What is Sociology ?

  Scientific study of society and human behavior (Henslin,

2007)
Science
  Systematic, scientific study of human society (Thio, 2000;
Macionis, 2003)
 Requires the development of theories that
  Scientific study of human and social behavior (Robertson, can be tested by systematic research
1989)
  The process of scientific inquiry into social attitudes and
behaviors and the cultural products of those attitudes  A body of knowledge obtained by logical,
and behaviors (Lamberton, 1998) systematic methods of research which
  The scientific study of human society; the study of social
allows researchers to form generalizations
behavior and the interaction of people in groups (Landis,
1980)
  Nothing less than a special form of consciousness (Berger,  Places isolated, seemingly meaningless
1963) events into patterns we understand

Branches of Science Social Sciences

  Sociology

  Economics
  Natural Science
  Psychology

  Political Science
  Social Science
  Anthropology

Subfields of Sociology Why Study Sociology?

  Social Psychology

  Cultural Anthropology

  Sociobiology

  Community Medicine

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 Perspective
Global Perspective

The study of the larger world and our society’s place in it.
A variety of points of view of any
given subject.

Sociological Perspective and Sociological Perspective

Sociological Imagination

  Learning to look at society in different ways

  Helps us see general social patterns in the behavior of

particular individuals
C. Wright Mills   Encourages us to realize that society guides our thoughts
and deeds

Sociological Imagination
From our limited experiences …

  Judge the greater society

Allows us to   Place blinders on our views

see the   Develop our prejudices

strange in   Develop our discriminations

the familiar.   Develop our concepts of right and wrong

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 Sociological Imagination allows
us to think “globally” The Development of Sociology
  Where we live makes a
great difference in   Social/Political Factors of the Industrial Revolution
shaping our lives   Rise of factory-based economy
  Emergence of great cities
  Societies are
increasingly   European political and social changes
interconnected
  Flood of Anthropological Data
  Many US problems are
  Influences from Natural Sciences
more serious elsewhere
  Good way to learn
about ourselves

Auguste Comte Herbert Spencer

 1798-1857  1820-1903
 Like Comte,
 The Father of Sociology concerned with Social
 French philosopher who Order and Social
Change
coined the term
“Sociology”  Developed “Organism”
theory
 Favored “positivism”
 Applied Darwin’s
 Concerned with Statics Theories of Evolution to
and Dynamics societies

Karl Marx Emile Durkheim

 1818-1883  1858-1917

 An economist,  French Sociologist,

concerned with Social
concerned with Social Order and Social
Change through Social Integration
Conflict and revolution
 Pioneered sociological
 Developed theories of research with his study
Class Conflict of suicide

3
 DURKHEIM’S STUDY OF SUICIDE Seeing the General in the Particular
 MORE LIKELY TO COMMIT
  MALE PROTESTANTS WHO WERE WEALTHY AND UNMARRIED RATE OF DEATH BY SUICIDE 20
20
HAD HIGHER SUICIDE RATES 18
18
  PROTESTANTISM AND INDIVDUALISM 16
16
14
14
 LESS LIKELY TO COMMIT 12
12
10
  MALE JEWS AND CATHOLICS WHO WERE POOR AND MARRIED 10 20.2 8
8
  BEING CATHOLIC AND GROUP-ORIENTATION 6
6 10.9 12.4 4
4
6.2
 ONE OF THE BASIC FINDINGS: WHY? 2
1.9
4.9 2
0
0
 THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THESE GROUPS HAD TO DO African Americans Whites
WITH “SOCIAL INTEGRATION” By Race and Sex
  THOSE WITH STRONG SOCIAL TIES HAD LESS OF A CHANCE OF Males Both Sexes Females
U.S. Bureau of the Census
COMMITING SUICIDE

Max Weber Harriet Martineau

  1864-1920
  German Sociologist who
 1802-1876
emphasized under- standing
the social world from the  First woman sociologist
viewpoint of the individuals
  Claimed that religion is a  Translated Comte’s work
central force in social from French to English
change, particularly in the
advancement of capitalism in
Protestant and Catholic  Studied British and
countries.
American societies
  Stressed Value Freedom

Charles Horton Cooley

Jane Addams
 1864-1929

 1860-1935  Primary Theorist Symbolic-

Interaction
 Key founder of American
sociology  “Looking-Glass self”
 Developed study  There are three main components of
strategies to solve social the looking-glass
problems
 We imagine how we must appear
 Founded the Hull House to others.
 Instrumental in the  We imagine the judgment of that
formation of several appearance.
government programs  We develop our self through the
judgments of others.

