Sociology

Social Sciences Anthropology – comparative study of past and present cultures Psychology – Study of behavior and mental processes Economics – Study of the production, distribution, and consumption of goods Political Science – Study of the organization and operation of governments History – Study of past events

What is Sociology? The study of human society and social behavior from a group perspective

What do sociologists look at? Focus on social interaction How people relate to one another and influence others behavior Examine social phenomena Look at observable facts or events that involve a society

Sociological imagination Ability to see the connection between the larger world and your personal life

Development of Sociology 1800s rapid growth of cities due to industrialization Increase in crime Pollution Housing shortages Realized that society was impacting the individual These social changes led scholars to start analyzing society’s effect on an individual

Auguste Comte French philosopher Founder of sociology as distinct subject Focus on social order and social change Believed certain processes called social statics held society together Society changes through definite processes called social dynamics Uncover social statics and dynamics though scientific research and that knowledge can be used to reform society

Harriet Martineau British writer Wrote Society in America Went to US to look at rather it lived up to its promise of democracy Reported on marriage, family, race relations, education, and religion Believed scholars should advocate change to solve the problems they studied Spoke out in favor of women’s rights, religious tolerance, and an end to slavery

Herbert Spencer Versus Believed society is a set of interdependent parts that work together to maintain the system Considered social change and unrest to be natural occurrences as society evolves toward stability and perfection Social Darwinism – the fittest societies would survive over time leading to a better society Believed the best aspects of a society would survive over time Versus

Karl Marx Believed that the structure of a society is influenced by how its economy is organized Believed that a society’s economic system strongly influenced its social structure Emphasized that conflict was the primary cause of social change This thought led to Conflict Theory

Karl Marx: Capitalists v. Workers Believed in 2 classes Capitalists own materials and methods to produce Workers own the labor to produce Imbalance in power would lead to conflict and end when workers overthrow those in power Workers would build a classless society where citizens contribute based on ability and rewarded according to needs

Emile Durkheim Developed first university sociology course at U. of Bordeaux First to apply methods of science to study societies Function – consequence that an element of society produces for the maintenance of a social system Ex: interested in function of religion in maintaining social order Believed shared beliefs and values were the glue that held a society together Believed sociologists should only study features in society that are observable

Max Weber Interested in separate groups within a society rather than in society as a whole Focused on the effect of society on an individual Study what can be observed as well as people’s thoughts and feelings Developed the concept of the ideal type The essential characteristics of a feature of society ???Feelings???? ??? Thoughts ???

Jane Addams Opened settlement house in Chicago called Hull House Offered welfare, educational and recreational services for the poor Want to solve the problems of the poor so surveyed the poor to gain a better understanding

W.E.B. DuBois Studied societies by mixing social analysis with social reform Helped found NAACP Studied the significance of race in American society

Theoretical Perspectives Sociologists develop theories to provide guidance in their work and help them interpret their findings Develop theoretical perspectives (school of thought) which are a general set of assumptions about the nature of things What perspective do you take?

Functionalist Perspective View society as a set of interrelated parts that work together to produce stable social systems People agree on what is best for society and work together to ensure social system runs smoothly Positive functions: family, religion, education, and the economy Label some things dysfunction because not everything runs smoothly Dysfunction – negative consequence an element has for the stability of the social system Example: crime Function vs. Dysfunction

Functionalist: manifest v. latent functions Manifest – intended and recognized consequence of some element of society Example: automobile provided speedy transportation from one place to another Latent – unintended or unrecognized consequence of an element of society Example: automobile helps people gain social standing because it’s a sign of wealth

Conflict Perspective Focus on the forces in society that promote competition and change Interested in how those who possess more power in society exercise control over those with less power Topics: decision making in the family, relationships among racial groups, disputes between workers and employers

Competition over scarce resources is the basis of social conflict Group with control over society’s resources establishes rules and procedures to protect interests Leads to conflict as those with less resources attempt to gain resources Conflict theorists see change as inevitable Feminist Perspective – part of conflict perspective because it focuses on area of inequality – gender Believe society created gender inequality

Interactionist Perspective Focuses on how individuals interact with one another in society Interested in the ways individuals respond to one another in everyday situations Interested in meanings that individuals attach to own actions and actions of others Used to study: mate selection, child development, and relationships in small groups

Interactionist: Symbols Interested in role of symbols in daily life Ex: statue of liberty – US handshake – greeting Symbolic interaction – interaction among people that takes place through the use of symbols 3 elements: meaning, language, and thought 1) respond to things based on meaning 2) meanings come from interaction through language 3) individual adjusts meanings through thought Social interaction involves individuals defining and interpreting each others actions