Introduction to Sociology 003 1252 Macionis Chp. 1.pdf

About The Author

• John J. Macionis has taught sociology for over four decades.
• He was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• He earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from Cornell University and a doctorate in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania.
• Macionis' publications focus on community life in the United States, interpersonal intimacy in families, effective teaching, humour, new information technology, and the importance of global education.
• He has also written Sociology and collaborates on international editions of Sociology.
• Macionis takes personal responsibility for writing all electronic content and supplemental material.
• He co-authored Cities and Urban Life with Vincent Parrillo and is the author of Social Problems.
• His website can be found: www.macionis.com or www.TheSociology Page.com and is active on Facebook.
• Macionis retired from full-time teaching at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, and was Professor and Distinguished Scholar of Sociology.
• He chaired the Sociology Department, directed the college's multidisciplinary program in humane studies, presided over the campus senate and the college's faculty, and taught sociology to thousands of students.
• In 2002, the American Sociological Association presented Macionis with the Award for Distinguished Contributions to Teaching.
• Macionis has been active in academic programs in other countries, having traveled to some fifty nations.
• At Kenyon, Macionis taught Introduction to Sociology and Social Problems and enjoys contact with students across the United States and around the world.
• Macionis lives near New York City and enjoys tennis, swimming, hiking, and playing oldies rock-and-roll and is an environmental activist with the Lake George Land Conservancy.
• He welcomes comments and suggestions about his books from faculty and students and can be contacted on Facebook or email.

Sociology: Perspective, Theory, and Method

• Sociology is a new way of understanding the world which includes changing one's mindset.
• The most important skill in sociology is the ability to use what we call the sociological perspective.
• Sociological theory helps us build understanding from what we see using the sociological perspective.
• Sociologists describe three general approaches to conducting research and four specific methods of data collection.

The Power of Society

• Sociology teaches us that the social world guides our life choices in much the same way that the seasons influence our choice of clothing.
• Society narrows the field of marriage partners long before they are chosen.
• People are likely, especially when they are young, to marry someone close in age and of the same race, social class, level of education, and degree of physical attractiveness.
• Marriage is not simply a result from the personal feeling of love and factors such as sex, age, race, and social class guide selecting a partner.

The Sociological Perspective

• Sociology is the systematic study of human society.
• Society refers to people who live in a defined territory and share a way of life.
• A distinctive point of view called the sociological perspective investigates society.
• This perspective is seeing the general in the particular and looking for general patterns in the behavior of particular people; society shapes people in various categories.
• People fall into general categories differently, which shapes individuals' life experiences.
• Most of the world’s population lives very differently and people tend to view their way of life as "right," "natural," and "better."

Seeing Society in Our Everyday Lives

• The society in which we live has a lot to do with our everyday choices in food, clothing, music, schooling, and jobs.
• Average number of kids is about two in the United States but may vary from three in the Phillipines, five in Afghanistan, and seven in Niger.
• What is considered as an individual lonely decision to end someone own life is considered as a social force.
• Categories of people with strong social integration ties had low suicide rates and vice versa.
• People with the greatest privileges tend to see individuals as responsible for their own lives while those at the margins etc, are quick to see disadvantage etc.

Sociology and sociological perspective definitions

• Sociology- the systematic study of human society
• Sociological perspective- sociology's special point of view that sees general patterns of society in the lives of particular people

Sociology: Marginality and Crisis

• Anyone can learn to see the world using the sociological perspective but to see clearly how society shapes individual lives occurs with marginality and social crisis.
• People at the margins of social life are aware of social patterns that others rarely think about.
• Periods of rapid change encourage us to use the sociological perspective.

Seeing Sociology in Everyday Life

• When society becomes industrialized, a peasant becomes a worker and a feudal lord is liquidated or becomes a businessman.
• When classes rise or fall, a individual can be employed or unemployed.
• As society changes, a man takes new heart or goes broke and when wars happen, a insurance salesman becomes a rocket launcher, store clerk becomes a radar man, a wife lives alone and a child grows up without a father.
• The sociological imagination by turning personal problems into public issues , also is the key to bringing people together to create needed change.

Global Perspective

• Global perspective is the study of the larger world and our society's place in it.
• High income countries means those nations will have the highest overall standards of living.
• Middle income countries means nations having a standard of living that is about average for the world as a whole.
• Low income countries means with nations will have a low standard of living and the most of people are poor.
• Electronic technology and media now connects people all over the world, sharing similar tastes, and is more important than ever.

Social Change and Sociology

• Social Change & Sociology resulted from social forces such as striking changes in Europe in the 18-19th century such as the industrial revolution, urban explosion, and political changes.
• The growth of cities was due to to the enclosure movement in the early 18th century, which is when many people turned to tenant farming with little choice.
• French revolution and their effects led to the regeneration of the whole human race”.
• A New Awareness of factories, cities, and spirit of individualism lead to the awareness of their surroundings in England, France, and Germany.

