Chapter 1 â Understanding Sociology 1.1 What is Sociology Sociology ...
Chapter 1 – Understanding Sociology 1.1 What is Sociology Sociology and the Social Sciences Sociology engages in the organized, systematic study of phenomena (in this case, human behaviour) in order to enhance understanding. Social Science is the study of various aspects of human society. Common focus is on the social behaviour of people. Sociology emphasizes the influence that society has on people’s attitudes and behaviour and the ways in which people shape society. They scientifically examine our social relationships with people. Sociologists put their imaginations to work in a variety of areas – including aging, criminal justice, the family, human ecology, religion, health and gender. Sociology and Common Sense All of us have theories/opinions, they typically come from “common sense” – from our experiences and conversations, what we read, see on TV, etc. We rely on common sense to get us through unfamiliar situations. Common sense knowledge may be accurate sometimes but not always reliable because it relies on beliefs rather than facts. Sociologists do not accept something as a fact “because everyone knows it”. Instead, each piece of information must be tested, recorded and analyzed in relation to other data. Sociologists rely on scientific studies in order to describe and understand a social environment. 1.2 What is Sociological Theory? Sociologists are not interested in why any individual commits suicide, but are more concerned with the social forces that systematically cause some people to take their own lives. Within Sociology, a theory, is a template containing definitions and relationships used to organize and understand the social work. A theory may have EXPLANITORY POWER, PREDICTIVE POWER, OR BOTH. It may help us see the relationships among seemingly isolated phenomena and to understand how one type of change in an environment leads to others. 1.3 How Did Sociology Develop? Early Thinkers: Comte, Martineau and Spencer Auguste Comte, Harriest Martineau, Herbert Spencer } Class Notes Emile Durkheim Anomie Max Weber Ideal Type Karl Marx Importance of Economy Twentieth Century Developments
Charles Horton Cooley, Jane Addams, Robert Merton, Pierre Bourdieu, Harold Innis, John Porter Nineteenth Century thinkers who contributed sociological insights 1.4 What are the Major Theoretical Perspectives? A Sociologist explains the social world according to the assumptions and emphases of his/her theoretical perspectives. FUNCTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE Emphasizes the way that parts of a society are structured to maintain its stability. Social change should be slow and evolutionary. Advocates of the functionalist perspective hope to explain how an aspect of society that is so frequently attacked can nevertheless manage to survive. Talcott Parsons (19021979) Key figure in the development of functionalist theory. Influenced by Durkheim and Weber Dominated Sociology in the US with his advocacy of functionalism which helps to maintain the system as a whole. His approach holds that if an aspect of social life does not contribute to a society’s stability or survival – if it does not serve some identifiable useful function to promote value consensus among members of society – it will not be passed on from one generation to the next. MANIFEST FUNCTIONS: of institutions are open stated, conscious functions. They involve the intended, recognized consequences of an aspect of society. LATENT FUCTIONS: are unconscious or unintended functions and may reflect hidden purposes of an institution. DYSFUCTION: functionalist acknowledge that all not all parts of a society contribute to its stability all the time. A dysfunction refers to an element or a process of a society that may actually disrupt a social system or lead to a decrease in stability. CONFLICT PERSPECTIVE Emphasis on stability and consensus, conflict sociologists see the social world as being in continual struggle. Assumes that social behaviour is best understood in terms of conflict or tension between competing groups. Conflict theorists contend that social institutions and practices persist because powerful groups have the ability to maintain control over them. Non violent – they can take the form of labor negotiations, gender relations, etc. THE MARXIST VIEW: Viewed struggle inevitable, given the exploitation of workers under capitalism. Does not restrict people to a passive role in responding to inevitable cycles or changes in the material culture. Offers a tool for those who want to seize control of the historical process and gain their freedom from injustice. Argues that conflict is a normal and desirable aspect of social change. Change must be encouraged as a means of eliminating social inequality. Other Sociologists and social scientists have come to see conflicts not merely as a class phenomenon but as a part of everyday life in all societies.
