Sociology

1. Sociology

2. What is Sociology? • The social science discipline that looks at the development and structure of human society (institutions) and how it works • Sociology is the study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior. (American Sociological Association)

3. Sociology Subject Matter: • Sociologists investigate the structure of groups, organizations, and societies, and how people interact within these contexts. • All human behavior is social so the subject matter of sociology ranges from the intimate family to the hostile mob; from organized crime to religious cults; from the divisions of race, gender and social class to the shared beliefs of a common culture; and from the sociology of work to the sociology of sports. (ASA)

4. The Roles we Play • We all play certain roles in our society – Social Scientists refer to this as status • Status is the term used to describe our position within an institution eg. Aldershot School– There are many positions at Aldershot ranging from teacher, vice-principal, guidance counselor, principal, student and superintendent – Can you put them in order as far as a (generally accepted) hierarchy is concerned?

5. Hierarchy • Hierarchy is the ranking system used in any particular environment based on authority or power • Each position or role requires a certain type of expertise which is valued by society • In order to distinguish between these roles people are expected to dress and act in a certain way • On any given day we can play many different roles in society – eg. A parent can drive their kids to school and then go to work as a flight attendant, volunteer in the community and play in a rec league for soccer

6. Rules, Norms and Values • Values – Society carries with it a system of values. A particular set of values are assigned to each role. The practitioners of these roles are expected to accept and internalize these values. • Norms – These are rules set out for a particular role that are considered standard behaviour (eg. Catholic Priests are expected to be celibate) • Rules – These are developed by cultures based on their system of values

7. Deviance • Deviance – Any behaviour that is different from the societal norm. It is deviant because we, as a society, do not accept it • Deviance can range from simple eccentricities to behaviour that harms society or is considered disreputable “We must not say that an action shocks the common conscience because it is criminal, but rather that it is criminal because it shocks the common conscience. We do not reprove (denounce) it because it is a crime, but it is a crime because we reprove it”- Emile Durkheim

8. Rehabilitation • Sociology has formed a strong link with the justice system • A fundamental component of modern imprisonment is rehabilitation, or trying to re-educate and resocialize inmates so that they can grow to accept society’s values and norms Kingston Penitentiary

9. Schools of Thought in Sociology • Sociologists have debated among themselves about the real nature of society • As societies change and become more diverse sociologists need to consider cultural diversity when considering sociological issues

10. Structural-Functionalism • According to Structural-Functionalism, each society should provide its members with the fundamental requirements for functioning • A system must have a way of fulfilling material needs, a system for socializing and educating the young, a way of regulating human reproduction (usually marriage) • Structural-Functionalists believe their role is to try to explain the role of society’s systems in enabling human society to function • Structural-Functionalists do not concern themselves with change but instead with how society works to meet their needs

11. Neo-Marxism • Based on ideas originally proposed by Karl Marx (1818-1883) • Marx believed that economic power led to political power. This is the key to understanding societies • The struggle for economic power means that society is not static but ever-changing – social change is the result of a change made to the economic system • Therefore, if we want to understand society, we must understand the economic system in place • Neo-Marxists believe the economic system creates a rich class of owners and a poor class of workers (neo=new) • They also believe that social institutions (churches, schools, prisons etc.) have been created to perpetuate the division between the powerful and the powerless

12. Symbolic Interactionism • Symbolic Interactionists believe humans have complex brains and little instinctive behaviour • This means they can interpret for themselves the stimuli they receive in their daily life and attach their own meanings to them • Eg. One person might pursue fame and fortune while a sibling might dedicate his or her life to charitable work in a developing country • It is essentially how we as individuals process and interpret what we observe in society, not society’s institutions, that form the core of our value system • For this reason, Symbolic Interactionists focus their research on the human mind rather than on structures in society

13. Feminist Theory (Durkheim) • Feminist Theorists focus on sex and gender issues, believing that women have traditionally been disadvantaged in society because men have discriminated against them • They believe that men have made the decisions in society and that they tend to favour men.

14. Liberal Feminism • Liberal (or “Bourgeois”) Feminism, in which the claim of women for equal rights is seen in the context of a general opposition to various forms of oppression and discrimination, independently of other political convictions. Liberal feminism tends to emphasize social policy to open up professional, better-paid and prestigious jobs to women and the elimination of laws discriminating against the political, property and social rights of women (encyclopedia of Marxism)

15. Marxian Feminism • Marxian Feminists believe that women’s unpaid and undervalued domestic work has made it possible for industrial owners to pay lower wages to male workers. • They also believe that the continuation of lower paid jobs has enabled the dominant class (the capitalists) to retains their control

16. Radical Feminism • Radical Feminists believe that their natural child bearing role has led to a systematic oppression by men • They believe they live in a patriarchal society in which men dominate most of the institutions and are so entrenched that women cannot break in to these fields

