Bargeboe Sociology Midterm

Sociology and its Perspective

• Sociology systematically studies human society and social interaction.
• Sociologists use theoretical perspectives and research methods to study human behavior.
• Sociologists develop theories about how group life shapes human behavior and vice versa.
• Sociology shares commonalities with other social sciences while providing a comprehensive understanding of life.
• Some commonalities are anthropology, psychology, economics, and political science.
• Studying sociology enables a better grasp of individual selves and the surrounding social environment.
• Understanding that behavior is influenced by group affiliation and societal context is key.
• Sociology encourages examination beyond personal experiences, fostering insights into society and the broader global context.
• A society constitutes a sizable social unit within shared geographical bounds, subject to comparable political governance and prevailing cultural norms.
• Global interdependence describes the close interconnectedness of all people, wherein any nation’s challenges become part of a larger global issue.
• Sociology allows moving beyond established patterns of thought.
• Sociology allows gaining insights into yourself and your connection to the wider world.
• Reliance on intuition or common sense helps in understanding daily life and behavior.
• Sociologists work to discover underlying recurring patterns or commonalities in human behavior.
• Common sense notions can be myths or misinformation.
• A myth is a widely held but incorrect idea used to support beliefs despite contradictory facts.
• A myth is that money can buy happiness.
• Systematic research techniques are utilized, adhering to scientific standards in the study of society and its interactions.
• The scientific community holds sociologists accountable.
• The sociological imagination allows understanding of people’s behavior and societal trends.

Sociological Imagination

• Sociological imagination enables understanding the relationship between personal experiences and the broader societal setting.
• This understanding enables the connection of personal experiences to the social contexts in which they occur.
• Personal troubles are individual issues best solved within one's immediate social circle.
  • Example: Unemployment or high credit card debt.
• Public issues affect vast populations and necessitate solutions at a societal level.
  • Example: Widespread unemployment or nationwide consumer debt.
• Sociological imagination allows seemingly individual problems to be placed in a larger societal context.
• It is important to discern whether and how personal issues relate to public issues.
• Individual behavior can contribute to social problems.
• Individual experiences are often influenced and even determined by broader society.
• In modern society individuals are often blamed for their own problems, but the approach should be avoided.
• The problem of debt is more complex when considering low-income people who rely on overspending to achieve a basic acceptable standard of living.

Global Sociological Imagination

• The relatively low savings rate, is a public issue, as this negatively impacts the economic stability for all.
• A public issue stems from credit card industry practices that harm consumers, such as encouraging and enabling overspending.
• Economic interests shape human action, but are influenced by other societal factors.
  • An example of societal factor is The Protestant Reformation.
• Must reach beyond North America, towards a more comprehensive global understanding.
• Face unprecedented, world wide challenges, ranging from global political and economic instability to environmental concerns, natural disasters, and terrorism.
• High-income nations have technologically advanced economies and high national/personal incomes.
• Middle-income nations feature industrialization, especially in urban zones, along with moderate national/personal incomes.
  • Example: Brazil and mexico.
• Low-income nations are largely agrarian, little industry & have low levels of national/personal income.
  • Examples: many of the nations of Africa and Asia.
• The future of Canada is linked to that of other nations on economic, political, humanitarian, and environmental levels.

The Development of Sociological thinking

• Philosophers and religious figures made observations about human behavior throughout history.
• Early thinkers focused on how society ought to be, not how it actually was.
• Revolutions in the 18th century and the Enlightenment period influenced the origins of sociology.
  • Optimistic views on progress and equal opportunity rose.
• The Industrial Revolution in the 19th century affected people's work and living conditions.
• Urbanization: a vast shift in populations from rural areas to cities (spurred by factory systems) with inadequate housing causing new social problems.

Early thinkers and Order

• Early social thinkers sought social order and stability by using reasoning to discover the laws of human behavior that might contribute to resolving social problems within society.
• Auguste Comte coined the term sociology to describe a new science.
  • He saw society as containing social statics (stability) and social dynamics (change).
• Positivism is the belief that the world can be understood through scientific method/inquiry.
• Objective knowledge is attainable through science rather than religion.
• Saint-Simon and Comte's ideas helped the concept of a pure and scientific study of sociology take root.
• Nature of knowledge passes through stages as societies evolve from simple to complex.
  • Theological stage: based on religion/supernatural.
  • Metaphysical stage: explanations based on philosophical speculation.
  • The scientific, or positive stage: explanations from systemic observation, experiment and analysis.
• Martineau studied social customs in the US and Britain to note the impact of industrialisation.
  • She advocated racial and gender equality and her books explored class.
• Unlike Compte, Herbert Spenser was greatly influenced by the upheavals of the French Revolution.
  • Darwin's views of society are known as social Darwinism :
    • Species best adapted to their environment survive/prosper, while the poorly adapted die out.
• Durkheim stressed people are a product of enviroment; limits of potential are socially based.

Global Walmatization

• Walmart has expanded globally into 27 countries.
• Walmart is a critical player for credit card applications.
• Walmart and other big box stores are changing the global economy and are expanding across the world and engaging in the credit card business.
• Walmart motto is "Maximizing value, enjoying life."
• Walmart owns the online Yihaodian for electronic sales in 5 major cities in China.
• Transnational retailers and credit card companies encourage consumers to buy now and pay later.
• The lack of ability to purchase basic necessities is a central test to analyse equality, according to global consumerism.

Key Vocabularies

• Sociology: systematic study of human society and social interaction.
• Society: large social groups sharing geographical territory, political authority, and dominant cultural expectations.
• Global interdependence: all people's lives are intertwined so that any nation's problems become part of a larger global problem.
• Commonsense knowledge: guides every day life.
• Sociological imagination: allows to understand the relationship between individual experiences and the larger society.
• High-income countries have advanced economies and high national/personal income.
• Middle-income countries have industrialization and moderate levels of national/personal income.
• Low-income countries are agrarian with little industrialization.
• Positivism: belief that the world can be understood through scientific inquiry.
• Social Darwinism: adaptive species survive and prosper.
• Social facts: patterns of action that exert social control.
• Anomie: ineffective social control resulting in the loss of shared values
• Class conflict: struggle between the capitalist class and the working class.
• Bourgeoisie: who owns and controls the means of production.
• Proletariat: those who must sell labor because they have no other means to make a living.
• Alienation: powerlessness and estrangement.
• Symbolic interactionism: examines processes between groups.

Explore sociology's systematic study of human society and interaction. Understand theoretical perspectives, research methods, and the influence of group life on behavior. Discover how sociology relates to other social sciences for a comprehensive view.