Chapter 1 The Sociological Perspective Sociology study of groups of people cultures or societies ORIGINS OF SOCIOLOGY Tradition v Science o Sociology started during the Industrial Revolution o Scientific method was applied to questions about social life birth of o August Comte founder of sociology coined the term sociology and suggested we use positivism Positivism the application of the scientific approach to the social sociology world o French Revolution made him ask questions about society o Said sociologists would reform society to make it better Herbert Spencer second founder of sociology disagreed with Comte o Sociologists should not guide social reform it would interfere with a natural process that improves societies o Coined survival of the fittest societies evolve over time as the fittest people adapt to their environment Called Social Darwinism Karl Marx took a radical approach to the problem and said revolution was the answer o Marxism is not communism o Problems in the world were due to class conflict o Bourgeoisie capitalists those who own the means of production o Proletariat exploited class majority of workers who don t own means of production o Coined Conflict Theory Emile Durkheim got sociology recognized as an academic discipline Univ of o Studied suicide rates and found social factors underlie suicide o Coined social integration degree to which people are tied to their social Bordeaux groups o Patterns of Behavior recurring characteristics or events Weaker integration suicide Anomie when someone is not well integrated Max Weber Veber said religion was the reason for capitalism o Protestants Capitalism o Catholic Pure o Protestant ethic self denying approach to life o Spirit of Capitalism desire to invest capital in order to make more money SOCIOLOGY IN NORTH AMERICA Most early female sociologists viewed sociology as a path to social reform Harriet Martineau first female sociologist who translated Comte s ideas into English Also an advocate of slavery W E B DuBois first A A to earn a doctorate at Harvard o Struggled greatly as a sociologist due to racism o Wanted to change black and white relations o Wrote a new book every year about these relations o Co founder of the NAACP Jane Addams worked on behalf of the poor co founded the NAACP and the American Civil Liberties Union won a Nobel Peace Prize and wrote books Addams founded the Hull House with Ellen Gates Starr shelter open to people who needed refuge old sick poor Many early sociologists saw society as corrupt and in need of reform o Talcott Parsons developed abstract models of society and developed objective analysis o C Wright Mills deplored theoretical abstractions Said there was a power elite upper class and that they were the cause of the problems in the world and they are the reason we need social reform TYPES OF SOCIOLOGY Basic Sociology analyzing some aspect of sociology with the goal to ONLY gain knowledge Mills Applied Sociology using sociology to solve problems stats date Public Sociology using the sociological perspective for the benefit of the public for everyone and not just the elite Theory general statement about how some parts of the world fit together and THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES works together SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM symbols are the key to understanding how we view the world and communicate with one another o George Herbert Mead founder of this along with Cooley tested whether or not criminal records affected if you were hired for a job More criminal whites were hired than black people without a record o Changing meaning of symbols affects expectations of day to day life FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM society is a whole unit made up of interrelated parts that work together rooted in the origins of sociology o People on different levels working together o Robert Merton agreed with this theory o Manifest function if an action is intended to help some part of a system sending your kid to school o Latent function unintended consequences that help a system adjust sending kids to school for them to be taken care of o Latent dysfunction unintended consequences that hurt a system child CONFLICT THEORY society is composed of groups that compete with one getting bullied at school another for scarce resources o Karl Marx is talking about capitalism o Conflict is most likely to develop among people who are in close relationships LEVELS OF ANALYSIS Macro examine large scale patterns of society Functional analysis and conflict theory Symbolic interactionism Micro small scale because it deals with cultural symbols and social interaction RESEARCH MODEL Select a Topic choose a subject you want to know more about may be because there s funding or because you want help people and solve the problem Defining the Problem specify what you want to learn about the topic and examine a specific aspect you from wasting your time Reviewing the Literature read what has been published on your topic to prevent Formulating a Hypothesis hypothesis statement of what you expect to find according to predictions from a theory o Variables factor that s significant to human behavior and may vary from one case to another o Operational definitions the way a researcher measures a variable Choosing a Research Method decide how you re going to collect your data Collecting the Data make sure your data is valid your operational definitions measure what they re intended to measure and reliable research produces consistent or dependable results Analyzing the Results analyze data and what groups it applies to Sharing the Results write a report to share your findings with the scientific community make sure to compare findings RESEARCH METHODS Surveys collection of data by asking people a series of questions o Rapport build a relationship with people before asking them questions about their life o Population target group being studied o Sample individuals intended to represent the population to be studied o Random Sample everyone in the target population has the same chance of being included in the study o Stratified Random Sample ample from selected subgroups of target population in which everyone in those subgroups has an equal chance of being included o Ask neutral questions Respondents people who respond to a survey Allow respondents to respond with their own opinion to prevent bias o 2 Types of Questions Open Ended allowing people to answer in their own words Closed Ended questions with a list of answers to choose from