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Session 1

Some people look at our world as it is and ask " Why?", others look at our world as it might have been and ask “ Why not?"' Senator Robert Kennedy. What is sociology?. Session 1 . Sociology is the study of the way society operates

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Session 1

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  1. CHCCLD514A Analyse sociological impacts of sociological factors on clients in community work and services Some people look at our world as it is and ask "Why?", others look at our world as it might have been and ask “Why not?"' Senator Robert Kennedy What is sociology? Session 1

  2. Sociology is the study of the way society operates Sociology is based on the idea that an our lives are not just shaped by our own individual choices, but by a whole range of forces acting upon us from ‘outside’ CHCCLD514A Analyse sociological impacts of sociological factors on clients in community work and services What is ‘Sociology’?

  3. Sociology analyses the structure of social relationships as constituted by social interaction Sociologists analyse how and why societies operate and offer understanding and sometimes solutions to a variety of social issues and problems ... 4 ... but their opinions differ CHCCLD514A Analyse sociological impacts of sociological factors on clients in community work and services A sociological perspective

  4. Sociologists are particularly interested in the issue of social power. How does power operate in society? Is power a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ thing? Does power lead to social inequalities? Is inequality a problem in Australian society? Sociology is not simple and straightforward. It involves a range of competing theories and ideas. No theory is perfect and no theory can capture the exact nature of ‘reality’. CHCCLD514A Analyse sociological impacts of sociological factors on clients in community work and services A sociological perspective

  5. C. Wright Mills considers sociology to raise three main questions: • What is the structure of this particular society and how do the parts relate to one another and to the whole? • Where does it stand in human history and the development of humanity as a whole? • What categories of people dominate in society at this particular time and how is it changing? CHCCLD514A Analyse sociological impacts of sociological factors on clients in community work and services C. Wright Mills’ version of sociology

  6. This means looking beyond ourselves and considering the bigger picture of social organisation. We need to consider the invisible forces which shape our own and other people’s lives. Most sociologists would agree that this is important but they disagree on how to get there. CHCCLD514A Analyse sociological impacts of sociological factors on clients in community work and services The sociological imagination

  7. Generally, the sociological imagination involves: • Questioning • Gathering information • Comparing different situations • Understanding history • Deciding on the value of different theories Ref: Bessant & Watts, 1999, Sociology Australia CHCCLD514A Analyse sociological impacts of sociological factors on clients in community work and services The sociological imagination

  8. What made me? "...it's my hypothesis that the individual is not a pre-given entity which is seized on by the exercise of power. The individual, with his identity and characteristics, is the product of a relation of power exercised over bodies, multiplicities, movements, desires, forces." Michel Foucault

  9. What made me?

  10. Some definitions

  11. Refers to a set of beliefs covering everything from scientific knowledge, to religion, to every day beliefs about proper conduct irrespective of whether it is true or false. Ideology can be defined as a tightly knit body of beliefs organized around a few central values. Ideology

  12. A set of beliefs about the social world and the way it works or should work These beliefs tend to benefit the powerful and have the capacity to “distort reality” Dominant Ideology

  13. Culture directs actions and defines attitudes Culture defines accepted ways to behave Culture and Behaviour

  14. This is the process by which the individual learns the culture of their society Primary Socialisation- FAMILY Other socialisation agents –Peers, educational system, the media, gender, occupational group, social class and stratification. Socialisation

  15. These are guidelines which direct conduct in particular situations.e.g dress codes Norms are enforced by “positive” (rewards) and “negative”(punishment) sanctions Norms can be sanctioned informally Formalised norms can be Laws enforced by official sanctions. These sanctions are mechanisms of social control and are used to maintain order. Norms

  16. This is a social position e.g. Occupational, family and gender Honour, prestige and power is bestowed on the individual by ones status Statuses are culturally defined Status

  17. A term to describe how the domination of one class over others is achieved by a combination of political and ideological means. (Gramsci,1971) Hegemony

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