Social and Scientific Stages

• Comte saw sociology as the product of three stages of historical development that are theological, metaphysical, and scientific.
• Theological stage is religious view that society expressed god’s will during the European Middle Ages, with the ending around 1350 C.
• Metaphysical stage is the view of society as a natural rather than supernatural phenomenon; Renaissance.
• Scientific stage is the application of the scientific approach-first used to study the physical world-to the study of societies.
• All the above are part of the Positivism (the study of society based on scientific observation of social behavior).

Applying the Sociological Perspective

• The Sociological Perspective helps us asses the truth of "common sense" and empowers us as active participants in our Society.
• The Sociological Perspective helps us live in a diverse world and helps us see the opportunities and constraints in our lives.
• The sociological perspective is also useful in guidance for Laws.
• Sociology is also at work making you active and more aware, and it also improves critical thinking which is great for the work force.

Understanding Diversity

• All of us know people who work at low-wage jobs as waitresses at diners, clerks etc. This is the common mindset of some of the working.
• "Common sense" tells us that the jobs people have and the amount of money they make to reflect their personel abilities.
• High jobs require not only hard work, but also special skills and real intelligence and many low-wage workers, feel unworthy.

Sociological Theory

• A theory is a statement of how and why specific facts are related.
• The job of sociological theory is to explain social behavior in the real world.
• Sociologists conduct research to test and refine their theories.
• Examples of sociological theory are the Structural-Functional Approach, Social-Conflict, and Symbolic- Interaction.
• The Social-Conflict Approach says that society is an arena of inequality that generates conflict and change.
• Harriet Martino and Jane Addams contributed to what we know as sociology as the study of society.
• Ida Well Barnett is known for her work in the race side that helped build sociology better

Diversity in Race

• W.E.B Du Bois saw the sociological view as a way to improve human life and that African Americans had double consciousness from the white men.
• He saw that society had to be equal and he fought for these equal rights of people that helped make society better.
• Each theoretical view that Du Bois stood for in order to understand racial diversity as better as now

Understanding Diversity through different methods

• The structural approaches state that society is a combination of different parts.
• This involves structural groups working to promote solidarity among society.
• Social-conflict approaches state that it is the gender differences that hurt the social and economic standing from class and race.
• The Symbolic- interaction approaches state that it is a smaller part of the main structure that creates problems between society.

Sociology and Everyday Life

• In a Sociological way, a sporting event is a face-to-face process with different people as play.
• The sporting event with a social life depends by the players assigned positions etc and is usually more the system than ongoing process. In part what is in sports.
• Each person in a sporting event knows/ thinks differently of the sport that each can change as they go on more into the event.

Scientific Research

• Positivist sociology discovers facts through science (logical system that develops knowledge from direct, systematic observation).
• Scientific research often challenges what we accept as common sense such as;
  • Poor people are far more likely than rich people to commit crimes is wrong, all people commit crimes.
  • The United States is always in the "middle" in terms of power, it is false and not in the middle. Differences in the behavior of females & males and just" human nature is wrong, constructed by society. Most people marry because they are in love is also wrong.

Science is Measurement

• The Science of Measurement is to understand Variables and what they are used for
• A Basic element of science is the concept (a mental construct that represents part of the world in a way that makes the scientific view easier).
• To be valid, a measurement cannot miss what it actually is or is intended.
• Reliability refers consistency in measurement. A measurement is reliable if repeated measurements give the same result time after time.
• Spurious Correlation means there is an relationship with data in terms of numbers of something.

Sociology: Objectively

• Objectivity, is personal neutrality,
• As researchers, we must value Relevant research to take topics people care about.
• Researchers find truth, if they should be, or not.
• Sociologists are not average and must remember as researchers, that they are influence by social background.

Positivist V.S. Interpretive Research

• Not everything lines up because unlike normal research we can easily see humans are much more than what we think.
• We come about because in time like plans, our science, humanity, its also the world, what we measure as well.

Critical v. Positivist Sociology

• Critical Sociology does not reject what’s going on and can’t just study what’s around it.
• All Research is connected to sociology.
• Using a Positivist approach, for example, will measure some social Pattern like how unequal the society in is by income inequality.
• Positivist sociology tends to be nonpolitical while Critical range can be political from liberal into the red side.
• The social world comes about because researcher is used instead of other methods like science and research.

Gender effects on sociological research

-Androcentricity is how man are viewed in different ways.

• Over generalizing is the problem with scientist's gathering data and not from people.
• Gender also becomes involved with Interference is where the main people start to come in.

Ethics with sociological research

• Try to be skillet in different parts of your research.
• Researchers have to get informed consent from everyone.
• Every thing has effects in your life from being involved to the ethics involved in life and studies

Social Diversity

• When scientists are looking what others know, need to see how to approach the culture and be respectful instead of harsh.
• When diversity in social status occurs, the culture between humans can change rapidly and must be recorded accurately.

Research in Society

• To test a Hypothesis, it needs to go into 4 steps which have there "independent and dependent Variables -Surveys are done with people' s attitude and values to see if things all check up. -Participant's should not need to work.