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Sociology. Sociology, Socialization & Personality. What sociology covers:. Sociology: Study of people in groups Study of relationships between people and the social structures they develop Social Psychology Study of individuals in social & cultural settings
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Sociology Sociology, Socialization & Personality
What sociology covers: • Sociology: • Study of people in groups • Study of relationships between people and the social structures they develop • Social Psychology • Study of individuals in social & cultural settings • How society influences human mental processes and how society contributes to the development of individual behaviours & personalities
Goal of Sociology • Understand & explain patterns of social behaviour • Why do we give presents on certain occasions • Why do we shake hands • Examines issues such as aging, poverty, crime, mental illness
Sociological Schools of Thought • Structural functionalism • Conflict theory • Symbolic interactionism • Feminist sociology
Structural Functionalism • Everything serves a purpose • Society is like a body: each part has a necessary function & work to be done • Family raises a child, school provides child with knowledge • Believe social problems are like a curable illness and are temporary • Emile Durkheim -> individuals identify themselves with society as a whole and see themselves as part of the larger picture • Suicide studies show strong social ties decrease likelihood of suicide; conversely, excessive social ties can lead to mass suicide (cults)
Conflict Theory • Power – not function – holds society together • Groups of people compete (in conflict) which may lead to change, whether it be good or bad • Karl Marx • Studied class conflict throughout history
Symbolic Interactionism • How individuals learn about their culture • Individuals process and interpret what we observe in society, it is not society’s institutions that form our social values • Max Weber: • Sociologists must put themselves in the place of the people they’re studying in order to understand how they think & why they act the way they do
Feminist Sociology • Focus on female and gender inequality • Need to better understand social roles of women and men in other cultures • Goal: to bring about social and political change
Task: • Turn to page 114 in your text and answer the following questions: • 1-3, 6a