Sociology “Sociology is the study of people, social life, and society

Ch. 1 The Sociological Perspective Def. - Understanding human behavior by placing it within its broader social context Consider: -How groups influence people? -How people are influenced by their society? Society: Def.- People who share a culture or territory -Culture- language, beliefs, values, norms, behaviors, traditions, etc. -Territory- region or land area (town, community, etc.)

Ch. 1 The Sociological Perspective Social Location: Def.- the group memberships that people have because of their location in history and society. What are “group memberships”? - Gender - Education - Age - Income - Race - Faith

Ch. 1 The Sociological Perspective These “memberships” affect self-image and the goals we set. They shape our world view Consider the framework you use to understand the world- who helped shape that perspective?

Ch. 1 The Sociological Perspective Sociologist C. Wright Mills (1959): “The Sociological perspective enables us to grasp the connection between history & biography.” History = each society is located in a broad stream of events. Biography= individual’s specific experiences

Ch. 1 The Sociological Perspective Sociology and the Other Sciences Superstition or Science? Example: Gravity Earth- flat or round? -Explanations changed with societal advances Trial and error

Ch. 1 The Sociological Perspective Science: Def. - The application of systematic methods to obtain knowledge and the knowledge obtained by those methods. Sociology: Def.- the scientific study of society and human behavior

Ch. 1 The Sociological Perspective The Natural & the Social Sciences: Natural Sciences: Def.- the intellectual and academic disciplines designed to comprehend, explain, and predict events in our natural environment. Examples & subdivisions: Biology: botany, zoology Geology: mineralogy, geomorphology Chemistry: organic, inorganic Physics: biophysics, quantum mechanics

Ch. 1 The Sociological Perspective The Social Sciences: Def.- the intellectual and academic disciplines designed to understand the social world objectively by means of controlled and repeated observations. Like the natural sciences, the social sciences are divided into specialized fields based on their subject matter.

Ch. 1 The Sociological Perspective Anthropology: The chief concern is to understand a culture, a people’s way of life. Culture includes: Artifacts- tools, art, architecture and weapons *24,000 BC Venus of Willendorf Structure- patterns of interaction- how people behaved together or rituals Ideas & Values- beliefs systems Forms of Communication- language

Ch. 1 The Sociological Perspective Economics: Study the production and distribution of the material goods and service of a society. - they study consumer trends, needs, costs distribution and what motivates people to buy a certain item. Political Science: Focuses on politics and government. - Forms of government, ruling bodies (King, President, Prime Minister, etc.) and how they stay in office. -Law, constitutional policy and voting behavior Psychology: Focuses on the processes that occur within the individual. - mental processes, behavior, disorders and therapy

Ch. 1 The Sociological Perspective Sociology: How is this study similar to the other Social Sciences? Anthropology- study of culture Economists- effects of poverty Example: one of every 6 Americans is now being served by at least one government anti-poverty program. Political Scientists- study how individuals are affected by laws and policy. Psychology- how people adjust to changes in their lives

Ch. 1 The Sociological Perspective The Goals of Science 1st Goal- to explain why something happens. 2nd Goal- Generalizations: Def.- a statement that goes beyond the individual case and is applied to a broader group or situation. To achieve generalizations, sociologists look for patterns, recurring characteristics or events. 3rd Goal- To predict, to specify what will happen in the future in the light of current knowledge. How are these goals attained?