interactions and society interactions 1 Sociology The systematic scientific study of human human social 2 Sociological perspective entails 3 things a Seeing the general in the particular i They look at the general patterns in the behavior of ii people sociologist seek to generalize things It is bad to over generalize things but always exceptions to the generalizations b Seeing the strange in the familiar i What is familiar for some people is strange for other c Seeing society in the our individual everyday lives most people important perspective that he has i Society effects us everyday ii Like to see how our own individual experiences are 3 Mills Sociological imagination attempting to see the bigger shaped by society picture The ability to see how we are shaped by society and how at the same time we shape society a One person problem is a private trouble if he is the only b If a lot of people have the same problem than it is a public person that has that problem issue 4 Sociological Theories a Structural functional theory Macro Theory i Society is an organism everything has a structure within society and everything has a function towards helping society ii To understand society you need to examine both the structure how the parts of society are related to each other as well as the function how each part contributes to society iii Manifest consequences intended consequences 1 Ex public education educated kids 2 Ex Cars were invented to help people get around or negative iv Latent consequences Unintended consequences positive and fathers to work more 1 Ex Public education freed up time for mothers 2 Ex Pollution is a negative thing v For any issue X functionalist approach 1 What is the structure of X What part social institution or social system is relevant a Ex Marriage family 2 What is the function of X What is the purpose of X in society a Ex companionship economic benefits b Social Conflict theory Macro Theory reproduction i Got to focus on the fighting conflict shapes society ii Karl Marx was the first conflict theorist interested in the conflict between owners and workers in the factory owners wanted to pay their workers less money but workers wanted more money power and scarce resources and change the expense of others iii Society is composed of groups in conflict competing for iv Society is an arena of inequality that generates conflict v Current social system is set up to benefit some groups at 1 golden rule he who has the gold makes the rules vi For any issue X 1 Who has the power in X marriage 2 Who has wealth with regard to X a Men a 1890 marriage was an economic contract of the transfer of property from one man to another b 2010 Men supposed to be equal 3 Whose interest does X serve historically speaking a 1890 women was interested in having someone to care for her men was interested in having someone to care for the house and raise the kids b 2010 vii Conflict theorist are probably right about when it comes to divorce rate because a lot of people get divorced because of conflicts within the marriage c Symbolic Interaction Micro Theory i Symbolic interaction theory 1 Social interaction is made possibly only through shared symbolic meanings language beliefs background assumptions definitions of norms roles etc interactions based upon them the product of everyday interactions 2 Society our common definitions and our 3 Society common symbols interactions 4 3 major premises the stuff we are going through is based on shared symbols so familiar that they are taken for granted a Shared symbolic meanings are important b Meaning grow out of social interactions c Meanings are negotiated and can change d Meanings can change grows out of dialogue depending of social context 5 Quantitative data a Number data data that uses numbers to statistically represent the behavior patterns of people How many How often individual or group to the next b Variables measured characteristics that vary from one 6 Methods of quantitative data a Census b Survey c Experiments 7 Concerns of quantitative sociologists a Reliability consistency in measurement b Validity measuring what you intend to measure c Quantitative sociologists study the relationship between variables 8 Independent variable cause 9 Dependent variable effect 10 Qualitative data Data that reflects the meaning of what is happening to people in the world Focusing on how people develop their ideas attitudes and behaviors from their point of view What do people do what they do 11 Methods of qualitative data 12 13 14 participate with them they are aware of the researcher they are being observed movies videos and the historical record a Participant observation interviewing observing people as you b Unobtrusive observation observing people who do not know c Documents newspapers novels bank records police reports Androcentricity Males at the center Ascribed characteristics Fixed at birth biological in our genes Achieved characteristics Product of social learning or a Personal accomplishments God given environment 16 15 What and who we are is very much determined by nature vs nurture product of our social environment a Sociologist stress nurture over nature Cases of social isolation a Victor wild boy feral children b Anna Locked in an attic for 5 years Couldn t walk or talk c when they found her Isabelle In a room for 6 and half years Very much the same thing as Anna Locked with her mother 17 18 19 20 d Lessons learned for social isolation extremely rare cases i Everyone grows up in a social environment ii Social learning is central to who we are as human beings Socialization a The lifelong social experience by which individuals develop their human potential and learn culture Nurturing brings the talent out of you b The process of learning the roles statuses norms and values necessary for participating in society Types of socialization a Primary socialization early childhood b Anticipatory socialization Role learning for roles we are likely c Resocialization abandoning a developed self concept for a to assume in the future radically new one i Occur in total institutions ex prisons Agents of socialization a Family b School education c Peers d Mass media e Religion f Workplace The looking glass self our sense of self develops by interaction a We imagine how we look to others b We imagine how others judge us with others 3 elements 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 c We develop feelings and a self concept based on these In particular we learn social