Sociology

The study of people in groups

Groups in the process of self-
formation
through the actions of individuals
through the actions and forces of
the groups themselves
The Study of People in Groups
The Scientific study of
groups and
group formation
Groups, as collections of people
in the process of self-definition
Scientific Study of Groups
Involves Methods of Study
Involves Theories of Study
METHODS of STUDY
Observation (obtrusive and unobtrusive)
Surveys
Experiments
Historical Comparison
Cross-Cultural Comparison
Archival Research
Suspending Judgement
A key attitude in the study of society is
the research approach called cultural
relativism
This is in contrast to the common
approach, which views other cultures and
societies from the point of view of ones
own values and beliefs-- otherwise known
as ethnocentrism
Theories of Study
Functionalism (and variations)
structuralism
Social Conflict Theory
Symbolic Interactionism
Gender Theory (Feminist Theory)
Functionalism
Social groups and society are viewed like
living organisms
groups and group processes are studied
as parts of a functioning whole
aspects and behaviors of society may
have obvious (manifest) functions or
hidden (latent) functions
Functionalism: Durkheim
Emile Durkheim: French Sociologist
(1858-1917)
Considered one of the fathers of
modern sociology
Social Conflict Theory
Society is created from the ongoing
conflict between key groups
According to some theorists, these groups
are the main economic classes of
society
these are made up of those who own the
main wealth of society, and those who
own little but their ability to labor
Social Conflict Theory:Marx
The main theorist representing this
approach is Karl Marx (1818-1883)
He saw society as being built out of the
conflicting interests of the owner class
and the working class
In his view, the ensuing struggle between
classes would lead to a classless society
Symbolic Interactionism
Symbols are the basis of social life
Individuals and societies develop through
peoples interaction through symbols
Individuals develop a sense of themselves
as they learn to use symbols
Individuals develop a sense of themselves
as they learn to see themselves the way
they believe others see them
Symbolic Interactionists
Charles Horton Cooley (1864-1929)
George Herbert Mead (1863-1947)
Erving Goffman
The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life
Culture and Society
Material and Non-Material Culture
Culture as Webs of Meaning
...As Blueprint of/for society
Made up, as well, of norms, values, mores
and folkways
The culture of a society is passed on from
one generation to the next
Culture and Society
The culture of any group is passed on
from one generation to the next through
ongoing, lifelong processes of socialization
A related concept is enculturation
Social members may even be resocialized
in their lifetime if they do not conform
to the values, mores, norms etc. of their
group
Socialization
Socialization (enculturation) is a life-long
process, that begins at birth
We are first socialized by those who are
closest to us in our early months and
years
This first development is called primary
socialization
Later we are socialized through our
wider society, and this is called secondary
socialization
Groups
Sociology is the study of groups of people
in process of self-definition as groups
A group is a collection of people (but not
all collections of people are groups!)
Sociology studies, among other things,
how individuals impact and shape groups
Sociology studies, as well, how groups
impact and shape individuals
Groups: Common Terms
aggregate
category
voluntary and involuntary groups
reference groups
peer groups
primary and secondary groups
Groups: More Terms
status
achieved
ascribed
roles
in-group
out-group
Formal Organizations
Formal organizations are usually large-
scale groups that have a planned focus
and a clearly defined structure
Such organizations are often referred to
as bureaucracies
Max Weber studied bureaucracies as
ideal organizations of complex, modern
society
Bureaucracies
According to Weber, bureaucracies
represented the ideal organization of
large-scale, modern society
....with such characteristics as the
complex division of labor
...with a hierarchical structure of
authority
...and a complex system of clear and
predictable rules
Social Inequality
A persistent character of groups
throughout the world is that of
stratification
Stratification is the unequal division of
societies
This division can be based on a variety of
factors including:
Stratification:
Class...
Race...
Gender...
Power...
Prestige...
Class: Marx
According to Marx (and other social
conflict theorists) class is the division of
societies into several main groups,
including:
...those who own the productive wealth of
society
...those who own only their labor (the
workers)
Class: Marx
In this theory, this was the fundamental
difference between the classes of
industrial society
...and this division would eventually
disappear as workers struggled for the
power of the owner class
Class: Weber
According to Weber, the stratification of
society was based on a broader range of
factors, including
....wealth
....power
....prestige
And one could have any one of these to
be in a higher class..... (examples?)
