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Chapter One: Discovering SociologyChapter Two: Doing Sociology
The Sociological Perspective2
Chapter Chapter OverviewOverview
What is Sociology? The Origins of
Sociology First Sociologists Sexism in Early
Sociology
What is Sociology? The Origins of
Sociology First Sociologists Sexism in Early
Sociology
Theoretical Perspectives in Sociology
Theoretical Perspectives in Sociology
The Sociological Perspective
What is Sociology?• The scientific study of human behavior,
groups, and society• Great tool for analyzing and understanding
social life or the world• Attempt to understand without judgment• Examine how social contexts influence
people’s lives• Examines the link between what people do and
the social setting that shapes behavior.– Small group social settings
– Large group social settings
The Sociological Perspective
• Sociologists study ones social location to understand human behavior
• Jobs, Social Class, Race, Occupation, Sex, Religion and other demographics
• Social Location can shape our ideas of who we are and what we should attain in life
4
What is Sociology?What is Sociology?
The Sociological Perspective
• Stresses the social contexts in which people
live
• Looks at how people are influenced by their
society and how social forces affect human
behavior
• “The Sociological Imagination”
5
The Sociological The Sociological PerspectivePerspective
The Sociological Perspective
Major social change in the 19th century (1800’s)
• The Industrial Revolution challenged traditional ideas about social life
• Intellectual climate– American and French American and French
RevolutionRevolution– The scientific method, which
was used in the physical sciences, led to the birth of Sociology
6
Development of Sociology Development of Sociology
The Sociological Perspective
• Lived in France• 1st Sociologist to advocate
using positivism to studying social life– Sociology a new science
• Coined the term “Sociology” (the study of society)
• Advocate of social reform
7
Auguste Comte: Auguste Comte: Founder of SociologyFounder of Sociology
1798-18571798-1857
The Sociological Perspective
• Lived in England• Disagreed with Comte that Sociology should
guide reform• Coined the term “Survival of the Fittest”• Societies are evolutionary
– Evolve from lower to higher forms• Civilians (higher forms)• Barbarians (lower forms)
– Over time societies improve and become advanced• Social Reform interferes with natural process of
selection • Social Philosopher
– Did not conduct scientific studiesDid not conduct scientific studies– Only developed ideas about societyOnly developed ideas about society
8
Herbert Spencer: Herbert Spencer: Social DarwinismSocial Darwinism
1820-1903
The Sociological Perspective
• Human history– Created by class conflict– Economics is central force for
social change• Class Conflict
– Proletariat vs. the Bourgeoisie• Marx’ predictions
– Social class revolution– Classless society
• Marxism is not the same as Communism
• “I am not a Communist” 9
Karl Marx:Karl Marx:Class ConflictClass Conflict
1818-18831818-1883
The Sociological Perspective
• Lived in Germany• Disagreed with Marx
– Economics is not the central force for social change
– Religion central for social change in society
• The Protestant Ethic is tied to the rise of capitalism
10
Max Weber:Max Weber:ReligionReligion
1864-19201864-1920
The Sociological Perspective
Protestant Ethic and the Rise of Capitalism
• Compared Catholic religion with Protestant religion to prove this theory
• Catholic religion encourages followers to hold onto traditional ways of life and believe everyone will go to heaven
• Protestant religion encourages followers to embrace change
• Religion was a key factor to the rise of capitalism
The Sociological Perspective
• First to establish sociology as a separate academic discipline; a social science
• Explained that Sociological ideas could be tested and published
– Theory: Social forces shape human behavior
•Studied suicide rates in several European countries
12
Emile Durkheim:Emile Durkheim:Social IntegrationSocial Integration
1858-19171858-1917
The Sociological Perspective
• Agricultural life• Smaller population• Close friendships and family
ties• Great social support and
social control• People followed rules of
social conduct• Lower suicide rates
• City life• Larger population• Individualistic: no time for social
interaction or new friendships• People work 12-16 hrs a day/ 6
to 7 days a week• Isolated among family and
friends• Higher suicide rates
Rural AreasRural Areas Urban AreasUrban Areas
The Sociological Perspective
Catholics and Protestants Married and unmarried Females and males SOCIAL FACTORS underlie suicide Social Integration
The degree to which people are tied to their social group
How closely linked people are to their social group (strong or weak bonds)
Catholics and Protestants Married and unmarried Females and males SOCIAL FACTORS underlie suicide Social Integration
The degree to which people are tied to their social group
How closely linked people are to their social group (strong or weak bonds)
The Sociological Perspective
Types of Suicide
• Egotistic– Low social integration/weak bonds– Individualistic
• Altruistic– High social integration/strong bonds– Willing to die to accomplish group’s goals
• Anomic Suicide– No integration– Can not pursue society’s goals
The Sociological Perspective
Attitudes of the Time1800s Sex Roles Rigidly DefinedHigher education reserved for men and the
wealthyWomen devoted themselves to the 4 C’s
• Church, cooking, children, and clothes
Harriet MartineauPublished Society in America Before
Durkheim and Weber Were BornKnown for translating Comte’s works from
French to English
16
Sexism in Sexism in Early SociologyEarly Sociology
1802-18761802-1876
Harriet Martineau
The Sociological Perspective
Came from a background of privilegeSocial reformerShe worked tirelessly for social justiceCo-founded the Hull House in 1889Campaigned for laws against child laborLeader of women’s rights and peace movement of
World War ICo-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931
17
1860-19351860-1935
Jane AddamsJane Addams
The Sociological Perspective
• 1st African American to earn a doctorate at
Harvard
• Grew up within a very racist society
• Every year between 1896 and 1914 he
published a book on race relations between
African Americans and Whites– Souls of Black Folk 1903
– Philadelphia Negro
• He became active in social reform after years of
collecting and interpreting data
• Founded the N.A.A.C.P 18
W.E.B. Du Bois and W.E.B. Du Bois and Race Relations Race Relations
The Sociological Perspective
• Theory-a general statement about how some parts of the world fit together and how they work
• Symbolic Interactionist• Functional Analysis• Conflict Theory
19
Three Theoretical Three Theoretical PerspectivesPerspectives
Three Theoretical Three Theoretical PerspectivesPerspectives
The Sociological Perspective
• Each theoretical perspective looks at statistical data in a different light, i.e. marriage and divorce rates
20
The Sociological Perspective
• Symbolic Interactionists believe that
individuals evaluate their own conduct by
comparing themselves with others
• Symbolic Interactionists study:– How people interpret symbols
– How people interact one on one
– How people behave according to how they define
themselves and others21
Symbolic Symbolic InteractionismInteractionism
The Sociological Perspective
• The Functional Analysis perspective views
society as a whole unit, made up of
interrelated parts that work together.• Functional Analysists study:
– The structure of society– How each part of society has certain functions
that must be fulfilled– What happens to society when dysfunctions
occurb22
Functional AnalysisFunctional Analysis
The Sociological Perspective
• Founded by Karl Marx• Groups competing for scarce resources• Groups competing for power and authority• Conflict can be positive as it can bring about
positive change
23
The Sociological Perspective24
The Sociological Perspective
• Macro Level - Large Scale Patterns in Society– Functional Analysis and Conflict Theory are components of
Macroanalysis• Micro Level-Social interactions on a small scale
– Symbolic Interactionism is a component of MicroanalysisWhich level of analysis is best?
25
Two Levels of Two Levels of Sociological AnalysisSociological Analysis