1. W EEK ONE 1 -Reflection Papers -Final Project -Syllabus I am…..

2. C HAPTER 1 2 A S OCIOLOGICAL C OMPASS

3. Sociology is relevant to me… Interesting topics that will be covered in this course that makes it relevant… Culture Socialization Deviance and Crime Race and Ethnicity Sexuality and Gender Family life and its impact Religion and Education Health and Medicine Technology and the environment.

4. Learning Objectives 4 The chapter will address the following learning objectives :  Sociology is the systematic study of human behaviour in social context.  Causes of human behaviour lie partly in patterns of social relations that surround us and permeate our lives…  Sociologists adopt scientific methods to test their ideas because they want to improve people’s lives.

5. Learning Objectives 5  Sociologists have developed a variety of theories to explain human behaviours.  In research sociologists employ a variety of methods.  Social transformations are caused by various reasons and ways of overcoming social problems  Think of the changes from today, 2012, compared to 50 years ago, 1962.

6. Then and now….. Ex’s http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gad gets/news/2078467 http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gad gets/news/2078467

7. Sociology 7 The systematic study of human behaviour in social context. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOan_ 0acqE8 What sociological topics can you pick out in this short comical clip?

8. The Sociological Imagination The Sociological Imagination was a book written by C. Wright Mills, published in 1959. “The vivid awareness of the relationship between experience and the wider society”- Mills To have a sociological imagination you must be able to pull away from the situation and think of it from a different perspective. Examples…

9. The Sociological Perspective 9  Examines patterns of social relations  Provides a unique and enlightening perspective on social events Example - Sociological analysis of suicide Examines patterns of social relations that might encourage or inhibit suicide (an act typically considered supremely antisocial and non-social). Why is it considered this way according to sociology?

10. Sociological Perspective to suicide Some reasons….. Nearly everyone condemns it Committed in private Comparatively rare (to other leading causes of death, however also seems so common; 11:100 000 is the rate in Canada per a which is comparable to the worlds average). We are likely to focus on the individual’s state of mind or emotional stability as opposed to thinking about the social environment that could cause a person to take their own life. http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/weinstein/bully/ Is this a sociological issue?....response

11. Suicide Rates, Selected Countries 11

12. Emile Durkheim 12 The 19 th -century French sociologist, Émile Durkheim, demonstrated that suicide:  Was strongly influenced by social forces and not just one’s mental status. (p 5)  Varied in its rate with degree of : social solidarity - degree to which group members share beliefs and values and the intensity and frequency of their interaction (p 6) values - ideas about what is right and wrong, good and bad, beautiful an ugly.

13. The Sociological Perspective 13 Durkheim found higher rates of suicide among certain categories of people, including:  The unmarried (as opposed to the married)  Men (as opposed to women, who are typically more socially connected than men)  Christians (as opposed to Jews, who are more socially integrated than Christians)  Seniors (as opposed to the young and the middle- aged).

14. Durkheim Here are some facts as his considerations: 1-church/temple/synagogue attendance is decreasing. -1960’s it was 50% attendance Now it is 25% and app. 15% for those born after 60 2-Unemployment is up -1960’s it was 3%, currently rising-10% in 90’s, as of July 2010 it was 8%. (higher for Canadians under age of 24) 3-Rate of divorce/broken homes increasing significantly -births outside of marriage where kids are raised by single parents can have impact.

15. The Sociological Perspective Altruistic suicide Occurs when norms tightly govern behaviour. Example: Soldiers who willingly die to protect comrades. Egoistic suicide Results from poor social integration because of weak social ties to others. Example: Weaker social ties found among the unemployed or unmarried. Anomic suicide Occurs when vague norms govern behaviour. Example: People living in a society lacking widely shared code of morality likely to have higher suicide rate. 15

16. Durkheim’s Theory of Suicide 16

17. The Sociological Perspective Suicide in Canada Today Higher suicide rate today among youth and young adults. Other than the facts below; HOW is is sociological? 17 F ACTS 1.Church, synagogue, mosque, and temple attendance is down. 2.Unemployment is up especially for youth. 3.The rate of divorce has increased six fold since the early 1960s.

18. Chart Charts and stats

19. Teen Bullying via Social media and suicide http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_of_Rehtaeh_ Parsons http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_of_Rehtaeh_ Parsons http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article- 3043651/Parents-teen-committed-suicide-suffering- vicious-bullying-Facebook-demand-greater- protection-kids-online.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article- 3043651/Parents-teen-committed-suicide-suffering- vicious-bullying-Facebook-demand-greater- protection-kids-online.html

20. Suicide by Age and Sex, Canada, 2003 20

21. The Sociological Imagination The quality of mind that enables one to see the connection between personal troubles and social structures. (p8) To be able to see what is going on in the world….and what may be happening within one’s self…..*** 21 Social structures Relatively stable patterns of social relations. Aspects of social structures, such as the level of social solidarity of the groups you belong to, affect your innermost thoughts and feelings, influence your actions, and thus help to shape who you are.

