I SEEING THINGS SOCIOLOGICALLY UNDERSTANDING SOCIAL PRBLMS 09 10 2012 LEC 2 9 5 2012 C Wright Mills the sociological imagination lets us grasp history changes of society over time biography the self the relationship between the 2 in society Q What is the sociological imagination mindfulness o A Taking a larger view of things o Not blaming individuals o Seeing the social economic historical circumstances that produce a problem Q Why is there a need for sociological imagination mindfulness o Individuals aren t always to blame for their social situations o Our lives are intertwined so we should consider how our actions have an effect on others Q What are social problems o Social conditions that harm any part of the population Objective regardless of context it s a social problem mainly b c it causes harm Constructionist approach acknowledges the processes by which people designate some conditions as social problems Take Away Points Sociological imagination allows us to take a larger view indentify structural causes of social problems Social Image how social historical cultural economic and political factors shape the choices people have available to them Objective Constructionist 2 approaches of studying sociological problems Always a subject nature to sociological problems READINGS OPRESSION What is oppression o The caging in of every possible opportunity Women and oppression misuse of the word oppression o Oppression does not mean feeling miserable to the fault of a limitation o Correlation with easy and uptight women as well as their being of oppression o Double Bind WHAT IS PRIVELEGE when one group has something of value that is denied to others simply because of the groups they belong to rather than because of anything they ve done or have failed to do Does not determine the outcome but can either be o an asset that makes the talent ability or aspiration result in something good o A liability that make it less likely that people s talent ability and aspiration be recognized rewarded PRIVILEGE OPPRESSION LECTURE 3 9 10 2012 Q What is oppression A A system of social inequality through which one group is positioned to dominate and benefit from the exploitation and subordination of another Attributes of Oppression o Pervasive and Systematic o Hegemony ability of generally a privileged group to define what is normal Allows oppression to seem natural o Has multiple manifestations o Has consequences for everyone o Operates on multiple levels and dimensions o We are socialized to accept systems of oppression as normal Frye s Features of Oppression o Double Bind situations in which options are reduced to a very few and all of them expose one to penalty censure or deprivation page 30 Ex Women Rape Too promiscuous or not promiscuous enough Always woman s fault o Systematically Related Forces birdcage metaphor page 31 related to each other in such a way as to catch one between and among them and restrict or penalize motion in any direction no one of which would be the least hindrance to its flight but which by their relations to each other are as confining as the solid walls of a dungeon Dimensions of Oppression Reinforce eachother LEVEL RELATIONSHIP of EXAMPLE DOMINATION SUBORDINATION Individual One on one Small Group Calling someone Institutional Social Institutions Religion G vt organized patterns of mass media beliefs or behaviors that Education Cultural serve a social need Cultural Norms and Patterns a name Family What is beautiful normal What is Privilege o Advantages or benefits afforded to certain people based on their group identity or status Privilege Oppression 2 sides of same coin One can be simultaneously privileged and oppressed o 3 Characteristics of systems of privilege Dominated by privileged groups Positions of power tend to be occupied by members of privileged groups Identified with privileged groups Privileged groups are the standard for comparison Cultural ideas about what is good or normal are associated with privileged groups Language congressmen you guys Centered on privileged groups The focus of attention is on privilege groups and their experience represents the human experience PRIVILEGE OPPRESSION LECTURE 4 9 12 2012 Systems of Privilege Centered o YouTube clip of Oscar movies stating that 4 50 movies in the past 50 years are solely female centered o LEC 9 17 12 False Parallels Creating a common experience between those who oppress and False parallels fail to take history context and differences of power those who are oppressed into account o Take Away points Like the wires of a birdcage oppression creates systematically related barriers that restrict options Privilege and oppression are two sides of the same coin Where oppression exists so does privilege False parallels try to create common experiences between those who are oppressed and those who are privileged They fail to realize that the disadvantages faced by an oppressed group are directly linked to the advantages faced by a privileged group LECTURE WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 12 Systems of Power Ways of organizing society that create patterns of privilege and oppression and anything that helps create or perpetuate these patterns isms racism sexism ableism classism heterosexism ageism Individuals Systems Paths of least resistance o Choices we make into social situations that are least likely to violate norms and cause discomfort Why do we follow paths of least resistance o Usually the only path we see o Consequences of not following that path matrix of oppression packet Intersectionality Examination of social positions such as race class gender national origin sexuality ability status religion etc and how their combination plays out in various settings IS simultaneous and interlocking recognition of differences ISNT additive dichotomous ranking universal claim that ignore differences TAKE AWAY POINTS Systems of oppression are socially constructed They are created and maintained by people Systems of oppression continue not just because of people with bad intentions but because many of us select paths of least resistance Intersectionality allows us to see that we are often both privileged and oppressed 09 10 2012 09 10 2012 Take Away Points LEC SEPTEMBER 5 2012 Sociological imagination allows us to take a larger view indentify structural causes of social problems Social Image how social historical cultural economic and political factors shape the choices people have available to them Objective Constructionist 2