Text notes ch.1 SOC 100 PDF

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Kangas Chapter 1 

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Sociology: the systematic/scientific study of human society and social behavior; describes almost every level within the structure of society, to the relationship between individuals to large-scale institutions o Social analysts investigate “truths” in the world (widely accepted ideas/assumptions about how people behave)  For example, the widely held belief that women talk more than men o Sociologists want to understand how people affect society AND how society affects people o Sociological perspective: viewpoint of sociologists; allows us to see that while on the surface, people are different, their approach to the everyday world is similar  To gain this, one must create a sense of “culture shock” – a sense of disorientation that occurs when entering a radically new situation/environment  Roger Lextrait worked for 8 years as the caretaker of a remote island  Practice “Beginner’s mind” – the idea that one should approach the world open and receptive to experience  Practice being present in the moment o Macrosociology looks at large-scale social structure to determine how it affects lives of groups and individuals; microsociology looks at how individuals affects society’s larger structures Sociological imagination “searches for the link between micro and macro levels of analysis” – in other words, how larger forces, such as gender or race, are involved in creating the context of a person’s life. Discovering different ways of interpreting reality helps us appreciate alternative viewpoints, which in turn helps us understand how we developed our own attitudes, values, beliefs, etc. Society: the patterns/structures created by the activities people engage in together Important people: o C. Wright Mills: describes a “quality of mind” called Sociological Imagination – the ability to understand how one can combine one’s own personal history and that of the rest of the world  People often use psychological rather than sociological arguments to explain the way things are  For example, credit card debt: psychological approach says ”a lack of self-control creates credit card debt”; while sociological approach says “credit card debt is because of cultural norms that promote a lifestyle beyond most people’s means”; or that economic changes create debt.  Sociological Imagination searches for the link between microsociology (how individual people interact with one another) and macrosociology (how society’s larger structures shape those individual interactions)  How larger forces (gender, race, class) are involved in creating the context of a person’s life o Pam Fishman: wrote an article (“Interaction: the work women do”) that concentrated on the issue of the distribution of power between heterosexual relationships  Recorded and analyzed heterosexual couples’ everyday conversations  Found that women ask 3x more questions than men

Kangas Chapter 1 She says that since questions automatically demand a response, unlike statements, women are subconsciously understanding their role as a submissive in not only interpersonal relationships, but society as well. Christine Williams: found that while women in male-dominated fields experience limits on advancement – which she called the “Glass Ceiling Effect”, men in female-dominated fields experience rapid rates of advancement, called the “Glass Escalator Effect” Howard Becker (1986) defined sociology as the study of “people doing things together”  Becker pointed out that humans are essentially social beings and that one cannot live apart from society  Our survival as a species depends on the fact that we live in groups  Our sense of self is reliant on our membership in society. Peter Berger (1963) outlined the traits a sociologist must have:  Passionate interest in the world of human affairs  Intense, curious, and daring in pursuit of knowledge. Auguste Comte (1798-1857): first to provide a program for the scientific study of society – developed positivism o

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