Sociology is the scientific study of human social life, groups, and societies.

1. Sociology is the scientific study of human social life, groups, and societies.

2. Introduction • Sociology encompasses economics, political science, history, communications, psychology, religion and many other subjects. • It is a social science meaning that sociologists put everyday occurrences into wider contexts using scientific and mathematical methods. • This allows us to make general statements about society as a whole or a segment of society. This can be done at the local, regional, national, or international level.

3. Think broadly! • How and why is American society different than European, African, or Asian society? • How and why is New York different than California or Florida? • Going even further, how can Manhattan and the Bronx be so different? • What differences in these societies can you identify and what statements do these differences allow us to make about these societies as a whole?

4. What do we know about Cardinal Spellman that can help us make conclusions about the school or its students?

5. Can we say because it is a Catholic school, that its student body or faculty is more Catholic or religious than a secular public or private school? • What is the purpose of the school’s dress code and does it have its desired effect? • Would the answers to these questions have been different forty years ago? • What does that say about changes in society over time

6. Sociological imagination • Term coined by famous American sociologist C. Wright Mills (1916-1962) • “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.” • Combine personal experiences with historical context of time

7. Social structure • The social contexts of our lives are patterned in distinct ways based on our prior experiences and education. • Our social structures are constantly changing based on our interactions with others and what we perceive to be “normal.”

8. Theories • Sociologists have constructed several different theories to explain society and how humans behave. These theories have changed over time..

9. Early Theorists • Auguste Comte was first to use term sociology to describe the study of society based on scientific evidence. • Emile Durkheim said to study social facts. He believed that social constraints set limits on our behaviors. He did work on suicide, tying it to rapid changes in society from industrialization.

10. Marx • Karl Marx tied social changes to economics. He believed that capitalism was dividing society into rich and poor, owners and workers. Although communism as an economic society has been discredited, sociologists remain interested in social classes.

11. Weber • Max Weber compared Western society to other civilizations. He found cultural and religious values to shape a society as much as economics. A bureaucracy is a large organization divided into jobs based on functions with a hierarchy. The effect of science and bureaucracy are part of rationalization or organization in modern society.

12. Modern Perspectives • Symbolic Interactionism- shapes our interactions. Language allows us to use symbols. • Functionalism-analyze the contribution of some aspect of society. Order and balance in society exist through moral consensus when values are shared. Merton distinguished between manifest and latent functions.

13. Theories • Marxism dedicated to radical social change. • Feminist theory highlight gender relations and gender inequality. • Rational choice approach assumes self-interest. • Postmodernism sees society as constantly in flux, dominated by new media. Social life is influenced by signs and images.

14. Sociology in our lives • Awareness of cultural differences • Assessing effects of policies • Self-enlightenment

15. Sociology as a science • Sociology is an example of a social science. • Science is the use of systematic methods of empirical investigation, the analysis of data, theoretical thinking, and the logical assessment of arguments to develop a body of knowledge about a subject matter. • Social scientists study human behavior and society as a whole unlike the natural sciences like biology and chemistry.

16. Why sociology is important • Sociologists attempt to identify trends in culture that may be productive or harmful. • For example, Karl Marx showed that workers were being taken advantage of in Europe during the industrial revolution. • His writings helped lead to the labor movement, establishing unions across the world to provide better conditions for workers. • Video

17. Advocacy vs neutrality • Marx is an example of an advocate because his research led him to believe that capitalism led to divisions between the rich and the poor that were harmful to society. • He advocated a new economic system based on communal ownership. • Due to his advocacy for a new economic system, Marx remains a very controversial figure today.