Lecture Slides Introduction to Sociology, 5th edition Anthony Giddens, Mitchell Duneier and Richard Appelbaum Slides created by Dr. Huei-Hsia Wu, Boise State University

Chapter 1: What is Sociology?

What is Sociology? Lecture Outline Developing A Sociological Perspective Development of Sociological Thinking Is Sociology A Science How Can Sociology Help Us in Our Lives

What Is Sociology? Sociology -The systematic study of human societies, with special emphasis on social groups in modern industrialized systems.

Chapter 1 What Is Sociology- Social Structure Patterns of social behavior E.g., divorce, substance abuse, aging, immigration, unemployment, underemployment, overwork, lower pay etc. However, they are public issues at the societal level. Social structure is an active & constantly changing social force. It varies across space & time. Social structure The patterns in our social behavior On an individual level, divorce & unemployment are experienced as personal troubles. However, in the U.S., divorce & unemployment have touched millions of lives and are, thus, public issues. When we make the perceptual shift from personal troubles to public issues, we are exercising our sociological imagination and making the social structure apparent.

Chapter 1 What Is Sociology- Structuration Social World Human behavior & thinking Structuration

Chapter 1 What Is Sociology Slide 7 Chapter 1 What Is Sociology Culture Socialization Social interaction Social organizations & institutions Social inequality Environment   Human behavior & thinking

Scope of Sociology The scope of sociology: studying all human relationships, groups, institutions, and societies. E.g., romantic love & marriage, gay family & marriage….(continued) Structuration - two-way process by which we shape our social world through our individual actions and by which we are shaped by society. - We are constantly engaged in the process of structuration.

Scope of sociology? Health & illness, racial & ethnic conflicts, poverty, education, immigration, sexuality, gender, class, and crime & punishment, environment & economic development all come under the scope of sociology.

The Development of Sociological Thinking Slide 10 The Development of Sociological Thinking Merton’s Micro and Macro Approaches to the Study of Society Macro-sociology: large-scale phenomena Micro-sociology: individual characteristics & social interactions Merton’s Micro and Macro Approaches to the Study of Society Macrosociology: large-scale phenomena (e.g., entire civilizations, groups, institutions, social patterns) Microsociology: Stresses the study of individual characteristics, social interactions, use of symbols (e.g., language).

Macrosociology Micro-sociology  

More Sociological Imagination: Globalization Globalization refers to our increasing interdependence with people around the world.

A Global View of the Changing World There are several major impacts of globalization in contemporary societies: -A revolution in communications The past few years have seen a revolution in communications, linked to the connection of satellite technology to computers. We can communicate with anyone, at any point in the earth, and at any time in an instantaneous way. Instantaneous communication changes many aspects of how we live. Cultural globalization is evident in the spread of the English language around the world and in the films and TV programmers that are sometimes seen by hundreds of millions of people in different countries. Politically, the world is more inter-connected than it ever was before: most governments now recognize that there are many decisions which can't be tackled simply on a national level - an example is ecological issues, which truly need to be confronted globally as well as locally. The second big influence is that of technological change. Information technology is altering many of the ways in which we work and in which we live. The nature of the jobs people do, for example, has been transformed. There are far fewer people working today working making manufactured goods than once was the case. Many such jobs have become automated, as a result of the introduction of information technology. The third fundamental set of changes is in our everyday lives. Our lives are structured less by the past than by our anticipated future. Habit, custom and tradition play less of a role for us than they did for previous generations, especially in the industrialized areas of the world. A good example here is the changing role of women. Women's role in society used to be largely fixed by tradition: it consisted mainly of a home centered life, involving learning for children. Today, however, women want increasingly to live more autonomous lives; and in Western countries large numbers of women now are in the paid Labor force. Sociology has a crucial part to play in working out both why these trends have become so important and what their likely consequences will be. Q: Which single thinker or writer do you think has the greatest impact upon the nature of sociology today? I would tend to say that Max Weber has had the most pervasive and enduring impact on sociology. Weber is one of the three "founding fathers of sociology, the others being Karl Marx and Emile Durkheim. Marx's theories, of course, held sway across much of the world for most of the twentieth century. But they are in some respects now completely discredited. Durkheim's ideas have been a source of inspiration to many sociologists. For instance, in his book The Division of Labor in Society Durkheim set out a theory of social change which many subsequent sociologists have made use of. The same goes for his writings on social cohesion and on the social origins of religion. But in spite of Durkheim's very wide influence, I think Max Weber is really the key figure. He wrote on so many different areas that have influenced subsequent sociologists - including religion and the rise of capitalism, the nature of capitalist society, modern democracy, cities and urban life, class and stratification and many other fields besides. He also wrote a series of profound essays on logical and methodological problems of the social sciences. Most of his writings don't seem at all dated when we read them today. 1. from satellite to computer technology. We can communicate with anyone, at any point in the earth, and at any time in an instantaneous way. Instantaneous communication changes many aspects of how we live. We live in a world of quite dramatic change. Some thinkers believe that the world is changing as fundamentally today as happened with the early development of industrial society in the late eighteenth century. I think there is a good deal of truth in this view. There are three major sets of changes happening in contemporary societies and it is the task of sociology to analyze what they mean for our lives today. They are the following: First, the impact of globalization. "Globalization" refers to our increasing interdependence. Our lives are more closely tied than ever before to events and happenings many miles away, sometimes even on the other side of the world. The influence of globalization is everywhere, including in the poorest countries in the world. Its most obvious expression is to be found in the role of financial markets, whose fluctuations affect each and every one of us. But globalization isn't just economic: it refers also to the increasing intensity of communication, and to greater cultural and political integration. The past few years have seen a revolution in communications, linked to the connection of satellite technology to computers. We can communicate with anyone, at any point in the earth, and at any time in an instantaneous way. Instantaneous communication changes many aspects of how we live. Cultural globalization is evident in the spread of the English language around the world and in the films and TV programmers that are sometimes seen by hundreds of millions of people in different countries. Politically, the world is more inter-connected than it ever was before: most governments now recognize that there are many decisions which can't be tackled simply on a national level - an example is ecological issues, which truly need to be confronted globally as well as locally.

