ANTHONY GIDDENS ● MITCHELL DUNEIER ● RICHARD APPELBAUM ● DEBORA CARR Slides created by Shannon Anderson, Roanoke College Third Edition 1 Chapter 1: Sociology: Theory and Method

© 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. What Is Sociology? Sociology is the scientific study of human social life, groups, and societies. Sociology shows us that aspects of life we consider natural or take for granted are influenced by social and historical forces. Sociology is a discipline that insists on studying people within their social context. 2

© 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. The Sociological Imagination C. Wright Mills (1959) coined this phrase, which explained the need to move from away from viewing problems as personal troubles and toward recognizing them as public issues. An important part of learning to think sociologically is to gain and utilize the sociological imagination. 3

© 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. Social Structure Goal of sociology: to understand the connections between what society makes of us and what we make of ourselves. What we do both gives shape to and is shaped by society. That is, we structure society and at the same time are structured by society. 4

© 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. Social Structure Our lives are structured, or patterned, in particular, non-random, ways. Social structures are dynamic. Societies are always in the process of structuration, which means they are constantly being affected by human actions. 5

© 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. A Global Perspective As sociologists, we must now be global observers. Globalization affects all of us every day, both as individuals and as members of nation-states, economic markets, and more. A global view offers insight into worldwide connections, as well as a point of comparison. 6

© 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. Social Change Sociology was born during the upheaval that accompanied industrialization in Western Europe. Many early social thinkers dedicated their research to better understanding the massive social change they witnessed. The discipline developed with an eye toward understanding history and change. 7

© 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. Social Change Today Social change continues: for most of human history, the vast majority of people lived in small, isolated groups. By 2050, nearly 70 percent of all people will live in urban settings. The development of technology and communications capabilities continue to alter the way humans live. 8

© 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. Social Theory Social theories intend to explain, not what is happening, but why. There are many theoretical approaches in sociology: sociologists do not all agree on any given topic, but theories must be based on facts. Research and theory cannot, and should not, be separate enterprises. 9

© 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. Early Theorists Auguste Comte –French philosopher who is credited with giving the discipline its name. –Believed in creating a science of the social world to be used for improving people’s lives. –Saw sociology as the “last science” to be developed. 10

Auguste Comte ( 1798– 1857) Essentials Of Sociology, 3rd Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company

© 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. Early Theorists Émile Durkheim –Drawing on Comte’s notion of sociology as a science, Durkheim set out to study social facts. These are those aspects of social life—for example, religion, the economy—that shape individual action. –Saw society as a body that needed all its parts to function in harmony. 12

Émile Durkheim ( 1858– 1917) Essentials Of Sociology, 3rd Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company

© 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. Early Theorists Émile Durkheim –Was interested in what societies needed to function smoothly. –Studied social constraint, social isolation, and anomie (normlessness) in relation to social change and human behaviors such as suicide. 14

© 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. Early Theorists Karl Marx –In seeking to explain social change Marx looked primarily to the economy. –Developed what is called a materialist conception of history, whereby the economy, and not values, culture, or ideas, drives social change. –Focused primarily on the ills of capitalism and its class system. 15

Karl Marx ( 1818– 1883) Essentials Of Sociology, 3rd Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company

© 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. Early Theorists Karl Marx –Predicted that ultimately the class conflict built in to the capitalist system would lead to its demise and that a new, classless society would emerge. –Marx’s ideas have had a great deal of influence, both within sociology and in world political history. 17

© 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. Early Theorists Max Weber –Though he, too, was interested in explaining social change, Weber saw power, not only in the economy, but also in ideas and values. –In particular Weber argued that Christianity, in the form of the Protestant work ethic, played an important role in the development of capitalism. 18

Max Weber ( 1864– 1920) Essentials Of Sociology, 3rd Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company

© 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. Early Theorists Max Weber –Was also interested in the increasing rationality of the social world and studied the structure of bureaucracies. –Studied many other aspects of social life, including religion, law, and power, and was always attuned to the ways people make meaning out of life. 20

© 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. Neglected Founders Harriet Martineau was a scholar and activist who introduced sociology to England. Among other things, she insisted on the significance of studying domestic life to better understand a society. 21

