SOCIOLOGY Richard T. Schaefer

1. SOCIOLOGYRichard T. Schaefer 1 Understanding Sociology

2. 1. Understanding Sociology • What is Sociology? • What Is Sociological Theory? • The Development of Sociology • Major Theoretical Perspectives • Developing a Sociological Imagination • Sociology in the Global Economy • Applied and Clinical Sociology

3. What is Sociology? • Sociology • Systematic study of social behavior inhuman groups • Influence of social relationships • How those relationships influence behavior • How societies develop and change

4. What is Sociology? • The Sociological Imagination • Awareness of relationship between an individual and the wider society (C. Wright Mills) • Ability to view one’s society as an outsider, rather than from perspective of our limited experiences and cultural biases • Goes beyond personal experiences and observations

5. What is Sociology? • Sociology and the Social Sciences • Science: body of knowledge obtained by methods based on systematic observation • NaturalScience: study of physical features of nature and ways they interact and change • SocialScience: study of social features of humans and ways they interact and change

6. What is Sociology? • Sociology and the Social Sciences • Emphasizes the influence that society has on people's attitudes and behavior and the ways in which people interact and thereby shape society • Sociology and Common Sense • Sociologists test and analyze information they use

7. What is Sociology? Figure 1-1. Race of Murder Victims Sources: Department of Justice 2005:table 2.3; Death Penalty Information Center 2003

8. What Is Sociological Theory? • Theory • Set of statements that seeks to explain problems, actions, or behavior • Effective theories have explanatory and predictive power • Theories never a final statement about human behavior

9. The Development of Sociology • Early Thinkers • Auguste Comte (1798–1857) • Coined sociology to apply to the science of human behavior • Harriet Martineau (1802–1876) • Studied social behavior in Britain and U. S • Emphasized impact economy, law, trade, health, and population could have on social problems

10. The Development of Sociology • Early Thinkers • Herbert Spencer (1820–1903) • Studied “evolutionary” change in society • Émile Durkheim (1858–1917) • Developed fundamental thesis to help explain all society Anomie: loss of direction felt in a society when social control of individual behavior has become ineffective

11. The Development of Sociology • Max Weber (1864–1920) • To fully comprehend behavior, we must learn subjective meanings people attach to their actions, called Vertehen Ideal Type: construct or model for evaluating specific cases

12. The Development of Sociology • Karl Marx (1818-1883) • Society fundamentally divided between two classes that clash in pursuit of their own interests • Worked with Engles • Emphasized group identification and associations that influence one’s place in society • Argued working class should overthrow the existing class system

13. The Development of Sociology • Modern Developments • Charles Horton Cooley (1864—1929) • Increased understanding of groups of relatively small size • Jane Addams (1860–1935) • Combined intellectual inquiry, social service work, and political activism

14. The Development of Sociology • Modern Developments • Robert Merton (1940–2003) • Created theory of deviant behavior • Emphasized sociology should use “macro-level” and “micro-level” approaches Macrosociology: concentrates on large-scale phenomena or entire civilizations Microsociology: stresses study of small groups, often through experimental means

15. Major Theoretical Perspectives • Functionalist Perspective • Emphasizes ways parts of a society are structured to maintain its stability Manifest Functions: institutions are open, stated, conscious functions that involve intended, recognized, consequences of an aspect of society Latent Functions: unconscious or unintended functions that may reflect hidden purposes of an institution Dysfunctions: element or process of a society that may actually disrupt the social system or disrupt it stability

16. Major Theoretical Perspectives • Conflict Perspective • Assumes social behavior is best understood in terms of conflict or tension between competing groups • The Marxist View: conflict not merely a class phenomenon, but part of everyday life in all societies

17. Major Theoretical Perspectives • Conflict Perspective • An African American View: W. E. B. DuBois • Conducted research to assist the struggle for a racially egalitarian society • Believed knowledge essential to combating prejudice and achieving tolerance and justice • In-depth studies of urban life

18. Major Theoretical Perspectives • Feminist Perspective • Views inequity in gender as central to all behavior and organization • Sometimes allied with conflict theory • Also focuses on micro-level relationships, just as interactionists do

19. Major Theoretical Perspectives • Interactionist Perspective • Generalizes about everyday forms of social interaction to understand society as a whole • Sociological framework for viewing humans as living in a world of meaningful objects Nonverbal communication: can include many gestures, facial expressions, and postures

20. Major Theoretical Perspectives • Interactionist Perspective • George Herbert Mead (1863—1931) • Erving Goffman (1922—1982) Dramaturgical approach: people seen as theatrical performers

21. Major Theoretical Perspectives Table 1-1 Comparing Major Theoretical Perspectives Table to be continued on next slide

22. Major Theoretical Perspectives Table 1-1 Comparing Major Theoretical Perspectives

23. Major Theoretical Perspectives • The Sociological Approach • Gain broadest understanding of society by drawing on all major perspectives, noting where they overlap or where they diverge • Each perspective offers unique insights into the same issue • A researcher’s work always will be guided by his or her theoretical viewpoint

24. Developing a Sociological Imagination • Theory in Practice • Research in Action • Thinking Globally • Globalization: worldwide integration of government policies, cultures, social movements, and financial markets through trade and the exchange of ideas

25. Developing a Sociological Imagination • The Significance of Social Inequality • Social inequality: condition in which members of society have differing amounts of wealth, prestige, or power • Speaking Across Race, Gender, and Religious Boundaries • Social Policy Throughout the World

26. Sociology in the Global Economy • The Global Response to the 2004 Tsunami • International relief effort obvious sign of globalization • Most devastation hit relatively poor areas of the world

27. Applied and Clinical Sociology Applied Sociology: discipline of sociology with specific intent of yielding practical applications for human behavior and organizations Clinical Sociology: dedicated to altering social relationships or to restructuring social institutions Basic Sociology: seeks more profound knowledge of the fundamental aspects of social phenomenon