Study the interactions & conflicts within groups to determine how society functions.

The study of society and social behaviour.

Fundamental Questions:1. What function does society

serve in the lives of individuals?

2. What role do social institutions have in society?

3. How do individuals learn & adapt to the specific rules & modes of behaviour that govern the group?

Fundamental Beliefs: The groups to which an

individual belongs will determine the roles & expectations that he/she will value and emulate in his/her private life.

The study of:Social life

Social change

Social causes & consequences of human behaviour

The structure of social groups, organizations, & how people interact within these contexts

Sociologists determineWhether changes in society

are predictable or unpredictable

Whether they are gradual or sudden

Whether changes occur spontaneously or follow a specific course

NormsThe expectations of appropriate

conduct that serve as a basis of all social interactions

Example:All Catholic Priests are expected to be celibate

Norms are important if society is to maintain social order & stability

Norms

The Roles we PlayWe all play certain roles in society

(this is referred to as our status)Status is the term used to describe

our position with an institution

Example: Cardinal Ambrozic SecondaryMany roles (teachers, students, guidance counsellors, VP, principal, superintendent, custodian, secretaries)

RolesWe don’t have consistent

roles

Example-Ms. Lindsay – the roles she plays

everyday:Mother-wife-teacher-coach-parishioner

HierarchyRanking system used in any

environment based on authority of power

Each position or role requires a certain type of expertise which is valued by society

Can you put the positions at Ambrozic in order of hierarchy?

DevianceAny behaviour that is different from

the societal normA behaviour is deviant because we, as

a society, do not accept it

“We must not say that an action shocks the common conscience because it is criminal, but rather that it is criminal because it shocks the common conscience”

Emile Durkheim

RehabilitationIs to re-educate or re-socialize

someone back to society’s acceptable values & norms

In this area, sociology has formed a strong link with the justice system

Schools of Thought

1. Structural Functionalism

Society’s function is to provide stability & equilibrium to its members

Not concerned with social change, but change needs to take place when something no longer meets the needs of its members

Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) Social change is

inevitable and follows logical & predictable paths

Society becomes more complex as it becomes more diverse

2. Marxism

Economic power and material wealth create a situation of natural competition between different classes in society

This power is the basis for most relationships in society

Karl Marx (1818-1883) Economic power led

to political power Critical capitalism,

he called it the "dictatorship of the bourgeoisie", believing it to be run by the wealthy classes purely for their own benefit

3. Feminist Theory Focus on sex and gender issues Inequalities in society stem from a value

system & decision-making process that favours men and excludes women

Examples: Liberal feminists – want equality Radical feminists – natural child bearing

role has lead to their oppression

Dorothy Smith (1926- ) Liberal Feminist The symbols, the vocabulary, the codes of our

culture reflect the standpoint of the male.

Our laws and our legal system are patriarchal

All mainstream religions have been concocted and perpetuated by male authority figures,

Our language is premised on the male standpoint (ie. Mail”man”, police”man”)