What Is Sociology?  The systematic study of human society. ◦ Systematic  Scientific discipline that focuses attention on patterns of behavior. ◦ Human Society  Group behavior is the primary focus; how groups influence individuals and vice versa. ◦ At the “heart of sociology” is the sociological perspective, which offers a unique view of society.

The Sociological Imagination  Similar to the Sociological perspective.  Term coined by C. Wright Mills.  Transforms personal problems into public issues.  The understanding that social outcomes are shaped by social context, social actors, and social actions.

Sociology, Eleventh Edition

Sociology and Social Sciences Sociology – systematic study of society Social sciences and Natural Sciences Social sciences – various orientations History Political science Anthropology Sociology, Eleventh Edition

Common Sense vs. Scientific Evidence “Poor people are far more likely than rich people to break the law.” “Women are more chatty than men” All of these are disputed by sociological evidence!

Sociological theory – explaining social phenomenon Sociology, Eleventh Edition

What is theory and why is it important? Theory is a set of statements that seek to explain problems, actions and behavior. Explanatory and predictive power Durkheim’s study of suicide – Theory of social integration Sociology, Eleventh Edition

The Origins of Sociology  One of the youngest academic disciplines. ◦ Comte coined the term in  Three Important Changes: ◦ Industrialization ◦ Urbanization ◦ Political Revolution  These changes made people more aware of, and interested in, their surroundings.

The Origins of Sociology  Early Goal: Understand how society operates.  Early Beliefs: ◦ Society operates according to its own laws. ◦ Society is a system we can study scientifically. ◦ We can act intentionally to change our lives. (Optimists! Revolutionaries!)  Comte’s major contribution was to apply the scientific approach to the study of society. (Positivism)

Verstehen  Studying human behavior is far more complex and difficult than the study of other things because we are creatures of imagination and spontaneity. ◦ Human behavior can never be fully explained by the rigid laws of society.  Weber’s Verstehen (German for Understanding) ◦ Sociologists are the only scientists who totally understand – have first-person knowledge of – their subject matter.  Ex: Cell vs. People – Why do they behave a certain way?

Early Thinkers August Comte Harriet Martineau Herbert Spencer Durkheim Max Weber Karl Marx Sociology, Eleventh Edition

Sociological Theory

 Theory - a statement of how and why facts are related  Sociological theory explains social behavior in the real world.  Theories are tested by gathering evidence.  2 Fundamental Questions in Theory Building: ◦ What issues should we study? ◦ How should we connect the facts?  Sociologists look to one or more theoretical approaches to formulate theory. ◦ Theoretical Approach (or Paradigm) - a set of fundamental assumptions that guides thinking ◦ 3 Major Sociological Paradigms  Structural-Functional  Social-Conflict  Symbolic-Interaction

Structural –Functional Paradigm  S-F Approach – a framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability  Points to social structure, any relatively stable pattern of social behavior.  Shape our lives!  Examples: Families, the Workplace, Education  Looks for each SS’s social functions, the consequences of a social pattern for the operation of society as a whole.  All social patterns function to tie people together and to keep society going in its present form.  Macro-Level Orientation – a broad focus on social structures that shape society a whole

Who’s Who in S-F?  Auguste Comte ◦ Pointed out the need to keep society unified when traditions were breaking down rapidly.  Emile Durkheim ◦ Helped establish sociology as a university discipline.  Herbert Spencer ◦ Compared society to the human body (the organic approach).  Talcott Parsons ◦ Sought to identify tasks that every society must perform.  Robert K. Merton ◦ Pointed out that social structures all have many functions, some more obvious than others. ◦ Distinguished between: ◦ Manifest & Latent Functions ◦ & Dysfunctions (-)

Merton on Functions  Manifest Functions – the recognized and intended consequences of any social pattern  Latent Functions – the unrecognized and unintended consequences of any social pattern  Example: Higher Education  Manifest Functions?  Provide information and skills people need to hold jobs.  Latent Functions?  Marriage Brokering  Limiting Unemployment  But not all the effects of social structure are good…  Social Dysfunction – any social pattern that may disrupt the operation of society  Examples?  Rising Immigration  Increasing Income Inequality

Social-Conflict Paradigm  Social-Conflict Approach – a framework for building theory that sees society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and change  Highlights how factors such as class, race, ethnicity, gender, and age are linked to inequality in terms of money, power, education, and social prestige.  Rejects the S-F idea that social structure promotes the operation of society as a whole, focusing instead on how any social pattern benefits some people while hurting others.

Social-Conflict Paradigm  S-C theorists look at ongoing conflict between dominant and disadvantaged categories of people.  People on top try to protect their privileges while the disadvantaged try to gain more for themselves.  Example: Higher Education  Schooling reproduces class inequality from one generation to the next by “tracking” students into either college prep or vocational courses.  Many sociologists use S-C analysis to help reduce inequality.  Macro-Level Orientation  Who’s Who?: Karl Marx - Emphasized the importance of social class in inequality and social conflict.

Symbolic-Interaction Paradigm  Symbolic-Interaction Approach – a framework for building theory that sees society as the product of the everyday interactions of individuals  Micro-Level Orientation – a close-up focus on social interaction in specific situations  Examples: Studying how children invent games on a playground or observing how pedestrians respond to homeless people.  Sees society as nothing more than the reality that people construct for themselves as they interact with one another.  We live in a word of symbols and we attach meaning to virtually all of these.  Example: Words, Wink, Flag  Therefore we create reality as we define our surroundings, decide what we think of others, and shape our own identities.

Who’s Who in S-I?  Max Weber (Doesn’t really fit in any one paradigm.) ◦ Taught us to understand a setting from the POV of the people in it.  George Herbert Mead ◦ Examined how personalities develop from social experience.  Erving Goffman ◦ Creator of dramaturgical analysis, which describes how we resemble actors on a stage as we play out our various roles.  George Homans & Peter Blau ◦ Creators of social-exchange analysis, the idea that interaction is guided be what each person stands to gain and lose from others. (Ex: Courtship)