1. Introduction to Sociology
from Latin: socius, "companion"; and the suffix -ology, "the study of"

2. What is it?
Sociology= the study of the development, structure and functioning of human society
Includes the study of how groups of people who share common characteristics function

3. What is it?
Sociologist focus on patterns of behaviours shared by members of a particular group of society
Study topics such as:
Ethnic groups
Social class
Gender roles
Criminology
Deviance
Institutions within our society

4. What Sociologists Study
Area of Study
Focus of Study
Examples
Knowledge
How different social and political ideas originate and how they affect people in society
Why do young people reject or accept the ideals of their parents?
Social Movements and Collective Behaviour
How people gather in groups to achieve their goals
How can students organize to bring lasting changes in their schools?
Social Identities
How race, class, ability, gender and sexual orientation affect people’s lives
How do differences in your gender, race or economic status affect they way you are treated?

5. What Sociologists Study
Area of Study
Focus of Study
Examples
Culture
How social groups and societies develop cultural practices and institutions
How does music that teens listen to affect their attitudes, values, and goals?
Economy
The structure and influences of economic systems
What kinds of industries exist in your community? Why were they built there and what effect do they have on the people in your area?
Crime
Crime and crime prevention
Do police officers treat teen differently from adults?

6. Sociological Theoretical Perspectives
1) Functionalism
Every structure in society has a vital function
Most aspects of society contribute to the society’s well-being and survival
Ex. Family contributes to society by reproducing and taking care of its members
2) Conflict Perspective
Society experiences inconsistency and change everywhere
All societies involve control and coercion of some members by others
Ex. Some people have power over others- bosses, police, head of the family

7. Sociological Theoretical Perspectives Continued…
Symbolic interactionism is a sociological perspective that society is constructed by people’s interpretations of reality (i.e. what they believe to be true as opposed to what is objectively true).
Max Weber: “ individuals act according to their interpretation of the meaning of their world”
George Herbert Mead is credited with introducing the framework in the 1920’s

8. Sociology and Anthropology- What’s the Difference?
Similarities:
Examine the human condition
Examine the “big picture”
Examine the way society influences people’s lives
Overlap in the study of culture
Differences:
Anthropologists study cultures as a whole
Sociologists study parts of a society
Components that make up culture
Institutions such as family, religion or economic system

9. A Brief History of Sociology
Sociology is a young science
Began in the later 1800’s
During the Industrial Revolution society was undergoing much change
People were moving from country to city
This had a huge impact on the way in which society functioned

10. A Brief History of Sociology
Migration to the cities led to problems of pollution, poverty, malnutrition, unemploy-ment and crime
Social unrest and disorder resulted
First sociologists studied these problems in an effort to help people understand and deal with these issues

11. Pioneers of Sociology
Emile Durkheim-Developed the theory of social facts, which maintained that things such as customs, institutions and organizations exert control over people
Karl Marx- believed capitalism, the economic system that brought class differences, would be overthrown by communism and result in more equality

12. Pioneers of Sociology
Max Weber- believed that human values and beliefs affected how people acted throughout society
Dorothy E. Smith- provided insight into how women and the powerless have been excluded from sociological research

13. Agents of Socialization
Social group, institutions, and groups that provide structured situations in which socialization takes place
Family
Schools
Peers
Mass Media
The process of socialization is a lifelong process in which we learn the rules to becoming functioning members of society

14. Institutions
A large organization with a particular type of work or purpose
A system of organization that has existed for a long time
Social Institutions:
“established sets of norms and subsystems that support each society’s survival”
* family, education, religion, economic systems, political systems

15. Power
Max Weber: “The ability to control others, events, or resources; to make happen what one wants in spite of obstacles, resistance or oppostion”
Karl Marx: “power rests in a social classes position in relations to production, therefor it does not lie with individuals, but in a social class”.
Talcott Parsons: “Power is not a matter of domination, but instead a social systems potential to coordinate human activity and resources to accomplish goals.

16. Topics in Sociology
Gossip:
Empathy:
Violence in society
Digital Citizenship
Social Activism
Teen pregnancy
Discrimination based on race, gender, sexuality
Prisons and rehabilitation
Happiness…