Introduction to Sociology Chapter One Thinking like a Sociologist What is sociology Sociology the systematic study of human behavior in society It is regular and patterned It takes place between individuals small groups friends families large organizations Wal Mart Target and entire societies as in the US and Russia or Japan and China It goes beyond common sense Sociology vs Common Sense Common sense conventional wisdom is subjective meaning that not everyone has the same opinion about a subject but sociology is objective in that it relies on data and facts Subjective you see or hear about college students partying and getting drunk on the weekends and conclude that most college kids like to do so moderately and responsibly Statistics show that a majority of college students drink Objective Common sense ignores facts Since common sense is subjective it follows that it rarely uses actual facts to back up its claims whereas sociology takes into account actual data to prove its position Many Americans are concerned with street crimes robbery and assault when data from the FBI sociological data show that people are more likely to be harmed or stolen from by someone we know or live with Common sense varies across groups and cultures In the US it s common sense to shake someone s hand when you meet someone new whereas in another society it is common sense to bow and in another it s common sense to kiss him or her on the cheek Much of common sense is based on myths and misconceptions A lot of people believe that living together before marriage is a good way to find out whether partners will get along after marriage when statistics show that couples who live together before marriage actually have a higher rate than those who don t What is a Sociological Imagination According to sociologist C Wright Mills our individual behavior is influenced by social factors such as religion ethnicity and politics He called this ability to see the relationship between individual experiences and larger social influences the sociological imagination The sociological imagination emphasizes the connection between personal troubles biography and structural public and historical issues Think about unemployment It s a personal trouble if a small group of people can t find a job this may caused by an individual s low educational attainment lack of employable skills not looking for work etc It s a public issue when unemployment is widespread because economic problems are caused by structural factors like mass layoffs sending jobs overseas technological changes and restrictive hiring policies Therefore people can be unemployed regardless of skills a college degree and job searches The sociological imagination can show how larger social forces affect individuals and how those individuals in turn affect society Microsociology How people affect our everyday lives Microsociology examines the patterns of individuals social interaction in specific settings everyday interactions that involve what people think say do on a daily basis Macrosociology o How social structure affects our everyday lives Focuses on large scale patterns and processes that characterize Microsociology and macrosociology are interrelated society as a whole Consider divorce o Micro level factors are extramarital affairs substance abuse arguments over money and other everyday interactions that create marital tension and unhappiness leading to divorce o Macro level factors are the economy laws cultural values and technology that affect divorce rates Why Study Sociology It can help you make informed decisions Ex It s often said that grief counseling is essential after the death of a loved one when in fact 4 in 10 Americans are better off without such counseling Grief is normal and most people work through it on their own while counseling sometimes extends the feelings of depression and anxiety It can help you understand diversity Sociology can help you to understand why and how gender social class marital status ethnicity sexual orientation and age among other factors shape peoples beliefs behavior and experiences Ex How Why a white middle class male who attends a private college has experiences that are very different from those of a female Vietnamese immigrant struggling to pay for community college It helps shape social and public policies and practices It aids in applied clinical and policy settings because many jobs require understanding society and research and applying theoretical perspectives to create social change It can help you to look at a problem and think of a different way to solve it It show you how to thinking critically Studying sociology helps you to think critically using knowledge and problem solving rather than making an impulsive and emotional decision It expands your career opportunities Sociology helps you develop skills that are very important in a job setting such as learning to think abstractly and critically formulating problems asking incisive questions searching for reliable data organizing material and improving your oral presentation abilities Some Origins of Sociological Theory Theory is a set of statements that explains why a phenomenon occurs They produce knowledge guide research help analyze findings and offer solutions for social problems Sociologist James White says theories are tools that don t profess to know the truth but may need replacing over time as our understanding of society becomes more sophisticated Auguste Comte sociology Known as the father of sociology who coined the term Maintained that the study of sociology must be empirical Information should be based on observation experiments or other data collection rather than on ideology religion intuition or conventional wisdom Saw sociology as the scientific study of social statics and social dynamics investigates how principles of social order Social Statics explain a particular society as well as the interconnections between institutions Social Dynamics change over time explores how individuals and societies Believed in positivism Believed sociology should be used to discover social principles and apply findings to social reform Harriet Martineau Published 1st sociology research methods textbook Mother of sociology Feminist and opponent of slavery Translated and condensed Comte s material Emphasized importance of systematic data collection through observation and interviews and an objective analysis of data to explain events and behavior Promoted