A Global View of the Changing World -The technological change, especially IT the nature of jobs. Q: why type of jobs are related to information technology? The past few years have seen a revolution in communications, linked to the connection of satellite technology to computers. We can communicate with anyone, at any point in the earth, and at any time in an instantaneous way. Instantaneous communication changes many aspects of how we live. Cultural globalization is evident in the spread of the English language around the world and in the films and TV programmers that are sometimes seen by hundreds of millions of people in different countries. Politically, the world is more inter-connected than it ever was before: most governments now recognize that there are many decisions which can't be tackled simply on a national level - an example is ecological issues, which truly need to be confronted globally as well as locally. The second big influence is that of technological change. Information technology is altering many of the ways in which we work and in which we live. The nature of the jobs people do, for example, has been transformed. There are far fewer people working today working making manufactured goods than once was the case. Many such jobs have become automated, as a result of the introduction of information technology. The third fundamental set of changes is in our everyday lives. Our lives are structured less by the past than by our anticipated future. Habit, custom and tradition play less of a role for us than they did for previous generations, especially in the industrialized areas of the world. A good example here is the changing role of women. Women's role in society used to be largely fixed by tradition: it consisted mainly of a home centered life, involving learning for children. Today, however, women want increasingly to live more autonomous lives; and in Western countries large numbers of women now are in the paid Labor force. Sociology has a crucial part to play in working out both why these trends have become so important and what their likely consequences will be. Q: Which single thinker or writer do you think has the greatest impact upon the nature of sociology today? I would tend to say that Max Weber has had the most pervasive and enduring impact on sociology. Weber is one of the three "founding fathers of sociology, the others being Karl Marx and Emile Durkheim. Marx's theories, of course, held sway across much of the world for most of the twentieth century. But they are in some respects now completely discredited. Durkheim's ideas have been a source of inspiration to many sociologists. For instance, in his book The Division of Labor in Society Durkheim set out a theory of social change which many subsequent sociologists have made use of. The same goes for his writings on social cohesion and on the social origins of religion. But in spite of Durkheim's very wide influence, I think Max Weber is really the key figure. He wrote on so many different areas that have influenced subsequent sociologists - including religion and the rise of capitalism, the nature of capitalist society, modern democracy, cities and urban life, class and stratification and many other fields besides. He also wrote a series of profound essays on logical and methodological problems of the social sciences. Most of his writings don't seem at all dated when we read them today. 1. from satellite to computer technology. We can communicate with anyone, at any point in the earth, and at any time in an instantaneous way. Instantaneous communication changes many aspects of how we live. We live in a world of quite dramatic change. Some thinkers believe that the world is changing as fundamentally today as happened with the early development of industrial society in the late eighteenth century. I think there is a good deal of truth in this view. There are three major sets of changes happening in contemporary societies and it is the task of sociology to analyze what they mean for our lives today. They are the following: First, the impact of globalization. "Globalization" refers to our increasing interdependence. Our lives are more closely tied than ever before to events and happenings many miles away, sometimes even on the other side of the world. The influence of globalization is everywhere, including in the poorest countries in the world. Its most obvious expression is to be found in the role of financial markets, whose fluctuations affect each and every one of us. But globalization isn't just economic: it refers also to the increasing intensity of communication, and to greater cultural and political integration. The past few years have seen a revolution in communications, linked to the connection of satellite technology to computers. We can communicate with anyone, at any point in the earth, and at any time in an instantaneous way. Instantaneous communication changes many aspects of how we live. Cultural globalization is evident in the spread of the English language around the world and in the films and TV programmers that are sometimes seen by hundreds of millions of people in different countries. Politically, the world is more inter-connected than it ever was before: most governments now recognize that there are many decisions which can't be tackled simply on a national level - an example is ecological issues, which truly need to be confronted globally as well as locally.

