Some findings of Sociology support commonsense understandings of social life, while others contradict them. Can you tell the difference?
1. True/False More U.S. students are killed in school shootings now then ten or fifteen years ago.
2. True/False The earnings of U.S. women have just about caught up with those of U.S. men.
3. True/False When faced with natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes, people panic and social organizations disintegrates.
4. True/False Most rapists are mentally ill.
5. True/False Most people on welfare are lazy and looking for a handout. They could work if they wanted to.
6. True/False Compared with women, men make more eye contact in face-to-face conversations.
7. True/False Couples who live together before marriage are usually more satisfied with their marriages than couples who do not live together before marriage.
8. True/False Most husbands of working wives who get laid off from work take up the slack and increase the amount of housework they do.
9. True/False Because bicyclists are more likely to wear helmets now than just a few years ago, their rate of head injuries has dropped.
10. True/False Students in Japan are under such intense pressure to do well in school that their suicide rate is about double that of the U.S. students
IMAGINE YOURSELF AT THE MALL ON A FRIDAY
NIGHT…SITTING ON A BENCH…DESCRIBE
WHAT YOU SEE AROUND YOU
What is sociology???
n.1. The study of human social behavior, especially the study of the origins, organization, institutions, and development
of human society.2. Analysis of a social institution or societal segment as a self-contained entity or in relation to society as a whole.
What does that mean?? The study of why societies act and behave in certain ways
-race -practices -social establishments
-religion -relationships -schools
-stereotypes -economics -beliefs
-behaviors -ethnicity -customs
-culture -problems -rites of passage
SociologySociology = the science that studies human society and social behavior
Focuses on:- social interaction - social phenomenon
Psychology examines more of the workings of the human mind, why persons think and
behave as they do.
Sociology tends to examine groups of persons (societies), communities, and nations. They might examine and discuss such things as folkways, mores, changes in populations, effects of events on entire communities, etc...
So one way to look at it is that psychology is more about the individual or small group, and sociology is more about communities and larger groups of persons.
What is necessary in order to study human
behavior?
Sociological PerspectiveSociological Perspective- - allows human behavior to be
studied in a scientific way- allows us to view the world and
ourselves more objectively
Sociological ImaginationSociological Imagination- ability to see the
connection between the world and our personal lives
Sociology as a Social ScienceSociology as a Social Science
Social science = related disciplines that study human social
behavior
anthropology
psychology
sociology economics
political science
historyComparative study of past and present
Behavior of thinking organisms Study of past events
Choices made to satisfy needs
Organization and operation of gov’t
Study past to explain current behaviors and attitudes
Working in pairs you will examine the societal issue of the Great Depression from the perspectives of each of the social sciences.
Anthropology Economics
Psychology Political Science
History Sociologist
What would each of these be specifically concerned about?