A N I NTRODUCTION TO S OCIOLOGY P ART 1 I NTRO TO S OCIOLOGY AND W HO ’ S W HO IN S OCIOLOGY Sociology Unit 1 Gosnell

W HAT IS S OCIOLOGY ? Sociology—the study of human behavior & how humans interact in groups How do people act in groups?

C ONFORMITY Conformity is how members of a group think, feel, and behave in a similar way. Can you give some examples of groups and how people conform in them? What groups do you conform to?

S OCIOLOGICAL P ERSPECTIVE Focus on the behavior of groups, not individuals Concentrate on categories of people— men, teens, Look for patterns of behavior of people— the social structure Seek to explain events without relying on personal factors but social factors

S OCIOLOGICAL P ERSPECTIVE Young men join gangs because they been taught by society to be masculine Teens commit suicide because of peer group expectations of looks, material things, and performance

D EMONSTRATION : F INISH THE FOLLOWING STATEMENTS Someone who can’t find a job is _____________. Homelessness is the result of _______________. Immigrants come here because _______________.

D O PEOPLE ACT DIFFERENTLY IN GROUPS ? Yes, in some cases they do! People’s behavior within a group setting cannot be predicted from their personal characteristics. Can you think of any examples?

N OW TO BE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT S OCIOLOGY IS …… C OMPLETE A 4- SQUARE Definition in your own words and 1 synonym Image representing the vocabulary word Characteristics of the word or 1 example. Write a sentence about the word. You come up with the sentence yourself. Vocabulary Word Please Color and write your name in cursive before you turn it in!

S OCIOLOGICAL I MAGINATION How we see the relationship between events in our personal lives and society Helps us understand the effects of events in our society on our daily lives Enables us to make better decisions

W HO ’ S W HO IN S OCIOLOGY Sociology is a young science Started in Europe Spread to United States

A UGUSTE C OMPTE Father of Sociology Scientific Study of Society Positivism---knowledge should be derived from scientific observation Social Dynamics—the study of social change

H ARRIET M ARTINEAU Translated Compte’s work into English Wrote about the inferior role of women in society Supported the end of slavery & rights for women

H ERBERT S PENCER Compared society to the human body Religious & Educational Institutions cruical to society Social Darwinism— changes in society led to progress We should not interfere; no social reform Survival of the Fittest

K ARL M ARX Change the world instead of just studying it Class conflicts—richer take advantage of the poor Believed the clash would lead to communism Planned revolution would speed up the change to communism where all people would be equal

E MILE D URKHEIM Society exists because of an agreement between its members Use of statistics in research of society Human behavior must be explained by social factors rather than psychological factors

M AX W EBER Believed sociologists must find the personal meanings, values, beliefs, & attitudes underlying human social behavior Verstehen--- understanding the social behavior of others by mentally putting yourself in their places “Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes”

J ANE A DDAMS American social reformer Co-founded the Hull House in city slum Active in women’s rights & the peace movement Saw the effects of industrialization on the poor Inbalance of power in the social classes

W.E.B. D U B OIS African American Activist Analyzed the social structure of the Black community Worked for African American Rights