Chapter 1 - Lecture notes 1 PDF

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Discusses the sociological perspective and introduces the origins of sociology and how it fits in with other sciences...

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Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Chapter 1: The Sociological Perspective

The Sociological Perspective:! • sociological perspective: understanding human behavior by placing it within its broader social context! • enables you to gain a new perception of social life! "

Seeing the Broader Social Context • the sociological perspective stresses social contexts in which people live! • examines how these contexts influence peoples lives! • question: how groups influence people, how people are influenced by their society (people who share a culture and a territory)! • social location: the group memberships that people have because of their location in history and society! • sociologists look at how peoples jobs, gender, race, education, and income affect their behavior and ideas! • Sociologist C. Wright Mills:! • “sociological imagination enables us to grasp the connection between history and biography”! • gives each society specific characteristics such as what roles are for women and which ones are for men! • external influences (your experiences) become part of your thinking and motivation, not that you were born with something or have an instinct! • how you think is resulted from the society you grew up in and the location its in! The Global Context - and the Local • our world has become a global village (imported products)! • our worlds are marked by differences in family background, religion, job, age…! • sociology allows us to looks at both parts - being part of a global network as well as having unique experiences in our smaller corners of life!

Sociology and the Other Sciences:! • science: systematic methods for studying the social and natural world and knowledge obtained by those methods! 1

Wednesday, January 17, 2018 The Natural Sciences • natural sciences: intellectual and academic disciplines designed to comprised, explain, and predict event in our natural environment! • divided in into subject matters such as biology, geography, chemistry and physics! The Social Sciences! • social sciences: designed to understand the social world objectively by means of controlled and repeated observations! • Anthropology: understand culture, a people’s total way of life! • culture includes a groups artifacts, structure, ideas and values, and forms of communication! • Economics: production and distribution of the material goods and services of a society! • what goods are being produced, what they cost and how the goods are distributed! • interested in the choices that determine production and consumption! • Political Science: how governments are formed, how they operate, and how they are related to other institutions of society! • Psychology: focus of psychology is on processes that occur within the individual! • Sociology: study culture; do research on how a society’s goods and services are distributed! The Goals of Science • first goal: explain why something happens! • second: make generalizations - a statement that goes beyond the individual case and is applied to a broader group or situation! • to achieve generalizations sociologist look for patterns recurring characteristics or events! • third: predict, to specify in light of current knowledge what will happen in the future! • to obtain these goals, scientists use systematic research! • sociologist research may confirm or contradict commonsense notions about social life! The Risk of Being a Sociologist • when sociologist do research they sometimes face pressure to keep things secret!

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Wednesday, January 17, 2018 • they don’t stop doing research just because people disprove ! Origins of Sociology:! "

Tradition versus Science • Sociology came from the middle of the 1800s when social observers began to use scientific methods to test their ideas! • Three main events that set the stage for the emergence of sociology:! • social upheaval of the industrial revolution! • agriculture gave way to factory productions, when families moved to cities, they were forced to work in factories and with miserable pay, long hours and dangerous work. And children too had to work. ! • social upheaval of political revolution! • the American and French Revolutions swept away existing social orders. A new social order challenges traditional answers and ushers in new ideas! • imperialism (empire building) at the time! • because the Europeans conquered so many countries across the world and exposed them to different ways of life! • these three main events led to a questioning of traditional answers! Auguste Comte and Positivism • 1758-1857! • suggested that we apply the scientific method to the social world! • positivism: the application of the scientific approach to the social world! • founder of sociology! • said the point was to not only be to discover social principles but also apply them to social reform! • sociologists would reform society, making it a better place to live! Herbert Spencer and Social Darwinism! • 1820-1903! • sometimes called the second founder of sociology! • disagreed with Comte! • sociologists should not guide social reform!

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Wednesday, January 17, 2018 • as generations pass society most capable and intelligent members survive while the less capable fail! • called it survival of the fittest —> societies evolve overtime as the fittest people adapt to environment! Karl Marx and Class Conflict • 1818-1883! • thought that people should try and change society; his proposal for change was radical revolution! • the engine of human history is class conflict! • class conflict: Marx’s term for the struggle between capitalists and workers! • stated that society is made up of two social classes and are made up of two social classes: bourgeoisie and proletariat ! Emile Durkheim and Social Integration • 1858-1917! • goal: to get sociology recognized as a separate academic discipline (achieved in 1887)! • second goal: show how social forces affect peoples behavior! • compared suicide rates in different countries and found that each country has different rates as well as different groups within the country! • social interaction: the degree to which members of a group or a society feel united by shared values and other social bonds; also know as social cohesion ! • people who are less socially integrated have higher rates of suicide! "

