP empowers us to be active participants in our society

▪ The SP helps us live in a diverse world▪ We make up just 5% of the world’s population

▪ We have strengths and weaknesses in our own society

Careers

▪ Skills of sociologists▪ Advanced research skills

▪ Criminal Justice (police, probation,corrections)

▪ Healthcare workers would benefit by understanding cultures, health patterns

▪ Advertising, banking, business, education, government, journalism, law, public relations, social works

Sociology is not just common sense

▪Try the quiz▪Work as a group

See video: The Way We Live

Basic science v Applied Science

▪Some sociologists just want answers to their questions

▪Some sociologists want to understand how society works so that they can change it▪ Many sociologists choose a problem that they are passionate about and then work for social change

▪Sociologists can attempt to change social policy and social attitudes

Social ScienceExamine human relationships using the scientific method

▪ Anthropology – culture▪ Kinship, artifacts, language, communication, values

▪ Economics ▪ production and distribution of goods

▪ Political Science ▪ how government relates to other parts of society; attaining power

▪ Psychology ▪ mental processes

▪ Sociology -all aspects of society/groups

Sociological Perspective

▪ Finding the sociological perspective in our society…▪ Tupac Shakur expressed it in his music

▪ See lyrics

▪ What is his perspective?

▪ In your group, find an example of a sociological perspective

▪ Music lyrics

▪ TV show

▪ News article

▪ Fiction or non-fiction writing

▪ Your own writing

Structural-Functional Approach

Structural-Functional (Macro view=big picture of society)

▪ Social Structure▪ Stable patterns of social behavior

▪ How society is structured

▪ Institutions (education, economy, government, healthcare, family, religion)

▪ Relationships of one group to another

▪ Numbers of people

▪ Hierarchies (formal or informal)

Social functions – allow the operation of society

Function=purpose

Functional Integration

▪ The parts of society are connected and they rely on one another▪ Like the organs in a body

▪ Example:▪ Think of the institutions as the “parts”

▪ Family, religion, economy, government, healthcare, etc.

▪ If there is a change in one of these, it could lead to changes in the others

Structural-Functional

▪ What is the structure? How is it set up?▪ How many juveniles are there? How many have committed a crime? How is the court system set up for juveniles?

How do laws differ for juveniles? What help is available for juveniles?

▪ What is the function (purpose)?▪ Manifest: to deter crime or to rehabilitate offenders

▪ Latent: keep offenders off the street and away from other kids

▪ Dysfunction: some teens come out worse; some teens are mistreated; funding is low; judge may not make proper decision

3 Theories – Structural-FunctionalEmile

Durkheim-suicide

study

Auguste

Comte (Father of

Sociology)

Herbert Spencer –

compared society

to the human body

(parts work

together to keep us

going)

Manifest : intended

function (purpose)

Latent functions:

unintended functions;

occur by “accident”

Dysfunction: negative

consequence

Social solidarity

(Durkheim): society is

held together by shared

needs

-See society as stable and held together through

consensus or shared values

-Looks at society as a whole

-How are the parts of society connected?

Macro-level or big picture (the STRUCTURE of

society)

-shared values hold culture together

-Considers parts of society and how one affects the other

(like parts of a body): Economy, Education, Healthcare, Family, Religion, Government (all work

together)

-Might ask “What does each part of society do to help

society work?”

Social Action

▪ People’s behavior is a response to the actions of others

Conflict

Is there a power struggle between two groups? Discrimination? Inequality?

▪ Who gets the better lawyer or is more likely to get a light sentence? (Wealthy/poor or girl/boy)

▪ Who is more likely to get caught?

Conflict Theory

▪Power - The capacity of a social actor to get others to do its will▪When do you have power? Not?▪How do we get power?▪Conflict theory considers which groups have power over other groups▪ Think on a large scale=macro▪ Is there a power struggle between two groups? Discrimination? Inequality?