A Global View of the Changing World Cultural globalization (or Cultural imperialism): English, TV programs We live in a world of quite dramatic change. Some thinkers believe that the world is changing as fundamentally today as happened with the early development of industrial society in the late eighteenth century. I think there is a good deal of truth in this view. There are three major sets of changes happening in contemporary societies and it is the task of sociology to analyze what they mean for our lives today. They are the following: First, the impact of globalization. "Globalization" refers to our increasing interdependence. Our lives are more closely tied than ever before to events and happenings many miles away, sometimes even on the other side of the world. The influence of globalization is everywhere, including in the poorest countries in the world. Its most obvious expression is to be found in the role of financial markets, whose fluctuations affect each and every one of us. But globalization isn't just economic: it refers also to the increasing intensity of communication, and to greater cultural and political integration. The past few years have seen a revolution in communications, linked to the connection of satellite technology to computers. We can communicate with anyone, at any point in the earth, and at any time in an instantaneous way. Instantaneous communication changes many aspects of how we live. Cultural globalization is evident in the spread of the English language around the world and in the films and TV programmers that are sometimes seen by hundreds of millions of people in different countries. Politically, the world is more inter-connected than it ever was before: most governments now recognize that there are many decisions which can't be tackled simply on a national level - an example is ecological issues, which truly need to be confronted globally as well as locally. The second big influence is that of technological change. Information technology is altering many of the ways in which we work and in which we live. The nature of the jobs people do, for example, has been transformed. There are far fewer people working today working making manufactured goods than once was the case. Many such jobs have become automated, as a result of the introduction of information technology. The third fundamental set of changes is in our everyday lives. Our lives are structured less by the past than by our anticipated future. Habit, custom and tradition play less of a role for us than they did for previous generations, especially in the industrialized areas of the world. A good example here is the changing role of women. Women's role in society used to be largely fixed by tradition: it consisted mainly of a home centered life, involving learning for children. Today, however, women want increasingly to live more autonomous lives; and in Western countries large numbers of women now are in the paid Labor force. Sociology has a crucial part to play in working out both why these trends have become so important and what their likely consequences will be. Q: Which single thinker or writer do you think has the greatest impact upon the nature of sociology today? I would tend to say that Max Weber has had the most pervasive and enduring impact on sociology. Weber is one of the three "founding fathers of sociology, the others being Karl Marx and Emile Durkheim. Marx's theories, of course, held sway across much of the world for most of the twentieth century. But they are in some respects now completely discredited. Durkheim's ideas have been a source of inspiration to many sociologists. For instance, in his book The Division of Labor in Society Durkheim set out a theory of social change which many subsequent sociologists have made use of. The same goes for his writings on social cohesion and on the social origins of religion. But in spite of Durkheim's very wide influence, I think Max Weber is really the key figure. He wrote on so many different areas that have influenced subsequent sociologists - including religion and the rise of capitalism, the nature of capitalist society, modern democracy, cities and urban life, class and stratification and many other fields besides. He also wrote a series of profound essays on logical and methodological problems of the social sciences. Most of his writings don't seem at all dated when we read them today.

