Chapter 1 What is Sociology 09 30 2013 o Differences Between Human Behavior vs Social Behavior o Human Behavior a collection of behaviors exhibited by humans o Eating reading walking sitting singing dancing etc o Who studies Human Behavior o Psychology o Anthropology o Economics Social Scientists o Political Science o Sociology What is Social Behavior o Behavior interaction between and among individuals that takes place in a social context and results from the behavior takes place in a social context The importance of Context o All Sociology as a Discipline o A scientific way of exploring societal influence on human groups o Sociology is an empirical discipline o What is Common Sense it depends on the context o SOCIOLOGY THE STUDY OF HUMAN SOCIAL BEHAVIOR IN SOCIETY o Seeing the Broader Social Context o How groups influence people o How people are influenced by their society o People who share a culture o People who share a territory Thinking Like a Sociologist 09 30 2013 The Sociological Perspective o No difference between sociological perspective and sociological imagination o Three steps to activating your sociological perspective o What is the sociological imagination o This tool helps us connect our personal experiences to society at large and greater historical forces coined by C Wright Mills o Make the familiar strange or to question habits or customs that seem natural to us o Asking why Seeing the I in WE Activating Your Sociological Imagination o Step 1 Identify Troubles vs Issues o Personal Troubles are private problems in an individual s life o Ex My father is unemployed o Public Issues affect large numbers of people o Ex Portage County unemployment rates o US Obesity Adult prevalence rate o 33 2008 o Country comparison to the world 18 o Japan Obesity Adult prevalence rate o 5 2008 o Country comparison to the world 157 o Step 2 Discerning the Invisible o Social Facts Social patterns that are external to individuals Durkheim o Ex Divorce rate declining o Social Structure patterns of action that structure i e and or constrain our actions individual behavior o Ex the framework that existed before I was born o Step 3 Establishing a Critical Distance o Debunking Peter Burger Studying the patterns and processes that o Questioning actions and ideas that are usually taken for granted o Highlight differences between common sense and sociological shape behavior inquiry Macro Level Sociology 09 30 2013 What Divisions exist within Sociology How does a sociologist explore society from Macro Level perspective What is the Macro Level Analysis o Quantitative researches numbers vs Qualitative researchers interviews observations o Study the same things only difference is numbers vs text o Macrosociology vs Microsociology o Macro very large in scale o Look at a birds eye view of a society o Macrosociology A systems approach used when examining large complex and highly differentiated patterns of social interaction that occur o Large scale broader social patterns o Social institution is an established and organized system of social behavior with a recognized purpose o Social structure patterns of action that structure behavior o Industrial societies have 9 major institutions o Family support care reproduce love o Education learn teach get a job build a future o Work and the economy o Political institution o Religion o Health carte o Mass media o Organized sports o Military o Identifying components of social structure o Roles o Status o Expectations for behavior in a particular social position o Established position in a social structure that carries with a degree of prestige o Sociologists differentiate between achieved the result of individual effort acquired given at birth Macro Level Sociology Comparing Functionalist Conflict Perspectives 09 30 2013 Role conflict trying to balance many roles you occupy at one time o Student o Worker o Going to school and preparing for work o Going to work or in for an emergency o Daughter o Visit parents o Friend o Go to 21st birthday party Role Strain o Student o Doing well in classes o Don t make other students look bad Macro Level Analysis o Focuses on large scale features of life o The structure of society is observable in the established patterns of social interaction and in social institutions o Patterns within institutions can be identified by way of statuses and roles o Achieved vs Ascribed o Ascribed what you re born with Macro Level Theory o Theory A set of statements that seeks to explain problems actions or behaviors o Sociological Theory o Structural Functionalism Emile Durkheim Robert Merton etc Society is like a living organism with various working parts that work together for the functioning or good of society Focus the functioning of social structures Society and its parts are structured to provide social order and maintain stability Interdependence and share public values Conditions such as deviance are disruptive to the stability of the society Anomie normlessness We need public consensus in order to obtain stability o Social conflict i e Karl Marx W E B Dubios Inequality Focuses on power and the allocation of valued resources in Society is comprised of groups that compete for social and Social Order is established and maintained those who society economic resources control key resources Conflict theorists study issues such as the exploitation of the Focus unequal social structures and their consequences masses by those in power creates conflicts of interests o How might each perspective explain the changes o How might each perspective approach the study of unemployment Suicide Micro Level Perspectives 09 30 2013 Micro Level Sociology o Sociological investigation that stresses the study of small groups and the analysis of our everyday experiences and interactions o A group is considered two or more people Symbolic Interactionist Theorist s o Herbert Blumer coined the term symbolic interactionism o Human beings behave toward things on the basis of the meanings they ascribe to those things o Football in America vs Football in Europe o The meaning of such things is derived from or arises out of the social interaction that one has with others in society o One shared meaning that exists in that group o Social context o Subjective meaning o Everything is depending upon the group you re studying o These meanings are handled in and are modified through an interpretive process used by the person in dealing with the things he or she
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