Introduction to Sociology

• Sociology is the study of human social behavior from a group perspective

Why Study Sociology?

• Studying sociology heightens awareness of social forces and enhances employment and educational skills
• Sociology encourages questioning common sense and influences public policy

Sociological Imagination

• Sociological imagination is the relationship between the individual and society

Social Sciences

• Social sciences involve the scientific study of human society and social relationships

Social Science Examples

• Geography
• Anthropology
• Psychology
• Economics
• Political Science
• History

Sociologists and Groups

• Sociologists examine groups for their structure, function, patterns of behavior, changes, causes, and consequences

Sociology Degree Career Options

• Faculty member at a college or university
• Staff member of a research institute
• State or federal agency member

Sociological Research

• Sociological research employs a systematic, organized series of steps to ensure objectivity and consistency

Empirical vs. Sociological Research

• Empirical research relies on experience, observation, and experimentation
• Sociological research examines the structure and function of features in society

Variables

• Variables are characteristics that differ among individuals, groups, or situations
• The independent variable causes change in another variable
• The dependent variable is the variable changed by the independent variable

Spurious Correlation

• A spurious correlation is a relationship based on a third variable, not a direct relationship

Correlation

• Positive correlation: as one variable increases, the other increases / as one variable decreases, the other decreases
• Negative correlation: as one variable increases, the other decreases (inverse correlation)

Scientific Method Steps

• Define the Problem: select an abstract concept specific enough to measure, clearly state what you want to investigate
• Review the Literature: research with the context of existing knowledge and reduce/eliminate mistakes
• Formulate Hypothesis: make an educated guess about the relationship between two or more variables
• Choose a Research Method: Historical, Observation, Survey, Content
• Collect Data and Research: establish sample groups to be used

Representative vs. Random Samples

• Representative sample: selection from a larger population that is statistically typical of population
• Random sample: every member or an entire population being studied has the same chance of being selected
• Analyze the Data: determine how the hypothesis held up, strength of relationship for variables

Validity

• Validity: the degree to which a measure or scale reflects the phenomenon under study

Reliability

• Reliability: the extent to which a measure provides consistent results
• Presenting Conclusions: represents both an end and a beginning to research, end to original process and start to potential future studies

History of Sociology

• Sociology developed as an independent discipline in the 1800s due to the Enlightenment, the Industrial Revolution and American and French Revolutions

Auguste Comte

• Auguste Comte is the father of sociology
• He focused on social order and change

Social Statics vs. Social Dynamics

• Social statics: society remains stable or unchanged
• Social dynamics: society changes to allow development

Harriet Martineau

• Harriet Martineau was the first female sociologist
• Translated Comte's work into English

Herbert Spencer

• Herbert Spencer described society rather than improve it
• He believed in Social Darwinism and survival of the fittest

Emile Durkheim

• Emile Durkheim performed the first scientific study of society
• Society consists of interdependent parts

Anomie

• Anomie is when people feel a loss of purpose or direction

Karl Marx

• Karl Marx originated Marxism (communism)
• Marx focused on economic forces and class struggle
• He emphasized group identification

Max Weber

• Max Weber was interested in groups within society

Verstehen

• Verstehen: "putting yourself in their shoes"

Georg Simmel

• Georg Simmel studied small groups
• Distinctive qualities disappear as the group expands

Jane Addams

• Jane Addams founded the Hull House for the poor in Chicago
• Pioneered the study of social problems
• Won the first Nobel Peace Prize (1931) given to an American sociologist

W.E.B. Du Bois

• W.E.B. Du Bois was concerned with the social position of African Americans in the U.S.
• He was the first African American to earn a doctorate from Harvard
• Examined racial discrimination against blacks statistically
• Founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

C. Wright Mills

• C. Wright Mills believed in sociological imagination

Sociological Imagination

• Sociological imagination is the connection between the larger world and your personal life

Sociological Perspective

• Sociological perspective includes a macro and microstructures

Erving Goffman

• Erving Goffman was a symbolic interactionist theorist and believed people play roles and present a "face" for the public

Dramaturgical Approach

• Dramaturgical approach views life as a theater; people are actors and their lives the theater

Charles Horton Cooley

• Three-step process to create our 'self' based on how society precieves us

'The Looking-Glass Self'

• The 'looking glass self' is the interactive process by which we develop an image of ourselves based on how we imagine we appear to others

George Herbert Mead

• George Herbert Mead explains that through role-taking, individuals develop a sense of self

'I' Self vs. 'Me' Self

• 'I' self: unsocialized, spontaneous, self-interested component of personality
• 'Me' self: part of you that is aware of society's expectations

20th Century Sociology

• Social reformers influenced studies in the early 20th Century

Macrosociology vs. Microsociology

• Macrosociology examines large groups or entire civilizations
• Microsociology focuses on small groups and individual relationships

Functionalism/ist Perspective

• Functionalism has a macro focus, is interdependent, and believes in jigsaw pieces

Dysfunction

• Dysfunction is a negative consequence an element has for the stability of the social system

Manifest Function

• Manifest function is the intended and recognized consequences of some element of society

Latent Function

• Latent function is the unintended and unrecognized consequence

Conflict Perspective/Theory

• Conflict theory stems from the ideas of Marx with a macro focus
• Conflict is an extension of conflict, interested in how those who possess more power in society exercise control over those with less power

Interactionism/ist Perspective

• Interactionism focuses on how individuals interact with one another in society
• It uses micro to understand macro concepts
• Interested in meanings that individuals attach to their own actions and to the actions of others
• The role of symbols in our daily lives is that symbols represents something else
• Symbolic interaction: how we use symbols in our interactions