Applying Durkheim

• sociologists look at patterns of behavior, recurring characteristics or events Max Weber and the Protestant Ethic • 1864-1920! • religion is the central force in social change! • conducted a study comparing capitalism in Roman Catholic and Protestant counties and found that capitalism was more likely to flourish in Protestant countries! Values in Sociological Research • Weber said that sociology should be value free! 4

Wednesday, January 17, 2018 • value free: the view that sociologists personal values or beliefs should not influence social research! • sociologists stress the need for replication - repeating a study in order to compare the new results with the original findings! Verstehen and Social Facts Weber and Verstehen • Verstehen: a german word used by Weber that is perhaps best understood as “ to have insight into someone’s situation” ! • by applying this you are gaining insight into other people’s behavior! • subjective meanings: the meanings that people give their own behavior! • must pay attention to it! Durkheim and Social Facts! • social facts: Durkheim’s term for a groups patterns of behavior! • ex. in US: June being the most popular for weddings, suicide rates higher among the elderly! • each pattern reflects some condition in society! Sociology in North America Sexism at the Time: Women in Early Sociology • women were put in the background as men were recognized for their work in sociology! • ex. Marion Talbot: associate editor of the American Journal of Sociology! • most female sociologist viewed sociology as a path to social reform! • focused on improving society by stopping lynching, integrating immigrants, and improving the working conditions of workers! • Harriet Martineau (1802-1876): did extensive analysis of U.S. social customs; translated Comte’s ideas into English! Racism at the Time: W.E.B. Du Bois • Du Bois experienced racism at the time going to cafes and meetings with other sociologists, he would not be allowed to sit with the whites! • published a book on relations between African Americans and Whites! • one of the founders, along with Jane Addams of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People! 5

Wednesday, January 17, 2018 • until recently his work has been neglected by sociologists! Jane Addams: Sociologist and Social Reformer • 1889: cofounded Hull-House with Ellen Gates Starr; located in Chicago! • Hull house was open to people who needed refuge! • strived to bridge the gap between the powerful and the powerless! • co-founded the American Civil Liberties Union; campaigned for 8-hour workday and laws against child labor! Talcott Larsons and C.Wright Mills: Theory versus Reform • by 1940’s emphasis shifted from social reform to social theory! • Talcott Parsons (1902-1979): developed abstract models of society that influenced a generation of sociologists! • C Wright Mills (1916-1962): urged sociologists to get back to social reform! The Continuing Tension: Basic, Applied, and Public Sociology Basic Sociology • basic (or pure) sociology: sociological research for the purpose of making discoveries about life in human groups, not for making changes in those groups! • some argue that gaining knowledge through research is not enough! "

Applied Sociology

• applied sociology: the use of sociology to solve problems! • although not to the extent as early sociologists, in modern times, some work for business firms to solve problems in the workforce, or investigate social problems, or even work on trying to disrupt terrorist groups! "

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Public Sociology

• public sociology: applying sociology for the public good; specially the use of the sociological perspective to guide politicians and policy makers! • a middle ground between research and reform! "

Sociology Reform in Risky

• promoting social reform is risky! • what one person wants to change is inevitably something that someone else wants to keep! Theoretical Perspectives in Sociology! 6

Wednesday, January 17, 2018 • theory: a general statement about how some parts of the work fit together and how they work! • use three major theories: symbolic interactionism, functional analysis, and conflict theory! Symbolic Interactionism • 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! • it is symbols that define our relationships! • analyzes how social life depends on the ways we define ourselves and others! Functional Analysis • functional analysis: society is viewed as composed of various parts, each with a function that when fulfilled contributes to society’s equilibrium! • Robert Merton (1910-2003): used the term functions to refer to the beneficial consequences of peoples actions: functions help keep a group in balance! • functions can be either manifest (if an action is intended to help some part of a system) or latent (when actions have unintended consequences that help a system adjust)! • society is a function as a bigger whole, but when we look at the small parts, we need to look at its functions and dysfunctions to see how it is related to raw larger unit! Conflict Theory • conflict theory: society is viewed as composed of groups that are competing for scarce resources! • Karl Marx: founder of conflict theory; the key to human history is class conflict; struggle between bourgeoisie and proletariat; analyzed conflict between capitalists and workers! • today sociologist examine how opposing interest run through every layer in society! • many feminists analyze conflict between men and women! social interaction: one person’s actions influencing someone else; usually refers to what people do when they are in one another’s presence but also includes communications at a distance! nonverbal interaction: communication without words through gestures, use of space, silence, and so on

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