Sociology test 1 study.pdf

Seeing the general in particular, - Homeless person on the side of the street -Why are they there? -What led him/her to those circumstances? - Winnipeg has one of the highest homeless populations in all of Canada, despite being one of the coldest -What kind of pa...

Seeing the general in particular, - Homeless person on the side of the street -Why are they there? -What led him/her to those circumstances? - Winnipeg has one of the highest homeless populations in all of Canada, despite being one of the coldest -What kind of patterns show us why? Homeless often struggle with mental health -does being homeless cause that? Or does it occur before? -Could poor money-management skills attribute to their struggles? -Could it be related to drug addictions? The above are “patterns of questions”. Sociological Logic - When looking at anything, (people, events, buildings, anything) what are the patterns that lead this thing to happen? Seeing the same in the familiar - When there are curved sidewalks, making paths longer, why do we feel the need to follow the path? (could it be, signs that tell us to keep off the grass? Or maybe we don’t want our shoes dirty, maybe its just because everyone else walks on the sidewalk, and we don’t want to be the only one.) Example: NHL fight happens, two fans after the game decide to have their own fight, outside the arena, and are arrested. Why are they not allowed to fight outside the arena, but the players inside the arena are? Seeing personal choice in social context - Suicide rates are higher in native communities than anywhere else in Canada, Why? (could it be assimilation, abuse, etc.) - In Japan, high-level business men are the highest rate of suicide, Why? (could it be bad financial positions, decisions, failing situations etc.) What is Sociology? Sociology is based on patterns of behavior (social scripts) It is shaped by your interactions with other people. If something is “cultural”, it is conditioned. Almost everything is “cultural” so that means, that almost everything is conditioned into us. Sociology is the study of pattern of human behavior as shown by human interaction. Central Concept = Social Structure = Ordered and persisting relationships among positions in a social system. (i.e Rich becoming politicians, & the poor never do. Or African-Americans in USA) Sociology compared to other disciplines Economics - Supply/Demand , $ Political Science - History - Geography - Psychology - Anthropology - Sister science to sociology Social Work - Not really a science, more of a “helping” industry Sociologists are interested in social consequences for all of these disciplines Types of Sociological Questions Factual Questions Ex. “crime rate in winnipeg” (could be open-ended, to “skew” results) Comparative Questions Ex. “Instagram consumption rates at UofM is 68%, while UofW’s is 25%” Developmental Questions Ex. Do toddlers miss people when they're not around? Challenges of Social Science - intersubjectivity The significance of sociology - Understanding social situations - Awareness of cultural difference - Assessment of effects of policy - Increase self-knowledge Central Insight of Sociology Personal/Private vs Social/Public Issues Jobs - Bad interview skills, or high unemployment rate? Forced Marriage - Bride is unhappy, or are most forced marriages incompatible? Leads to divorce and depression, but almost 50% of marriages end in divorce. Observations - Most people interpret all problems as social problems - They also try to solve problems at the personal level, rather than address the public issue. - Some people blame life “on the system” “In the game of life, we may decide how to play our cards, but it is society that decides the hand” Sociology is the empirical study of what it is, instead of the advocacy of what ought to be. General Questions of Social Science - What is the nature of various social phenomena? - What are the constituent elements? - What are the categories and types? - What actually happens? - Under what conditions? - What are the cause & consequences? Sociological Theories Origins of Society - Enlightenment (1700’s) - Democracy (1700’s) - Industrial Revolution (1775-1850) - Rise of capitalism (1800’s) - Encounters with other cultures 1. Structural functionalism - Society is a stable, orderly system. Each system contributes to the overall stability of society. To study a function, is to analyze the contribution a part makes to the whole of society Types of Functions i) Manifest Functions = known and intended by group ii) Latent Functions = unknown and/or unintended by