Introduction to Sociology

FALL SEMESTER 2020

INSTRUCTOR: Aaron Arredondo

27 August 2020

What is Sociology?

● The scientific study of how individuals both shape and are shaped by society.

● Duality at the heart of sociology:

○ People are affected by society.

○ We help shape the society in which we live.

● Sociology helps us understand the impact of society on us.

○ Example: Malala Yousafzai. She would not be who she was if not for

the society she was raised in and therefore she would not have been

able to change her society

The Origins and Current Uses of Sociology

● Sociology developed out of the need to understand and address social issues

○ Impact of the Industrial Revolution

○ The rising up against monarchies and the dominance of religion.

● Science could help leaders understand and shape society

○ Auguste Comte gave sociology its name

○ Currently used to address and understand income inequality,

environmental racism, sexism, climate change, war, terrorism, etc.

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 ● Sociologists work in a variety of settings

○ Colleges and universities

○ Nonprofit organizations

○ Government

○ Marketing

○ Sales

○ Social services

○ HR

Changing How You View the World

● The Sociological Eye

○ A sociological eye enables you to see what others may not notice

○ Noticing gender or racial patterns makes us aware of how society

works

○ Being aware of these patterns allows you to be proactive

● The Sociological Imagination

○ The sociological imagination allows you to connect what is happening

around you to larger patters in society

○ Helps differentiate between a personal problem and a social problem

○ Our lives are shaped by society and vice versa.

● The Fallacy of the Individualistic Perspective

○ Myth in our society: We as individuals determine our own lives

○ Every person has limited choices and some people have fewer

obstacles in life. Other people have far more barriers in life.

Sociology as Social Science

● Sociology studies how society works

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 ● Sociologists follow rules that ensure transparency and replicability of

research

● Theoretical Perspectives

○ Theoretical perspectives are paradigms or ways of viewing the world

○ They help make sense of social patterns and they determine what

questions are being asked in research.

● The Scientific Research Process

○ Sociologists must collect and analyze data to understand how society

operates.

○ Purpose of sociological research:

■ To constantly learn more about how society works

■ Open, systematic methods allow research to be replicated

○ Need to adjust theories if findings consistently diverge from

theoretical explanations

○ Sociologists create useful theories based on good generalizations.

Differentiating between Good Generalizations and Stereotypes

● Sociologists generalize social patterns in society

● Good generalizations: Statements backed by evidence.

● Stereotypes are:

○ Making a bad generalizations

○ Predetermined ideas about particular groups of people

○ Use to promote or excuse discriminatory treatment

○ Movies and television shows can expose and promote stereotypes.

● Good Generalizations

○ Based on social scientific research

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 ○ Used to describe rather than judge people

○ Generalizations and research questions change with new data

The Obligations of Sociology

● The earliest sociologists used sociology to understand and improve society

○ W.E.B. Du Bois used sociological tools to show how society works and

to fight racism

○ Research by Jane Addams helped create many social goods

○ Addams with Du Bois and others co-founded the NAACP and the

ACLU.

● The Two Core Commitments.

○ 1. To use the sociological eye to observe social patterns

○ 2. Noticing patterns of injustice and taking action to challenge those

patterns

○ By Randall Collins: Sociology should be used to make a positive impact

on society

The Benefits of Sociology

● Developing a sociological eye, gaining a sociological perspective will benefit

self and society:

○ Notice social patterns that many others cannot see and use to self-

advantage

○ Learn how to act more effectively in groups.

○ Ability to collect, analyze, and explain information and to influence

your society

○ Can make you a more effective member of your community

○ Can learn to work with others to improve society.

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Sociology and Democracy

● Important for citizens who vote in elections to understand how society works

● Develop the ability to notice social patterns

● Understand the difference between good information and fake news

● A sociologically informed public necessary for a democratic society

Sociology and Careers

● Sociological knowledge is useful in any career

● Sociological skills can help one to succeed in the workforce.

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Understanding the Symbolic Interaction Perspective

● Provides theoretical balance for sociology

● Microlevel theoretical perspective

○ Examine how one person develops a self a sense of our place in society

○ Study how meaning comes to be constructed and shared by a group of

people

● Views society as a social construction.

The social construction of reality

● Interactionist theorists study how culture comes to be created

● The group constructs its culture

○ There is nothing natural about a handshake as a greeting, it’s just a part of

the culture of our group

● Primary socialization happens during childhood

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 ○ It begins with the family and then the community

○ The community can be just about anything, neighbors, organizations, or even

TV.

● The social construction of reality: the looking glass self-theory

○ A child’s 3 steps of developing a sense of self

○ Socialization continues through a person’s life.

● The social construction of reality: dramaturgical theory

○ Erving Goffman’s work helps us see we are all actors in the world as a stage

○ Dramaturgy explains why individual behave differently in various social

settings

● What doesn’t symbolic interactionism see?

○ Social problems and social change are macro-sociological concepts

○ Symbolic interactionism is a micro-level theoretical perspective

○ Concentrates on how individuals become socialized shape their sense of self

○ Social constructionism

■ Combination of symbolic interaction with conflict theory

■ Stratification of the society must be made more just

■ Used to understand how our interactions lead to societal issues

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Considering Cultural Variations

● Culture changes over time

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 ○ For example the different generations

● Historical events impact cultural heritage

○ 9/11 for Gen Z

○ 2008 Recession for Millenials

● Changes in law reflect changing norms

● Subcultures and multiculturalism

○ Subcultures: cultural groups that exist within another, larger culture

○ Multiculturalism difficult due to differences in cultures leading to conflict

among groups

○ Countercultures: values or beliefs of a group conflicting with the mainstream

culture

● Cultural Relativism and Global cultures

○ Cultures cannot be ranked as better or worse than others

○ Each culture is unique

○ Cultural universals

○ Cultural attributes spread when some societies spread out and dominate

others

The Power of Culture

● Cultural capital: related to education, style, and appearance that promotes social

mobility

● Features of cultural capital

● Social Intelligence and its features