© 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. Neglected Founders W.E.B. Du Bois was the first significant African American sociologist. He made many contributions to the field, including the notion of the “double consciousness” experienced by all American blacks. Du Bois was also a founding member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). 22

© 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. Contemporary Theory Symbolic Interactionism –All social interaction involves an exchange of information via symbols. –This exchange may be through language, but may also be non-verbal or may be conveyed by setting. –We learn about ourselves and the world through this meaningful interaction. –Key figure: George Herbert Mead 23

© 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. Contemporary Theory Functionalism –This perspective is derived from Comte and Durkheim and emphasizes large-scale social institutions and processes. –Functionalist approaches are focus on understanding the role or contribution of some event, activity, or institution to the workings of society as a whole. –Modern figures: Talcott Parsons, Robert K. Merton 24

© 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. Contemporary Theory Marxism –Those working under this approach derive their approach from Marx, most significantly as regards concerns about power, conflict, and ideology. –This perspective is most commonly applied to capitalism and economic systems. –Marxist thinkers tend to take on an activist stance in addition to a scholarly one. 25

© 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. Contemporary Theory Feminist theory begins from the perspective that women’s lives and experiences have largely been ignored and must be brought to the forefront of sociological thinking. Postmodern theory takes the position that social life is not based on any kind of linear history, but is rather always in flux. The media is often seen as a key player in how people understand their lives. 26

© 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. Levels of Analysis Microsociology is the study of everyday, face-to-face interaction. Symbolic interactionists study primarily at this level of analysis. Macrosociology is the analysis of large social systems and institutions. Functionalists and Marxists fall largely under this heading. In practice, these two levels of analysis work best when applied in concert. 27

© 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. Research Methods: Questions Sociology, as a social science, must take an empirical approach to answering questions about the world. Sociologists ask four primary types of questions: factual, comparative, developmental, and theoretical. 28

Table 1.2 A Sociologist’s Line of Questioning Essentials Of Sociology, 3rd Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company

© 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. Research Methods: Seven Steps 1.Define the research problem. 2.Review the evidence—do a literature review. 3.Make the problem precise—specify your hypothesis. 4.Work out a research design. 5.Carry out the research—collect your data. 6.Interpret the results—analyze your data. 7.Report the findings—publish or present them. 30

© 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. Research Methods Ethnography, or participant observation, is a method frequently used to study people in their own settings. Surveys are a more structured research method where specific, carefully constructed questions are asked to specific, carefully selected individuals. 31

© 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. Research Methods Sociologists occasionally use experimental designs when highly controlled conditions are necessary to answer research questions. Comparative and historical research are approaches that allow researchers to understand variations in social phenomena across both time and space. 32

© 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. Research Methods: Ethics Because sociologists are dealing with real people in their everyday lives, we must be very cautious in our work. All research that directly involves human subjects must first be approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB). Study participants must give informed consent prior to agreeing to participate and must be debriefed after. 33

© 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. This concludes the Lecture PowerPoint Presentation for 34 For more learning resources, please visit our online StudySpace at: W. W. Norton & Company Independent and Employee-Owned Chapter 1: Sociology: Theory and Method

© 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. Clicker Questions 1. What is sociology? a. Sociology is the study of individuals. b. Sociology is the study of personality, cognition, emotion, and motivation. c. Sociology is the study of human social life, groups, and societies, focusing on the industrialized world. d. Sociology is a branch of the Social Reform movement. It is dedicated to providing a scientific underpinning for the Liberal and Social Democratic political agendas. 35

© 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. Clicker Questions 2. What is the sociological imagination? a. It is the ability to “think ourselves away” from the familiar routines of our daily lives in order to look at them anew. b. It is the study of the way private troubles aggregate into public issues. c. It is the worldview of Karl Marx. d. It is the application of Liberal and Socialist political values to social scientific inquiry. 36

© 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. Clicker Questions 3. The social contexts of our lives consist of more than just random assortments of actions or events; there are regularities in the ways we behave and in the relationships we have with one another. This patterned nature of social contexts is what sociologists refer to as which one of the following? a. structuration b. functionalism c. macrosociology d. social structure 37

