Chapter 1: Sociological Perspectives PDF

CHAPTER 1  Chapter 1: Sociological Perspectives: Theory and Methods Slide 1 Sociologists challenge merits based on circumstances/conditions (ex. a student w/ an A+ vs. a student w a C+. the world sees the higher grade must be rewarded, but a sociologist will apply sociolo...

CHAPTER 1  Chapter 1: Sociological Perspectives: Theory and Methods Slide 1 Sociologists challenge merits based on circumstances/conditions (ex. a student w/ an A+ vs. a student w a C+. the world sees the higher grade must be rewarded, but a sociologist will apply sociological factors that in uence this difference-- why does the student w/ the C+ have the lower grade? bc they must pay for their own education, so they cannot spend as much time on studying as they must work. they need to prep/cook their own meals and must also help their parents w/ other expenses. whereas the A+ student can spend as much time as they like to focus on their studies)= the "sociological lens" Sociology aims to nd the underlying causes of social realities Humans live in diff realities and we construct realities through social experiences Slide 2- Chapter outline Slide 3 "Why are we as we are?"-- what constitutes the self? We can look at it based on: - god determined (we have no control, it is based on gods will, god decides) - action determined (based on myself, my success and/or my failure is based on MY actions (ex. good decisions = good consequences))-- related to rational choice therory- everything is dependent on how rational you react - society determined (the decisions you make are based on rational thinking and on the circumstances, we are free individuals with free choices but ultimately our choices are enforced by social factors-- our choices revolve around social factors (ex. schooling in india ( vs. canada)) life is determined by many diff social conditions (social determinants) the goal of sociology is to identify the factors that affect our life and to nd ways to address those factors to improve our life. if you can idenify these social factors you can implement rational thinking and can work on improving the outcome (ex. knowing when to 11 propose based on social factors-- though a couple may feel completely in love and it is uncontrollable, you even have the freedom/free will to propose whenever you want, you fi 11 may nd it is not the right time to propose as social determinants such as nancial factors or family factors will stop/hold you off from proposing (this shows how rational thinking and social determinants challenges societal norms) Slide 4 (diagram that relates your relationships based on diff social determinants) Social determinants can be: - gender - citizenship - location - age - family - religion/faith - culture - ethnicity - class (social media is missing from the map) Sociologists aim to prove that we are not stagnant, but everything is uid based on social factors Slide 5 "How do we de ne sociology?"-- the systematic study of human society (society: the people who live in a de ned territory and share a culture) "What is the sociological perspective?"-- the special pov of sociology that sees general patterns of society in the lives of particular people - seeing the general in the particular-- page 4 - seeing the strange in the familiar (questioning norms by applying and thinking of the social factors that pertain to the norm (ex. the norm=that people with high grades must be rewarded, but a sociologist will apply social factors in its thinking) CHALLENGING CONVENTIONAL IDEAS - seeing society in our everyday life See society from the margin and during crisis What is the global perspective?"-- CH.9 fi fi fi Section 1.2 (read the subsection--there are 4 points) Origins of sociology (will pick up from Sec 1.3) Slide 6- The Orgins of Sociology Social Change: ○ Industrial technology ○ Growth of cities ◆ New ideas about democracy and political rights resulting in new awareness of society ◆ When changes started to occur people started to acknowledge social determinants and how it affected their lives (ex. someone loses their job due to politics and/ or big corporations therefore they start to see how social determinants affect their lives and they start caring since it shapes their fates) Science ○ Comte's Stages: theological, metaphysical, and scienti c ○ Axiom: an idea you hold w/ truth, humans are by nature egotisitic (sel sh) -- the question asked by scientists: if everyone is sel sh how do they implement the rest of the world? in other words, how is it possible for humans to think of society and social determinants if they are ○ Postitivism: a way of understanding based on science Slide 7- Sociological Theory Theory: a statement of how and why facts are related Theoretical approach: a basic image of society that guides thinking and research ○ Structural-function (one of the macro theories-- seeing society from a broader perspective; as a whole) ○ Social-con ict (also a macro theory) ○ Symbolic-interaction (a micro theory) fl fi Slide 8- Structural-functional approach Views society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability The pioneers: ○ Auguste Comte ○ Emile Durkheim ○ Herbert Spencer Slide 9- Structural-functional approach (cont'd) System: society itself, a complex system (ex. biological organisms) Social Structure: any relatively stable pattern of social behaviour (ex. education system) Social Function: the consequences of a social pattern for the operation of society as a whole ○ Manifest function is intended (we establish these structure w/ INTENDED GOALS ex. building universities for the purpose of harbouring knowledge) ○ Latent function is unintended (not established for a particular purpose, UNINTENDED OUTCOMES THAT COME OUT OF MANIFEST FUNCTION ex. nding love in university-- is an effect of manifest function) ○ Dysfunction is disrupted FOCUS ON HARMONY when it comes to building society and these functions/structure Slide 10- Social-con ict approach Views society as an arena of inequality and that generates con ict and change Slide 11- Social-con ict approach (cont'd) Society: a system structured in ways to bene t a few at the expense of the majority S Factors: class, ethnicity, race, sex, and age are linked to social inequality (ex. grades) Indicators: wealth, income, power, education, social prestige (the issues that re ect reality ex. hours of studying) Social categories: dominant group vs. minority group · Variants of the social-con ict theory ○ Class theory (Karl Marx): rich vs. poor (people who are privileged try and maintain fl fl fl fi  their privileges, those who are poor opt for change) ○ Gender con ict theory (Harriet Martineau, Nellie McClung): women vs men ○ Race con ict theory (Cecil Foster, William du Bois): inequality among ethnic and racial categories Slide 12- Symbolic-Interaction Approach Human society is a condition where humans are in interaction w/ one another; society exists b/w or among individuals when they are in interaction Applications: of SI approach ○ Verstehen (Max Weber): understanding particular settings from the viewpoint of the people in it ○ Dramaturgical Anaylsis (Erving Goffaman) ○ Social-Exchange Analysis (George Homan and Peter Blue) Slide 13 (Critical Review) Slide 14 (Applying theory image) Slide 15- 3 ways to do sociology Positivist/empirical sociology ○ The study is based on scienti c presentation of social behaviour ○ Discovery of facts through scienti c principles guided by logic and direct systematic observation ○ Information is veri able through sensory evidence Interpretive sociology ○ The study of society that focuses on the meanings people attach to their social world ○ Guided principle is Verstehen understanding Critical sociology ○ The study of society that focuses on the need for change ○ An activist approach to improve society fl fl fi fi fi