1. Science and Fuzzy Objects: Specialization in Sociology Chapter 3 from The Practical Skeptic: Core Concepts in Sociology

2. How sociologists divide what and how they study
What Sociologists Study
Topic area or subject matter
How Sociologists Study
Theoretical perspective (paradigm)
Levels of analysis (macrosociology & microsociology)

3. Popular Topics Within Sociology
Age
Art
Collective Behavior
Culture
Demography
Deviance
Economy
Education
Environment
Family and sex
Formal organizations
Gender
Health care
Law
Mass media
Military
Political institutions
Race and ethnicity
Religion
Science and technology
Small groups
Social change
Social movements
Socialization
Sports
Stratification
Work and occupations

4. The Functionalist Paradigm: tend to focus on what holds society together and how changes in one part of society lead to changes in other parts.
Three assumptions:
In a certain society, there will be agreement about important values and norms.
Society is comprised of many connected parts and when one part changes, others change in response.
Conflict is not normal so we avoid it.

5. The Conflict Paradigm: tend to focus on the things that create tension between people.
Three assumptions:
In society, there are different subgroups that value different things.
Different subgroups compete for resources.
Conflict is normal.

6. How we act depends on how we perceive reality.
The Symbolic-Interactionist Paradigm: tend to focus on how ideas emerge from social interaction and then affect that interaction; also known as “social constructionist.”
Four assumptions:
How we act depends on how we perceive reality.
We learn how to perceive reality from others.
We constantly analyze our own behavior and what it means.
Conflict arises when different people attach different meanings to certain events.