▪ Who gets the better lawyer or is more likely to get a light sentence? (Wealthy/poor or girl/boy)

▪ Who is more likely to get caught?

3 Theories - Conflict

Karl Marx

(Father of

Communism)

Bourgeoisie

(elite or owners)

v

Proletariat

(workers)

Power (the ability to

get others to do what

you want)

Sexism/Feminism

Racism

Any group that is

disenfranchised

-Looks at the structure of society and the

divisions of power and wealth

-any type of inequality

-Role or status

-Divisions in society

-any type of conflict on a large

scale=macro

Status (position in a group)▪ Behavior is patterned by the position that a

person holds within a group

Your status could be described as

• Student (school)

• Son or daughter (family)

• Teenager (community)

• Employee (work)

There are two types of status…

Status (position in a group)Ascribed - Social position assigned at birth

Status (position in a group)Ascribed - Social position assigned at birth

We cannot change:• Gender

• Race

• Age

• Social class? It can change in some countries, but

it is not easy to move up

Status (position in a group)Ascribed - Social position assigned at birth

Gender• Race

• Age

Achieved – a position that is earned

Status (position in a group)Ascribed - Social position assigned at birth

• Gender

• Race

• Age

Achieved – a position that is earned

• Teacher

• Doctor

• journalist

Social Ranking-the evaluation, high or low, of a status based

on what the society considers important

Professions have social rankings:

Doctor

Short-order cook

Professor

Grocery store clerk▪ See Macionis p. 283 for list of occupations by social prestige

Status Symbols

-objects or privileges indicating rankGeneral’s uniform

Doctor’s white coat

Suit and tie

Construction worker’s hard hat

What are the status symbols in the school?

Desks Restrooms

Phones Lounge areas

Offices

What are status symbols among teenagers?

3 Theories – Symbolic Interaction

Weber Verstehen (putting

yourself in someone

else’s shoes)

Symbol (anything

that has shared

meaning)

Dramaturgy (we are

like actors on a

stage)

Interested in face-to-face interactions; more interested

in the individual; look at actions from the point of view

of the actor; subjective understanding

ASKS “WHY?”

What are the symbols of the group?

Which groups interact?

Culture

▪The distinctive way of life for a group of people

Norms

-Rules, or standards, that members of a group are expected

to follow

-tell people how to act in specific situations

-can be formal (written) or informal

-tell us what behavior to expect from others

-shape our actions and conversations

Describe a conversation that you have had at school that

was governed by norms

Norms

▪ Norms can apply to a small group, a sub-group, within a

society

(Amish don’t drive cars or use electricity, but they live

in the larger American society)

▪ Norms may vary with the situation

Norms Activity▪ Describe a situation in which these activities would be

normal and a situation in which they would be unusual..

▪ Kissing

▪ Applauding

▪ Crying

▪ Praying

▪ Telling jokes

▪ Staring at someone

▪ Giving flowers

Three Types of Norms▪ Folkways – norms that are a matter of custom or tradition

▪ No legal punishment for breaking folkways

▪ Associated with etiquette or manners

Three Types of Norms▪ Folkways – norms that are a matter of custom or tradition

▪ No legal punishment for breaking folkways

▪ Associated with etiquette or manners

▪ Mores – norms which are morally significant and violation

is serious

▪ Murder, theft, rape

▪ Violation may lead to prison, penalty, or death

Three Types of Norms▪ Folkways – norms that are a matter of custom or tradition

▪ No legal punishment for breaking folkways

▪ Associated with etiquette or manners

▪ Mores – norms which are morally significant and violation

is serious

▪ Murder, theft, rape

▪ Violation may lead to prison, penalty, or death

▪ Taboo – behaviors that are considered utterly loathsome,

such as cannibalism or incest

▪ In Denmark, do not tip your taxi driver or waitor.

▪ In Poland, first names are used only by close friends. Address new acquaintances with first and last name.

▪ In Germany, the gesture of putting your finger to your head and twisting your hand up and down is used to say, “you’re crazy.” It can get you arrested on the autobahn if directed at another driver.

