Sociology Perspective, Theory, and Method Chapter 1 Sociology Perspective, Theory, and Method

The Sociological Perspective: Seeing the General in the Particular Seeing general patterns in the behavior of particular individuals. The general categories which we fall into shape our particular life experiences. © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Sociological Perspective: Seeing the Strange in the Familiar Brainstorm about three “familiar” practices in the United States. Now find something “strange” about each of the practices. Discuss why they seem strange, now that you are using the sociological perspective. © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Rate of Death by Suicide, by Race and Sex, for the United States © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Seeing Sociologically: Marginality The greater a person’s marginality: The better able they are to use the sociological perspective To become better at using the sociological perspective: Step back from familiar routines © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Importance of a Global Perspective The study of the larger world and our society’s place in it. What is the importance of a global perspective for sociology? Sociology shows that our place in society profoundly affects our life experiences © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sociology and Public Policy Sociologists have helped shape public policy The laws and regulations that guide how people in communities live and work Question: Think of a public policy topic in our society that is currently under review and/or discussion. © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sociology and Personal Growth Helps us assess the truth of “common sense” Helps us see the opportunities in our everyday lives Empowers us to be active participants in our society Helps us live in a diverse world © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Careers: The “Sociology Advantage” A sociology background is excellent in preparing for the working world Agencies and companies want to be sure that: Products, programs, and policies they create get the job done at the lowest cost © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Social Change and Sociology What striking transformations took place in 18th and 19th century Europe that: Drove the development of sociology? Rise of a factory-based economy Explosive growth of cities New ideas about democracy and political rights © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Science and Sociology Auguste Comte (1798–1857) French social thinker who coined the term “sociology” in 1838 to: Describe a new way of looking at the world © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Suicide Rates across the United States © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sociological Theory Theory Two basic questions in building theory A statement of how and why specific facts are related Two basic questions in building theory What issues should we study? How should we connect the facts? © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Structural-Functional Approach A framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose: Parts work together to promote solidarity and stability Social Structure Social Functions © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Social-Conflict Approach A framework for building theory that sees society as an arena of inequality that: Generates conflict and change Highlights how the following factors are linked to inequality Class, race, ethnicity, gender, age © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Feminism and the Gender-Conflict Approach A point of view that focuses on inequality and conflict between women and men Closely linked to feminism, the advocacy of social equality for women and men Harriet Martineau & Jane Addams: women important to sociology development © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Race-Conflict Approach Point of view; focuses on inequality & conflict between people Of different racial and ethnic categories People of color important to the development of sociology: Ida Wells Barnett and W.E.B. Du Bois © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Symbolic-Interaction Paradigm The basics A micro-level orientation, a close-up focus on social interactions in specific situations Views society as the product of everyday interactions of individuals © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Symbolic-Interaction Paradigm Key elements Society is a shared reality that people construct as they interact with one another Society is a complex, ever-changing mosaic of subjective meanings © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

“Stacking” in Professional Baseball: Does race play a part in professional sports? Looking at the various positions in professional baseball, we see that white players are more likely to play the central positions in the infield, while people of color are more likely to play in the outfield. What do you make of this pattern? Source: Lapchick (2011). © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Three Ways to do Sociology All sociologists want to learn about the social world Three ways to do sociological research Positivist Sociology Interpretive Sociology Critical Sociology © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Concepts, Variables, and Measurement Concept: A mental construct; represents some part of the world in a simplified form Variable: A concept that changes from case to case Measurement: Procedure for determining the value of a variable in a specific case © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Statistics Descriptive statistics To state what is “average” for a large population Most commonly used descriptive statistics are: Mean; Median; Mode © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Reliability and Validity Consistency in measurement For measurement to be reliable, the process must yield the same results when repeated Validity Actually measuring exactly what you intend to measure © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Correlation and Cause Correlation Cause and Effect A relationship in which two (or more) variables change together Cause and Effect A relationship in which change in one variable causes change in another © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Ideal of Objectivity Objectivity (personal neutrality) Value-relevant research Topics the researcher cares about Value-free research Dedication to finding truth as it is rather than as we think it should be © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Interpretive Sociology Humans engage in meaningful action Interpretive sociology differs from scientific or empirical sociology in three ways: Scientific sociology focuses on action Interpretive sociology focuses on meaning Scientific sociology sees an objective reality Interpretive sociology sees reality © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Interpretive Sociology Scientific sociology favors quantitative data Interpretive sociology favors qualitative data Scientific orientation is well-suited for research in a laboratory Interpretive orientation is better suited in a natural setting Investigators interact with people © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Weber’s Concept of Verstehen German word for “understanding” Interpretive sociologist’s job Observe what people do Share in their world of meaning Appreciate why they act as they do © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Critical Sociology The study of society that focuses on the need for social change Critical sociologists ask moral and political questions Critical sociologists reject Weber’s goal that Sociology be value-free © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Sociology as Politics Scientific sociologists Critical sociologists Object to taking sides in this way Claims critical sociology Critical sociologists All research is political in that it either calls for change or does not © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Gender and Research Gender Personal traits & social positions members of a society attach to being female or male Gender can affect sociological research in five ways Androcentricity, over-generalizing, gender blindness, double standards, and interference © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Research Ethics Awareness that research can harm as well as help subjects and communities American Sociological Association Established formal guidelines for conducting research Sociologists must be skillful and fair-minded in their work © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Research Methods A systematic plan for doing research Four methods of sociological investigation Experiments Surveys Participant observation Existing sources © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Testing a Hypothesis: The Experiment Test a specific hypothesis A statement of how two or more variables are related An educated guess about how variables are linked – usually an if-then statement © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Asking Questions: Survey Research Survey targets some population Researchers usually study a sample A much smaller number of subjects selected to represent the entire population © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

In the Field: Participant Observation Cultural anthropologists Uses “fieldwork” to study societies Fieldwork makes most participant observation exploratory and descriptive Participant observation has few hard-and-fast rules © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Using Available Data: Existing Sources Sociologists make use of existing sources Data collected by others Most widely used data are gathered by government agencies Using available information Criticism © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Putting It All Together: Ten Steps in Sociological Research 1. What is your topic? 2. What have others already learned? 3. What, exactly, are your questions? 4. What will you need to carry out research? 5. Might the research cause harm? 6. What method will you use? © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Putting It All Together: Ten Steps in Sociological Research 7. How will you record the data? 8. What do the data tell you? 9. What are your conclusions? 10. How can you share what you have learned? © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.