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Critical Thinking- to go through the cognitive process both to analyze a situation or information and to arrive at careful, precise judgementsdoubt whatever anyone says, produce knowledge contribute something newHave questions; disagree; doubt what anyone saysSociological Imagination- the ability to use sociological perspectiveSocial Network- how you are connected to othersi.e. community, gender, race/ethnicity, symbolic values, social class, crime…etc.Sociological Perspective-way to recognize patterns in social events and view personal experiments in the light of these patternsPerspective also entails efforts to see beyond individual experiences; the sociologist tries to interpret patterns – the regular, recurrent aspects of social life.Ex. 1The story of the little league pitcher, Danny Almonteissues with race, poverty, immigration etcEx. 2KatrinaAffected social networks no where to go pattern of evacuationAffected poverty rate New Orleans poverty dissipated to other placesEmpirical- based on observation or experiences in the light of these patterns(sociological perspective)Common Sense- some things are common sense but some assumed logic is falseCrime is actually lowerDivorce rate is lower etc.What is sociology?The scientific study of social relationships, social institutions, and societySocial relationships- individual relationshipsSocial Institutions- formal groupsSchool, family, gov.Society- largest scaleThe sociological perspective operates at two levels1. MacrosociologyDeals with large-scale structures and processBroad social categories, institutions, and social systemsWar, unemployment rates, divorce rates2. MicrosociologyHow individuals behave in social situationsSocial problems of a veteran and unemployed worker, or a divorcee would be subjectsSolutions would be sought at the personal or interpersonal levelSocial institutions vs. interactionsPrinciple of least interest- you can get a good deal by showing the least interestSociology and other social sciences1. Economics- study of how goods, services, and wealth are produced, consumed and distributed within societiesMoney/other resources, exchangeThe effects of supply and demand on prices and the distribution and consumption of material goods serve as indicators of social exchange2. Political Science- studies power, governments, and political processesConflict theory- theoretical perspective that views conflict as inevitable and natural and as a significant cause of social action and social change3. Anthropology-includes physical anthropology, archaeology, cultural history, social linguistics, and social and cultural anthropologyFamily, comparative, functionalism/exchange4. Psychology-concerned primarily with human mental processes and individual human behaviorSocial psychology, symbolic interactionismSymbolic interactionism- is the major sociological perspective stressing interactions between people and the social processes that occur within the individual that are made possible by language and internalized meanings5. Social Work- the field in which the principles of the social sciences, especially sociology, are applied to actual social problems in the same way that the principles of physiology are applied in medicine and the principles of economics are applied in businessBasic vs applied science1. Applied- those that directly use these principles2. Basic- those that seek knowledge for its own sakeExchange Theory- theoretical perspective that social action is a result of continuous exchange of resources between individuals based on rational calculationexchange between love and labor, friendship, trust and powercan be between societies symbolic importance to keep peacehas to be fair for both parties or relationship wont work Fairness of exchangeFunctionalism- everybody working together for function of society to keep goingOther social sciences- we borrow ideas from them1. Political scienceSocial order; how we keep society in checkPolitical sociology chpt 14 cross b/t sociology and political scienceBig Issue: ConflictConflict b/t money, countries, individualsConflict theory- theoretical perspective that views conflict as inevitable and natural and as a significant cause of social action and social change2. PsychologyLooks at ourselves, two personal relationshipsIn sociology also looks at two personal relationshipsExchange theorySocial psychologycross b/t psych. And socl.Symbolic interactions- Our everyday life, our interaction, based on symbols Something that is used to rep something else, such as a word, gesture, or object used to rep. some aspect of the worlde.g. cup means a cup to us or CUP to othersLanguage is most complicated symbolSymbolic interactionism- the social theory stressing interactions b/t people and the social processes that occur within the individual that are made possible by language and internalized meaningsE.g. communicationSymbol for money is diffUsual error occurs in the participant of the symbol3. Social Work- Completed applied science; no basicMost sciences have two partsbasicappliedThey borrow the basic science from other sciencesDevelopment of Sociology2 founders of sociology1. Comte AKA “father of sociology”Best known for his law of human progress states that each of our leading conceptions, each branch f our knowledge, all human intellectual development, passes successively through 3 different theoretical conditions:1. theological, or fictitious2. metaphysical, or abstract3. scientific, or positivecoined the term sociologycame up with idea-“ we analyzed society like we analyzed machines” concept of physicssocial statics- the stucture of the organism; things are going wellSocial dynamics- things begin to go through changegood idea but didn’t workstart primitive and become more complicated2.Spencer came up with the “survival of the fittest”Attributed to Darwin but Spencer applied it to soclOnly rules and laws that make sense will surviveSociety with a wrong rule, idea custom will extinctOnly society with the fittest structure/component will surviveSpencer/Darwin learned from each otherTheory of social evolution( simple  complex)Societies evolved from relative homogeneity and simplicity to heterogeneity and complexity as simple societies progress, they become increasingly complex and differentiated.He viewed societies not simply as collections of individuals, but as organisms with a life and vitality of their own3


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LSU SOCL 2001 - Chapter 1

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