Sociology Chapter 1

Functional analysis

Society is a unit made up of different parts working together. -Functionalist say that in order to understand society you need to look at the structure and function of each part and how it contributes to society. -Macro-level

Conflict theory

Society is composed of groups who are competing with each other with limited resources. -Elite exploiting the weak to stay in wealth

scientific method

using objective, systematic observations to test theories.

Durkheim and functional analysis

According to him when all parts of society fulfill their function society is at a "normal state." When not its "abnormal" or "pathological" state.

Difference between sociology and psychology?

Sociologist stress external to the individual and how these influence the person.

1st phase

Sociologist stressed the need to do research in order to improve society.

Why did sociology become prominent?

Sociology grew out of the social, political, economic, and technological revolutions of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The Industrial Revolution, in particular, eroded old traditions and necessitated new ways of perceiving and examining the social world.

Sociology

Sociology is the scientific study of human social life, groups, and societies

what is public sociology?

The American Sociological Association (ASA) is promoting public sociology. The ASA wants the public, especially politicians and policy makers, to apply the sociological understanding of how society works as they develop social policy.

Social location

The corners in life that people occupy because of where they are located in society. -Income, gender, age, race,

Bourgeoisie

The wealthy, capitalists, own all production

3rd phase

U.S supreme court made a decision partially based on sociological research. (regarding weather racially segregated public schools we're constitutional.) Sociologist testified of the harmful effects of segregation. -This ruling made sociologist aware of their potential to bring social change.

Sociological perspective

Understanding human behaviors by placing it within its broader social context. Examines how this contexts influence people's lives.

A theory

a general statement about how some parts of the world fit together and how it works.

Applied sociology

Use of sociology to solve problems. from micro level to macro level.

Robert Merton and functionalism

Used the term function to refer to beneficial consequences of peoples action. -dysfunctions: Consequences that harm a society

Science

application of systematic methods to obtain knowledge and the knowledge obtained by those methods.

Macro level analysis

examining larger scale patterns of society

Manifest

intended outcome of situation

Theory

is a general statement about how some parts of the world fit together and how they work; it is an explanation of how two or more "facts" are related to one another.

Auguste Comte, who developed the term sociology and is associated with positivism, developed a grandiose view of sociology. He said that sociologists should...

reform the entire society, making it a better place to live

Term for Bourgeoisie and Proletariat

"Haves" and "have nots"

Ex: of personal vs public

A single girl with Bulimia Personal: Wants a boyfriend, low self esteem Public: Media influences

Founder of conflict theory

Karl Marx.

Marxism is not the same as

communism.

Patterns

recurring characteristics or events

Symbolic interactionism

views symbols, things to which we attach meaning, as the key to understanding how we view the world and communicate with one another. 1. Through the use of symbols, people are able to define relationships to others; to coordinate actions with others, thereby making social life possible; and to develop a sense of themselves. 2. A symbolic interactionist studying divorce would focus on how the changing meanings of marriage, divorce, parenthood, and love have all contributed to the increase in the rate of divorce in U.S. society.

Max Weber

was one of the most influential of all sociologists, raising issues that remain controversial even today. Disagreeing with Karl Marx, Weber defined religion as a central force in social change (i.e., Protestantism encourages greater economic development and was the central factor in the rise of capitalism in some countries). 1. The Protestant belief system encouraged its members to embrace change. 2. Protestants sought "signs" that they were in God's will; financial success became a major sign. The more money they made, the more secure they were about their religious standing. 3. Weber called this behavior the Protestant ethic; he called their desire to invest capital in order to make more money the spirit of capitalism.

common sense

"the things everyone knows are true"

Emile Durkheim

1. One of his primary goals was to get sociology recognized as a separate academic discipline. 2. He was interested in understanding the social forces that influence individual behavior; he studied suicide rates among different groups and concluded that social integration—the degree to which people are tied to their social group—was a key social factor in suicide.

suicide rate results

-Found out that each country had a different suicide rate which remained the same after a year. -Different groups had different rates within a country which also remained stable from year to year.

Herbert Spencer

-Sometimes called the second founder of sociology -coined term survival of the fittest -Thought helping the poor was wrong

Auguste Comte

-given founder of "sociology" -coined term sociology as well.

