Chapter 1

1. Chapter 1 How Sociologists View Social Problems: The Abortion Dilemma

2. The Sociological Imagination Sociological Imagination (C. Wright Mills): Looking at people’s behavior and attitudes in the context of the social forces that shape them. Changes in society Connecting personal troubles and public issues Not Using Sociological Imagination Personal Troubles large-scale events of history bring trouble to people’s lives. Applying Sociological Imagination

3. Social context shapes the way we look at life on three levels Broad Social Context Narrow Social Context Intimate Social Context The Sociological Imagination

4. Social Location The process of becoming aware of ourselves by evaluating our own identity in relation to other people. Life experiences and opportunities Exposure to different experiences & influences See Table 1.1

5. Table 1.1a Continued on next slide

6. Table 1.1b

7. What is a Social Problem? Social Problem: Some aspect of society that people are concerned about and would like changed. Examples of Social Problems: Crime Poverty Sexual abuse Domestic violence War Racism

8. Elements of a Social Problem Objective Condition Measured Experienced Subjective Concern Concern about the social problem Both sides of the issue Dyanmic—Change in societies will cause a change in opinions and concerns Relative—Culturally influenced Competing Views

9. Objective & Subjective Concerns: Abortion before Roe vs. Wade (1973) Objective Abortion was illegal. Subjective Women who wanted them could not get them. Untrained individuals performing abortions Women died from botched, underground surgeries.

10. The Natural History of Social Problems Four Stages: Defining the problem Crafting an official response Reacting to the official response Developing alternative strategies

12. Table 1.2

13. Webster v. Reproductive Services (1989) Casey v. Planned Parenthood (1992) FACE (Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act) 1994 Gonzales v. Carhart (2007) RU486 Controversy No Middle Ground Controversy Continues: The Supreme Court After Roe v. Wade

14. The Role of Sociology in Social Problems Tool for breaking through emotions and defenses Gaining an objective understanding of social problems: Measure objective conditions Measure subjective concerns Applies the sociological imagination Identifies different ways to intervene in a social problem Evaluate likely consequences of social policies.

15. Sociology and Common Sense Common sense is not adequate for addressing social problems. The grounds on which our common sense is built may be faulty. More accurately, they aren’t always true.

16. Methods for Studying Social Problems Four basic research designs: Case Studies Surveys Experiments Field Studies Four methods for gathering information: Interviews (Structured and Unstructured) Questionnaire Documents Observation

17. Should Sociologists Take Sides? Problem of determining morality Sociology is not equipped to make judgments about values and morality. On going debate among Sociologists Should they report the facts and not take sides on the social issues that affect our society? You should study facts only. You should not promote any particular policy or solution! But you have a moral obligation to take a stand!

18. Uncovering Values To fully participate in a debate, one must be aware of the position taken by each side, any hidden agendas, and future policy suggestions. Whenever someone takes a position on a social problem and advocates one solution or another, values of some sort underlie that person’s views.

19. Taking Sides: Divisions and Agreement If sociologists want to take sides on any issue, they should do so as private citizens, not as sociologists. Debate keeps sociologists sensitive to the boundaries between objectivity and partisanship. Most sociologists attempt to resolve this dilemma by separating research evidence from their own values and opinions.

20. Table 1.3a Continued on next 2 slides.

21. Table 1.3b

22. Table 1.3c