The Real World An Introduction to Sociology Third Edition Kerry Ferris and Jill Stein Chapter 1: Sociology and the Real World

What Is Sociology? Sociology is one of the social sciences— disciplines that examine the human or social world.

What Is Sociology? (cont’d.) Sociology can help you develop a sociological perspective—a way of taking a sociological approach or thinking sociologically about the world.

What Is Sociology? (cont’d.) Sociology—the study of society According to Howard Becker, sociology is the study of people “doing things together” because neither the individual nor society exist independently of one another.

What Is Sociology? (cont’d.) Sociology looks at a broad range of institutions (structures in our society, like education, economics, and politics) to better understand social relationships.

What Is Sociology? (cont’d.) Sociologists are interested in all aspects of society. Society—a group of people who shape their lives in patterned ways that distinguish their group from other groups

Culture Shock Culture shock happens when you experience a sense of disorientation upon entering a new environment. Behaviors that seem typical in one society or culture may seem very strange in another context.

Sociological Imagination Sociological imagination is a term coined by C. Wright Mills. Mills says, “To understand social life, we must understand the intersection between biography and history.”

Sociological Imagination Sociological imagination: a quality of the mind that allows us to understand the relationship between our particular situation in life and what is happening at a social level

The Beginner’s Mind Like it sounds, the “beginner’s mind” is the opposite of an expert’s mind. Bernard McGrane says that to explore the social world, it is important that we clear our minds of stereotypes, expectations, and opinions so that we are more receptive to our experiences.

Levels of Analysis Sociologists can use different levels of analysis to explore social relationships: Microsociology: examines small-group interactions to see how they impact larger institutions in society Macrosociology: examines large-scale social structures to determine how they impact groups and individuals

12 Sociological Theories Theories in sociology are propositions that explain the social world and help to make predictions about future events. Theories are also sometimes referred to as approaches, schools of thought, paradigms, or perspectives.

13 Sociology’s Roots Auguste Comte: Stated that sociology needed to be treated like any other scientific discipline Laid the groundwork for future sociologists and helped build the discipline

14 Harriet Martineau: A social activist who traveled the United States and wrote about social changes that were radical for this time period Martineau translated Comte’s work into English, making his ideas accessible to England and America. Sociology’s Roots (cont’d.)

15 Herbert Spencer was the first great English- speaking sociologist. Spencer believed in evolution and coined the phrase “ survival of the fittest. ” He believed that societies evolve through time by adapting to their changing environment. His philosophy is often referred to as social Darwinism. Sociology’s Roots (cont’d.)

16 Émile Durkheim worked to establish sociology as an important academic discipline. Interested in the social factors that bond and hold people together Studied the correlation between social isolation and suicide Sociology’s Roots (cont’d.)

17 Karl Marx was a German philosopher and political activist. Marx contributed significantly to sociology ’ s conflict theory. Sociology’s Roots (cont’d.)

18 Marx believed that capitalism was creating social inequality between the bourgeoisie, who owned the means of production (money, factories, natural resources, and land), and the proletariat, who were the workers. According to Marx, this inequality leads to class conflict. Sociology’s Roots (cont’d.)

19 Max Weber was also interested in how society was becoming industrialized. He was concerned with the process of rationalization, applying economic logic to all human activity. He believed that contemporary life was filled with disenchantment, the result of the dehumanizing features of modern societies. Sociology’s Roots (cont’d.)

20 George Herbert Mead was interested in the connection between thought and action— between the individual and society. Mead suggested that the meanings that we give to objects in our society are social processes—people interact, and meanings come from these interactions. Sociology’s Roots (cont’d.)

21 Erving Goffman was interested in how the “self” is developed through interactions with others in society. Goffman used the term dramaturgy to describe the way people strategically present themselves to others. Sociology’s Roots (cont’d.)

22 Schools of Thought Your book refers to paradigms, or schools of thought. Paradigms are ways of thinking or theoretical “umbrellas,” meant to provide a broad explanation for the way things work.

23 Modern Schools of Thought Structural functionalism: Society is viewed as an ordered system of interrelated parts, or structures, which are the social institutions that make up society (family, education, politics, the economy). Each of these different structures meets the needs of society by performing specific functions for the whole system (society).

24 Modern Schools of Thought (cont’d.) Conflict theory: Sees social conflict as the basis of society and social change

25 Modern Schools of Thought (cont’d.) Symbolic interactionism: Sees interaction and meaning as central to society and assumes that meanings are not inherent but rather are created through interaction

26 New Theoretical Approaches Feminist theory: Looks at both gender inequalities in society and the way that gender structures the social world and considers remedies to these inequalities

27 New Theoretical Approaches (cont’d.) Queer theory: Proposes that categories of sexual identity are social constructs and that no sexual category is fundamentally either deviant or normal

28 New Theoretical Approaches (cont’d.) Postmodernist theory: Suggests that social reality is diverse, pluralistic, and constantly changing

The social sciences could include all of the following except: a. sociology. b. psychology. c. anthropology. d. economics. e. biology. Sociology and the Real World — Concept Quiz

If you are a researcher interested in knowing how many people in your city live below the poverty line, you might get census data to find that information. Then, you could count the number of people that meet your criteria. What kind of research are you doing? a. quantitative b. qualitative Sociology and the Real World — Concept Quiz

The sociological imagination gives us a way to look at the world beyond our own personal experience. a. true b. false Sociology and the Real World— Concept Quiz

32 Abstract propositions that both explain the social world and make predictions about future events are known as: a. theories. b. social inequalities. c. ideas. d. social assumptions. e. means of production. Sociology and the Real World— Concept Quiz

33 What are paradigms? a. broad theoretical perspectives b. specific research methods c. dominant sociological applications d. all of the above e. none of the above Sociology and the Real World— Concept Quiz

34 Marx believed that there was a class struggle between: a. groups of people who worked alongside one another. b. groups of people who practiced different religions. c. people who owned the means of production and people who worked for a wage. d. people who were born rich versus people who earned their wealth. e. people who were born poor versus people who fell into poverty due to a poor work ethic. Sociology and the Real World— Concept Quiz

35 Which of these sociological paradigms has proved to be the most influential of the twentieth century? a. structural functionalism b. conflict theory c. symbolic interactionism d. world-systems theory e. critical race theory Sociology and the Real World— Concept Quiz

© 2012 W. W. Norton Co., Inc. The Real World 3 rd Edition AN INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY Kerry Ferris and Jill Stein 36 This concludes the Lecture PowerPoint presentation for Chapter 1 Visit the StudySpace at: For more learning resources, please visit the StudySpace site for The Real World, 3e.