Soc 101 - Intro to Sociology Lecture 1 PDF

SOC 101 - INTRO.TO SOCIOLOGY LECTURE 1 - WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY? WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY? 1 Sociology: Meaning and definition 2 What is culture for sociology? 3 How Sociologists View Society 4 Studying Part and Whole: How Sociologists View Social Structures 1. SOCIOLOGY: MEANING AND DEFINITION Sociolo...

SOC 101 - INTRO.TO SOCIOLOGY LECTURE 1 - WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY? WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY? 1 Sociology: Meaning and definition 2 What is culture for sociology? 3 How Sociologists View Society 4 Studying Part and Whole: How Sociologists View Social Structures 1. SOCIOLOGY: MEANING AND DEFINITION Sociology is one of the first social sciences to be acknowledged. The word ‘sociology’ owes its origin to the Latin word socius (companion) and the Greek word logy (study of). Sociology incorporates the study of social phenomena, social life, groups, institutions, associations and societies. It focuses on society from a scientific point of view. Sociology has a vast scope. It ranges from Individual to grouped social systems. The principles of sociology explain the behaviour of human beings and their existence with respect to their mutual interaction. In fact, sociology has always studied societies, both taken separately and together, as ‘human societies’. The balance between the two aspects may vary, but at the end, the study of the one absolutely requires study of the other. Neither of them makes sense independently. For instance, considering UAE as a society, one can think of it in terms of cities, regions, schools, farms or prisons. One can also think of it in terms of politics, media or religion. It is simple to connect all these factors. They can also be visualized as confined within the boundaries of each emirate and referred under the general heading of UAE society. In this unit, you will get acquainted with the nature and scope of sociology. WHAT ARE SOCIETY AND CULTURE? What Are Society and Culture? And how is the society structured? Sociology is the study of groups and group interactions, societies and social interactions, from small and personal groups to very large groups. A group of people who live in a defined geographic area, who interact with one another, and who share a common culture is what sociologists call a society. micro-level vs. macro-level: Sociologists study all aspects and levels of society. Sociologists working from the micro-level study small groups and individual interactions, while those using macro-level analysis look at trends among and between large groups and societies. For example, a micro-level study might look at the accepted rules of conversation in various groups such as among teenagers or business professionals. In contrast, a macro-level analysis might research the ways that language use has changed over time or in social media outlets. 2. WHAT IS CULTURE FOR SOCIOLOGY? The term culture refers to the group’s shared practices, values, and beliefs. Culture encompasses a group’s way of life, from routine, everyday interactions to the most important parts of group members' lives. It includes everything produced by a society, including all of the social rules. Understanding culture means understanding that ideas and values – including those presented in media, or in art – don’t always perfectly reflect the truth, and the way people behave. Sociologists of culture study the production of culture (how culture comes about) and the reception of culture (the effect of culture on people’s actions and beliefs) separately. They also study different types and levels of culture, from mainstream culture (culture that is widely shared) to subcultures (cultures that exist in opposition to mainstream culture) to microcultures (cultures that are self-contained within a broader set of cultures). Culture can influence how people think about themselves as well as how they think about other people: it can unite as well as divide. STUDYING CULTURE Sociologists often study culture using the sociological imagination, which is described as an awareness of the relationship between a person’s behavior and experience and the wider culture that shaped the person’s choices and perceptions. It’s a way of seeing our own and other people’s behavior in relationship to history and social structure. For instance our own perception of things and values can dramatically differ when placed in another context or social group. Also, people’s behavior can be influenced by social structure. For instance, social groups can re-invent and re-imagine their life based on social structure produced by history, old traditions, and the past. STUDYING CULTURE One illustration of this is a person’s decision to marry. In the United States, this choice is heavily influenced by individual decisions; however, the social acceptability of marriage relative to the person’s social status and circumstances also plays a part. In the UAE, this choice is heavily influenced by family and relatives. However, the social acceptability of marriage relative to the person’s social status and circumstances poorly plays a part (expect if this person’s choice challenged the traditional pattern of marriage: ex. An emirati woman marrying a foreigner). However, remember that culture is a product of the people in a society; therefore sociologists take care not to treat the concept of “culture” as though it were alive in its own right, or as though it were the only truth in the society. Society is actually composed of different ”truths” depending on social group. Reification (the act of treating something abstract, such as an idea, relation, system, quality, etc., as if it was a concrete object, or a truth) is an error of interpretation in sociology. The social worlds are composed of different conceptions of “truth”. 3. STUDYING PATTERNS: HOW SOCIOLOGISTS VIEW SOCIETY All sociologists are interested in the experiences of individuals and how those experiences are shaped by interactions with social groups and society as a whole. To a sociologist, the personal decisions an individual makes do not exist in a vacuum. These decisions have been influenced by cultural and social factors: Social Facts Cultural patterns and social forces put pressure on people to select one choice over another. Sociologists try to identify these general patterns by examining the behavior of large groups of people living in the same society and experiencing the same societal pressures.  - “NORMAL” - The main dominant social norm - Transgression - Deviance - Illegality - Social and cultural Legitimacy - “Abnormal” - Outsiders - Crime - Dominant group and values - Social domination Socially Integrated Socially Excluded WHAT IS CAUSING SOCIAL CHANGE IN SOCIAL PARTTERNS? Some sociologists study social facts, which are the laws, morals, values, religious beliefs, education, customs, fashions, rituals, and all of the cultural rules that govern social life, that may contribute to these changes in the society. To analyse these changes, sociologists will have to start by questions: Do people in the United States view marriage and family differently than before? Do employment and economic conditions play a role? How has culture influenced the choices that individuals make in living arrangements? Other sociologists are studying the consequences of these new patterns, such as the ways children are affected by them or changing needs for education, housing, and healthcare. COMPARING SOCIAL PATTERNS IN THE SAME SOCIETY: THE CASE OF THE U.S. Changes in the U.S. family structure offer an example of patterns that sociologists are interested in studying. A “typical” family now is vastly different than in past decades when most U.S. families consisted of married parents living in a home with their unmarried children. Today, the percent of unmarried couples, same-sex couples, single-parent and single-adult households is increasing, as well as is the number of expanded households, in which extended family members such as grandparents, cousins, or adult children live together in the family home (U.S. Census Bureau 2013). So what is causing this change? Sociologists have to do research to understand these changes. COMPARING SOCIAL PATTERNS IN THE SAME SOCIETY: THE CASE OF THE UAE Analyzing causes of the rise of divorce in the UAE: Higher education among women in the Gulf has risen exponentially, whereas the educational levels of men have flattened out. There are numerous reasons for this, but the most striking ones are increased opportunities and acceptance for women to seek higher levels of education, and the readily available well-paying job options for men available after graduating high school (e.g., joining the military or police force), which precludes the necessity for men to seek a higher education. The consequence of that is that more educated women are more likely to divorce as they have more choices and the ability to make their own living if they have a higher education. 4. STUDYING PART AND WHOLE: HOW SOCIOLOGISTS VIEW SOCIAL STRUCTURES A key basis of the sociological perspective is the concept that the individual and society are inseparable. It is impossible to study one without the other. German sociologist Norbert Elias called the process of simultaneously analyzing the behavior of individuals and the society that shapes that behavior figuration. He described it through a metaphor of dancing. There can be no dance without the dancers, but there can be no dancers without the dance. Without the dancers, a dance is just an idea about motions in a choreographer’s head. Without a dance, there is just a group of people moving around a floor. Similarly, there is no society without the individuals that make it up, and there are also no individuals who are not affected by the society in which they live (Elias 1978).  An application that makes this concept understandable is the practice of religion. While people experience their religions in a distinctly individual manner, religion exists in a larger social context. For instance, an individual’s religious practice may be influenced by what religious institutions dictate, holidays, teachers, places of worship, rituals, and so on. These influences underscore the important relationship between individual practices of religion and social pressures that influence that religious experience (Elias 1978). SOCIAL STRATIFICATION The word “stratification” refers to different levels on top of each other, and it can be used for society as well as for rocks. Some people in any given society have more power and freedom than others – sociologists refer to these difference as differences of social class. There seems to be class inequality in every society, but it’s much greater in some than in others, and sociologists have always debated whether or not significant class inequality is necessary for a society to function. Most of the time, when we hear that someone is of a “higher class” than someone else, money is probably the first thing that come to our mind, and indeed, money is certainly important. However, sociologists emphasize that there are many different means of social inequality: not just money, but occupation, ability and skills, motivation, social connections, credentials, sepcialized knowledge, and discrimination by race, gender, caste, or age. Class systems and structures change over time, and people’s position in those class systems change even more frequently. Therefore social mobility is something sociologists study closely. THE SCOPE OF SOCIOLOGY The discipline of sociology is recognized widely today. Sociology makes a scientific study of society: Sociology has made it possible to study society in a systematic and scientific manner. Scientific knowledge about human society is needed in order to achieve progress in various fields. Sociology throws more light on the social nature of man: Sociology delves deep into the social nature of man. It tells us why man is a social being and why he lives in groups. It examines the relationships between individuals and the society. Sociology improves our understanding of society and increases the power of social action: The science of society assists an individual to understand himself, his capacities, talents and limitations. It enables him to adjust to the environment. Knowledge of society and social groups helps us to lead an effective social life. THE SCOPE OF SOCIOLOGY Sociology has contributed generously to enhance the value of human culture: Sociology has trained us in building a rational approach to questions that concern ourselves, our religion and customs. It teaches one to have an object-oriented and balanced approach. It emphasizes the importance of ignoring petty personal prejudices and ambitions that are influenced by ego and envy. Sociology studies the role of institutions in the development of the individual: The home and family, school and education, church and religion, states and government, and marriage and family are important institutions through which a society functions. Furthermore, they are conditioners of an individual’s knowledge of sociology. THE SCOPE OF SOCIOLOGY Sociological knowledge is indispensable for understanding and planning of the society: Sociological planning has been made easier by sociology. Sociology is often considered a vehicle of social reform and social organization. It plays an important role in reconstruction of the society. The need for sociology in underdeveloped countries: Sociologists have drawn the attention of economists regarding the social factors that have contributed to the economic backwardness of a few countries. Economists have now realized the importance of sociological knowledge in analysing the economic affairs of a country. Study of society has helped several governments to promote the welfare of tribal people: Not only civilized societies but tribal societies also have several socio-economic problems. Studies conducted by sociologists and anthropologists regarding tribal societies have helped many governments in undertaking various social measures to promote the welfare of tribal people. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION 🙏