1. An invitation to sociology
The Sociological Perspective

2. What is Sociology?
the scientific study of social structure

3. Social Structure The patterned interaction of
people in social relationships

4. People who commit rape and sexual assault are mentally ill.
Sociological Findings Verses Common Sense
True or False
More U.S. students are killed in school shootings now than ten or fifteen years ago.
The earnings of U.S. women have just about caught up with those of U.S. men.
When faced with natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes, people panic and social organization disintegrates.
People who commit rape and sexual assault are mentally ill.
Most people on welfare are lazy and looking for a handout. They could work if they wanted to.
Compared with women, men maintain more eye contact while they are conversing.
The more available alcohol is (as measured by the number of places to buy alcohol per one hundred people), the more alcohol related injuries and fatalities occur on U.S. highways.
Couples who live together before marriage are usually more satisfied with their marriages than couples who do not live together before marriage.
When husbands of working wives get laid off from work, most take up the slack and increase the amount of housework they do.
Students in Japan are under such intense pressure to do well in school that their suicide rate is about double that of U.S. students.

5. 1. Someone who can’t find a job is ___________________.
Homelessness is the result of _____________________.
Illegal immigrants come here because of ___________.
Personal Societal

6. Sociological Perspective
Looks at the behavior of
groups, not individuals

7. Are More Heads Better Than One?
How many pennies are in the jar?
Class average?
How many came closer to the actual number
than the group?
Conclusion: Many times groups solve problems
better than individuals

8. Why do people conform?
Groups tend to think, feel and behave in similar ways
elevator conformity

9. The Social Sciences Sociology – investigates human behavior from
group (not individual) perspective
Anthropology – closely related, focus on pre-
literate societies
Psychology - mental and emotional processes
and functioning of the individual
Economics – studies production, distribution
and consumption of goods and services
Political Science – organization, administration,
history, and theory of government
History - past events in human societies

10. Sociological Imagination
The ability to see the link
between society and self
C. Wright Mills

11. Who was August Comte, and why does he matter? Frenchman
Father of Sociology
1st to advocate scientific
study of society (positivism)
Positivism: the belief that knowledge
should be derived from scientific
observation
Believed people’s behavior within a group cannot be predicted by their
personal characteristics (bronze)

12. Comte’s Big Ideas Social Statics: the study of
social stability and order
Social Dynamics: the study of
social change

13. Harriet Martineau… the first feminist?
Englishwoman
Popular writer, Society in America
drew link between slavery and
oppression of women
inspired future feminist theorists

14. Ebenezer Scrooge…Social Commentary

15. Herbert Spencer and Darwinism
Social Darwinism
natural social selection and survival
of the fittest society
opposed social reform – to interfere would
be harmful to society in long run

16. “What is not good for the hive is not good for the bee.”
Marcus Aurelius Antonius ( )
occupy movement

17. Karl Marx & class conflict
German scholar
poverty and inequality of
the working class
bourgeoisie: class owning the
means for producing wealth
(capitalists)
proletariat: working class,
those who labor for bourgeoisie

18. Class Conflict eventually wage workers would overthrow capitalists
result in communistic society
(one without classes)

19. Emile Durkheim Consensus (solidarity) of society mechanical solidarity
Frenchman
Consensus (solidarity) of society
mechanical solidarity
organic solidarity
Studied Suicide: believed suicide
is related to the strength of shared
beliefs among group members
(solidarity)

22. More About Durkhiem First to stress statistical techniques
Anecdotal vs. Scientific Data

23. Verstehen!

24. Who was Max Weber? German law & economics professor
verstehen: understanding others
by “putting yourself in their shoes”
rationalization: mindset that
emphasizes knowledge, reason, and
planning

25. Jane Addams and Hull House
American social reformer
poor, immigrants, sick, aged
believed society should help the
less fortunate

26. W.E.B. Dubois’ Contributions
African American social activist
doctorate degree from Harvard
used science and sociology to
disprove racist assumptions
about African Americans

27. Theoretical Perspective
a set of assumptions accepted as true
in sociology, assumptions about the workings
of society
viewed as true by its supporters
helps them to organize their research

28. Perception can change depending on
your perspective

30. Symbolic Interactionism
What is a Theoretical Perspective?
Theoretical Perspective: a set of assumptions accepted as true
Conflict Perspective
Symbolic Interactionism
Functionalism

31. Functionalism Emphasizes the contributions (functions)
of each part of a society
A society is a relatively integrated whole
A society tends to seek relative stability
Most aspects of a society contribute to the
society’s well-being and survival
A society rests on the consensus of its members

32. Functionalism
Functionalism: approach that emphasizes the contributions made
by each part of society
Family
contributes to society by providing for
the reproduction and care of its new
members

33. Functionalism Thou Shalt Not… kill steal…. Religion
contributes to society by emphasizing
beliefs and practices that are sacred
Religion
Thou Shalt Not…
kill
steal….

