Sociology

What is Sociology? A social science discipline that looks at the development and structure of human society (institutions) and how they work

How Sociologists Analyze Observation (obtrusive and unobtrusive) Surveys & Statistical Analysis Experiments Historical Comparison Cross-Cultural Comparison Archival Research

Levels of Analysis Microsociology - the study of everyday behavior in situations of face-to-face interaction. i.e. conversation and group dynamics Macrosociology - the analysis of large-scale social systems. The two are closely connected. i.e. widespread social processes or things typical to all.

What Sociology Examines: Sociologists examines the structure of groups, organizations, and societies, and how people interact within each. All human behavior is social so sociology seeks to examine behavior in all contexts from intimate family to the hostile mob; from organized crime to religious groups; it examines divisions of race, gender and social class, as well as shared beliefs of a culture.

The Roles we Play We all play certain roles in our society – Social Scientists refer to these roles as “status” Status is the term used to describe our position within an institution. An institution is any organization that governs behavior for a person, group of people or society as a whole. ex. house, school, church, etc.

Hierarchy Hierarchy is the ranking system used in any particular environment based on authority or power Each position or role requires a certain type of expertise which is valued by society In order to distinguish between these roles people are expected to behave, dress, etc. in a certain way On any given day we can play many different roles in society – ex. A parent can drive their kids to school and then go to work and teach their students

Rules, Norms and Values Values – Society carries with it a system of values for what is important. A particular set of values are assigned to each role. Members of society are expected to accept and internalize these values. Norms – These are expectations set for a particular role that is considered standard behavior (boys=blue & girls=pink) Rules – The laws developed by cultures based on their system of values

Deviance Deviance – Any behaviour that is different from the societal norm. It is deviant because we, as a society, do not accept it Deviance can range from simple eccentricities to behaviour that harms society or is considered disreputable “We must not say that an action shocks the common conscience because it is criminal, but rather that it is criminal because it shocks the common conscience. We do not disapprove actions because it is a crime, but it is a crime because we disapprove it”

Rehabilitation Sociology has formed a strong link with the justice system A fundamental component of modern imprisonment is rehabilitation, or trying to re-educate and resocialize inmates so that they can grow to accept society’s values and norms

Schools of Thought in Sociology Sociologists have debated among themselves about the real nature of society As societies change and become more diverse sociologists need to consider cultural diversity when considering sociological issues

Structural-Functionalism Sociology is designed to ensure the function of society. Structural-functionalism, suggests each society should provide its members with the basic requirements for functioning A system must have a way of fulfilling material needs, a system for socializing and educating the young, a way of regulating human reproduction (usually marriage) etc.