Sociology

1. Sociology

2. What is Sociology? Study of the development and structure of human society (institutions) How it – society – 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: Investigate the structure of groups, organizations, and societies, and how people interact within these contexts. Nearly all human behavior is social Subject matter of sociology ranges: - intimate family- hostile mob- organized crime- religious cults- divisions of race, gender and social class - shared beliefs of a common culture- sociology of work, of sports.

4. Application:* One of the fundamental assumptions of sociology is that human beings are inherently social creatures. * From a theistic point of view, this communal aspect of all humanity is a created good. * From a materialist point of view, this state is the result of strictly natural, genetic adaptations for survival and well-being. * Important to recognize that, though the presuppositional starting points are different, conclusions can be shared. Loneliness https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3Xv_g3g-mA

5. The Roles we Play • We all play certain roles in our society • Social Scientists refer to this as status • Position within an institution • eg. There are many positions at HCS • teacher, • vice-principal, • guidance counselor, • coach, • principal, • student, • janitor • Board member

6. Hierarchy Hierarchy is the ranking system used in any particular environment based on authority of power Each position/role requires a certain type of expertise * valued by society Need to distinguish between these roles * e.g., people are expected to dress and act in a certain way On any given day we can play many different roles in society

7. Rules, Norms and Values Values – every society has a system of Set of values assigned to each role The practitioners of these roles are expected to accept and internalize these values. Norms– These are ideas set out for a particular role that are expected, standard behaviour (eg. Catholic Priests are celibate) Rules– These are developed by institutions based on their system of values

8. Deviance • Deviance– Any behaviour that is different from the societal norm • including a formally enacted rule (e.g., crime), as well as informal violations of social norms (e.g., rejecting folkways and mores) • Deviant because society does not accept it • Range from simple eccentricities to behaviour that harms society or is considered disreputableor criminal…

9. Deviance and Crime They look at aspects of deviant behavior, e.g., impacts of crime on individual victims and their families, society at large, and even criminals themselves:- Frequency of crimes - Location of crimes - Causes of crimes - Types of crimes - Social and individual consequences of crimes - Social reactions to crime - Individual reactions to crime - Governmental reactions to crime • Criminology is a branch of sociology • dedicated to studying not only the causes of crime but the social impact as well. • end goal of criminology, of course, is to determine the root causes of criminal behavior and to develop effective and humane means of preventing it. • 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 • Any problems?

10. Deviance and Crime Is Durkheim right? Is what is criminal only that which violates the norms (and laws) of a given society? Are there capital ``C`` crimes? Can you think of a way in which this would be contradictory to your way of thinking of law and/or truth?

11. Indeed, some or even much criminal action may be attributable to the violation of a given society’s law (based on ever-changing norms and values) Some crimes must never be conceived only as such. There is also the violation of what could be called universal law; the normative principles of human behaviour established by the divine

12. Clarification If sociology attempts to understand the roles of different people occupying different status in society And if sociology studies human behavior and the development of unique values and norms in societies, Then sociology would have a lot to do with criminal justice What institutions and practices are in place to promote perceived social goods in a society? And what institutions and practices are in place to deter perceived social ills in a society?

13. Sociology and Criminal Justice What is a crime? What makes a criminal? (Nature or nurture?) The approach to crime which is distinctively sociological assumes that the criminal acquires his interest, ability, and means of self-justification in crime through his relationship to others. This conception contrasts sharply with those psycho-analytic and biological approaches which conceive of crime as the expression of innate impulses which the criminal has not learned to control It will be noted, however, that in recent years, the sociological conception has been largely accepted by many persons identified with disciplines other than sociology.

14. Sociology has formed a strong link with the justice system, obvs… A fundamental component of modern imprisonment is rehabilitation, or trying to re-educate and resocialize inmates grow to accept society’s values and norms to restore back in Do you think this is happening? Most correctional facilities employ retribution the dispensing or receiving of reward or punishment something given in recompense; especially punishment Rehabilitation Kingston Penitentiary

15. Dealing with law-breakers… * Punishment: to impose a penalty on for a fault, offense, or violation; to inflict a penalty for the commission of (an offense) What is the purpose of punishment? Incapacitation: A felon in prison cannot commit crimes while imprisoned. An executed felon cannot commit a crime ever again. Deterrence: The threat of punishment deters people from engaging in illegal acts. Retribution: The felon harmed society; therefore society (or the direct victims) is entitled to inflict harm in return.