▪ In Malaysia, dropping your cigarette on the street will get you a fine.

Folkway or More?

More definitions▪ Laws – formally written rules of conduct that

are important and enforced by the

government

▪ Laws keep order in a society

▪ Based on values…

More definitions▪ Values – widely held group beliefs about what

is right, or good, or important▪ In the US, we value cleanliness and this leads

us to all kinds of behaviors. Name some:

▪ How about for…

▪ privacy:

3 Theories – Applied to SportsFunctional

IntegrationWhat types of questions would a functionalist ask about the system of sports in America?

Class Conflict What types of questions would some ask from a conflict perspective?

Symbolic

InteractionismTypes of questions…

3 Theories – Applied to SportsFunctional

IntegrationQuestions asked: Why do we have sports in society? What is the function of sports? How do sports

operate in our society?

Structure: High school sports are divided by levels (9th, JV, Varsity), have conferences, regions, and state

levels

Manifest function: get in shape, recreation, Latent function: builds relationships, creates jobs,

encourage competition and pursuit of success (we learn life’s lessons),let off steam

Dysfunctions: takes away from academics; student may dream of becoming NBA star and not get an

education; violence

How do sports affect other parts of society? Have you seen “Invictus”? Do sports affect the family?

Education? The economy? Etc.

Class Conflict Are some sports more available to the wealthy? Do sports divide society? Is there racism in sports? Is there

sexism in sports? How is our society divided by sports? Are you more likely to watch males or females play a

sport? Do males make more money than females in professional sports? Do whites make more money than

minorities in sports? Are football coaches and the quarterback Black or White? Who owns the professional

sports teams?

Symbolic

InteractionismWho is interacting at a sporting event? What is their “reality”?

How do the players see the game? The coaches? Fans?

What is affecting the players? (Rookie might be nervous, pressure on a player to set a record, decision to

use steroids, team unity or divisions, etc)

Symbols in sports

Divorce

Structural Functional: What is the structure of families today? Divorce rate has lead to more

single-parent and step families (the structured changed)

What is the function of the family? Families are economic teams that aid survival; Children are socialized;

Care of the sick and elderly; Reproduction and control of sexual behavior in society

Conflict Theory: As women gained the right to work, the divorce rate went up. Women had the

option to live on their own. Wives have more equality in a marriage.

Symbolic Interaction: Americans have an idea of “emotional satisfaction” and “love” in a marriage.

Marital roles have changed over time so the meaning of “husband” and “wife” have changed.

Divorce was once a symbol for failure, but this view has changed also. Laws (symbols) have

changed over time.

Crime

Structural Functional:

Why do we have crime? Crime is a natural part of society. Crime helps clarify social norms.

Crime results when society does not allow everyone the resources that they need.

What is the structure of crime? How many are committed? What is a crime? What is the cost to

society?

Conflict Theory: Crime is the result of inequality.

Discrimination exists in arrest rates (males and minorities more likely to go to jail). Those in

poverty can’t afford the best attorney.

Symbolic Interaction:

Strong social bonds may prevent crime.

Interactions include criminals – police- judges-victims

Do we have a shared meaning of “criminal:?

Read the description of the football game

▪On your paper…▪ Describe a football game from the sociological perspective

▪ Groups (name as many as you can)

▪ Social patterns (can divide by group or characteristics)

▪ Social Characteristics▪ Age, race, ethnicity, sex

▪ Social Interaction (can be verbal or actions)

▪ Write a hypothesis for a study that could be conducted at football games.

▪ Example: Girls ages 4-9 are more interested in the cheerleaders than the football game on the field.

▪ Note: a “real” scientific study would involve more than one ballgame and perhaps more than one school

Structural -Functional Conflict Symbolic Interaction

•How is society held

together?

•What are the major parts of

society?

•How are these parts linked?

•What does each part do to

help society?

•How does society divide a

population?