group iii) Dysfunctions = harmful to the rest of the system 2. Conflict Theory = groups in society are engaged in a continuous power struggle for control of resources Basic Questions: Who benefits most from existing arrangements? Main Ideas: - Ideology = coherent set of beliefs that explain and justify social conditions - False consciousness = perception of a situation not in accord with the results - Alienation = feeling unhinged, powerless with your own life  3. Symbolic interactionisim = the sum product of continuous, everyday, face to face interactions. SI= exchange of meanings Stimulus Interpretation Response (SIR) Main Ideas: a) Definition of the situation W.I Thomas (1928) b) Role-taking c) Significant others, generalized others The Founders of Society - Karl Marx (1818 - 1883) Historical Materialism - Emile Durkheim (1858 - 1917) Social Facts Anomie - normlessness, anchorless, from loss of moral control, standards, or norms. - Harriet Martineaun (1802 - 1876) Sociology as the “true science of human nature” - Jane Adams (1860 - 1935) Hull House Saint Jane - Max Weber (1864 - 1920) Verstehen S-I-R The Basic Theoretical Dilemma - Human action vs Social Structure Research Methods The Scientific Approach - Methodology Approaches to Knowledge Epistemology = how do we know what we know? a) Intuition - Quick & ready insight based on feelings and unknown inner sources b) Common sense - Opinions that are widely held, because they seem obviously correct c) Tradition - That which is transmitted d) Authority - Those defined as qualified to produce knowledge e) Revelation (mystical) - Supernaturally knowledgeable authorities f) Rationality - Adherence to logic g) Science - Combines logic plus observance (adherence) Common Error in Personal Human Inquiry a) Inaccurate observation b) Over-generalization c) Selective observation d) Fabricated information e) Illogical reasoning f) Ego involvement in observation g) Premature closure of inquiry h) Mystification Assumptions of Science a) Nature is orderly b) We can know nature c) Knowledge is superior to ignorance d) Natural phenomena have natural causes e) Nothing is self-evident f) Knowledge is derived from acquisition of experience Aims of Social Science a) Exploration b) Description = summary of observation c) Explanation = interpretation of observations d) Prediction e) Sense of understanding The nature of Causation - “A causes B” Determinism and Social Science Sociology is not a deterministic science, it is a probabilistic science Social science is an attempt to: a) Isolate the few most important factors b) That provide a partial explanation c) Of the behavior of many people Types of Causes/Factors a) Contributing factors b) Necessary factors c) Sufficient factors Criteria For Causality (i.e. cause and effect) a) Time sequence b) Correlation between two variables c) Correlation must not be explainable by a third relation (i.e. non-spurious) Principals of Science 1. Variables = Characteristics of objects,people, or group of people that can be measured. Dependant variable - one to be explained (i.e. what I observe) Independent variable - Causes change in dependant (i.e. what I change) Control - Potential alternate causes (i.e. what I control) An example could be: A - lung cancer B - smoker vs non-smoker C - History of Cancer? Second-Hand Smoke exposure? Hypothesis - two or more variables linked by some relationship 2. Measurement a) Validity = accuracy Is the extent to which a study or research instrument accurately measures what it’s supposed to measure. b) Reliability = consequence Is the extent to which a study or research instrument yields consistent results 3. Sampling and Sampling Design - A small # of causes used to make inferences about all cases Main Issue: representativeness a) Probability sampling Can specify probability b) Non-probability sampling No way of specifying probability of unit being selected Methods of Data Collection 1. Experimental Methods Classic Experimental Design Exp. group -> pre-test -> stimulus -> post-test -> pre-post = Cont. group -> pre-test -> post-test -> pre-post = Culture and Society a) Culture = consists of the patterned ways of thinking, feeling, and acting that are characteristic of the member of a particular society or segment to the society = the total socially acquired life-way of a group 1) Culture is not nature Eating: Mcdonalds vs Grubbery, bugs, hunting Sleeping: Methods, places, habits Elimination: Self-waste Culture is learned 2) Society = a complex all encompassing system of interrelationships that connect people within a defined territory and with