A Global View of the Changing World Global economy Global politics (alliance, pollution) Q: How do our lives change during the post-industrial era? We live in a world of quite dramatic change. Some thinkers believe that the world is changing as fundamentally today as happened with the early development of industrial society in the late eighteenth century. I think there is a good deal of truth in this view. There are three major sets of changes happening in contemporary societies and it is the task of sociology to analyze what they mean for our lives today. They are the following: First, the impact of globalization. "Globalization" refers to our increasing interdependence. Our lives are more closely tied than ever before to events and happenings many miles away, sometimes even on the other side of the world. The influence of globalization is everywhere, including in the poorest countries in the world. Its most obvious expression is to be found in the role of financial markets, whose fluctuations affect each and every one of us. But globalization isn't just economic: it refers also to the increasing intensity of communication, and to greater cultural and political integration. The past few years have seen a revolution in communications, linked to the connection of satellite technology to computers. We can communicate with anyone, at any point in the earth, and at any time in an instantaneous way. Instantaneous communication changes many aspects of how we live. Cultural globalization is evident in the spread of the English language around the world and in the films and TV programmers that are sometimes seen by hundreds of millions of people in different countries. Politically, the world is more inter-connected than it ever was before: most governments now recognize that there are many decisions which can't be tackled simply on a national level - an example is ecological issues, which truly need to be confronted globally as well as locally. The second big influence is that of technological change. Information technology is altering many of the ways in which we work and in which we live. The nature of the jobs people do, for example, has been transformed. There are far fewer people working today working making manufactured goods than once was the case. Many such jobs have become automated, as a result of the introduction of information technology. The third fundamental set of changes is in our everyday lives. Our lives are structured less by the past than by our anticipated future. Habit, custom and tradition play less of a role for us than they did for previous generations, especially in the industrialized areas of the world. A good example here is the changing role of women. Women's role in society used to be largely fixed by tradition: it consisted mainly of a home centered life, involving learning for children. Today, however, women want increasingly to live more autonomous lives; and in Western countries large numbers of women now are in the paid Labor force. Sociology has a crucial part to play in working out both why these trends have become so important and what their likely consequences will be. Q: Which single thinker or writer do you think has the greatest impact upon the nature of sociology today? I would tend to say that Max Weber has had the most pervasive and enduring impact on sociology. Weber is one of the three "founding fathers of sociology, the others being Karl Marx and Emile Durkheim. Marx's theories, of course, held sway across much of the world for most of the twentieth century. But they are in some respects now completely discredited. Durkheim ideas have been a source of inspiration to many sociologists. For instance, in his book The Division of Labor in Society Durkheim set out a theory of social change which many subsequent sociologists have made use of. The same goes for his writings on social cohesion and on the social origins of religion. But in spite of Durkheim very wide influence, I think Max Weber is really the key figure. He wrote on so many different areas that have influenced subsequent sociologists - including religion and the rise of capitalism, the nature of capitalist society, modern democracy, cities and urban life, class and stratification and many other fields besides. He also wrote a series of profound essays on logical and methodological problems of the social sciences. Most of his writings don't seem at all dated when we read them today. Women's role in society used to be largely fixed by tradition: it consisted mainly of a home centered life, involving learning for children. Today, however, women want increasingly to live more autonomous lives; and in Western countries large numbers of women now are in the paid Labor force.