34. functionalism Education Contributes by ensuring
Survival of society by passing
On essential knowledge/skills

35. “Religion is the opiate
of the masses.”
Agree or disagree?

36. Functionalism
Economics: contributes to society by dealing with the production,
distribution, and consumption of goods and services

37. Functionalists: see parts of a society as an integrated whole
a change in one part of society leads to changes in others
Example: pre and post-Industrial Revolution

38. What do functions do? …If they didn’t, they would disappear.
Most functions exist to promote a society’s survival and welfare
(like family, economy, religion)
…If they didn’t, they would disappear.

39. Manifest and Latent Functions
Robert Merton
Manifest functions: intended and recognized
Q: Manifest function of school?
A: Education

40. Latent Functions: unintended and unrecognized
aspects of society
Q: Latent Function of School?
A: development of close
friendships

41. Dysfunctions: negative consequences of an aspect of society
Consensus of society that these two aspects were dysfunctional

42. Conflict Perspective A society experiences inconsistency and conflict
everywhere
A society is continually subjected to change
A society involves the constraint and coercion
of some of its members

43. Conflict Perspective
Conflict Perspective: approach emphasizing the role of conflict,
competition, and constraint within a
society

44. Conflict and Constraint
Who gets what?
Who has the POWER?
Those with the most power are able to constrain (or limit)
the less powerful.

45. Functionalism Conflict Perspective
A society is an integrated whole
A society tends to seek relative stability
A society rests on the consensus of its members
A society experiences inconsistency and conflict everywhere
A society is continually subjected to change
A society involves the constraint and coercion of some members by others

46. Conflict Perspective and Social Change
Balance of power changes
Men -Women
Whites - Minorities

47. pencil = clock pen = stapler
paper = projector desk = closet
tablet = shoe write = dribble
down = up snack = door handle
party = nosebleed year = waffle

48. I want you to take out a clock or a stapler and some projector and put it on your closet. It’s OK if you leave it in your shoe for now. I want you to dribble up your favorite door handle for a class nosebleed
at the end of the school waffle.

50. Symbolic Interactionism
Focuses on the actual interaction among people through
the use of shared symbols
Symbol: anything that stands for something else and has
an agreed upon meaning attached to it
aunts, uncles,
brothers, sisters
employers, employees
teachers, students

51. 1. Three Assumptions About Symbolic Interactionism
We learn the meaning of a symbol by the way we see others reacting to it.

52. 2.
Once we learn the meanings of symbols, we base our behavior (interaction) on them.

53. 3. We use the meaning of symbols to imagine how
others will respond to our behavior

54. Dramaturgy as theatrical performances Erving Goffman
approach that sees human interaction
as theatrical performances
Erving Goffman

55. Assumptions of the Major Theoretical Perspectives
Functionalism
Conflict Perspective
Symbolic Interactionism
1. A society is a
relatively integrated
whole.
A society tends to seek relative stability.
Most aspects of a society contribute to a society’s well-being and survival
4. A society rests on the consensus of its members
1. A society
experiences
inconsistency and
conflict
everywhere.
A society is
continuously subjected to change.
3. A society involves
the constraint and
coercion of some
members by others.
People’s
interpretations of
symbols are based on the meanings they learn from others.
People base their
interaction on their
interpretation of
symbols.
3. Symbols permit people to have internal conversations, behaving the way they think others expect of them and the behavior they expect of others.

56. Comparing Theoretical Perspectives
Functionalist
Perspective
Conflict
Symbolic Interactionist
Emphasis
is on…
Society is
viewed as…
Key question
is…
Major criticisms
are that…
order and stability
a system of
interrelated parts
How does a part
contribute to
overall functioning
of a society?
it defends
existing social
arrangements
conflict over scarce
and valued resources
dominant and
subordinate groups
in conflict over scarce
Who benefits from a
pattern or social
arrangement, and
at whose expense?
it exaggerates
tension and
divisions in society
shared meaning of
symbols
a series of
interactions
dependant on
shared symbols
How are symbolic
meanings created?
it offers no systematic explanation for how meanings persist
or change