1. Chapter 1: Understanding Sociology

2. Understanding Sociology
What is Sociology?
What Is Sociological Theory?
The Development of Sociology
Major Theoretical Perspectives
Applied and Clinical Sociology
Developing a Sociological Imagination
Sociology in the Global Economy: The Global Response to the 2004 Tsunami

3. What is Sociology?
Sociology: systematic study of social behavior in human groups
Study influence of social relationships
Determine how those relationships influence behavior
Understand how societies develop and change

4. The Sociological Imagination
Sociological imagination: awareness of relationship between an individual and the wider society, today and in the past (C. Wright Mills)
Ability to view one’s society as an outsider, rather than from perspective of one’s limited experiences and cultural biases
Goes beyond personal experiences and observations

5. Sociology and the Social Sciences
Science: body of knowledge obtained by methods that are based on systematic observation
Natural Science: study of physical features of nature and ways they interact and change
Social Science: study of social features of humans and ways they interact and change
Sociologists study influence society has on people's attitudes and behavior and ways people interact and shape society

6. Sociology and the Social Sciences
Investigate vast range of relationships
Aging
Family
Human ecology
Religion
Sociologists test and analyze information they use
Rely on scientific studies to describe and understand a social environment

7. Table 1-1: Sections of the American Sociological Association
Source: American Sociological Association 2008.

8. Figure 1-1: Poverty Rates in Hurricane Katrina Disaster Area
Note: Poverty data for 2000, reported in Disaster area defined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency as of September 14, 2005.
Source: Bureau of the Census 2005g.

9. What Is Sociological Theory?
Theory: set of statements that seeks to explain problems, actions, or behavior
Effective theories have explanatory and predictive power
Theories are never a final statement about human behavior

10. Early Thinkers Auguste Comte (1798–1857) Harriet Martineau (1802–1876)
Coined term sociology to apply to the science of human behavior
Harriet Martineau (1802–1876)
Studied social behavior in Britain and U.S.
Emphasized impact that economy, law, trade, health, and population can have on social problems

11. Early Thinkers Herbert Spencer (1820–1903)
Studied “evolutionary” change in society
Suggested societies are bound to change eventually, so one need not be highly critical of social arrangements or work actively for social change

12. Émile Durkheim (1858–1917)
Developed fundamental thesis to help explain all society
Behavior must be understood within a larger social context
Interested in the growing division of labor in industrial societies
Anomie: loss of direction felt in a society when social control of individual behavior has become ineffective

13. Max Weber (1864–1920)
To fully comprehend behavior, we must learn subjective meanings people attach to their actions, called verstehen
Ideal type: construct or model for evaluating specific cases

14. Karl Marx ( )
Society fundamentally divided between two classes that clash in pursuit of their own interests
Worked with Friedrich Engels
Emphasized group identification and associations that influence one’s place in society
Argued working class should overthrow the existing class system

15. Figure 1-2: Early Social Thinkers
Insert Figure 1-3

16. Modern Developments Charles Horton Cooley (1864—1929)
Increased understanding of groups of relatively small size
Jane Addams (1860–1935)
Combined intellectual inquiry, social service work, and political activism

17. Modern Developments Robert Merton (1940–2003)
Created theory of deviant behavior
Emphasized sociology should use “macro-level” and “micro-level” approaches
Microsociology: stresses study of small groups, often through experimental means
Macrosociology: concentrates on large-scale phenomena or entire civilizations

18. Functionalist Perspective
Focuses on ways parts of a society are structured to maintain stability
Talcott Parsons ( ) key figure in development
Influenced by Durkheim and Weber

19. Functionalist Perspective
Manifest Functions: institutions are open, stated, conscious functions that involve intended, recognized consequences of an aspect of society
Latent Functions: unconscious or unintended functions that may reflect hidden purposes of an institution
Dysfunctions: element or process of a society that may actually disrupt the social system or disrupt it’s stability

20. Conflict Perspective
Assumes social behavior is best understood in terms of conflict or tension between competing groups
The Marxist View
Conflict not merely a class phenomenon, but part of everyday life in all societies

21. Conflict Perspective An African American View: W. E. B. Du Bois
Conducted research to assist the struggle for a racially egalitarian society
Believed knowledge essential to combating prejudice and achieving tolerance and justice
Performed in-depth studies of urban life

22. Conflict Perspective The Feminist View
Sees inequity in gender as central to all behavior and organization
Focuses on one aspect of inequality
Often allied with conflict perspective

23. Interactionist Perspective
Generalizes about everyday forms of social interaction to understand society as a whole
Sociological framework for viewing humans as living in a world of meaningful objects
Nonverbal communication: can include many gestures, facial expressions, and postures

24. Interactionist Perspective
George Herbert Mead (1863—1931)
Widely regarded as founder of interactionist perspective
Erving Goffman (1922—1982)
Dramaturgical approach: people seen as theatrical performers

25. Figure 1-3: Enforcing Symbols: The NBA Dress Code
Source: Crowe and Herman 2005:A23.

26. The Sociological Approach
We gain broadest understanding of society by drawing on all major perspectives, noting where they overlap and where they diverge
Each perspective offers unique insights into the same issue
A researcher’s work always is guided by a theoretical viewpoint

27. Table 1-2: Major Sociological Perspectives

28. Applied and Clinical Sociology
Applied sociology: discipline of sociology with specific intent of yielding practical applications for human behavior and organizations
Clinical sociology: dedicated to altering social relationships or to restructuring social institutions
Basic sociology: seeks more profound knowledge of the fundamental aspects of social phenomenon

29. Research in Action
1-1: Looking at Sports from Four Theoretical Perspectives
Have you experienced or witnessed discrimination in sports based on gender or race?
Has the representation of Blacks or women on teams been controversial on your campus?
Which perspective do you think is most useful in looking at the sociology of sports?

30. Developing a Sociological Imagination
Theory in Practice
Illustrate how major sociological perspectives can help us understand today’s issues
Research in Action
Often improves people’s lives
Thinking Globally
Globalization: worldwide integration of government policies, cultures, social movements, and financial markets through trade and exchange of ideas

31. Sociology in the Global Economy
1-2: The Global Response to the Tsunami
Have you ever lived in or traveled to a place where the very wealthy lived side by side with the desperately poor?
Explain the economic relationship between the two groups.
Which of the three major theoretical perspectives would be most useful in analyzing the social effects of the tsunami?

32. The Significance of Social Inequality
Social inequality: condition in which members of society have differing amounts of wealth, prestige, or power
W. E. B. Du Bois noted the greatest power in the land is not “thought or ethics, but wealth”

33. Speaking Across Race, Gender, and Religious Boundaries
Seek to draw conclusions that speak to all people – not just the affluent and powerful
Sociology continues to better understand the experiences of all people

34. Social Policy Throughout the World
Fundamental sociological concepts can enhance critical thinking skills and help improve our understanding of public policy debates around the world
Used to evaluate success of programs
Sociologists expect the next 25 years to be perhaps the most exciting and critical period in the history of the discipline