ms. harris – austin high school. define sociology describe two uses of the sociological...
TRANSCRIPT
Unit 1Social Perspectives
Chapter 1: An Invitation to
Sociology
Ms. Harris – Austin High School
Objectives
• Define Sociology• Describe two
uses of the sociological perspective
• Distinguish sociology from other social sciences
• Outline contributions of the major pioneers of sociology
• Summarize the development of sociology in the USA
• Identify the three major theoretical perspectives in sociology today
Key Terms• 1. Perspective – a
particular point of view
• 2. Sociology – the scientific study of social structure (human social behavior)
• 3. Sociological perspective – a view that looks at behavior of groups, not individuals
• 4. Social structure – the patterned interaction of people in social relationships
5. Sociological imagination- the ability to see the link between society and self
Sec. 1 -- The Sociological Perspective
What is sociology?
The scientific study places focus is on the social, or group, level.
What is unique about sociology?
Psychologists may study the individual, sociologists study the group.
The Importance of Patterns6. How do group behavior and individual behavior differ?
Group dynamics are created when individuals come together
7. Why do people conform?
Groups encourage conformity. Members of the group think, feel, and behave in similar ways.
8. Explain the significance of patterns for sociologists.
The patterned interaction of people in social relationships identifies social structure
9. What is gained by using our sociological imagination?
Knowing how social forces affect our lives can prevent us from being prisoners of those forces
Give an example from your life that illustrates conformity within a group.
• 10. How does the sociological imagination help people to understand the effects of society on their
personal lives? Using sociological imagination, we challenge conventional social wisdom (traditional beliefs)
Sec. 2 – The Origins of Sociology
11. Positivism – the belief that knowledge should be derived from scientific observation
Key Terms
12. Social statics
the study of social stability and order
13. Social dynamics
the study of social change
14. Bourgeoisie – class owning the means for producing wealth
15. Capitalist – person who owns or controls the means for producing wealth
16. Proletariat – working class; those who labor for the bourgeoisie
17. Class conflict – the ongoing struggle between the bourgeoisie (owners) and the proletariat (working) classes.
18. Mechanical solidarity –
social dependency based on a widespread consensus of values and beliefs, enforced conformity, and dependence on tradition and family
19. Organic solidarity –
Social interdependence based on a high degree of specialization in roles
20. Verstehen – understanding social behavior by putting yourself in the place of others
21. Rationalization – the mind-set emphasizing knowledge, reason, and planning
22. What were Auguste Comte’s major ideas?
• Positivism – he meant that science based on knowledge can be positive – or true• Distinguished
between social statics (stability) and social dynamics (change)
• Father of Sociology• Theories published
in Positive Philosophy
23. What were Harriet Martineau’s contributions?
• Her English translation of Comte’s book is the most readable one – even today.
• Wrote Society in America, which established her as a pioneering feminist theorist
• Linked slavery and the oppression of women
24. Why did Herbert Spencer oppose social reform?
• Introduced the theory of social change called Social Darwinism. He did not think people should interfere with evolutionary social change.
25. Who was Karl Marx?• German scholar
whose ideas affected the study of sociology• Identified social
classes in the 19th-century industrial society and predicted all societies would contain only bourgeoisie and proletariat
• Predicted class conflict would lead to a communistic society.• He was
convinced that a planned revolution would speed up change from capitalism to communism.
26. What were Emile Durkeim’s greatest contributions? • Mechanical
solidarity – society that existed in preindustrial times.
• Organic solidarity – social interdependency based on specialized roles.
• Introduced technique that led to ground-breaking research on suicide.
• Showed that human social behavior must be explained by social factors, rather than psychological ones.
27. Who was Max Weber?
• German who wrote The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism• Single most important
influence on development of sociological theory
• Believed in method of verstehen• Rationalization
was key to change in preindustrial to an industrial society• Pioneered
techniques to prevent personal biases in investigation
Sociology in America28. Why should we remember Jane Addams?
• Led social reform to achieve social justice
• Co-founded Hull House• Hull House helped
people who needed refuge
• Placed focus on social problems caused by imbalance of power among the social classes
• Nobel Peace Price in 1931
McDonaldization of Higher EducationAdvantages
• Efficiency – maximum results with minimum effort
• Calculability involves estimation – effort can be associated with predictability
• Predictability• Control – replace
humans with technology
Disadvantages • Universities are
treating students like customers
• Education is being dehumanized
• Less choice among instructors on satellite campuses
• No opportunity to form relationships
• Distance learning -
Other McDonaldized industries
• Churches • doctors offices, • hospitals, • government
agencies, • gambling casinos, • DMV, • creditors•
Theoretical Perspectives
Key Terms
29. Theoretical perspective
– a set of assumptions accepted as true
30. Functionalism –
approach that emphasizes the contributions made by each part of society
31. Manifest
functions intended and recognized consequences of an aspect of society
32. Latent functions
Unintended and unrecognized consequences of an aspect of society
33. Dysfunction
Negative consequence of an aspect of society
34. Conflict perspective --
Approach emphasizing the role of conflict, competition, and constraint within a society
35. Power
The ability to control the behavior of others
36. Symbol
Anything that stands for something else and has an agreed-upon meaning attached to it
37. symbolic interactionism
Approach that focuses on the interactions among people based on mutually understood symbols
38. Dramaturgy
Approach that depicts human interaction as theatrical performances
The Role of Theoretical Perspectives39. What is a theoretical perspective?
Functionalism
40. How does functionalism explain social change?
Functionalists believe that society returns to stability after an upheaval by changing in a way to be similar to what it was before
41. How does functionalism view values?
The consensus of values account for cooperation found in any society (eg. Americans, in general, agree on democracy and equal opportunity.)
Functionalism Conflict Perspective
Symbolic Interactionism
A society is a relatively integrated whole
A society experiences inconsistency and conflict everywhere
People’s interpretations of symbols are based on the meanings they learn from others
A society tends to seek relative stability
A society is continually subjected to change.
People base their interaction on their interpretations of symbols
Most aspects of a society contribute well-being and survival
A society involves the constraint and coercion of some members by others
Symbols permit people to have internal conversations. Thus, they can gear their interpretation to the behavior that they think others expect of them and the behavior they expect of others
A society rests on the consensus of its members
• Conflict Perspective
• What is the role of conflict and constraint?
• How does the conflict perspective explain social change?
• Which perspective is better?
• Symbolic Interactionism
• What is the significance of symbols in symbolic interactionism?
• What are the basic assumptions of symbolic interactionism?
Indicate whether the following statements represent functionalism (F), the conflict perspective ( C ), or symbolic interactionism (S).
___ 42. Societies are in relative balance ___ 43. Power is one of the most important elements in social life ___ 44. Religion helps hold a society together morally ___ 45. Symbols are crucial to social life
___ 46. Many elements of a society exist to benefit the powerful ___ 47. Different segments of a society compete to achieve their own self-interest rather than cooperate to benefit others ___ 48. Social life should be understood from the viewpoint of the individuals involved ___ 49. Social change is constantly occurring ___ 50. Conflict is harmful and disruptive to society