Poverty Among the Stratified
Poverty is a persistent feature of
stratification throughout the world
While many would argue about its very
definition
And many would argue about its real
cause(s)
Relative and Absolute Poverty
Much of poverty in the world is what
could be termed relative poverty....
While much of the world lives in
absolute poverty...
...the latter being a state in which ones
very survival is threatened by the lack of
resources (eg. food, clothing, medical
care etc.)
Causes of Poverty
Why does poverty persist in the world?
Functionalist view....
Social-conflict theory...
Social-interactionist theory...
Gender/Feminist theory...
Other Divisions: Race and
Ethnicity
Race and ethnicity are also dividing
factors in our society (and our wider
world)
Race is the social definition of people
based one biological characteristics
Ethnicity is the social definition of people
based on cultural ties (like language,
dress, customs, beliefs, etc.)
Race: Key Terms
Prejudice
Discrimination
Racism
Social definition of Race
Institutional Racism
Minority Status
Race: More Key Terms
Genocide (ethnic cleansing)
Expulsion
Segregation (apartheid)
Assimilation
Amalgamation
Cultural pluralism
Other Divisions: Gender
Sex: biological characteristics
xy/xx, hormones, primary and secondary sex
characteristics
Gender: the social definition of groups
based on biological characteristics....
(sound familiar? see the variation of this
theme under race)
Gender: Nature vs. Nurture
How much of what we are as masculine
and feminine is
.....learned through socialization...
.....or built-in to us through our genes,
hormones and brain-structure?
Gender: biological destiny?
How much of the stratification of our
society along gendered lines is natural-
-based on our biological make-up....
....and how much is the result of social
definition of opportunities etc. based on
biological makeup....?
Gender: biological destiny?
the glass ceiling...
female job-ghettos
the feminization of poverty
Are these natural divisions of the
world?
Social Institutions
Society is in process of self-definition...
As social practices of groups become
familiar, accepted and expected they
become what sociology calls institutions
This refers to organized practices and
relationships of society, rather than to
physical places...
Social Institutions Include...
...family
...religion
...economics and politics
...education
Family: The way we
never were...
The sociological study of family:
historical comparison...
Kodachrome...the good-old days...
cross-cultural comparison...
family values around the world...
family today: the ideal vs. the real
Religion= Primitive Science?
The enlightened view of religion...
science replacing religion
the emergence of rational explanation of
the world
Classifying the worlds cultures : from
savagery to civilization?
Sociologists get involved.....
Durkheim et. al
Religion vs. Science?
I s there necessarily any conflict between
religion and science?
examples of conflict in history....
the earth is the center of the universe
there is no such thing as a vacuum
God created man on the 7th day... not
through evolution....
Religion vs. Science?
Why did such scientific assertions
challenge religion?
Do they necessarily undermine, or
contradict religious beliefs and tradtitions?
Today, does the sociological study of
religion necessarily mean the rejection of
religion?
Sociology and Religion:
Which theory would say...
Religion dulls people to the reality of
class conflict...
Religion should be studied for the things
it does for the cohesion of society...
Religion should also be studied for its
gendered character in history and
contemporary society...
Deviance and Social Control
Remember... Sociology is the study
of.....
Groups in self-definition set
boundaries...
who belongs
who does not
This is done by the way people talk, dress,
behave etc.
Deviance and Social Control
Deviance is relative to values of the
wider society.... How is this so?
or.... if a deviant fell in the woods, and
nobody was around to hear this....
Deviant behavior and beliefs often find
their way, eventually, into mainstream
society:
or... underwear as outerwear....
Deviance and Social Control
Deviant behavior today may also have
been accepted social practice in the past...
spare the rod and avoid the DCYF
no smoking! you @#@!@!##@
opium under the Pastors porch...
Which theory would....
...See deviance as the definition of the
powerful in a society?
...See deviance as learned through
processes of seeing oneself in relation to
others and their expectations?
...See deviance as having some
positive functions in society, as well as
being a sign of the malfunction or
dysfunction of society?
A Rap on Deviance
The latent and manifest functions of
parental advisorystickers
But isnt Rap just missing a C?
Rap... In context of history....
A conflict of power in history and
contemporary society?
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