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 W.E.B. Du Bois Robert Merton

 1868-1963   1910-2003
 First African American   Coined the phrases
to receive a doctorate “self-fulfilling prophecy”,
from Harvard “role model” and
unintended
 Created the NAACP
consequences”
 Concerned with racial
equality   Created a theory of
Deviance and applied
 Advocated the use of it to the American
force to gain equality dream.

The Work of Sociologists Theory

 A general statement about how some parts

of the world fit together and how they work;
  Advertising   Health Care and explanation of how two or more facts
  Banking   Public Relations
are related to one another

  Criminal Justice   Research

 A statement of how and why facts are
related
  Education   Clinical Sociologists
 Correctly predicts future events
  Government
 Makes the facts of social life
comprehensible and understandable

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Paradigm
A conceptual model that serves as a cognitive map to
organize experience so that it has meaning and is
comprehensible to the observer.
Analysis of Orientation
 Macro
Level
 Micro Level
Functional Analysis
A theoretical framework in
which society is viewed as
a whole unit, composed
of interrelated parts, each
with a function that, when
fulfilled, contributes to
society’s equilibrium
Also known as functionalism
and structural
functionalism
Theoretical Paradigm
  A basic image of society that guides thinking and
research
  A model of society, or an orienting strategy guiding views
of and questions about society
Major Sociological
Theoretical Perspectives
 Functional Analysis
 Conflict Theory
 Symbolic-Interactionism
 Feminist perspective
Functional Analysis
  Focuses on Social Structure and Social Function
  Is macro-level orientation
  Argues that Social Order is based on Social
Consensus
  Originated from the work of Spencer and Durkheim
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 Social Consensus Types of Function

Condition in which most

members of society agree on
what is a “good” and
cooperate to achieve it.
Social consensus is based upon:
  Manifest Function
  Latent Function
  Mechanical solidarity
  Dysfunction
  Organic solidarity

Critical Evaluations of
Functional Analysis

Conflict Theory
 Tends to be
conservative
A theoretical framework in which society is
 Tends to dismiss viewed as being composed of groups
competing for scarce resources.
change
 Overlooks the
negative

Conflict Theory Conflict

  Focuses on Social Tension and Social Change

  Is macro level orientation

  Binds groups together as they pursue their own interests
  Argues that Social Order is maintained by direct or indirect
exercise of power   Focuses attention on social problems

  Originated from the work of Karl Marx   Leads to beneficial changes that might have otherwise
not have occurred

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 Critical Evaluation of the Social-
Conflict Paradigm

Symbolic-Interactionism
 Fails to come to
grips with orderly,
stable, and less A theoretical
controversial perspective that
focuses on how people
aspects of society use symbols to establish
meaning, develop their
 Overemphasizes views of the world, and
the negative communicate with one
another.

Interactionism

 Focuses on details of everyday life and Symbolic Interaction

interaction between people, and on how
meaning is assigned to human interaction
 Is micro level orientation
The interaction that takes place between people
 Argues that society responds through through symbols.
symbolic interaction
 Originated from the studies of Max Weber
and George Herbert Mead

Critical Evaluation of Symbolic-

Interactionist Paradigm
Feminist Perspective

  Focuses on inequality and

conflict between women
and men.
 Neglects the larger
social institutions   Closely tied to Feminism
points out inequities
and social between women and
processes men.

 Neglects powerful   Awareness of the

importance of women in
issues of stability the development of
and change sociology.

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Critical evaluations of Feminist
perspective.
 Ignores how shared
values and
interdependence
can unify members
of a society
 Politically cannot
claim scientific
objectivity
 conflict paint
society in broad
strokes