•How do advantaged people

protect their privileges?

•How do disadvantaged

people challenge the system

seeking change?

•How do people experience

society?

•How do people shape the

reality they experience?

•How do behavior and

meaning change from person

to person and from one

situation to another?

Summary

Feminism – read handout from the Macionis book

▪ Like Conflict Theory but focused on gender inequality and power

▪ This topic is studied both within social structures at large and at the micro level of face-to-face interaction, the latter of which incorporates the methodology of symbolic interactionism

▪ Three Waves of Feminism.

1. women's suffrage (right to vote came in 1920)

2. a broader range of inequalities, including those in the workplace, the family, and reproductive rights

3. Currently, a third wave of feminism is criticizing the fact that the first two waves of feminism were dominated by white women from advanced capitalist societies. This movement emphasizes diversity and change, and focuses on concepts such as globalization, postcolonialism, and postmodernism.

5 General Principles

1. Taking action to increase equality

2. Expanding human choice

3. Eliminating gender stratification throughout society

4. Ending sexual violence

5. Promoting sexual freedom

Intersection Theory

▪ An analysis of the interplay of race, class, and gender, which often results in multiple dimensions of disadvantage

▪ Gender does not operate alone

▪ In all groups, women make less than men on average

▪ Among women…

▪ African-American earn less on average than white women; Hispanic average is even lower

▪ Some women are more disadvantaged than others

▪ There is no single “woman’s experience”▪ Also consider the age of a woman, sexual orientation, women with disabilities

Intersectionality (Patricia Hill Collins)

Theory that explains how social forces (norms, values, ideologies, prejudice, discrimination), political forces (laws/policies, political districts: school/voting), economic forces (wages/income, cost of living, employment opportunities) give all individuals advantages and disadvantages via their statuses (class, race, gender…)

▪ Intersectionality is a particular way of understanding social location in terms of crisscross systems of oppression. Specifically, intersectionality is an “analysis claiming that systems of race, social class, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, nation, and age form mutually constructing features of social organization, which shape Black women’s experiences and, in turn, are shaped by Black women” (Collins, 2000, p. 299).

▪ This idea goes back to Max Weber and Georg Simmel, … Weber’s concern was to understand the complications that status and power brought to Marx’s idea of class stratification. According to Weber, class consciousness and social change are more difficult to achieve than Marx first thought: status group affiliation and differences in power create concerns that may override class issues.

▪ For example, race may be more important than class for two racially distinct families living below the poverty. In such cases, social change becomes less likely.

▪ http://uk.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/13299_Chapter_16_Web_Byte_Patricia_Hill_Collins.pdf

Last question

Explain how sociology can enhance the critical thinking skills of analysis, evaluation, inference and deduction and how it can be used in metacognition.

Analysis: detailed examination of the elements or structure of something, typically as a basis for discussion or interpretation.

Evaluation: to judge or determine the significance, worth, or quality of; assess

Inference: Deduce or conclude (information) from evidence and reasoning rather than from explicit statements:

--”from these facts we can infer that crime has been increasing”http://ocw.usu.edu/English/introduction-to-writing-academic-prose/inductive-and-deductive-

reasoning.html

Metacognition: thinking about our own thinking; understanding our own thought process

Go over worksheetsIntroduction to SociologyWhat is the author saying to you?

What is your understanding of sociology?Is there any value in studying sociology?What would you study if you had a choice?What is the sociological perspective?How do sociologists view human behavior? Give several ideas using your own words.What is anthropology?What is the difference between psychology and sociology? Overlap?Scientific method (see other slide)

A Global PerspectiveHow would your life be different if you had been born into an impoverished family in an Asian farming village? What might you be doing right now instead of reading this textbook?

• Where we live shapes the lives we lead.• Societies throughout the world are increasingly interconnected.• Many social problems that we face in the US are far more serious elsewhere.• Thinking globally helps us learn more about ourselves.

• http://www.miniature-earth.com/