Emile Durkheim

-wanted to get sociology recognized and separated from history and economics. -also wanted to show how social forces affects people's behaviors. He did this by comparing suicide rates

Sociological Imagination

1. In order to understand peoples behaviors we have to look beyond individuals to larger social contexts. 2. Individuals make choices, these choices are constrained by social, historical, cultural, political and economic factors. 3.People frequently do not realize the extent to which lives are affected by things external to them. These external things are out of their control. 4. If we are to understand people's behavior, we must take into account these individual factors.

W. E. B. Du Bois

1. W. E. B. Du Bois was the first African American to earn a doctorate from Harvard. He conducted extensive research on black-white relations in the United States, publishing one book a year on this subject for about 20 years. 2. Despite his accomplishments, he encountered prejudice and discrimination in his professional and personal life. When he attended professional sociologists' meetings, he was not permitted to eat or stay in the same hotels as the white sociologists. 3. Frustrated at the lack of improvements in race relations, he turned to social action, helping to found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) along with Jane Addams and others from Hull-House.

Jane adams

A successful social reformer, Addams found the Hull House in the Chicago slums and welcomed people who were poor, sick, and needy. She worked to implement the eight-hour workday and to abolish child labor. -a co-winner of the Nobel Prize for Peace

3 stages in the development of sociology

A tension between social reform and social analysis haves always been a debated issue in sociology. To understand this tension sociologist divide it into 3 stages.

Symbolic Interactionism "founders"

A theory by sociologists 1.William James 2.John Dewey 3.Charles Hort Cooley 4.William I Thomas 5. George Herbert Mead

The Sociological Perspective

A. This perspective is important because it provides a different way of looking at familiar worlds. It allows us to gain a new perception of social life. B. This perspective stresses the broader social contexts in which people live by looking at individuals' social location—jobs, income, education, gender, race-ethnicity, and age—and by considering external influences—people's experiences—which are internalized and become part of a person's thinking and motivations. We are able to see the links between what people do and the social settings that shape their behavior. C. This perspective enables us to analyze and understand both the forces that contribute to the emergence and growth of a global network and our unique experiences in our own smaller corners of life.

social science breakdown

Anthropology, economics, political science, psychology, sociology

How can this struggle or conflict end?

Can only end when when members of the working class unite in revolution and throw of their chains of bondage. Result is usually classless society, where people will work according to their abilities and receive goods/servoces according to their needs.

None verbal interactions

Communication without words, through gestures, use of space, silence, and so on.

why is W.E.B so influential?

Despite, racial difficulties, W. E. B. Du Bois, the first African American to earn a doctorate from Harvard University, was a social critic and dedicated his life to analyzing and writing about social injustice.

Max Weber

Disagree with Marx's claim that economics is the central force in social change. According to him this change had to do with religion.

"Human behaviors cannot be understood only in individualistic terms: we must always examine the social forces that affect peoples lives."

Durkheim's research revealed that each country has it's own suicide rate, as do groups within a country. That these rate recur year after year indicates that suicide is more than individuals here and there deciding to take their own lives, that social conditions underlie suicide.

2nd phase

Emphasis switched to make making sociology a respected field. -All about pure sociology.

Micro-analysis

Examining small scale patterns of society

Generalization

Going beyond the individual to make statements that apply to a larger group of people.

Symbolic Interactionism theory

How people use symbols to understand their experiences. This theory views society as composed of symbols that people use to establish meaning, develop their view of the world and communicate with one another. -Micro level of society -Our behaviors depend of our definitions of ourselves and others.

Conclusion of suicide rate:

Indicated that SOCIAL INTEGRATION was a key component of suicide. What is social integration? -The degree to which people are tied to a social group -Also concluded that people who have a weaker tie to society are more prone to suicide. (in some instances the opposite happens) To sum up: People who are less integrated are more bound to commit suicide.

