Sociology Scientific study of human society Attempting to apply scientific method to humans A group is two or more The more of people the more complex the group The function of sociology as of every science is to reveal that which is hidden Pierre Bourdieu Hidden difficult patterns that we cant always see Hidden things people don t want others to know Social Structure o ex mother social structure Social structure is both abstract and concrete larger than the individual but made up of individuals systems concepts o Mothers loving their child is abstract The description of a mother is abstract The description of a mother is abstract o Post Partum depression abstract o Giving birth concrete Varies in structure relevance and influence Social Institution particular type of structure within them Shapes our behavior Structures change over time o Networks of structures in society that socialize groups of people Two levels of Sociology Micro Individuals and Families Households and Neighborhoods Macro National Societies and Cultures Global I II III IV I Macro objective Examples society law bureaucracy architecture technology and language Macro subjective Examples culture norms and values Micro objective Examples patterns of behavior action and interaction Micro subjective examples perceptions beliefs and the various facets of the social construction of reality Founding Sociologists Aguste Comte a Positivism or social physics idea that society can be studied scientifically and logically i Needed to make moral sense of society as religious authority declined b Comte s 3 Historical Epistemological Stages i Theological Stage ii Metaphysical Stage 1 Society is the result of divine will 1 Human Behavior governed by natural biological instincts iii Scientific Stage 1 Develop a social physics to understand human behavior II Harriet Martineau a Authored How to Observe Morals and Manners i First sociology methods book Sociological Imagination III Wright Mills a Historical context connecting biology and history b Using your sociological imagination i Make the familiar strange ii Question habits or customs that seem natural Social Theory Subjective Sociologists Founding Fathers Theorists I Karl Marx a Historical materialism i Conflict drives social change through history 1 Humans dominate environment 2 Humans dominate other humans b Critic of capitalism Max Weber interpretive sociologist a Verstenhen understanding in German i Understanding why people do things they do b Emphasis on subjectivity became a foundation of interpretive sociology Emile Durkeim a b Division of labor helps to determine how social cohesion is or is Considered founding practitioner of positivist sociology not maintained c Looked at how religions held people together Functionalism a Identifies the roles phenomena play in keeping society working b Society is a living organism and institutions are like vital organs c Emphasizes the role of consensus in maintaining order d There is a reason why things happen Conflict theory a Identifies power relationship that create different phenomena in society b Social inequality results from power struggles between groups Symbolic Interactionism a Focuses on how face to face interactions create the social world Individuals act based on symbolic meanings attached to objects b and people II III II III Theories I Theories in action Lets see how the sociological theories would all tackle the same question o Why does inequality exist Functionalism and Inequality o Inequality is necessary for a society o Its sets the mark for possible outcomes Examples of success and failure o Eases the division of neighbor Not everyone is capable of being a surgeon or pilot Rewards match the skill required for the job Davis and Conflict Theory and Inequality Moore o Inequality is a sign that there is exploitation within a society and is o Furthermore inequality perpetuates itself in many elements of out unjust social structure Symbolic Interactionism and Inequality o Inequality is the end result of several social processes that are rooted in individual interaction Chapter 2 Methods Expanding the Imagination Sociological research can o Explore Social Environment Poverty in the Delta Empirically Test Hypotheses and Theories Evaluate Social Phenomenon o Disaster recovery Public Sociology Using sociology to influence social change Social research mostly read by sociologists o But can benefit public Research Methods o Do children of single mothers have lower graduation rates Standard rules to find a casual relationship between social elements Pg 59 o Correlation when two factors change together o Causation when a change in one factor causes a change in another factor o Establishing causation Correlation Time order Nonspurious reasonable explanation American Sociological Association Code of Ethics o Spurious explanations are false assumptions about a correlation 1 Do no harm 2 Informed consent 3 Voluntary participation 4 Protected populations ex minors elderly pregnant women Quantitative Qualitative Data in numeric format Surveys statistical analysis Data communicates meaning in text graphic or other media form Interviews observations A Interviews Qualitative Can be structured o Set questions Or conversational o Loose structure o Probe for incomplete response B Survey research Questionnaire The cellular effect C Participant observation o Phone mail door to door Internet Seeks to observe social actions in practice Not easily generalizable Should a sociologist reveal their purpose to a group Performed on media books document video and paintings D Content analysis E Experiments Use highly controlled settings Test fundamental elements of social psychology F When it goes wrong Carolyn Ellis Lived with fishermen of the Chesapeake without informed consent Wrote about their lives negatively Chapter 3 Defining Culture Culture Humans Nature Culture a set of beliefs traditions and practices o Technology by which humans dominate nature o Ideologies and symbolic representations Culture Superior Man Inferior Man Ethnocentrism o Believing your own culture is superior o Viewing all cultures from your own culture s perspective Culture Man Machine Culture as a pursuit of perfection o The best of what has been thought and said Culture Relativism What s in a name Understanding cultural differences without assigning values Names follow socially structured patterns o Reflect cultural trends fashions o Sometimes imply race Material Culture
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