22. The Sociological Imagination Microstructures Patterns of intimate social relations formed during face-to- face interaction. Examples: Family, friends, and work associations Macrostructures Patterns of social relations that lie outside and above person’s circle of intimates and acquaintances Examples: Patriarchy (system of male domination in society), social class, and religious institutions. Global structures International organizations, global economic relations, and patterns of worldwide travel and communications. 22

23. Social Structures and us…. Personal problems are connected to social structures at all three of these levels…what are they again?______________________________ Be it finding a job, keeping a marriage together or figuring out a way to act justly to end world poverty…. Social-structural considerations help us understand and decide how to choose appropriate courses of action.

24. Poverty

26. Application Know what is important to you. Learn why Decide how to make it part of your daily life Become passionate about it How does society view it? ……

27. ORIGINS- THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION DEMOCRATIC REVOLUTION THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION Sociology came from somewhere….

28. The Sociological Imagination 1. Scientific Revolution (circa 1550): Encouraged evidence-based conclusions about society. 2. Democratic Revolution (circa 1750): Suggested people were responsible for creating society; thus, human intervention deemed capable of solving social problems. P 10 3. Industrial Revolution (circa 1775): Created host of social problems; attracted attention of social thinkers. 28

29. The industrial Revolution Often regarded as the most important event in world history. A time of rapid economic transformation Large scale application of science and technology to industrial processes….. Which created factories and the formation of a working class. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO3AW0JAHm U http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO3AW0JAHm U

31. Sociological Theory and Theorists There are four theoretical traditions especially influential in the development of sociology: 1.Functionalism 2.Conflict theory 3.Symbolic interactionism 4.Feminism 31

32. Sociological Theory and Theorists  Stresses human behaviour is governed by stable patterns of social relations/social structures, typically macrostructures.  Demonstrates how social structures maintain or undermine social stability.  Emphasizes social structures are based mainly on shared values or preferences.  Suggests that most social problems are best solved by re-establishing equilibrium. 32 1. F UNCTIONALISM

33. Sociological Theory and Theorists  Focuses on large macrolevel structures such as class relations.  Demonstrates how major patterns of inequality can produce both social stability and social change.  Stresses how members of privileged groups try to maintain their advantages, while subordinate groups struggle to acquire theirs.  Typically recommends lessening privilege to lower level of conflict and increase human welfare. 33 2. C ONFLICT T HEORY

34. Sociological Theory and Theorists Conflict Theorist: Karl Marx (1818-83)  Core of ideas was struggle that occurred between classes as they sought to resist and overcome opposition of other classes.  Argued that an increasingly shrinking capitalist class - driven by a desire for increased efficiency and higher profits exploited a large and growing working class.  Suggested workers’ eventual awareness of their exploitation (class consciousness) would lead to a labour movement that would (i) seek an end to private ownership of property; and (ii) establish a communist society.  Conflict between classes and regard for them….titanic? 34

35. Sociological Theory and Theorists  Focuses on interpersonal communication in microlevel social settings  Emphasizes social life is possible only because people attach meaning to things  Stresses people create social circumstances, not merely react to them  Often validates unpopular and unofficial viewpoints because of emphasis on subjective meanings 35 3. S YMBOLIC I NTERACTIONISM

36. Sociological Theory and Theorists Symbolic Interactionist: Erving Goffman (1922-1982) Can be compared to audience effect in psych.  Developed dramaturgical approach that focuses on: How people present themselves to others How people (similar to actors) manage their identities in order to create desired impressions on their “audience” Likens social interaction to a play with stage, backstage, defined roles, and props While person’s age, gender, race, etc. help shape actions, is still room for individual creativity. 36

37. Four Theoretical Traditions in Society 37

38. Sociological Theory and Theorists  Focuses on various aspects of patriarchy and how they determine a person’s opportunities in life.  Argues male domination and female subordination are determined by social structures, not biology.  Examines how patriarchy operates in both micro and macro social settings.  Argues existing patterns of gender inequality can and should be changed for benefit of all members of society. 38 4. F EMINISM

39. Conducting Research Six steps in sociological research cycle: 1. Formulate research question 2. Review existing research literature 3. Select research method-(ex; naturalistic observation, lab observation, case study, survey……) pro’s and con’s to both. 4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muKkP3IjtK4&f eature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muKkP3IjtK4&f eature=related 5. Collect data/info 6. Analyze data 7. Publish results 39

40. Conducting Research 40

41. Conducting Research Experiment  A carefully controlled artificial situation that allows researchers to isolate hypothesized causes and measure their effects precisely Variable  A concept that can take on more than one value  Two types of variables: Independent variable  Presumed cause Dependent variable  Presumed effect 41

42. Your Sociological Compass Postindustrial Revolution The technology-driven shift from manufacturing to service industries and the consequences of that shift for virtually all human activities. Globalization The process by which formerly separate economies, nation-states, and culture are becoming tied together. 42

43. Your Sociological Compass Both have given rise to tensions between i. equality and inequality of opportunity ii. freedom and constraint These tensions reflect chief interests of sociology today 43