According to _____'s theory of _____, the bourgeoisie have power over the proletariat in a capitalist economy. a. Auguste Comte, religion b. Max Weber, class conflict c. Emile Durkheim, suicide d. Karl Marx, class conflict

Karl Marx, class conflict

Karl Marx

Like Comte, Marx thought they should try to change society. -unlike comte and spencer he did not consider himself a sociologist but his close observations 0n class conflict makes him one of the fundamental sociologist in earlier periods. -came up with conflict theory

Class conflict (karl Marx)

Marx's term for the struggle between capitalists and workers.

George Herbert Mead:

Mead was one of the founders of symbolic interactionism, a major theoretical perspective in sociology.

Society

People who share a territory and culture

Personal troubles vs Public issues

Personal: relevant to you (occur on individual level) Public: Transcend the individual. An issue that is a public matter. (when some value cherished by public is felt threatened.)

What sort of issues existed in early sociology?

Sexism and racism both had their place in early sociology. Jane Addams and Harriet Martineau were female sociologists who fought to have their voices and research on social issues heard.

Social darwinism

Spencer's views of the evolution of societies.

Social integration

The degree to which members of a group or society feel united by shared values and other social bonds. Also know as social cohesion.

Proletariat

The exploited workers, who do not own anything in means of production.

Macro or Micro level for all the perspectives..

The perspectives differ in their level of analysis. Functionalists and conflict theorists provide macro-level analysis because they examine the large-scale patterns of society. Symbolic interactionists carry out micro-level analysis because they focus on the small-scale patterns of social life.

Max Weber

Weber believed that religion was the central force in society. He used cross-cultural and historical materials to trace the causes of social change.

Durkheim beliefs regarding society

also thought that modern societies produce feelings of isolation, this is partly due to the division of labor. Furthermore, he believed members of traditional societies who worked alongside experienced a higher degree of social integration. EX: Families use to work together to survive and live happily :)

functional analysis

is that society is a whole unit, made up of interrelated parts that work together. 1. To understand society, we must look at both structure (how the parts of society fit together to make up the whole) and function (how each part contributes to society). 2. Robert Merton used the term function to refer to the beneficial consequences of people's actions to keep a group in balance, and dysfunction to refer to consequences that undermine stability. Functions can be either manifest (actions that are intended) or latent (unintended consequences). 3. In trying to explain divorce, a functionalist would look at how industrialization and urbanization have undermined the traditional functions of family

When sociologists apply the sociological perspective, they

look at the influences of social location

conflict theory

society is composed of groups competing for scarce resources. 1. Karl Marx focused on struggles between the bourgeoisie (the small group of capitalists who own the means of production) and the proletariat (the masses of workers exploited by the capitalists). 2. Contemporary conflict theorists have expanded this perspective to include conflict in all relations of power and authority. 3. Just as Marx examined conflict between capitalists and workers, many feminists stress a similar conflict between men and women. 4. A conflict theorist would explain that divorce is seen as the outcome of the shifting balance of power within a family; as women have gained power and try to address inequalities in their relationships, men resist

Pure psychology

sociological research whose purpose is to make discoveries about life in human groups, not to make changes in those groups.

difference between sociology and economics/political?

sociologist don't concentrate on single social institution.

Difference between sociology and anthropology?

sociologist focus on industrialized societies.

W.E.B Du Bois

studied relations between african americans and whites. Du Bois combined role of academic with that of social reformer.

Posivitism

the application of the scientific approach to the social world. -first proposed by compte, did not use the approach himself.

social sciences

the intellectual and academic disciplines designed to understand the social world by controlled and repeated observations. -examine human relations

Natural sciences

the intellectuals and academic disciplines designed to explain and predict events in our natural environment.

Herbert Spencer and survival of the fittest

though that societies evolve from lower (barbarian) to higher (civilized). As generations pass the most capable, intelligent ("the fittest") of society live, while the less capable die. Thus society improves over time. "The fittest members will produce a more advance society" -strongly argued that to help the lower class was to interfere with this natural process. -like comte did not believe in reform.

Why do sociologist use the 3 different theories?

to observe and interpret social contexts, relationships, and realities in distinct ways.

latent

unintended outcome of a situation.

Functional analysis Founders

unkown.

Robert Merton

used the term function to refer to the beneficial consequences of people's actions to keep a group in balance, and dysfunction to refer to consequences that undermine stability. Functions can be either manifest (actions that are intended) or latent (unintended consequences).