1. The Sociological Perspective
Sociology, Eleventh Edition

2. “...The systematic study of human society ”
What Is Sociology?
“...The systematic study of human society ”
Systematic
Scientific discipline that focuses attention on patterns of behavior
Human society
Group behavior is primary focus; how groups influence individuals and vice versa
At the “heart of sociology”
The sociological perspective which offers a unique view of society
Sociology, Eleventh Edition

3. Why Take Sociology? Education and liberal arts
Well-rounded as a person
Social expectations
More appreciation for diversity
The global village
Domestic social marginality
Enhanced life chances
Micro and macro understanding
Increase social potentials
Sociology, Eleventh Edition

4. Benefits of the Sociological Perspective
Helps us assess the truth of common sense
Helps us assess both opportunities and constraints in our lives
Empowers us to be active participants in our society
Helps us live in a diverse world
Sociology, Eleventh Edition

5. Importance of Global Perspective
Where we live makes a great difference in shaping our lives
Societies throughout the world are increasingly interconnected through technology and economics
Many problems that we faced in the united states are more serious elsewhere
Thinking globally is a good way to learn more about ourselves
Sociology, Eleventh Edition

6. Global Map 1-1 (p. 4) Women’s Childbearing in Global Perspective Is childbearing simply a matter of personal choice? A look around the world shows that it is not. In general, women living in poor countries have many more children than women in rich nations. Can you point to some of the reasons for this global disparity? In simple terms, such differences mean that if you had been born into another society (whether you are female or male), your life might be quite different from what it is now. Source: Data from United Nations (2000) and U.S. Census Bureau (2003). Map projection from Peters Atlas of the World (1990).
Sociology, Eleventh Edition

7. The Sociological Perspective: Peter Berger
Seeing the general in the particular
Sociologists identify general social patterns in the behavior of particular individuals
Individuals are unique but, society’s social forces shape us into “kinds” of people
Seeing the strange in the familiar
Giving up the idea that human behavior is simply a matter of what people decide to do
Understanding that society shapes our lives
Sociology, Eleventh Edition

8. Durkheim’s Study of Suicide
Emile Durkheim’s research showed that society affects even our most personal choices.
More likely to commit: male Protestants who were wealthy and unmarried
Less likely to commit: male Jews and Catholics who were poor and married
One of the basic findings: Why?
The differences between these groups had to do with “social integration”
Those with strong social ties had less of a chance of COMMITING suicide
Sociology, Eleventh Edition

9. National Map 1-1 (p. 14) Suicide Rates across the United States This map shows which states have high, average, and low suicide rates. Look for patterns. By and large, high suicide rates occur where people live far apart from one another. More densely populated states have low suicide rates. Do these data support or contradict Kurheim’s theory of suicide? Why?
Sociology, Eleventh Edition

10. C. Wright Mills’ Sociological Imagination
The power of the sociological perspective lies not just in changing individual lives but in transforming society
Society, not people’s personal failings is the cause of social problems
The sociological imagination transforms personal problems into public issues
Sociology, Eleventh Edition

11. THE ORIGINS OF SOCIOLOGY
One of the youngest of academic disciplines, sociology has it origins in powerful social forces:
Social Change
Industrialization, urbanization, political revolution, and a new awareness of society
Science
3-Stages: Theological, Metaphysical & Scientific
Positivism – a way of understanding based on science
Gender & Race
These important contributions have been pushed to the margins of society
Sociology, Eleventh Edition

12. Sociological Theory
Theory: a statement of how and why facts are related
Explains social behavior to the real world
Theoretical paradigm: a set of fundamental assumptions that guides thinking
Three major approaches
Structural-functional
Social-conflict
Symbolic-interaction
Sociology, Eleventh Edition

13. Structural –Functional Paradigm
The basics
A macro-level orientation, concerned with broad patterns that shape society as a whole
Views society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability
Key elements:
Social structure refers to any relatively stable patterns of social behavior found in social institutions
Social function refers to the consequences for the operation of society as a whole
Sociology, Eleventh Edition

14. Who’s Who in Structural-Functional Paradigm
Auguste Comte
Importance of social integration during times of rapid change
Emile Durkheim
Helped establish sociology as a university discipline
Herbert Spencer
Compared society to the human body, organic approach
Talcott parsons
Sought to identify tasks that every society must perform
Robert K. Merton
Manifest functions are recognized and intended consequences
Latent functions are unrecognized and unintended consequences
Social dysfunctions are undesirable consequences
Sociology, Eleventh Edition

15. Social-Conflict Paradigm
The basics:
A macro-oriented paradigm
Views society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and social change
Key elements:
Society is structured in ways to benefit a few at the expense of the majority
Factors such as race, sex, class, and age are linked to social inequality
Dominant group vs. Minority group relations
Incompatible interests and major differences
Sociology, Eleventh Edition

16. Who’s Who in Social-Conflict Paradigm
Karl Marx
The importance of social class in inequality and social conflict
W.E.B. DuBois
Race as the major problem facing the United States in the twentieth century
Sociology, Eleventh Edition

17. Symbolic Interaction Paradigm
The basics:
A micro-level orientation, a close-up focus on social interactions in specific situations
Views society as the product of everyday interactions of individuals
Key elements:
Society is nothing more than the shared reality that people construct as they interact with one another
Society is a complex, ever-changing mosaic of subjective meanings
Sociology, Eleventh Edition

18. Who’s Who in Symbolic-Interaction Paradigm
Max Weber
Understanding a setting from the people in it
George Herbert Mead
How we build personalities form social experience
Erving Goffman
Dramaturgical analysis
George Homans & Peter Blau
Social-exchange analysis
Sociology, Eleventh Edition

19. Critical Evaluation Structural-Functional Social-Conflict
Too broad, ignores inequalities of social class, race & gender, focuses on stability at the expense of conflict
Social-Conflict
Too broad, ignores how shared values and mutual interdependence unify society, pursues political goals
Symbolic-Interaction
Ignores larger social structures, effects of culture, factors such as class, gender & race
Sociology, Eleventh Edition

20. Applying Theory (p. 22) Major Theoretical Perspectives
Sociology, Eleventh Edition