Notes:
Sociology helps YOU understand the social forces that shape individuals and societies so you can use this knowledge to become a better YOU and promote the greater good!
1.1.1
– sociology: the scientific study of social relationships, institutions, and societies
– social institutions, structures in society providing the framework for governing the behavior of individuals in a community or society, such as family, education, religion, economy, and the government.
– society, a large group of people associated with a shared culture and social institutions,
– Sociological Perspective: the process of understanding and explaining how individuals and groups interact within society (HP).
Social Structures: the distinctive and stable arrangements of social patterns that form the society as a whole (HP).
Social Problems: societal conditions that harm segments of society (HP).
Sociological Imagination: the ability to see the details of our own lives in the context of larger social structures as opposed to merely personal choices or personal troubles (HP).
Social Change: the forces that change society’s organization and social structures (HP).
history of sociology:
– has only existed for 180 years
– Auguse come: started the idea staing that society coul be studied using methods in natural sciences, such as physics, chem, and bio
– positivism: authentic and valid knowledege of social wporld is foudned through scientific and empirical pursuit
1.1.2:
the German and french viepoints of vienyard and village represent macro sociology: a level of analysis focusing on social systems and populations on a large scale.
the american view point of the meado is micro sociology: level of analysis focusing on individuals and small groups within the larger social system.
The German Karl Marx (1818–1883) lived during the Industrial Revolution (1750–1850) and was the individual looking at the vineyard.
– discovery of the steam engine and factories changed Western Europe from agricultural society to an industrial society
– marx wrote that there were two classes:
the proletariat, the majority, who were the poor, property-less industrial working class, and the land and business owners referred to as the bourgeoisie, the small minority who were the wealthy class (C-19).
the vieew points were like the haves and have nots
conflict theory, a sociological perspective emphasizing the role of political and economic power and oppression as contributing to the existing social order (HP).
the frenchman with the vieewpoint of the village was Émile Durkheim
1.1.3
marx would ask questions such as do those with less presitouqs schools get same opputiines, does he class matter when going inot the workforce, does lower class have same access to to higher education
Durkheim would ask abut social facts — social patterns that are external to individuals and greatly influence our way of thinking and behaving in society.
mead would ask about college party life, how people dont go crazy and fail, ask how opionos and social interactions control us
mcoonalds example; they wnate ther pay to be 15 an hr cause the pay wasnt enugh but the comapny mangment made millions of dollars if you took this as a macro, conflict theroirst they woul do their reserach on the plight of these workers, as well as lack of health care while fucntionsliast would view low wage workers as serving an important function in miantaining stabliy in the economy and society Functionalists are not trying to justify low wages but merely pointing out how the working poor are essential for the economy to operate smoothly for the benefit of society.
the functionalist theory indicates that when one aspect of society changes then many of the other parts change also
1.1.5:
The feminist theory, a view on anti-oppression, gender relations, and gender inequality, evolved from the conflict theory and is an important contemporary sociological perspective
applied sociology, the use of sociological theory, research, and methodologies to find solutions to problems in society
queer theory, a critical view that rejects the traditional categories of gender, sex, and sexuality in contemporary society.
postmodern social theory, a critical view rejecting the historical, scientific, and structured means of investigating and interpreting the social world.
Postmodernist theory ultimately contends that all things in society are in a constant state of change, and as such, our understanding of society and culture is relative
Conflict theory focus : focuses on son the macro level of analysis and on class struggles and exploitation within society, instituions, and organizations
conflict theory aplliation: Millions of working poor Americans do not have access to healthcare due to the cost. The U.S. is the only industrialized nation that does not provide healthcare for all citizens. This causes the gap between the poor and the rich to grow wider as families go into debt to pay for medical bills. During the COVID-19 pandemic, income emerged as a major predictor of coronavirus infections, along with race. Members of communities of color die from the coronavirus at much higher rates than White people do.
functionalist theory: focuses on a macro-level analysis and how the parts of society serve to amintain stbality. each part serves to function with society such as the role of gove, education, and relgion
functioanlsit their applid: Hospitals, medical professionals, and pharmaceutical companies serve to keep individuals healthy so all can work and earn wages to keep society functioning. If illnesses and diseases are frequent and workers cannot work, then the economy will suffer. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many hospitals experienced an influx of patients and staffing shortages, which ultimately had ramifications on the general health of Americans.
1.2.1
social structures, the distinctive and stable arrangements of social patterns that form the society as a whole (C-19)
rationalization of society, the replacement of traditional values and personal connections with bureaucracy, efficiency, and a means-end approach.
- organizes behaviors of large groups of people
- capable of coercing individuals and groups
- provides norms, rules, and practices
- assigns roles and powers to individuals and groups
- encompasses large geographical areas
Harriet Martineau (1802–1876), an Englishwoman and the first female sociologist, visited the U.S. for a period of two years and later published Society in America (1837), which detailed American social structures, such as the political system, government, economy, and religion.
Jane Addams’ (1860–1935) work and lectures give her the distinction of being an applied sociologist, although she did not have a formal sociology degree. In 1889, she founded the Hull House, a settlement house that provided social services primarily for immigrants in Chicago.
W. E. B. Du Bois (1868–1963) was the first African American to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard University (1895) and co-founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909
Robert Merton (1910–2003) is one of America’s most influential social scientists and sociologists and is noted as instrumental in formalizing the functionalist theory in his writings. In 1949, he published Social Theory and Social Structure
1.3.1
social problems, the societal conditions that harm segments of society, become less about personal feelings and more about measurable, evidence-based reality.
Sociology can help you understand social problems by:
- measuring objective conditions — the scope of a problem
- measuring subjective concerns — people’s feelings about a problem (C-19)
- evaluating the context within which the problem exists
- identifying potential policy solutions to the problem
human trafficking, a situation in which a person is smuggled, abused, and forced to work against their will for the economic gain of another.
sustainability, the idea that current and future generations should have equal or greater access to social, economic, and environmental resources
social inequality, the unequal distribution of power, property, or prestige in society
sociological imagination, the ability to see the details of our own lives in the context of larger social structures as opposed to merely personal choices or personal troubles (C-19).
Personal troubles, matters experienced at the individual level
public issue, a matter that impacts society as a whole
social change, the forces that change the organization and the social structures of society.
globalization, the worldwide integration of our cultural, economic, and political lives that results from ever-increasing levels of business, trade, and technology.
applied sociology, the use of sociological theory, research, and methodologies to find solutions to problems in society.