Societies 0005 1 7 13 Lecture 1 Types of Sociology Public Sociology Sociology the systematic study of human social behavior and group societies Social Psychology human social interactions o Radio TV anything that provides the public with information o Public government policy makers Methodology Data o Quantitative Numbers o Qualitative Numbers Interviews Level of Analysis o Micro Level Orientation Social interactions among individual people and groups Ex When people ask other people How are you doing People do not expect you to actually answer it with everything that is going on in your life but just to make sure you know that you are cared for o Macro Level Orientation o If government ran food systems in poor countries standard of living will go up Broad social structures Societies Governmental Structure Policies How they work Base of Sociology Empiricism and Theory Compare Sociology o Condition A Government o Condition B Capitalist o Confounding Variables just bad structures Model System cannot put into software o History look at past countries Neutrality myth opinions about people Physics gravity Biology oxygen Architecture classroom theatre seating Business tuition structure Economics education public vs private Societies 0005 1 9 13 Lecture 2 Review What is a Theory Big Theory idea about how world works o Deals with universal aspects of social processes or problems is based on abstract Middle Range Theory claim or argument that leads to empirical predictions ideas and concepts A way of looking at right wrong o Relationship with empirical evidence dear Ex Upper class view on show Roseanne o Rational Choice People make decisions based on reasoned consideration of positive and negative consequences Immanuel Wallerstein s World System Theory Background Modernization Theory Approach to world history and social change that stresses that the world system not nation states should be the primary unit of social analysis Stages of Development o Hunter Gatherers o Agricultural o City Town o Industrial Modernization labors Movement driven by population growth new technologies easier to do manual Based on Analyses of European Societies help of Western technologies o But non western countries weren t modernizing as predicted 1890 Argentina modernizing 1960 Argentina stayed static stayed at the same time or regressing 19060 s Modernization system was breaking down World System Theory WST Why Aren t Countries Developing o Global context is different o Europe prospered by exploiting resources from other places imperialization dominance over other nations Ex 1800 s Latin America depended on Europe remained static Japan stayed away from European issues developed independently o Need to study entire global economy as a world system o Countries have division of labor Ex Bananas vs computers There are today no socialist systems in the world economy any more than there are feudal systems because there is only one world system It is a world economy and it is by defining capitalist in form Core Countries rich developed countries Societies 0005 o West metropolitan countries developed world Semi Periphery Countries Semi industrialized countries o South Africa Brazil Greece Spain o Wants all countries to like it o Wants to support the EU o Stays neutral Periphery Countries poor dependent nations o Underdeveloped countries satellites dependencies South Dependency vulnerable state of being exploited by core countries o Ex Monsanto sells 1 year of seeds that cannot reproduce o Ex Us using cheap laborers outsourcing the labor Criticisms of the World System Theory WST Economic Determinism o Culture o Social Structures State Government Criticisms o Neglects local class structures and class struggles o States not just at mercy of economic system International State System states are not a product of world economy o Hard to disprove big theory vs middle range theory Ex Core countries use its power like whether or not to sign treaty Tries to make it fit theory can make anything fit own theory o Causality could be backward Ex Poverty produces dependency between countries bananas vs computers Could be both poverty dependent or dependent poverty Ex Periphery Countries South Korea and Taiwan Critic of World System INEQUALITY Societies 0005 1 16 13 Lecture 3 Globalization World System Theory o Classification Core Countries Semi periphery Countries Periphery Countries o The world as a unit of analysis o The historic evolution of the world system not static 1960 s Cold War o Core Countries Soviet Union United States Present Day o Core Countries United States China TA s Prediction of the World in 2090 Steers away from ethnocentrism Does not put United States and Europe at the top but instead South American and Australia Societies 0005 Globalization All those processes by which the people of the world are incorporated into a single society global society Abrow 1990 1999 Main Process that Characterize Globalization 1 Changing concepts of space and time 2 An increasing volume of cultural interactions 3 The community of problems facing all the world s inhabitants a The world is shared by everyone so environmental problems affect everywhere else through trade and other international business b Not just physical differences global warming 4 Growing interconnections and interdependencies 5 A network of increasingly powerful transitional actors and organizations 6 The synchronization of all the dimensions involved in globalization Societies 0005 1 23 13 Lecture 4 Mujica Main Point Research Question In my humble way of thinking the problem we are facing is political What would happen to this planet if the people of India had the same number of cars per If people in India had the same number as in Germany pollution would rise so much that global climate change would be increased family as the Germans Hypothesis Empirical Finding Doesn t exist could do models Marxism 1 Materialism o So I salute the effects and agreements being made And I will adhere to them as a ruler But we must realize Social process driven by material items succeed How its made used where it comes from ideas 2 Historical Materialism Lack of freedom All going to move into communism life will be great 3 Political Economy Theory of Surplus Value Successful capitalism being able to pay workers that for what they are willing to work for but still allowing bosses to earn more than the workers High end bartender 20 hour 15 drink in 2 minutes 1 hour 450 worth of