1. What are the factors that keep society together?
What are the factors that keep teams together?

2. Emile Durkheim French philosopher and sociologist
Believed humans are social. Society gives us meaning and purpose
Emphasized cooperation rather than conflict
Interested in the shared norms and values that make social life possible
Applied scientific methods to study society
Studied things we can observe and measure (ex. “Suicide”, 1st true sociological study)
( )

3. What is the function (purpose) of sport in society?
What is the purpose of sports in an individual’s life?

4. Durkheim
Each part of society has its own function (like parts of a body)
Ex. Religion’s function is to maintains social order by creating shared beliefs and values.

5. Society as an Organism – Bill Clinton Interview

6. What’s the role of Sociologists?
Study social facts: facts that are true of groups of people rather than individuals
Social facts include values, norms, and social structures external to the individual

7. Examples of Social Facts
The idea of a husband or wife
Divorce
Marriage
Religion
Crime
A particular piece of paper is a one dollar bill and has value

8. Studying Social Facts Social facts can be studied through research
Social facts allow us to compare groups of people
Durkheim studied suicide
Ex. Social fact: Single people committed suicide more than did married people.
Ex. Social fact: Married people with children committed suicide less often than married people without children

9. Marx vs. Durkheim Marx Durkheim All about conflict
Concerned with the material world
Grand views on history
Class conflicts led to capitalism and would lead to communism
Durkheim
All about cooperation
Concerned with ideas and values
Grand views on history
Developing technology would lead to functional differentiation

10. Max Weber German political economist and sociologist
Both conflict (Marx) and cooperation (Durkheim) are essential to social life.
Both material resources (Marx) and cultural values (Durkheim) are important
Interested in separate groups of society instead of the whole.
We must consider people’s interpretations of events (feelings and thoughts)
Cared more about the individual

11. Max Weber and his thoughts on Sociology
Verstehen (to understand): Understanding the meaning of actions from the individual’s point of view. Put yourself in the place of others.

12. Practicing Verstehen

13. Max Weber’s Ideas
Rationalization: Logic and reason were coming to dominate faith and emotion in most areas of social life
Standards rules and systems are meant to apply to everyone.
Society runs like a machine
Faster and more predictable

14. Weber’s Iron Cage Iron Cage
Industrial, mechanistic world of rational calculation
Lacking spirit, ideas
Negative sign of rationalization
Social life increasingly dominated by rational institutions and practices

15. I Love Lucy and the Iron Cage

16. Macrosociology vs Microsociology
Analysis on a large scale
Grand views of society and history
Comte, Marx, Durkheim
What is the role of sports in society?
Everyday human social interactions on a small scale.
Face to face
Weber
What is the role of sports in an individual’s life?

17. Understanding Sociological Perspectives

18. Analyze and apply sociological theories to an explanation of human behavior and social organization
Use your sociological imagination to analyze a social problem or situation in social life that you find interesting and/or problematic. Vividly recount a situation/experience that you’d like to analyze. Spend no more than a page outlining your notes. Explain how different sociological perspectives (functionalist, conflict, symbolic interactionist, feminist) would explain the issue. Cite at least two sociologists (Marx, Durkheim, Weber) and explain how they would see the issue.

19. Theories about Society
1. Functionalist Theory
2. Conflict Theory
4. Symbolic Interactionist Theory
5. Feminist Theory

20. Functionalist Theory
Assumption that all driving force behind social life is to continue to operate and function effectively
Elements of society have a function

21. Conflict Theory
Focus is on inequalities in society rather than what is required to keep a society running
Based on Karl Marx’ theory
Assumption that sport is a reflection of the exploitative and unequal practices of capitalist society

22. Symbolic Interactionist Theory
Sport is seen as a meaningful interaction between people
Belief that our identities are formed through interactions with people
Research what meaning sport/physical activity provides for people

23. Feminist Theories
Feminist Theories are critical theories based on experiences of women that have been devalued, exploited and oppressed in many societies
Organized popularized sports reflect male traits; typical female traits don’t count much
Feminist theories are committed to gender equality

24. Day 4 – The End