17. Socialist Feminism • Socialist Feminists try to separate issues of oppression that are the result of the patriarchy which is a result of capitalism

18. Microsociology: • The study of social encounters, roles, and interaction of individuals and small groups in society • Emphasizes how change occurs in an individual’s life depending on the social and environmental stimuli that surround the person Example: Adolescent Peer Pressure…… Engaging in a behavior because: “everyone else is doing it”

19. Cognitive Consistency vs Cognitive Dissonance • Cognitive Consistency is the tendency to seek out stimuli that are consistent with your thoughts, attitudes and behaviors • Also limits exposure to other behaviors that are inconsistent (dissonant) with your values/beliefs • The desire for cognitive consistency is so pronounced that an individual will constantly change their actions to avoid conflict with the group

20. Cognitive Consistency vs Cognitive Dissonance • Feeling of discomfort or unease with the predominant group action or attitude is cognitive dissonance • When experiencing cognitive dissonance an individual must change their behavior to make it consistent with their attitude or change their attitude. • The desire to return to cognitive consistency forces us to resolve the conflict Brainstorm: Periods in history that would have been influenced by individuals drive to attain cognitive consistency

21. Macrosociology • Sociological approach in which groups, social systems, and social structures are analyzed on a large scale • What are the wide-sweeping changes that influence and entire society • Are those elements of change positive or negative over a long time period? • When the majority of a population is engaged in and pursuing change in a specific social area it is possible to see a transformation in their collective ideal and beliefs

22. Social Paradigm Shift • When a new set of ideals, beliefs, and values becomes strong enough to affect and change the way individuals see and perceive reality, it is know as a social paradigm shift. • Paradigm shifts occur when unique circumstances present themselves and permeate a group in such a profound way that it causes the group to re-evaluate its current course and envision an alternate way of doing things Consider the “Arab Spring”

23. Paradigm Paralysis • Sometimes change is met with resistance by the dominant group • In this case paradigm paralysis occurs where there is a refusal or inability to see beyond the current system of thought • Psychologists refer to this as “confirmation bias” • Confirmation Bias is the tendency among people to favour information that confirms their beliefs and preconceptions about an issue regardless of whether the information is accurate or valid

24. Confirmation Bias Test :-) = yes your sequence fits my rule :-( = no your sequence does not fit my rule

25. Confirmation Bias Test • Who had a table that looked like this?? • Seems convincing but you are incorrect……. • Why were you so sure of a wrong hypothesis?

26. Confirmation Bias Test • You wanted to run studies where the result would demonstrate that you're right rather than risk running a study they expect will be wrong. But if you did run studies you think might show you that you're wrong you might eventually find out the true answer!

27. Factors Influencing Change • Physical Environment Eg. soil erosion and drought can have devastating consequences to agriculture and affect the ability of a society to produce sufficient food • Population Changes Eg. Immigrants create diverse cities and challenge the social system to expand to meet the unique needs of its new members

28. Factors Influencing Change • Proximity Eg. Change is more likely to occur where intercultural contact is high. Sharing of ideas and technology…. • Social Environment, Culture, and Social Values Eg. Collectivist vs individualist societies • Technology Eg. Development of technology in society has wide-reaching implications on a culture’s social institutions, customs and values. Has been suggested as the most important driver of social change (William FeildingOgBurn)

29. Will Technology Save us All??? Lets see what Ted has to say…….. • Peter Diamandis: Abundance is Our Future • Paul Gilding: The Earth is Full Time for an informal Debate: • Teams have 10 min to prepare arguments • 2 min intro, rebuttle, concluding statement

30. Theories of Change Evolutionary Theory of Change • Societies evolve from a simple beginning to become more complex over time (some call it “progress”) Cyclical Theory of Change • Operates like the seasons, each season reaches a pinnacle only to give way to the next season, eventually returning to the original state • PitirimA. Sorokin (1889–1968) classified societies according to their 'cultural mentality', which can be ideational (reality is spiritual), sensate (reality is material), or idealistic (a synthesis of the two). He theorized that a soceity moves from one state into another overtime

31. Theories of Change Challenge and Response Theory of Change • Societies initially faces challenges imposed by the physical environment and other external forces aimed at its destruction. The ability of a society to respond to these threats dictates its success. Functionalist Theory of Change • How society maintains stability and social order in the face of so many competing forces that drive change. Society is affected by its institutions

32. Theories of Change Conflict Theory of Change (Marx) • All society is subject to constant change • Change brings disorganization and conflict, which leads to constant conflict • Conflict often comes between different classes in society (Dahrendorf) • There is always a “command” class and an “obey” class • This may be drawn on racial, socioeconomic or political boundaries

33. Comparison of the Disciplines