Sociology 2001 Notes 8 28 13 asanet org To understand behavior we look beyond individuals to larger social contexts Individuals make choices o But these choices are often even unknowingly constrained by social historical cultural political or economic factors Ex Choice of college or marriage selection Way of looking at a society or social behavior Way to recognize patterns in social events and view personal experiences in Difference between personal troubles and public issues Sociological Perspective light of these patterns Sociological Imagination 8 30 13 Critical Thinking Develop the skills to go through the cognitive process both to analyze a situation or information and to arrive at careful precise judgments Sociology vs Common Sense Is subjective Ignores facts Is contradictory Varies across groups and cultures Is based on myths and misconceptions Macro vs Micro Macrosociology Microsociology deals with large scale structures and processes deals with how individuals behave in social situations Origins of Sociological Theory Sociological thinking is based on theory and empirical information Theory Empirical information a set of statements that explains why a phenomena occurs information based on observation experiments or experiences Auguste Comte Emile Durkheim Analyzed The father of sociology Argued for empirical study of sociology o Social facts aspects of life external to the individual o Social solidarity cohesion and harmony o Division of labor interdependence of different tasks and occupations Conducted study of suicide and social integration Carl Marx Analyzed the Industrial Revolution Studied o Capitalism an economic system in which ownership of the means of production is in private hands o Class conflict between capitalists and proletariat o Alienation feelings of separation Argued for the importance of ideas ideologies and charismatic leaders Argued for a free value society Max Weber Others of Import Jane Addams W E B DuBois The Perspectives Functionalism macro o How does structure help society Conflict macro o How are resources distributed Interactionism micro o How do we construct meaning through symbols Components of Scientific Theory an abstract system of meaning that enables us to perceive a Concept phenomenon in a particular way Variable o Ex concepts with 2 or more degrees or values Years of marriage level of income Proposition statements about the nature of some phenomenon o Ex Social activity is related to student grades Hypothesis Theory testable proposition process or a set of phenomena in a testable fashion a set of logically interrelated propositions that explains some Standards of Scientific Inquiry Objectivity Replication Precision of measurement o Operation definition Types of Sociological Research can be measured during research definition of a concept or variable such that it Descriptive research Explanatory research describes social reality attempts to explain why things do do not happen o Independent dependent variables measures how well a program project works in Evaluation research relation to its goal Social Research Methods used to detect essential characteristics properties designed to obtain numbers and amounts of Qualitative methods process of something or someone something Quantitative methods o Observation studies o Survey research o Experimental designs o Secondary analysis The Research Process Formulate problem Review the literature Develop hypothesis Choose a research design Collect the data Analyze the results 9 9 13 Culture and Society What is culture o High culture o Folk culture o Popular culture Interpret the findings and draw conclusions in relation to the hypothesis A system of ideas values beliefs knowledge norms customs and Society technology shared by almost everyone in a particular society a group of interacting people who live in a specific geographical area organized in a cooperative manner and who share a common culture Characteristics of Culture o Culture is learned o Culture is transmitted from one generation to the next o Culture is shared o Culture is adaptive and always changing Elements of Culture o Symbols are something that is used to represent something else o Symbols distinguish one culture from another Veil may be a sign of respect or domination o Symbols can unify or divide a society Confederate flag can be a source of pride or offense o Symbols can change over time green now means eco friendly systematized use of speech and hearing to convey or express Language feelings and ideas o Language is important Makes us human It helps us interact It directs our thinking controls our actions and gives us a sense of belonging o Values Values define what is good or bad moral or immoral proper or improper desirable or undesirable beautiful or ugly the standards by which members of a particular culture Major US values include achievement and success activity and work morality humanitarianism efficiency equality individuality rules of conduct or social expectations for behavior Norms Norms tell us what we should or should not do Characteristics of Norms Most are unwritten Most are instrumental They change over time Most are conditional Norms can be rigid or flexible Three types Folkways norms that members of society look upon as not being critical and may be broken without severe punishment Mores norms that society considers very important because they maintain morals and ethics Laws defined and enforced by a political authority rewards for appropriate behavior or penalties for Sanction inappropriate behavior Sanctions may vary in strength and can be positive or negative o Cultural Similarities societies Cultural universals customs and practices common to all Bodily adornments dancing food taboos ideas about modesty expressions of mourning Cultures differ in the expressions of the universal 9 13 13 Attitudes about Culture o Ethnocentrism the belief that one s culture or way of living is superior to those of another group o Cultural relativism involves recognizing that no culture is better than another and that a culture should be judged by its own standards Cultural Variations o A subculture is a group or category of people whose distinctive ways of thinking feeling and acting differ from the larger society Can be based on ethnicity religion politics age physical disability or social class o A counterculture deliberately opposes and consciously rejects some of the basic beliefs values and norms of the dominant culture o