A Global View of the Changing World Changes is in our everyday lives: tradition  more tech. Clothing, games, food, alliances etc. Q: How do our lives change during the post-industrial era? We live in a world of quite dramatic change. Some thinkers believe that the world is changing as fundamentally today as happened with the early development of industrial society in the late eighteenth century. I think there is a good deal of truth in this view. There are three major sets of changes happening in contemporary societies and it is the task of sociology to analyze what they mean for our lives today. They are the following: First, the impact of globalization. "Globalization" refers to our increasing interdependence. Our lives are more closely tied than ever before to events and happenings many miles away, sometimes even on the other side of the world. The influence of globalization is everywhere, including in the poorest countries in the world. Its most obvious expression is to be found in the role of financial markets, whose fluctuations affect each and every one of us. But globalization isn't just economic: it refers also to the increasing intensity of communication, and to greater cultural and political integration. The past few years have seen a revolution in communications, linked to the connection of satellite technology to computers. We can communicate with anyone, at any point in the earth, and at any time in an instantaneous way. Instantaneous communication changes many aspects of how we live. Cultural globalization is evident in the spread of the English language around the world and in the films and TV programmers that are sometimes seen by hundreds of millions of people in different countries. Politically, the world is more inter-connected than it ever was before: most governments now recognize that there are many decisions which can't be tackled simply on a national level - an example is ecological issues, which truly need to be confronted globally as well as locally. The second big influence is that of technological change. Information technology is altering many of the ways in which we work and in which we live. The nature of the jobs people do, for example, has been transformed. There are far fewer people working today working making manufactured goods than once was the case. Many such jobs have become automated, as a result of the introduction of information technology. The third fundamental set of changes is in our everyday lives. Our lives are structured less by the past than by our anticipated future. Habit, custom and tradition play less of a role for us than they did for previous generations, especially in the industrialized areas of the world. A good example here is the changing role of women. Women's role in society used to be largely fixed by tradition: it consisted mainly of a home centered life, involving learning for children. Today, however, women want increasingly to live more autonomous lives; and in Western countries large numbers of women now are in the paid Labor force. Sociology has a crucial part to play in working out both why these trends have become so important and what their likely consequences will be. Q: Which single thinker or writer do you think has the greatest impact upon the nature of sociology today? I would tend to say that Max Weber has had the most pervasive and enduring impact on sociology. Weber is one of the three "founding fathers of sociology, the others being Karl Marx and Emile Durkheim. Marx's theories, of course, held sway across much of the world for most of the twentieth century. But they are in some respects now completely discredited. Durkheim ideas have been a source of inspiration to many sociologists. For instance, in his book The Division of Labor in Society Durkheim set out a theory of social change which many subsequent sociologists have made use of. The same goes for his writings on social cohesion and on the social origins of religion. But in spite of Durkheim very wide influence, I think Max Weber is really the key figure. He wrote on so many different areas that have influenced subsequent sociologists - including religion and the rise of capitalism, the nature of capitalist society, modern democracy, cities and urban life, class and stratification and many other fields besides. He also wrote a series of profound essays on logical and methodological problems of the social sciences. Most of his writings don't seem at all dated when we read them today. Women's role in society used to be largely fixed by tradition: it consisted mainly of a home centered life, involving learning for children. Today, however, women want increasingly to live more autonomous lives; and in Western countries large numbers of women now are in the paid Labor force.

Sociological Imagination Slide 18 Sociological Imagination C. Wright Mills (1959) -“think ourselves away” from the familiar routines of our daily lives -look at them anew -E.g., drinking a cup of coffee Sociology was born in an attempt to explain the social changes resulting from the Industrial Revolution. Sociological perspective will help us to understand this world and the future it is likely to hold for us. Developing a sociological perspective requires looking beyond surface explanations for social phenomena; it requires the use of imagination. The sociological imagination refers to our ability to break free from our particular circumstances and see our social world in a new light. Developing a global perspective has great importance for sociology. It opens our eyes to the fact that our interdependence with other societies means that our actions have consequences for others and that the world’s problems affect us.

Developing Sociological Perspective Slide 19 Developing Sociological Perspective Social reproduction -the way societies keep going over time. Social transformation -processes of changes derived from conscious intentions to change -processes of unintended outcomes via social reproduction Sociology studies the resulting balance between these two processes.

Sociological Imagination: Sociology of Coffee A ritual: A cup of coffee in the morning = a daily routine A symbolic value: drinking & eating provide occasions for social interaction and the enactment of rituals

Sociological Imagination: Sociology of Coffee A symbolic value: social interaction & the enactment of rituals Use as a drug: an “extra lift.” A symbolic value: drinking & eating provide occasions for social interaction and the enactment of rituals

Sociological Imagination: Sociology of Coffee Interdependency among regions: Coffee is grown in Latin America, Hawaii, India & Southeast Asia. Interdependency among regions The growing, packaging, distributing and marketing of coffee is a global enterprise affecting several cultures, social groups and organizations within those cultures, and thousands of individuals

In-Class Discussion-Sociology of Tea

Level of Analysis: Macro-Sociology & Micro-Sociology Microsociology - the study of everyday behavior in situations of face-to-face interaction. Macrosociology - the analysis of large-scale social systems. The two are closely connected. Microsociology - the study of everyday behavior in situations of face-to-face interaction. Macrosociology - the analysis of large-scale social systems. The two are closely connected.

The Development of Sociological Thinking Sociology encompasses a diversity of theoretical approaches. Theories - constructing abstract interpretations that can be used to explain a wide variety of empirical situations.

Early Sociologists Auguste Comte He invented the word “sociology.” Scientific evidence Seeing sociology as a means to predict & control human behavior, which in turn contributes to human welfare.

