WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY?

The scientific study of human – social activity.

The systematic study of the relationship between the individual and society.

Study of society.

WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY?

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

WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY?

1. Humans2. 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?

ROLES AND STATUSES

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

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.

THEORYSOCIOLOGICAL THEORY

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…

EMILE DURKHEIM: THEORY OF SOCIAL INTEGRATION

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

Social bonding.

THEORETICAL PARADIGMS OR SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

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 Perspective2. Social Conflict or Conflict

Perspective.3. Symbolic Interaction or

Interactionist Perspective.

FUNCTIONALIST 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

FUNCTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE

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(dysfunction

al)

Politics

SOCIAL CONFLICT

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.

SOCIAL CONFLICT PERSPECTIVE

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)…

SOCIAL CONFLICT PARADIGM

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 INTERACTION

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.”

SYMBOLIC INTERACTION PARADIGM

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)

JoyPain

FlirtSecret

LEVELS OF ANALYSIS

Macro Level of Analysis: Functionalist Perspective -- Social Conflict --

Micro Level of Analysis: Symbolic Interaction --