Chapter 1: Sociology: A Unique Way to View the World

Why is the social world important? Shared expectations help create order Individuals and the social world mutually influence one another Humans are fundamentally social beings

What is sociology? The scientific study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior Essentially—why and how people and groups interact with one another, are organized, and deal with conflict and change

Sociologists study groups of all sizes Dyads Small groups Large groups Nations The global society

The underlying assumptions of sociology People are social People spend most of their lives in groups Interactions between people and groups are reciprocal Conflict and change are inevitable All groups have certain organizing characteristics

Groups are characterized by: Recurrent social patterns Ordered behavior Shared experiences among members Common understandings

True or False? Because of the rapid rise in divorce and unwed childbearing, more American children live in single parent households than ever before

FALSE Actually, roughly the same numbers live in single parent households today because more parents were widowed in the past

Sociology vs. Common Sense We all have reasonable assumptions (common sense ideas) based on logical deduction, past experiences, and stereotypes However, sociologists intentionally set up scientific studies to disprove common sense assumptions

The sociological perspective Personal experiences can be best understood by examining them in the broader social context E.G., Why do some individuals get punished more harshly for the same crimes than others do? What social factors might be related to other issues like teenage pregnancy or later age at marriage?

The sociological imagination C. Wright Mills A willingness to recognize the relationship between individual experiences and public issues

Questions sociologists ask Sociologists ask questions that can be measured objectively and scientifically They do not study philosophical or moral issues They do not make moral judgments about social issues Applied sociologists perform research to help solve social problems

A comparison of the social sciences Cultural Anthropology Psychology Political Science Economics Sociology How are they similar? How are they different?

Why study sociology? Better understand social situations and diverse perspectives Be able to collect data and evaluate problems Understand the intended and unintended consequences of social policies Reveal the complexities of social life Learn more about ourselves and our biases Develop useful job skills

The social world model Social units—interconnected parts of the social world Social structure—people and groups that bring order to our lives and hold social units together Social institutions—provide the rules, roles, and relationships to direct and control human behavior All are interconnected

The social world model (con’t) Social processes—the actions taken by people in social units Process of socialization—how we learn the social expectations for members of society Process of change—every social unit is continually changing The environment—the setting surrounding each social unit

Levels of analysis The social world can be studied from a variety of levels Micro-level (individuals and small groups) Importance: micro interactions form the basis of all social organizations Meso-level (intermediate sized units) Importance: helps explain the processes and institutions in a society

Levels of analysis (con’t) Macro-level (focus on entire nations, global forces, and international trends) Importance: Helps understand how larger social forces shape everyday life Each level adds depth to a topic

Which level (micro, meso, or macro) would you use to examine each of the following questions? How do couples divide housework responsibilities? Which factors determine the percentage of women in political power in a certain country? Does the size of the sports stadium matter for students who are choosing a college?

Answer: All three questions could be studies from each of the three levels The three levels are not truly distinct

Summary Sociologists use research methods to objectively study social interactions and organizations The sociological perspective and sociological imagination allow us to understand individual situations in the context of broader social forces All social units are held together by a social structure, which is connected to social institutions. These factors mutually influence one another in a linked system Social phenomena can be examined from multiple levels of analysis