INTRO FIRST LECTURE.ppt

1 What is Sociology?INTRODUCTORY SOCIOLOGY1010C & GWhat is Sociology? Sociologyis an attempt to understand how membership in understand how membership in one's social group affects individual Definition Hess, Markson and Stein(1990) -sociology is:1. The systematic study of human behaviour, behaviour, 2. The groupsto which one belongs, 3. And the societiesthat human beings create, 4. and within which their lives Sciences study patterns of behaviour A Questto understand patterns of behaviour-found in other disciplines 1. Psychology, 2. Anthropology, 3. Political science, 4. is:1. Systematic4. InformedWe all displaySocial SensitivityWe are Curiousabout our own behaviour and the behaviour of others. 1. Why do we actas we do?2. How are we the same as others?3. How are we different?3 Sample Questions Whyare divorce rates higher among less educated?

2 -Whyare more residents of BC alcoholic -Whyare more residents of BC alcoholic compared to Newfoundland? -Whydo Francophones currently place more emphasis on economic achievement than Anglophones?Emergence OF SOCIOLOGYas a Discipline Sociologyoriginated in the wake of the French Revolution. Late eighteenth/Early nineteenth Late eighteenth/Early nineteenthcenturies= SOC Emerged in Europeduring a period of profound social Three revolutionshad to take place before the take place before the sociological imagination could crystallize:3 Revolutions The scientific revolution(16thc.) encouraged the use of evidence to substantiate theories. The democratic revolution(18thc.) encouraged the view that human action can change society. The industrial revolution(19thc.) gave sociologists their subject matter. Sociological Thoughtsee Marx, Weber, Durkheim Late 18c and 19thc -URBANIZATION AND INDUSTRIALIZATION= 1.

3 Impersonal 2. Competitive 2. Competitive 3. Contractual 4. Superficial 5. SpecializedAugust Comte (1798-1857) WAS SOCIOLOGY s FOUNDING FATHER He believed society can be studied in the same way as the natural same way as the natural (empirically) He called Sociology social COMTE Divided mankind s progess into three historical stages: :relies on supernatural agencies to explain what man can't explain otherwise. to explain what man can't explain otherwise. :man attributes effects to abstract but poorly understood causes. 3."Positive":because man now understands the scientific laws which control the and Science Nigel (1961) posits 7differencesbetween science and commonsense:1. Commonsenserefers to one set of methods science anothermethods science another2. Science grows out of commonsense concerns for daily life, but science has more involvedScience vs.

4 Common Sense to provide generalizations regarding disparate types of phenomena 4. Scienceseeks to remove 4. Scienceseeks to remove inconsistencies incompleteness (valid and reliable) 5. Scientific theoriestend to last for shorter periods-subjected to criticismScience vs. Common Sense 6. Sciences seeks explanationof wide range of phenomena-not immediate, short-term 7. Science seek repeated criticism-nothing is `taken for granted like common sensePositivism-the sociological root1. Sociology uses an approach calledPositivism August should be studied by should be studied by empirical The scientific methodincludes: Objective, hypothesis, methodology, analysis, KEY SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES1. EMILE DURKHEIM(1858 -1917)-SUICIDE2. C. WRIGHT MILLS(1916 -1962)-SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATIONA ccording to Durkheim:Suicide rates Are determined by group s level of social frequencywith which its members interact&members interact& degree to which they share beliefs, values and moralsDurkheim s Theory of SuicideSuicide rateHighegoistic and anomic suicidealtruistic suicideSocial solidarityHighLowSuicide rateLowIntermediateSuicide: A study of Social Forms Suicide rates= Lowestat intermediate levels of social solidarity levels of social solidarity Highestat low and high levels of social Wright Mill (1959) C.

5 Wright Mill (1959) maintained that good sociologists require a sociological imagination SOCIOLOGICAL an awarenessof the relationship between personal experience and the wider society. Sociology vs. Psychology Psychology has more differences between academic and appliedbranches1. Therapy more pronounced in psychology2. Psychologyplaces more emphasis on understanding the individualSociology vs. Psychology Some psychologists place emphasis on animal is more concerned with the is more concerned with the physiology of the brain-5. It shares with sociology a branch known as social psychologybut moves towards the Sociologyis the scientific study of humansocietyand socialbehaviour..What is Sociology? Sociologyis an attempt to understand how membership in one's social group affects individual behavior. Sociology relies upon paradigms-to investigate society: Theory, Data, IS A SOCIOLOGIST?

6 He/she is an academicwho studies human society from a scientific point of view. THE SOCIOLOGIST-Operationalizes: THE SOCIOLOGIST-Operationalizes:1. Concepts2. Theories3. Paradigms4. Methods Functionalism Conflict theorySOCIOLOGY S FOUR MAIN THEORETICAL TRADITIONS Symbolic interactionism Post modernism FeminismMain Methods of Sociology Are four main methodsin sociological research: 1. Field methods ( , participant observation)Copyright 2010 by Nelson Education Limited29observation)2. Experiments3. Surveys4. Analysis of existing documents and official statisticsOVERALL Definition Hess, Markson and Stein(1990) is the systematic study of human human Sociologyis the study of the powerful social forces that influence social relations and personal Sociology emerged at the time of the Industrial Revolution, an era of massive social transformations accompanied by new social the systematic study of human action in social context.

7 It is based on the idea that our It is based on the idea that our relations with other peoplecreate opportunities for us to think and act but also set limitson our thoughts and SLIDERULE W. SHAKESPEARE said that,-ALL THE WORLD IS A STAGE!Society is P E R F O R M A N C E P E R F O R M A N C POLITICS ACTION -play ECONOMICS NEOLIBERAL Ideology RELIGION CHURCHES RELIGION CHURCHES FAMILY EDUCATION ORGANIZATIONs RECREATION MASS MEDIAS ummary1. Sociology is a scientific discipline2. Many approaches and paradigms3. Conceptsare the building blocks of Sociology looks at society in many ways using concepts. social scripts, performance, 2010 by Nelson Education Limited38