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Chapter 1 – An Invitation to Sociology

Chapter 1 – An Invitation to Sociology. This review can be found on my Weebly page. The Nature of Sociology. What is Sociology? Study of social structure - patterned interaction of a people in social relationships (groups) 2. What is unique about sociology?

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Chapter 1 – An Invitation to Sociology

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  1. Chapter 1 – An Invitation to Sociology This review can be found on my Weebly page

  2. The Nature of Sociology What is Sociology? Study of social structure - patterned interaction of a people in social relationships (groups) 2. What is unique about sociology? Never focuses on the individual - focuses on the group > explains the actions or events without relying on the personal factors

  3. The Importance of Patterns How do groups and individual behavior differ? Groups are not identified by the traits of the individual (ex: bronze, not lead+copper+tin) - groups are not predicted by individuals, newseparate 2. Why do people conform? Members of a group think, feel, and behave in similar ways - regardless of the size of the group; taught to value certain preferences - “group is more than the sum of its parts”

  4. Acquiring the Sociological Imagination What is gained by using our sociological imagination? People do not act in isolation > helps one to understand the effects of events, questions common interpretations of human social behavior, challenges conventional social wisdom What happens when you ASSUME?

  5. Another Way to Look at This Sociology: a science guided by the basic understanding that “social matters: our lives are affected not only by our individual characteristics, but by our place in the social world.” Individual Choice vs. Social Forces • Solidarity - the level of connectedness a person feels to others in the environment • Social Control - the social mechanisms that regulate a person’s actions Sociological Imagination -the ability to look beyond the individual as the cause for success and failure and see how one’s society influences the outcome.

  6. Auguste Comte “Father of Sociology” Improvement of society Sociology could use scientific procedures and promote social progress Major Ideas: positivism, sociology, social statics, social dynamics

  7. Harriet Martineau Translated Comte’s Positive Philosophy from French to English Believed in a link between slavery and the oppression of women Major idea: feminism

  8. Herbert Spencer Society = parts working together for well-being and survival Social change leads to progress Survival of the fittest in society Social reform interfered with selection Major ideas: social stability, Social Darwinism

  9. Karl Marx Social scientists should try to change the world, not just study it Conflict between the “haves” and the “have nots” would result in a classless society Revolution! Major ideas: Class conflict, Capitalism vs. Communism

  10. Emile Durkheim Pre-industrial: consensus of beliefs - mechanical solidarity Industrial: interdependence with specialized roles - organic solidarity Statistical techniques Major ideas: mechanical and organic solidarity

  11. Max Weber Studied the nature of power Protestant Work Ethic Humans act on the basis of their own understanding (values, beliefs, attitudes) Study others by putting yourself in their shoes Use reason not superstition Major ideas: verstehen, rationalization

  12. Jane Addams Problems are caused by an imbalance of power Effects of industrialization on the lower classes Major ideas: Women’s suffrage, discrimination

  13. W. E. B. DuBois Challenged the theory that blacks were inferior Analyzed social structure in black communities Major ideas: racial discrimination and segregation, the “Negro Problem,” and Pan Africa

  14. The Role of Theoretical Perspectives What is theoretical perspective? A set of assumptions about a society - perceived as true by its supporters 1. Functionalism 2. Conflict theory 3. Symbolic interactionism

  15. Functionalism How does functionalism explain social change? Parts of society are an integrated whole - a change in one part causes change(s) in other parts but societies tend to return to a state of stability 2. Do all functions have a positive effect? NO - manifest (intended) and latent (unintended) are positive while dysfunctions are negative 3. How does functionalism view values? It is through consensus of values that cooperation exists in society

  16. Conflict Perspective What is the role of conflict and constraint? Social living is a contest based on the disagreements between/among various groups - those with the most power have the ability to control the behavior of others 2. How does the conflict perspective explain the social change? Many conflicting groups in one society - as the balance of power shifts, change occurs 3. Which perspective is better? There is no “better”

  17. Symbolic Interactionism What is the significance of symbols in symbolic interactionism? Symbols are something observable that represents something not observable - the meaning of symbols are assigned by the people in the group - understanding vs. chaos 2. What are the basic assumptions of symbolic interactionism? Meaning(s) of a symbol are learned from the way we see others reacting to it Behaviors are based on the meaning(s) of a symbol Meaning(s) of a symbol are used to predict how others will respond to our behavior

  18. Comparing Theoretical Perspectives

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