MULTICULTURALISM IN THE US LESSON 1 ROBERT WONSER LESSON 1: WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY?

COOL INSIGHTS FROM SOCIOLOGY Humans cannot be understood apart from social context (i.e. society) Society makes us who we are by structuring out interactions and laying out an orderly world before us Society is a social construction, that is, it is an idea created by humans (i.e. doesn’t exist in the biological world but only in the social world) through social interaction and given a reality through our understanding of it and our collective actions. Introduction to Sociology: What is Sociology? 2

SOCIETY INFLUENCES YOU Death… Related to society? Of course! Introduction to Sociology: What is Sociology? 3

BABY NAMES Introduction to Sociology: What is Sociology? 4

5 Names that have gained the most popularity, 2004 – Or, the names I’ll begin seeing all the time in

MEANING THROUGH INTERACTION People actively and collectively shape their own lives, organizing their social interactions and relationships into a meaningful world. Sociologists study this social behavior by seeking out its patterns. Patterns are crucial to our understanding of society Introduction to Sociology: What is Sociology? 6

SOCIETY Society is a group of people who shape their lives in aggregated and patterned ways that distinguish their group from other groups. Introduction to Sociology: What is Sociology? 7

WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY? Sociology is the systematic or scientific study of human society and social behavior, from large-scale institutions and mass culture to small groups and individual interactions. Sociology is also the study of reifications, or social constructions. Introduction to Sociology: What is Sociology? 8

THE SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION C. Wright Mills used the term sociological imagination to describe the ability to look at issues from a sociological perspective. Personal troubles versus public issues Ex: unemployment, obesity Introduction to Sociology: What is Sociology? 9

THE SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE The sociological perspective is 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. Sociological perspective and sociological imagination are often used interchangeably. Introduction to Sociology: What is Sociology? 10

THE SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE When using a sociological perspective, one focuses on the social context in which people live and how that social context has an impact on individuals ’ lives. This is the essence of what sociology does. Making the familiar strange Introduction to Sociology: What is Sociology? 11

USING THE SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE In small groups: How would you explain the following social problems using the sociological imagination/perspective? Obesity Homelessness/Poverty Unemployment Marriage The metropolis War Introduction to Sociology: What is Sociology? 12

TAKE AWAY POINTS Humans cannot be understood apart from the social context they live in (society, culture and time + place) The world around us profoundly shapes and influences who we are, how we behave and even how/what we think. It is the job of the sociologist to understand how this process works and to what effect. Introduction to Sociology: What is Sociology? 13