Sociology An Introduction

Key terms- sociology, culture, socialization, social structure, conflict perspective, functionalist perspective, symbolic interaction perspective.

What is sociology? Sociology is one of the seven social sciences- history, anthropology, geography, economics, psychology, archeology, political science Sociology is the study of cultures, social structure and their effects and influence on behavior Need to use sociological imagination to look beyond the individual as the cause for success and failure. Need to see how society influence’s outcomes Look at suicide

Culture Culture is the knowledge, values, customs, and physical values shared by a society Family Marriage Issues such as race, gender and social control

Socialization Socialization is the cultural process of learning to participate in life What characteristics are influenced by nature (heredity) or nurture (contact with others)?

Social Structure Social Structure defines limits on our behavior, roles, social status, social institutions. Location on the social structure influences attitudes, perceptions and behavior People are divided by social class and social groups.

Sociological Perspectives Conflict Perspective- emphasis is on competition, change and constraint within society Focus on social classes and differences in wealth, power and prestige Upper classes control society’s wealth and resources and exploit lower classes Once a group has power they want to keep it and create advantages for themselves Major conflict theorists- Karl Marx, W.E.B. Du Bois, John Bellamy Foster Criticisms Conflict is not always a bad thing, competition can create excellence

Sociological Perspectives When people control try to enforce authority those not in control will resist. The result is a constant struggle over who has authority Lewis Coser looked at people in close relationships and described how these relationships divide responsibility and privileges. When the relationship changes conflicts will occur

Sociological Perspectives Symbolic Interaction How communication influences our interactions Root of society is from symbols Symbols help develop our worldview Vary from culture to culture

Symbolic interactionists see the self as a symbol- it consists of the ideas and symbols of who we are. Symbols tell us: Who we are related to and how to behave To tell time and how to coordinate our actions with other people Build buildings, make movies and music Without symbols no government, no hospitals, no religion

Sociological Perspectives Functionalism The central idea of this perspective is that society is made up of interrelated parts that make up the whole. Early sociologists saw society as a living organism that, in order to function smoothly all the parts had to work in harmony Functionalists look at the structure of society- how the parts fit together to make the whole They also investigate the function- what each part does and how it contributes to society Criticisms Does not take into account wealth and power Thinks that social change occurs slowly

Functional Analysis Sociologist Robert Merton dismissed the organic theory but kept the essence of functionalism- society as a whole composed of parts working together He used the term function to describe the beneficial aspects of society Dysfunctions are consequences that harm society. Functions can either be manifest or latent Manifest functions are intended to help the system Latent functions are unintended consequences of manifest functions Latent dysfunctions are consequences that harm the social system

Macro vs. Micro Perspectives

Other Sociological Perspectives Feminist Theory- How society is ordered around gender; inequality, oppression Exchange theory- Experiences consist of rewards and costs that lead to our choice of social interaction Environmental theory- how societies adjust as resources and the environment change

Sociology vs. Common Sense All questions are true/false More U.S. students are shot in school today than fifteen years ago. The earnings of U.S. women have caught up with men. When faced with natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes, people panic, and social organization disintegrates

4. Most rapists are mentally ill. 5 4. Most rapists are mentally ill. 5. Most people on welfare are lazy and looking for a handout. They could work if they wanted to. 6. Compared with women, men maintain more eye contact in face to face conversations

7. Couples that live together before marriage are more satisfied than couples that do not live together before marriage. 8. Most husbands that get laid off from work take up the slack and increase the amount of work they do around the house. 9. Students in Japan are under such intense pressure to do well in school their suicide rate is double that of U.S. high school students.

Assignment Of the three theoretical perspectives, which one do you think is the most effective in studying sociology? Why? You must answer both parts of the question to receive full credit.