© 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. Clicker Questions 4. What is microsociology? a. the study of the internal dynamics of individual consciousness b. the study of face-to-face interaction in everyday life c. the study of children in social life d. another name for the sociology of computing 38

© 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. Clicker Questions 5. Sociology can be considered a science because it does which of the following? a. It uses systematic methods of empirical investigation to study a phenomenon. b. It uses haphazard methods of theoretical thinking. c. It involves the making of recommendations to policy makers. d. It is conducted by people with advanced professional degrees wearing white lab coats. 39

© 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. Clicker Questions 6. Which of the following best reflects the definition of ethnography? a. the study of ethnicity, race, and urban social relations in multicultural contexts b. questions that relate to the knowledge produced when sociologists link a current phenomenon to historical forces c. the study of something with a historical basis (e.g., the Russian Revolution) and involving the analysis of documentary sources such as government statistics, newspapers, and so on, to explain a type of human behavior during a certain time in history. d. a way of studying people firsthand using participant observation or interviewing 40

© 2011 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. Clicker Questions 7. Sociologists ask factual, comparative, developmental, and theoretical questions as they study the social world. Which type of question is the following: “What accounts for the decline in the proportion of the population voting in presidential elections in recent years?” a. factual b. comparative c. Developmental d. theoretical 41

Art Presentation Slides Anthony Giddens Mitchell Duneier Richard P. Appelbaum Deborah Carr Chapter 1 Sociology: Theory and Method

Chapter Opener Essentials Of Sociology, 3rd Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company

What is the origin of romantic love? Originally, romantic love was limited to affairs for medieval aristocrats such as Tristan and Isolde, the subjects of a thirteenth century court romance who inspired poems, operas, and films. Essentials Of Sociology, 3rd Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company

“How would you like me to answer that question? As a member of my ethnic group, educational class, income group, or religious category?” Essentials Of Sociology, 3rd Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company

Globalization and Everyday Life Essentials Of Sociology, 3rd Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company

Globalization and Everyday Life Essentials Of Sociology, 3rd Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company

Do-It-Yourself Essentials Of Sociology, 3rd Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company

Auguste Comte ( 1798– 1857) Essentials Of Sociology, 3rd Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company

Émile Durkheim ( 1858– 1917) Essentials Of Sociology, 3rd Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company

Karl Marx ( 1818– 1883) Essentials Of Sociology, 3rd Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company

Max Weber ( 1864– 1920) Essentials Of Sociology, 3rd Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company

Table 1.1 Interpreting Modern Development Essentials Of Sociology, 3rd Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company

Harriet Martineau ( 1802– 1876) Essentials Of Sociology, 3rd Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company

W. E. B. Du Bois ( 1868– 1963) Essentials Of Sociology, 3rd Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company

Figure 1.1 Theoretical Approaches in Sociology Essentials Of Sociology, 3rd Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company

New York City’s Times Square serves as the backdrop for live television programs such as ESPN’s Sports Center and Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rock in’ Eve with Ryan Sea crest. Essentials Of Sociology, 3rd Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company

Table 1.2 A Sociologist’s Line of Questioning Essentials Of Sociology, 3rd Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company

Figure 1.2 Steps in the Research Process Essentials Of Sociology, 3rd Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company

In looking at this painting by Brueghel, we can observe the number of people, what each is doing, the style of the buildings, or the colors the painter chose. Essentials Of Sociology, 3rd Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company

Table 1.3 Three of the Main Methods Used in Sociological Research Essentials Of Sociology, 3rd Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company

In Philip Zimbardo’s make- believe jail, tension between students playing guards and students playing prisoners became dangerously real Essentials Of Sociology, 3rd Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company

Table 1.4 A Automobile Ownership: Comparisons of Several Selected Countries Essentials Of Sociology, 3rd Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company

W.W. Norton & Company Independent and Employee-Owned Essentials Of Sociology THIRD EDITION This concludes the Art Presentation Slides Slide Set for Chapter 1 by Anthony Giddens Mitchell Duneier Richard P. Appelbaum Deborah Carr