a distinctive culture Culture - beliefs and practices of a group Society - the people who share these beliefs and practices Ex. culture is “the house” and society is “the people who live in the house” The Components of Culture Symbols - that which represents something else - Objects to which people attached shared meaning Language is the most important symbol for humans. It: a) Gives us access to eachother b) Naming, categorization, memorization c) Perception d) Thinking e) Deliberation and problem solving f) Transcending of one’s person g) Abstract reality Language both frees us and enslaves us 3) Stack of knowledge Cultural Myth = stories that help people understand - The nature of the cosmos - The purpose and meaning of life - The role of evil and suffering 4) Values = shared ideas about what is desirable 5) Norms = shared values of conduct (the do’s and don’ts) (also known as prescriptive and proscriptive respectively) a) More specified than values b) Justified by values c) Often situation-specific d) Hierarchy of Obligation i) Folkways = customary, habitual way of doing something ii) Mores = strong feelings of right or wrong iii) Laws = rules that are enforced by authority of the state Summary Example: Values: Full sexual expression enhances marital love Norm: Marital partners should have sex regularly, but not with anyone else Folkway: Marital partners share a bed, while the kids sleep in a different room More: Adultery is morally wrong Law: Marial Rape is criminal Technology - The skills, tools, and machines used by members of a society to convert material objects into products useful to themselves Concepts of Cultural Diversity Cultural Universals: Cultural elements found in every culture in the world Cultural Relativism: Is the fact of cultural diversity Cultural Identity: What makes you a stranger away from home Ethnocentrism: Judging another culture using the standards of one’s own. Cultural Relativism A culture must be understood in terms of the values and ideas of that culture, and not be judged by another culture. Absolute Cultural Relativism: Whatever goes on cannot be questioned. Any questions are considered ethnocentric Critical Cultural Relativism: Poses questions about practices and ideas in terms of who accepts them, and why. - Who are they harming? - Who are they helping? Culture Shock - feelings of unreality, disorientation upon realizing our thoughts and actions in our taken-for-granted culture, aren’t always appropriate in new contexts. “A person is only a person with other people” - African Proverb Features of Socialization - Is in the ebay interest of society - Lifelong process - Is never total - Is trapped in nature vs nurture debate We go through different stages of socialization Primary Socialization in Childhood And Secondary Socialization when your an Adult, and with new technologies. Primary vs Secondary Focus: P: Motives / Values S: Behavior Nature: P: Idealistic S: Realistic Scope: P: General S: Specific Context: P: Informal S: Formal Relationship: P: Intensity S: Detachment Anticipatory Socialization - Adapting to the ways of a group to one aspires, but not yet belongs Resocialization - When a new role or situation requires a person to replace an established pattern of thought/behavior with a new one. Example: Voluntary: Religion Change, New Job Involuntary: Prision, Child Solider Total Institutions: Boot Camp, Cults, Boarding School Brainwashing Theories of Socialization Symbolic Interaction Theory a) Cooley’s “looking-glass self” There are 3 steps to this, i) imagine how we appear to the other ii) imagine their judgment of your appearance (this is also how we interpret attitudes) iii) conceive ourselves as such b) Mead’s “taking the role of the other” I = Self as subject Me = Self as object Self-internal conversation between “I and Me” Significant and Generalized others  c) Stages of development of self i) Pre-play stage = meaningless imitation ii) Play Stage = taking roles of single known others iii) game stage = understanding set of roles in a complete system Ex. hide and seek Erickson’s Psychosocial Stages of Development i) 0-1.5 Y/O - Come to trust that someone is there for them Basic Challenge: establishing trust Desired Outcome: hope Unmet: mistrust ii) 1.5-3 Y/O Basic Challenge: learning autonomy Desired Outcome: will Unmet: shame/doubt iii) 3-6 Y/O Basic Challenge: Enacting inside Desired Outcome: Purpose Unmet: Guilt iv) 6-12 Y/O Basic Challenge: Develop Industry Desired Outcome: competence Unmet: inferiority v) 12-20 Y/O Basic Challenge: Identity Desired Outcome: Fidelity Unmet: Role Confusion