Conflict theorists are interested in how societies institutions may help to maintain the privileges of some groups and keep others in a subservient position emphasize social change and redistribution of resources which makes conflict theorists more “radical” and “activist” than functionalist. FUCTIONALIST PERSPECTIVES Attempt to explain, understand and change the ways in which gender socially organizes our public and private lives in such a way as to produce inequality between men and women. There is no one feminist perspective. Can be macro or micro. LIBERAL FEMINISM: Advocates that women’s inequality can be obtained though the extension of the principles of equality of opportunity and freedom. Liberal feminist approaches assume that extending women’s opportunities for education and employment, e.g, will result in greater gender equality. MARXIST REMINISM: Places the system of capitalism at fault for the oppression of women. Believe that women are not oppressed by sexism or patriarchy but by a economic production that is based on unequal gender relations in the capitalist economy. SOCIALIST FEMINISM: shaped by both patriarchy and capitalism. RADICAL FEMINISM: root of all oppression (according to radical feminism) is embedded in patriarchy. TRANSNATIONAL FEMINISM: Recognizes that capitalism and systems of political power have severe consequences and oppress women around the world. Embraces the multiplicity of cultures, languages, geographies, and experiences that shape the lives of women. CRITICAL RACE FEMINISM: attempts to bring about women’s selfdefinition and naming their reality, free from the oppression of patriarchy and the legacy of colonization of white society. * According to Patricia Madoo Lingermann and Gillian Niebrugge, contemporary theories ask the following questions: 1. “And what about women?” 2. “Why is all this as it is?” 3. “How can we change and improve the social world so as to make it a more just place for all people?” Dorthy Smith: Canadian sociologist, contributions to sociology in general and feminist sociology in particular have been influential worldwide. Margrit Eichlet: Canadian sociologist, was among the first sociologists in this country to examine the ways in which sexism can influence research in social science. Symbolic Interactionist Perspective Microsociology Interactionist Perspective: generalizes about everyday forms of social interaction in order to understand society as a whole.
Symbolic interactionism is a sociological framework for viewing human beings as living in a world of meaningful objects. These “objects” may include material things, actions, other people, relationships or even symbols. See daily life not as static, but rather as constantly changing changing because people’s social relationships, actions, material world, and symbols are constantly being reconstructed and new meanings are given to them. Social Constructionism: popular form of symbolic interactionism, takes the position that we often assume to be “natural” or possessing innate features is often “constructed” by social forces – forces that vary according to culture, place, and historical period. George Herbert Mead: is widely regarded as the founder of the interactionist perspective. Uses the terms: Significant Others: to refer to those individuals who are the most important in the development of the self. Generalized Other: to refer to the attitudes, viewpoints, and expectations of society that a child takes into account. Erving Goffman: popularized a particular type of interactionist method known as the dramaturgical approach. The dramaturgist compares everyday life to the settling of theatre and stage. THE POSTMODERN CRITIQUE: A postmodern society is a technologically sophisticated society that is preoccupied with consumer goods and media images. The emphasis on post modern theorists is on describing emerging cultural forms and patterns of social interaction. Focuses on individual action in which reality is socially constructed through a process of negotiated interaction with other individuals. The Sociological Approach Sociology makes use of all four perspectives since each offers unique insights into the same issue. No one approach to a particular issue is “correct”. 1.5 What Can We Expect From the Use of Sociological Imagination? By showing theory in practice and research in action, by thinking globally, by exploring the significance of social inequality, by speaking across race, gender, class and religious boundaries and by highlighting social policy throughout the world. Theory in Practice We illustrate how the 4 sociological perspectives – functionalist, conflict, feminist, and interactionist are helpful in understanding today’s issues.
Charles Horton Cooley, Jane Addams, Robert Merton, Pierre Bourdieu, Harold Innis, John Porter Nineteenth Century thinkers who contributed sociological insights 1.4 What are the Major Theoretical Perspectives? A Sociologist explains the social world according to the assumptions and emphases of his/her theoretical perspectives. FUNCTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE Emphasizes the way that parts of a society are structured to maintain its stability. Social change should be slow and evolutionary. Advocates of the functionalist perspective hope to explain how an aspect of society that is so frequently attacked can nevertheless manage to survive. Talcott Parsons (19021979) Key figure in the development of functionalist theory. Influenced by Durkheim and Weber Dominated Sociology in the US with his advocacy of functionalism which helps to maintain the system as a whole. His approach holds that if an aspect of social life does not contribute to a society’s stability or survival – if it does not serve some identifiable useful function to promote value consensus among members of society – it will not be passed on from one generation to the next. MANIFEST FUNCTIONS: of institutions are open stated, conscious functions. They involve the intended, recognized consequences of an aspect of society. LATENT FUCTIONS: are unconscious or unintended functions and may reflect hidden purposes of an institution. DYSFUCTION: functionalist acknowledge that all not all parts of a society contribute to its stability all the time. A dysfunction refers to an element or a process of a society that may actually disrupt a social system or lead to a decrease in stability. CONFLICT PERSPECTIVE Emphasis on stability and consensus, conflict sociologists see the social world as being in continual struggle. Assumes that social behaviour is best understood in terms of conflict or tension between competing groups. Conflict theorists contend that social institutions and practices persist because powerful groups have the ability to maintain control over them. Non violent – they can take the form of labor negotiations, gender relations, etc. THE MARXIST VIEW: Viewed struggle inevitable, given the exploitation of workers under capitalism. Does not restrict people to a passive role in responding to inevitable cycles or changes in the material culture. Offers a tool for those who want to seize control of the historical process and gain their freedom from injustice. Argues that conflict is a normal and desirable aspect of social change. Change must be encouraged as a means of eliminating social inequality. Other Sociologists and social scientists have come to see conflicts not merely as a class phenomenon but as a part of everyday life in all societies.
