1. The Sociological Perspective
Sociology
Mr. Findley

2. What is Sociology
Formally defined, sociology is the scientific study of human social behavior
Sociology seeks to document and explain the basic regularities of social life
Sociology assumes these regularities are the product of social forces rather than biological or psychological ones
Groups
Organizations
Societies

3. The Sociological Imagination
C. Wright Mills
“The sociological imagination enables its possessor to understand the larger historical scene in terms of its meaning for the inner life and the external career of a variety of individuals” (The Sociological Imagination, 1959:5)
It enables its user to grasp the connection between larger social factors and personal lives, to distinguish personal troubles from social issues

4. An Example: Personal Troubles and Social Issues
If 1 person is unemployed in a town of 5,000, how should we seek to understand this?
It is a personal matter best understood by examining the life of the individual
Social Issue
If 900 people are unemployed in a town of 5,000, how should we seek to understand this?
It is a social issue whose explanation is best understood by examining the influence of local social factors
An Example: Personal Troubles and Social Issues

5. The Sociological Perspective
As a science, sociology carefully and systematically collects and analyzes empirical evidence
Data derived directly from observation and experience (pg. 5)
The scientific goal of sociology is to uncover the causes of regular behavioral patterns. To develop theory
An explanation of the relationship between specific facts
The Sociological Perspective

6. An Example: Research and Theory
Emile Durkheim, Suicide (1897)
Uses scientific methods to develop a sociological explanation for the variations in suicide rates across groups and regions
Collected statistics for many European nations
Findings
Non-church goers more than church goers
Protestants more than Catholics
Unemployed more than employed
Unmarried more than married
Urban residents more the rural residents
Concludes
Many suicides result from a lack of social integration caused by larger social forces ( Lack of Social Solidarity – social bonds developed by individuals to their society.)

7. An Example: Research and Theory

8. Debunking Theme Sociology Looks beyond surface level explanations
Questions established truths
Assumes official explanations are incomplete
Is a somewhat cynical discipline

9. An Example: The Death Penalty and Deterrence
Commonsense leads us to believe that the more severe the punishment the less likely one is to commit the crime
Using this logic many propose that use of the death penalty as a criminal sanction should deter the crime of murder
What does the empirical evidence suggests?
Source: Deterrence: States Without the Death Penalty Fared Better Over Past Decade (n.d.).
Retrieved May 25, 2003, from

10. Major Topics of Sociological Interest
Socialization
The social processes behind learning
Structured Social Inequality
The cause and outcome of differential advantage
Social Institutions
The provision of society’s basic needs
Social Change
The sources and consequences of social transformation

11. The development of sociology

12. The Development of Sociology (or history)
Inspired by
The ideas produced during the Enlightenment
The progress made in the physical and natural sciences
The onset of the Industrial Revolution
The expansion of colonialism

13. The European Origins of Sociology
Auguste Comte ( )
Believed to have coined the term “Sociology”
Aim to create a science of society (positivistic)
Society should be studied in the same scientific manner as nature

14. The European Origins of Sociology
Emile Durkheim ( )
Considered the father of sociology
Demonstrated the strength and merit of applying empirical research to the study of social life
Suicide Studies

15. The European Origins of Sociology
Karl Marx ( )
A major figure in political philosophy
Believed the chief problem facing modern society is the struggle of individuals to reproduce themselves materially
Emphasized the formative influence of economics on social life

16. The European Origins of Sociology
Max Weber ( )
Concerned with the increasing rationalization of modern Western society
Interested in how behavior had come to be increasingly goal-oriented (purposeful) rather than value-oriented (emotional)

17. The European Origins of Sociology
Harriet Martineau ( )
An early Feminist
Engaged in some of the earliest recorded sociological research
Addressed issues related to sociological methodology

18. Sociology in the United States
The University of Chicago
1st Sociology Department in the United States (Founded in 1892)
Early focus on the process of urban development
Committed to large scale empirical research
Reformist in orientation

19. STOP