1. Chapter 2 Sociology’s Family Tree: Theories and Theorists 1

2. What is Theory?  Plausible explanation  Cause-and-effect  Among observed phenomenon 2

3. What is Theory?  Common-sense theories  Everyone creates theories  Make sense of world 3

4. Common Sense Theories  Examples:  How to make friends?  How to succeed in college?  How to get a job? 4

5. Sociological Theories Not just how things happen, but  Why? 5

6. Theory  Vital to making sense of social life  Facts make sense because we interpret them using  Categories  Assumptions 6

7. Categories  Class of people or things  Particular shared characteristics 7

8. Assumptions Beliefs we hold to be true  Often with little or no evidence 8

9. Assumptions About Human Nature 1.Selfish or Selfless 2.Aggressive or Compassionate 3.Competitive or Cooperative 4.Basic needs:  Food / Water  Companionship  Perception of control 9

10. Formal Sociological Theory  Assumptions and categories explicit  Open to examination  Scrutiny, and  Reformulation 10

11. Sociological Theories  Explain social world  Make predictions->Future 11

12. Sociological theory  Where did it come from?  Theories and theorists  Current theoretical approaches  Sociology as science

13. Where did it come from?  18 th & 19 th century  New system of production:  Industrial revolution  Capitalism  Colonialism

14. Where did it come from?  Enlightenment: New Ideas  Humanism  Importance of human rather than divine matters  Science  Knowledge of physical world by observation & experimentation  New political forms  Democracies 14

15. Auguste Comte (1798–1857)

16. Theories and theorists  Auguste Comte  Coined term “Sociology” (1839)  Also called “Social Physics”  Assumption:  Society=Organism  Categories:  Social Statics  Social Dynamics 16

17. Theorist: Auguste Comte  Sociology-> Similar to biology  Groundwork-future sociologists  Helped build the discipline 17

18. Harriet Martineau (1802-1876) Categories:  Gender  Politics  Race Assumptions:  Equality  Belief in science

19. Theorist: Harriet Martineau  Social activist  Labor unions  Abolition of slavery  Women’s suffrage  Traveled to United States  Translated Comte’s work from French to English 19

20. Theorist: Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cxfbq4evdTY The Greatest Individual of the 19 th Century

21. ***Theorist: Herbert Spencer  Categories:  “Fit” and “Unfit”  Men and Women  Rich and Poor 21

22. Theorist: Herbert Spencer  Assumptions:  Society=Organism  Societies adapt to changing environment  “Survival of the Fittest” 22

23. Theorist: Emile Durkheim (1858-1917)

24. Theorist: Emile Durkheim  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX QqMyMIAhI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX QqMyMIAhI  Sociology->Academic discipline  Taught courses  Research—”Suicide” 24

25. Theorist: Emile Durkheim  Categories:  Social facts (Material & Non- material)  Types of social solidarity  Mechanical solidarity— Similarities  Organic solidarity— Differences 25

26. Theorist: Emile Durkheim  Assumptions:  Society studied as science  Social factors hold society together 26

27. Karl Marx (1818-1883)

28. Theorist: Karl Marx  German philosopher  Political activist  Contributed to Conflict Theory 28

29. Theorist: Karl Marx  Categories:  Social Class  Proletariat  Bourgeoisie  Modes of Production 29

30. Theorist: Karl Marx Assumptions  Humans want to work  Humans are creative  Humans are social  Society is shaped by “mode of production” 30

31. Videos about Marx  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ztVeUX8Hpo&featu re=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ztVeUX8Hpo&featu re=related  Marxism made simple  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KUl4yfABE 4&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KUl4yfABE 4&feature=related  The Communist Manifesto Cartoon

32. Max Weber (1864-1920)

33. Theorist: Max Weber  Categories:  Types of societies  Traditional  Modern industrial  Social Class  Class  Status  Party 33

34. Theorist: Max Weber  Assumptions:  Modern societies-> Dehumanizing  Increasing bureaucracy  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBCAlZPF0 D0&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBCAlZPF0 D0&feature=related  Social institutions=“Iron cage” 34

35. Theorist: W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963) 35

36. Theorist: W.E.B. Du Bois  Categories:  Race  African American perspective: “double consciousness”  Education  Industrial  Higher

37. Theorist: W.E.B. Du Bois  Assumptions:  History influences self  “The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line.” 37

38. Modern Schools of Thought Structural Functionalism  Society as:  Stable  Ordered system  Interrelated parts 38

39. Structural Functionalism  Social institutions:  Family  Education  Politics  Economy  Meets need of society  Function 39

40. Conflict Theory  Social conflict basis:  Of society and  Social change  Source of Conflict:  Inequality 40

41. Conflict theory  Conflict and tension  Basic to social life  Disagreements over goals & values  Sources of Conflict  Scarce resources  Power 41

42. Conflict theory  Focus:  Dominance  Competition  Social change 42

43. Conflict theory 1.Materialist  Labor and Economic reality 2.Critical-> existing arrangements 3.Dynamic historical change  Inevitable 43

44. Symbolic Interactionism  Interaction  Symbols  Shared meaning  Social creation of reality 44

45. Feminist Theory  Gender inequalities  Nature  Source  Gender structures social world  Remedies to inequalities 45

46. Queer Theory  Sexual identity is social construct  No sexual category fundamentally deviant or normal 46

47. Postmodernist Theory  Social reality is:  Diverse  Changing  No truth, reason, right, order, or stability  Everything is relative & temporary 47

48. Theory in Everyday Life

49. Perspective Level of Analysis Focus of Analysis Case Study