16. Is there another way? Rehabilitation: The punishment changes the felon in order to make him a better citizen afterwards. (The punishment can include mandatory vocational training, counseling, drug treatment, etc.) Restitution: The felon is required to take some action to at least partially return the victim to the status quo ante. (state existing before) Restoration: a system of criminal justice that focuses on the rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with victims and the community at large. With the high cost of prison system, convict unemployment, poor education rates and recidivism, another model is needed… (But that’s a different topic)…

17. Schools of Thought

18. Structural-Functionalism Society should provide its members w/ fundamental needs - STABILITY A system must have a way of fulfilling material needs* e.g., socializing and educating the young, a way of regulating human reproduction (usually marriage) S-F’s try to explain the role of society’s INSTITUTIONS in enabling human society to function Do not concern themselves with change but instead with how society works to meet its needs

19. Neo-Marxism • Based on ideas originally proposed by Karl Marx (1818-1883) • Economic power and material wealth are basis of all power (controlling the means of production) • Key to understanding societies is understanding the systems of power • Less a specific school of thought, more of a lens used to understand and critique the systems of a society (or the whole world) • Term used to describe opposition to perceived inequalities experienced by different groups • “True” Marxist desires communist revolution; “Neo-Marxist” is more of an academic disposition

20. Neo-Marxism The struggle for economic power means that society is not static but ever-changing Marxists believe the capitalist, economic system creates a rich class of owners (bourgeoisie) and a poor class of disenfranchised workers (proletariat) They also believe that social institutions (churches, schools, prisons etc.) have been created to perpetuate the division between the powerful and the powerless In a sociological sense, neo-Marxism adds Max Weber's broader understanding of social inequality such as status and power to Marxist philosophy

21. Marxism’s connection to Sociology The American Sociological Association has a section dedicated to the issues of Marxist sociology that is "interested in examining how insights from Marxist methodology and Marxist analysis can help explain the complex dynamics of modern society". Marxist sociology would come to facilitate the developments of cultural studies (and critical theory) as loosely distinct discipline

22. Feminist Theory • Feminist Theory is another conflict theory • focus on sex and gender issues, aiming to understand the nature of gender inequality • Think of feminism as Marxism applied to one fundamental power dynamic, i.e., the power struggles between gender norms in a society (men and women’s equality / access to power) • Generally, the belief that men and women deserve equality in all opportunities, treatment, respect, and social rights. • Belief that many social inequalities are based on unhealthy / undesirable gender social norms, laws and traditions, • Women have traditionally been marginalized by men and discriminated

23. 1st wave Feminism • Focuses on women’s ability to show and maintain equality through own actions and choices. • Liberal feminists argue society holds false belief that women are, by nature, less intellectually and physically capable than men, • discriminate against women in the academy, the forum, and the marketplace. • Goals: overturning legal obstacles to gender equality • Mostly voting rights and property rights

24. 1st wave Feminism • “Female subordination is rooted in a set of customary and legal constraints that blocks women’s entrance to and success in the so-called public world” Rosemarie Tong • Emphasize the equality of men and women through political and legal reform. • Roots go back to Enlightenment • Mary Wollstonecraft, (late 18th cent) • Suffragettes (Louisa May Alcott)

25. 2nd wave Feminism Popular in 1960s and early ‘70s counter-cultural movements Focuses on patriarchy as a system of power that organizes society based on the assertion that male supremacy oppresses women. Believes that notion of gender should be removed entirely Radical feminism aims to challenge and overthrow patriarchy by opposing standard gender roles and oppression of women and calls for a reordering of society

26. 2nd wave Feminism 2nd wave broadened the feminist debate to include a wider range of issues: sexuality, family, the workplace, reproductive rights, de facto inequalities, and official legal inequalities. Also drew attention to the issues of domestic violence and marital rape, engendered rape-crisis centers and women's shelters, and brought about changes in custody laws and divorce law.

27. 2nd wave Feminism If first-wave feminists were inspired by the abolition movement, their great-granddaughters were swept into feminism by the civil rights movement, the attendant discussion of principles such as equality and justice, and the revolutionary ferment caused by protests against the Vietnam War.

28. Cultural Feminism Most radical feminists retreated to cultural feminism Dominant culture is difficult to “radically” transform Instead, work toward a more feminized next generation, more subversive modern society is hurt by encouraging masculine behavior, but society would benefit by encouraging feminine behavior instead As various 1960s movements for social change fell apart or got co-opted, folks got pessimistic about the very possibility of social change. Many of then turned their attention to building alternatives, so that if they couldn't change the dominant society, they could avoid it as much as possible. That, in a nutshell, is what the shift from radical feminism to cultural feminism was about. These alternative-building efforts were accompanied with reasons explaining (perhaps justifying) the abandonment of working for social change. Notions that women are "inherently kinder and gentler" are one of the foundations of cultural feminism, and remain a major part of it. A similar concept held by some cultural feminists is that while various sex differences might not be biologically determined, they are still so thoroughly ingrained as to be intractable.