The Sociological Point of View

Sociology the science or study of the origin, development, organization, and functioning of human society; the science of the fundamental laws of social relations, institutions, etc.

1. Sociology – The social science that studies human society and social behavior 2. Social Interaction – how people relate to one another and influence each other’s behavior 3. Social Phenomena – observable facts and events that involve human society

Auguste Comte founder of sociology as a distinct subject (coined the term) argued that society changes through social dynamics can use scientific principles to study society never completed college ignored other people’s work in order to “keep his mind pure” Sociologists still study order and change in society

Herbert Spencer influenced by Darwin Believed that society follows a biological model to survive only the best aspects of society would survive coined “survival of the fittest” ignored others’ works who disagreed with him

Herbert Spencer made scientifically unfounded claims and was not careful in his studies Social Darwinism – only the fittest societies (and best members of those societies) would survive over time, leading to an upgrading of the entire world

Karl Marx society is influenced by its economy believed that society is divided into 2 classes (capitalists and workers) when there was in imbalance in power, the workers had to unite and overthrow the capitalists and then create a classless society views led to conflict theory Influenced many scholars and social critics, but was not accepted by the governments in Europe during his lifetime

Emile Durkheim viewed society as a set of interdependent parts that maintain the system looked at the functions of elements in society Function - the consequence that an element of society produces thought sociologists should only study things that are directly observable One of the first to apply scientific method to the study of society

Max Weber looked at separate groups within society rather than society as a whole focused on the effect of society on the individual

Max Weber wanted to uncover the thoughts and feelings of individuals rather than only what is directly observed Verstehen - an attempt to understand the meanings individuals attach to their actions Ideal Type – a description comprised of the essential characteristics of a feature of society

Theoretical Perspectives general set of assumptions about the nature of things outline specific ideas about the nature of social life Functionalist Conflict Interactionist

Functionalist Perspective Based on the ideas of Comte, Spencer and Durkheim Society is a set of interrelated parts that work together to provide a stable social system, looks at importance of family and education in society People agree on what is best for society and work together to ensure that the social system run smoothly

Functionalist Perspective Dysfunctional – a negative consequence an element has for the stability of the social system Eg: crime Manifest Function – intended/recognized consequence of an element in society Latent Function – unintended/unrecognized consequence of an element in society

Conflict Perspective Based on ideas of Karl Marx how those in power in society exercise their power over others (especially competition over resources) Violent and nonviolent competition looks at decision-making in the family, relationships among racial groups, disputes between employers and workers Competition over resources = conflict social change

Interactionist Perspective Based on theories of Max Weber how individuals interact with each other in society, looks at child development, relationships within groups and mate selection

Interactionist Perspective Look at the meaning people place on their actions and the actions of others Symbol – anything that represents something else (object, gesture, word, event) Symbolic Interaction – how people use symbols when interacting

Your Own Personal Paparazzi

Parents and Kids Conflict Functionalist Interactionist

Extra Credit Pop Quiz At your tables, write your names at the top. Then number from 1-7

Homework Select a current event cnn.com, washingtonpost.com, nytimes.com Read through it! Make sure the article discusses a change to society, not just a person’s opinion.

Article Activity As a table, pick an article to read and analyze. You should have at least 3 examples of how the article can be viewed by the conflict, interactionist and functionalist perspectives.

Symbol Symbolic Interaction Function Manifest Function Latent Function Dysfunctional Auguste Comte Herbert Spencer Karl Marx Max Weber Emile Durkheim Verstehen Functionalist Theory Interactionist Theory Conflict Theory Ideal type Social Darwinism Charles Darwin Vocab