 The scientific study of human – social activity.  The systematic study of the relationship between the individual and society.  Study of society.

The scientific study of human – social activity. Scientific/systematic Humans Social Activity _____________________  Quantitative (numerical) & Qualitative – (field & naturalistic studies) research…  Scientific/systematic represents methods. There are 4 major methods in sociology:  Surveys  Experiments  Participant Observation or observation  Existing Resources or secondary analysis

1. Humans 2. Social Activity 1. Sociologists are interested in Humans: Groups and individuals (students, police officers, criminals, doctors, judges, nurses, etc). 2. Social Activity: What are people doing. How are they arranged? Who is the leader? Structure with the group?

 Role: Behaviors and expectations connected to social positions (what do students do? What do professors do? What do coaches do?).  Status: Social Positions that we occupy in relations to others (student and professor are statuses). Put simply: socially defined position.

 Social structure guides our behavior.  Social structure is connected to order, organization and patterned relationships.  Structure gives shape to family life, college class rooms, court rooms, restaurants, etc.

 A theory is a statement of why and how specific facts are related.  Theories help explain certain social phenomena, like crime, self esteem, isolation, suicide, homelessness, etc.  The job of theory is to explain.  Provide an explanation of some social phenomena under study…

 Durkheim’s classic theory of social integration as it relates to suicide.  Social bonding.

 Theoretical Paradigm: a set of fundamental assumptions about the operation of society.  Paradigms may also be viewed as an image of society --- a view of society.  The assumptions guide our:  Thinking &  Research  There are 3-major assumptions (paradigms) in sociology: 1. Structural Functional or Functionalist Perspective 2. Social Conflict or Conflict Perspective. 3. Symbolic Interaction or Interactionist Perspective.

 Functionalist assume that society is a complex system, whose parts work together – to create stability for the whole of society.  Parts refer to institutions.  What is the function of: Family School Religion

 Functionalists are interested in balance & equilibrium.  Social Dysfunctions: social patterns that have undesirable consequences for the operation of society.  Another institution would develop to combat crime: the Criminal Justice System (CJS) Family Crime (dysfunctional) Politics

A. Social Conflict assumes that society is a complex system; it is characterized by inequality and conflict --- inequality and conflict are designed to generate social change. B. Society is not stable; it is full of contradictions, inequalities and conflicts.

Conflict theorists investigate how race, gender, religion, class, age, etc. are (all) linked to an unequal distribution of resources. By resources we mean: wealth, power, prestige, schooling, land, etc.  Generally, some group has more than another (men have more than women, whites have more than Latinos).  Social systems benefits some (rich) while depriving and exploiting others (poor)…

 Change: How does change occur?  For Marx, change occurs by protest, strikes, revolutions, war, etc.  Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955): Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rosa Parks.

 Symbolic Interactionist assume that society is a product of everyday interactions among individuals.  So, what is being produced?  The product becomes “the definition of the situations.”

 Focus: How people act towards one another, and how they make sense of those interactions.  People create & change their social world through symbols  Symbols are anything that carry meaning (signs, gestures, pictures, etc) Joy Pain Flirt Secret

 Macro Level of Analysis :  Functionalist Perspective --  Social Conflict --  Micro Level of Analysis :  Symbolic Interaction --