Sociology Standards  SSSocFR1: Students will explain the origins of sociology and the sociological perspective, and how sociology relates to the other social sciences.  a. Explain sociology, sociological perspective, and the sociological imagination.  b. Describe the origins of sociology as a social science and the significance of its historical framework.  c. Explain the relationship of sociology to the other social sciences.  d. Identify careers where sociological knowledge is applicable.

I AM A(N)…  American  Athlete  Teenager  Student

What is Sociology?  Simply put, sociology is the study of society and behavior  Systematic study of human social interaction  How relationships develop, are maintained, and change  Example: Nazi Germany  How did this group emerge?  What led to their expansion and growth?  Does this group exist today, in what form?

What is Sociology?...cont’d Sociological perspective  Centers around one simple question  How are people influenced by their society?  Social context shapes beliefs and attitudes and sets guidelines for what we do  C. Wright Mills (1916 – 1962)  “The sociological perspective enables us to grasp the connection between history and biography.”  Internal vs. External Influences

What is Sociology cont’d  Involves the use of the sociological imagination  C. Wright Mills coined term  “capacity to shift from one perspective to another”  Ability to see how sociological situations play out due to how people differ in terms of their places in given social or historical circumstances  Example:  Drinking tea  Getting married

How does Sociology compare/contrast with the other social sciences?  Anthropology  Comparative study of past and present cultures  Similar in subject matter  Comparison with Sociology:  Anthropology – simple comparison  Sociology – complex/advanced comparison  Psychology  Deals with behavior and thinking of organisms  Comparison with Sociology:  Psychology - focus on individual behavior  Sociology – focus on group behavior  Economics  Study of choices people make to satisfy needs and wants  Sociologists  What effect does the economy have on groups in society?  History  Sociologists study past events to help them explain current social behaviors/attitudes  Political Science  Organization and operation of government  Sociologists focus on formation of groups (political parties, voting patterns, interest groups)

Rise of Sociology  Began in the mid-1800s  Social observers using scientific methods to test ideas  Driven by intellectual, social, and political change in Europe  Revolutions  Industrial Revolution produced radical changes in structure of society  Gone was tradition

Founders of Sociology Auguste Comte  Founder of Sociology  Examined causes & consequences of French Revolution  What creates social order?  What causes societal changes?  Urged application of science  Positivism – scientific method applied to society  Observe and classify human activities Karl Marx  Highly influential originator of conflict theory  Viewed poverty and inequality as products of capitalism  Sought to eliminate capitalism  Predicted communism would emerge as new economic system

Founders of Sociology cont’d Emile Durkheim  Sociology recognized as its own academic discipline  How do social forces affect people’s behavior?  Social psychology  Social integration  Degree to which people are tied to their social group  Analyzed suicide rates Max Weber  Investigated causes of social change  Effects of society on the individual  Saw religion as central force to social change  Rise of capitalism  Established the ideal type  General description when looking to classify something

Pioneers in Sociology W.E.B. DuBois (1868 – 1963)  Studied ethnic inequality and racism  1 st African American to earn doctorate from Harvard  Observation turned to social action  Helped found the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)  Lifetime research interest was the relations of whites and African Americans Jane Addams ( )  Worked on behalf of poor immigrants for social justice  Concentrated on housing, education, and working conditions of the poor  Accomplishments:  Co-founded Hull House  Leader of women’s movement  Recipient of Nobel Peace Prize

HOW DO WE EXPLAIN THE SOCIAL WORLD AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR? THE SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES INTERACTIONIST

Perspectives in Sociology  Examples:  Family  Provides context for reproducing, nurture, socialization  Education  Way to transmit society’s skills, knowledge, and culture to its youth  Religion  Provides moral guidance and outlet for worship of higher power  Politics  Provides means of governing society  Structural-functional theory (Functionalism)  Identifying and examining the structures of society and how they function  Society is a unit made up of system of interchangeable parts working together  Each social institution contributes to the functioning of society  Auguste Comte – society is a kind of living organism Sociological Perspectives - Different ways of explaining how society works. (Looking through different lenses)

Functionalism (cont’d) Assumptions:  Stability  Does a structure contribute to the maintenance of society?  Compatibility  How compatible are the structures within a society?  Evolution  How do new needs and demands impact the existence of structures within a society? Analysis involves two steps:  Determine nature of social structure  Assess the consequences for the operation of the social structure Positive consequence = function Negative consequence = dysfunction Emphasis on interconnectedness Manifest (intended) functions vs. Latent (unintended) functions

Perspectives in Sociology Conflict theory  Society is composed of groups who compete for scarce resources  Addresses points of stress and conflict in society  How they contribute to social change  Theory addresses 2 basic questions:  Who benefits from structured inequality?  How do they maintain their advantage?

CONFLICT THEORY (CONT’D) 3 Primary Assumptions :  Competition over resources is characteristic of all human relationships  Structured Inequality  Inequality is built into social structure – those who benefit try to maintain advantages  Revolution – change occurs as a result of conflict between competitors  Often abrupt and revolutionary

Perspective in Sociology cont’d Symbol – something used to represent something else Symbolic-Interactionism Theory  Focuses on everyday aspects of social life  People evaluate their own conduct by comparing themselves to others  Our behaviors depend on how we define ourselves and others  We both shape and are shaped by the relationships we experience  Study focuses on small groups and face- to-face interactions

SYMBOLIC-INTERACTIONISM (CONT’D)  Uses 3 basic premises to study human behavior:  Symbolic meanings are important  Meanings grow out of relationships  Meanings are negotiated  Example:  Imagine yourself amongst a group of your closest friends. What are you doing?  Now imagine acting, speaking, behaving the same way while visiting with family

Functionalist Examples :  Structures: (Groups, Institutions)  Production crew  Actors  Family/Friends  Marketers  What actions must be taken to ensure society continues to function?  What, if any, dysfunction occurs within the societal structure?  Did you identify a manifest or latent function of the actions of a particular structure?

Interactionist  What do these interactions tell us about the society and roles people play within this society?  How do changes in the symbolic interactions effect our view of this society?  What other interactions impacted your view of a particular element of society? Examples:  Truman’s interactions with:  Neighbors  Coworkers  Businessmen/women  Family (Meryl & Mother)  Best friend (Marlon)

Conflict Examples :  Conflict between those that want to free Truman and those that want the show to go on.  Conflict that emerges as Truman begins to discover flaws in the society that has been created around him  How does conflict lead to change?  What “resource” is scarce for Truman?  What results from Truman’s attempts at achieving/gaining this “resource”?