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Chapter 1

Chapter 1 . The Study of Society. Chapter Outline. What Is Sociology? The Emergence of Sociology Current Perspectives in Sociology The Science of Society Strategies for Gathering Data Sociologists: What Do They Do? . Sociology. The study of human social interaction.

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Chapter 1

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  1. Chapter 1 The Study of Society

  2. Chapter Outline • What Is Sociology? • The Emergence of Sociology • Current Perspectives in Sociology • The Science of Society • Strategies for Gathering Data • Sociologists: What Do They Do?

  3. Sociology • The study of human social interaction. • Concepts of role and social structure allow sociologists to analyze human drama. • Sociological imagination is the ability to see personal experience in the context of social-structural forces

  4. The Founders of Sociology • August Comte - studied social order (statics) and social change (dynamics). • Harriet Martineau - employed sociological insight to advocate women’s rights and oppose slavery.

  5. The Founders of Sociology • Herbert Spencer - saw the parts of a complex social order as functioning like organs in the human body. • Karl Marx - developed the concepts and cornerstones of conflict theory.

  6. The Dialect • George Hegel suggested that for every idea a counter idea develops to challenge it. • As a result of conflict between the two ideas, a new idea is produced. • Dialectic philosophy views change as a product of contradictions and conflict between the parts of society.

  7. The Dialectic • Change occurs through conflict and resolution rather than evolution.

  8.  Sociology in the United States Three features: • Concern with social problems. • Reforming rather than a radical approach to problems. • Emphasis on the scientific method.

  9. Three Dominant Theoretical Perspectives in Sociology • Structural functionalism • Conflict theory • Symbolic interactionism

  10. Assumptions of Structural-functional Theory • Stability. How does a social structure contribute to the maintenance of society? • Harmony. How do the parts of a society work for the good of the whole? • Evolution. Social structures evolve and adapt to new needs and demands.

  11. Structural-functional Analysis Two important steps: • Determine the nature of the over-all social structure. • Assess the consequences of various parts of the social structure for the social entity as a whole.

  12. Assumptions of Conflict Theory • Competition. Competition over resources is characteristic of all human relationships. • Structured Inequality. Those who benefit strive to maintain their advantage. • Revolution. The process of change may be abrupt and revolutionary. 

  13. Conflict Analysis Two basic questions: • Who benefits from structural inequality? • How do they maintain their advantage?

  14. Assumptions of Symbolic Interaction Theory • Symbolic meanings are important. • Meanings grow out of relationships. • Meanings are negotiated.

  15. Symbolic Interaction Analysis • Individuals derive their habits and their sense of self through interactions with others. • Interested in how individuals negotiate their way through relationships. 

  16. Sociological Research • State the problem. • Gather data. • Find patterns. • Generate theories.

  17. The Wheel of Science

  18.  Strategies for Gathering Data • Experiment - variables are manipulated to test theories of cause and effect. • Survey research - asking a large number of people a set of standardized questions • Participant observation - examines the context of human interaction.

  19. Sociologists: What Do They Do? • Most are employed in college and university settings where they teach and do research. • Applied sociology seeks to provide immediate practical answers to problems. • Sociologists also work in government, business and non-profit organizations.

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