1. Mrs. Hansen Sociology

2. Section 1: Examining Social Life  Sociology: The study of human society and social behavior, focusing on social interaction

3.  Why study it? Having a sociological perspective means you can gain perspective on yourself and the world you live in! Sociology tells you that all people are social beings and that behavior is learned from those around you. It gives you the ability to see the world from another’s point of view Balance ○ You will know how to be a member of a group and also an individual Sociological Imagination

4.  Where does sociology fit with the social sciences? Anthropology= study of past/ less advanced societies Psychology= study of the behavior and thinking of organisms Social Psychology= study of how the social environment effects an individual’s behavior Economics= study of the choices made to meet their needs and wants Political Science=the study of the organization and operation of governments History= the study of past events

5. Section 2: Sociology then & now  Sociology developed in the 1800s because of many social changes that were occurring Moving to cities Society’s influence on the individual Questioning the explanations of life

6.  Influential early sociologists Auguste Comte: French, “founder of sociology” ○ Applied the methods of physical science to sociology ○ Focused on social order and social change Society is held together by processes called social static and change occurs because of Social dynamics

8. Herbert Spencer: English ○ Strongly influenced by Charles Darwin ○ Adopted a biological model of society Society is made up of individual parts that work together to maintain the system over time ○ Used the Theory of evolution to explain the nature of society Social change and unrest are necessary to reach stability and perfection ○ He thought social problems would eventually correct themselves

10. Karl Marx: Prussian (present day Germany) ○ Believed that the structure of society is influenced by the organization of its economy ○ Divided society into 2 classes Bourgeoisie = Capitalists Proletariat = Workers ○ Imbalance of power would lead to conflict between the capitalists and workers ○ Primary cause of social change is conflict “Conflict Theory”

12. Emile Durkheim: French ○ 1 st to systematically apply the methods of science to the study of society ○ Concerned about social order Saw society as a set of independent parts; however, saw these independent parts in terms of the function they served ○ Very interested in the function of religion to maintain social order Shared beliefs and values held society together ○ Believed that sociologists should only study the features of society that are observable ○ Published the 1 st true sociological study about suicide in 1897

14. Max Weber: Prussian ○ Interested in separate groups within society Focused more on the effects of groups on the individual ○ Believed sociologist should go beyond studying the observable features of society and look at the feelings and thoughts of individuals ○ Principle of Verstehen ○ Used the concept of ideal type to break down the characteristics of the features of society

16.  Current Perspectives Theoretical perspectives outline specific ideas about the nature of social life ○ Functionalist: people who follow this perspective view society as a set of interrelated parts that work together to produce a stable social system People agree on what is best for society and work together to achieve it Functionalists look at the elements of society and label them either dysfunctional or functional They can also be manifest or latent function

17. ○ Conflict perspective: Focus is on the forces that promote competition and change They do not just focus on violent conflict but also on the competition between groups in society Competition over resources are the root of social conflict ○ Interactionist perspective: how individuals interact with each other in society They want to see the interaction of people in everyday life They look at the role of symbols and how they effect daily life This theory is used to understand things like: child development, relationships within groups, and mate selection