Early Sociologists Emile Durkheim Social changes & division of labor Sociology must study social facts Harmony among specialized institutions Society is an integrated whole (organic solidarity). Emile Durkheim - social change is based upon the development of division of labor. Durkheim emphasized that sociology must study social facts, aspects of social life that shape our actions as individuals. For a study to have a continuing existence over time, its specialized institutions must work in harmony with one another and function as an integrated whole (organic solidarity).

Early Sociologists Karl Marx “All human history thus far is the history of class struggles.” Emphasizing economic inequality & its influences on social changes The ruling class exploited the working class and the working class struggled to overcome that exploitation. A classless system. “All human history thus far is the history of class struggles.” The main sources of social change come primarily from economic influences. Capitalism, he argued, divided societies into conflicting classes where the ruling class exploited the working class and the working class struggled to overcome that exploitation. Marx believed that we must study the divisions within a society that derive from these economic inequalities if we want to understand the forces shaping that society. He believed that capitalism would be replaced by an economic system in which society would have no classes.

Early Sociologists Max Weber Emphasizing Durkheim's notions of social values and ideas. Values and ideas, such as those of religion and science, can shape a society. Rationalization of social and economic life Sociology of religion His approach gave significance back to Durkheim's emphasis on social values and ideas. He sought to show how values and ideas, such as those of religion and science, can shape a society. He argued that the main dynamic of modern development is the rationalization of social and economic life. Rationalization means the organization of social, economic, and cultural life according to principles of efficiency, on the basis of technical knowledge. Lastly, Weber made major contributions to the sociology of religion.

Table 1.1

Modern Theoretical Approaches Symbolic Interactionism Symbols The exchange of symbols between individuals in social interaction Small-scale interactions of individuals, not society as a whole.

Modern Theoretical Approaches Functionalism Seeing society as a whole Robert Merton has been particularly influential Manifest, latent functions and dysfunction Study of deviance

Modern Theoretical Approaches Marxism Power Ideology Class division-Proletariat & bourgeoisie Social conflict The power class uses ideology to retain their dominance

Fig. 1.1 The unbroken lines indicate direct influence, the dotted line an indirect connection. Mead is not indebted to Weber, but Weber’s views—stressing the meaningful, purposive nature of human action—have affinities with the themes of symbolic interactionism.

Modern Theoretical Approaches Feminism Linking sociological theory and political reform women’s lives and experiences Gendered patterns and inequalities are socially constructed.

Modern Theoretical Approaches Postmodernism Society is no longer governed by history or progress. Postmodern society is highly pluralistic and diverse, with no "grand narrative" guiding its development. Rational choice theory Self-interest Cost-benefit calculation Goal oriented

Is Sociology a Science? Science: Systematic methods of empirical investigation Data analysis Theoretical thinking Logical assessments of arguments A body of knowledge about a particular subject matter Value-free, objective & observable Empirical evidence & facts But it cannot be modeled directly upon the natural sciences, because studying human behavior is different from studying the world of nature.

How Can Sociology Help Us in Our Lives? Understanding social circumstances provides us a better chance of controlling them. Sociology provides the means of increasing our cultural sensitivities. We can investigate the consequences of adopting particular policy programs. Sociology provides self-enlightenment, offering groups & individuals an increased opportunity to alter the conditions of their own lives.

Student Website Study smarter with these online tools at http://www.wwnorton.com/giddens5: Chapter Reviews Diagnostic Quizzes Vocabulary Flashcards Thinking Sociologically Exercises Practicing Sociology Data Exercises

Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Associate degree 45% 22 73 50 10. Physical therapist assistants Bachelor's Degree 128 409 281 9. Computer software engineers, systems software 46% 179 573 394 8. Computer software engineers, applications Short-term on-the-job training 17 54 37 7. Physical therapist aides 47% 69 216 147 6. Medical records and health information technicians 48% 279 859 580 5. Home health aides Moderate-term on-the-job training 49% 149 454 305 4. Social and human service assistants 31 94 63 3. Physician assistants 57% 106 292 186 2. Network systems and data communications analysts 59% 215 579 365 1. Medical Assistants Education and Training Percent Number 2012 2002 Occupation   Change Employment (Numbers in thousands of jobs, ranked by number of jobs) Fastest Growing Occupations, 2002-2012 Source:  US Bureau of Labor Statistics

Federal Outlays as a Percentage of GDP, 1962–2002

The Path of Spending Obligations

Percent of Students Reporting Past Month Use of Any Illicit Drug Has Decreased * 17% Decline 2001 to 2004 Percent * P < .05

Working Parents with Access to Leave, 2002 (percent)