Conflict theorists are interested in how societies institutions may help to maintain the privileges of some groups and keep others in a subservient position emphasize social change and redistribution of resources which makes conflict theorists more “radical” and “activist” than functionalist. FUCTIONALIST PERSPECTIVES Attempt to explain, understand and change the ways in which gender socially organizes our public and private lives in such a way as to produce inequality between men and women. There is no one feminist perspective. Can be macro or micro. LIBERAL FEMINISM: Advocates that women’s inequality can be obtained though the extension of the principles of equality of opportunity and freedom. Liberal feminist approaches assume that extending women’s opportunities for education and employment, e.g, will result in greater gender equality. MARXIST REMINISM: Places the system of capitalism at fault for the oppression of women. Believe that women are not oppressed by sexism or patriarchy but by a economic production that is based on unequal gender relations in the capitalist economy. SOCIALIST FEMINISM: shaped by both patriarchy and capitalism. RADICAL FEMINISM: root of all oppression (according to radical feminism) is embedded in patriarchy. TRANSNATIONAL FEMINISM: Recognizes that capitalism and systems of political power have severe consequences and oppress women around the world. Embraces the multiplicity of cultures, languages, geographies, and experiences that shape the lives of women. CRITICAL RACE FEMINISM: attempts to bring about women’s selfdefinition and naming their reality, free from the oppression of patriarchy and the legacy of colonization of white society. * According to Patricia Madoo Lingermann and Gillian Niebrugge, contemporary theories ask the following questions: 1. “And what about women?” 2. “Why is all this as it is?” 3. “How can we change and improve the social world so as to make it a more just place for all people?” Dorthy Smith: Canadian sociologist, contributions to sociology in general and feminist sociology in particular have been influential worldwide. Margrit Eichlet: Canadian sociologist, was among the first sociologists in this country to examine the ways in which sexism can influence research in social science. Symbolic Interactionist Perspective Microsociology Interactionist Perspective: generalizes about everyday forms of social interaction in order to understand society as a whole.
Symbolic interactionism is a sociological framework for viewing human beings as living in a world of meaningful objects. These “objects” may include material things, actions, other people, relationships or even symbols. See daily life not as static, but rather as constantly changing changing because people’s social relationships, actions, material world, and symbols are constantly being reconstructed and new meanings are given to them. Social Constructionism: popular form of symbolic interactionism, takes the position that we often assume to be “natural” or possessing innate features is often “constructed” by social forces – forces that vary according to culture, place, and historical period. George Herbert Mead: is widely regarded as the founder of the interactionist perspective. Uses the terms: Significant Others: to refer to those individuals who are the most important in the development of the self. Generalized Other: to refer to the attitudes, viewpoints, and expectations of society that a child takes into account. Erving Goffman: popularized a particular type of interactionist method known as the dramaturgical approach. The dramaturgist compares everyday life to the settling of theatre and stage. THE POSTMODERN CRITIQUE: A postmodern society is a technologically sophisticated society that is preoccupied with consumer goods and media images. The emphasis on post modern theorists is on describing emerging cultural forms and patterns of social interaction. Focuses on individual action in which reality is socially constructed through a process of negotiated interaction with other individuals. The Sociological Approach Sociology makes use of all four perspectives since each offers unique insights into the same issue. No one approach to a particular issue is “correct”. 1.5 What Can We Expect From the Use of Sociological Imagination? By showing theory in practice and research in action, by thinking globally, by exploring the significance of social inequality, by speaking across race, gender, class and religious boundaries and by highlighting social policy throughout the world. Theory in Practice We illustrate how the 4 sociological perspectives – functionalist, conflict, feminist, and interactionist are helpful in understanding today’s issues.
