theories and theorists
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Theories and Theorists
Chapter 1
I. Sociology = study of groups/societies
and the way they affect our behavior
A. Social relationships (humans are social creatures)
1. sociological imagination =
ability to see the connection
between private troubles and social
problems
2. examines social institutions:
• family, education, economy, government, religion—and how they influence individuals
a. also examines how these institutions stay the same and change
i. Families, schools, religion in everyday life
3. main lesson of sociology =
• structure of society affects people, molding both their attitudes and their behavior
B. Types of Sociology
• 1. macrosociology =examines large scale structures and processes
a. entire cultures or societiesb. Functionalism and Conflict theories 2. microsociology =
looks at smaller groups or individuals
a. Symbolic Interactionism Perspective
3. Jobs/Uses a. Sales – Marketing b. Social Worker
c. Teaching d. Dealing with Social Problems – politician, economist, minister e. Anything dealing with PEOPLE
C. It is a science
• 1. Information is gained through observations based on scientific method
2. Part of Social Sciences:
historygeography
economics political science
anthropology
psychology
sociology
D. Early Sociologists
1. Auguste Comte
a. first to define sociology
2. Karl Marx (and Frederick Engels)a. Conflict perspective
3. Emile Durkheim a. Functionalism4. Max Webera. Symbolic Interactionism
understanding putting self in other’s shoes to
understand perspective5. Herbert Spencer
a. “Survival of Fittest”—societies should evolve naturally and solve own problems
b. Verstehen =
II. Development in US
• A. Industrial Revolution problems in cities = Social Issues
B. First Dept. of Soc. in 1893 at U. of Chicago
C. 1940s study center shifted to Harvard and Columbia U.
III. Major Theories/Perspectives in Sociology
• A. Evolutionary Theory = societies will
progress thru more complex stages1. Strongest will
survive2. Favored by
countries/classes in power
B. Functionalism = • views society as a
set of interrelated parts that work together to produce a stable social system
1. Herbert Spencer & Emile Durkheim
2. Social institutions are studied by their functions in society
a. manifest function =
intended and recognized
consequence of some element of
society i. e.g. car for transportation
b. latent function =
unintended and unrecognized
consequence an element has on
society
i. e.g. car as status symbol
c. dysfunction =
• negative consequence an element has for the stability of the social system
Incest, abuse
Learn better
skills as criminal
d. If no function,
i. Hermits, Criminals, Gay Marriage, respectively…
dysfunctional,or function does not have consensus,
it is considered DEVIANTDEVIANT
3. All institutions are interconnected
4. society held together through consensus
Recess and Loss of Consensus
5. Sociologists using Functionalist Perspective study:
Church and State;
economy; family values;
School performance and standards
Conflict Theory Intro
C. Conflict Perspective =
studies competition over resources and
change from the conflict that arises
1. Karl Marx & Frederick Engels
2. Interested in how those who possess more power in society exercise control over those with less power
3. Nonviolent competition as well as violent: sexes, races, age
4. Decision making in family, relationships among racial groups
controlled by dominant group (white male or eldest, strong male)
5. Labor disputes between workers and employers – employers have control; workers may feel exploited
6. * Competition over scarce resources is at the basis of social conflict*
b. once people gain control they then establish rules that protect their interests at the expense of other groupsc. inequality leads to social conflict (less power fight back)—this leads to social change (inevitable feature in society)
a. resources such as power and wealth are in limited supply— competition
7. Sociologists using Conflict Theory deal with:
• Labor disputes; Poverty and
Welfare; Racism;
Sexism; Gay Rights
D. Symbolic Interactionist =
• focuses on relationships and how we interact
using symbols and routine
1. Max Weber, George Herbert Mead, Charles Horton Cooley
Symbols and interaction
2. how individuals respond to
one another in everyday situations
3. meanings that individuals attach to their own actions and to the
actions of others
4. * symbol =anything that stands
for something else— members of society must
agree on meaning
—used to communicate
• 5. we learn the meanings of these symbols through interacting with others
6. our idea of self is based on how we believe we are seen through other
people’s eyes•7. interested in interaction between people that takes place through the use of symbols
When do symbols affect interaction?
8. Goffman compared life in society to theatre
• a. Actors:each
member of society has a “role” to play in relation to
other members
b. Script:
just as stage actors follow a script so actors in society follow rules for
acceptable behavior
c. Director:
anyone who gives rules or direction; helps you become
who you are
d. Interpretation:
• actor’s interpretation depends on script, what is brought to the role, what other actors do, and how audience reacts
e. Bad Actors:
• those who stray too far from
accepted roles = deviant
9. Specialties within Symbolic Interactionism
a. Ethnomethodology =
study of routine—glue that holds
society together—the subconscious
rules followed
i. if a person does notrespond to habitual
greeting
then the person will spend time wondering if they were snubbed or if something was wrong
b. sociolinguistics =study of how social
factors influence speech patterns
i. use speech to
communicate and locate self ii. Southern speech
vs. North-Eastern/City
speech = crops growing vs.
business world
iii. Bad words for women vs. Bad words for men - shows men’s position of power =
Conflict theory
10. Sociologists using Symbolic Interactionism study: child development,
relationships within groups (businesses,
schools, political parties),
mate selection,
birth order
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