Introduction to Society and Culture

Identity

 the qualities of a person or group that make

them different from others
Sociology

 The study of human behavior in the SOCIETY.

Sociological Perspective

1. Seeing the General in Particular.

2. Seeing the strange in Familiar.
3. Seeing Individuality in Social Context.
2. Seeing the strange in familiar.

 Consider the decision by women to bear

children:
 US & Canada – fewer than 2
 India – 3
 South Africa – 4
 Cambodia – 5
 Niger - 7
3. Seeing Individuality in Social
Context
Higher Suicide Rates: Low Suicide Rates:
 Men  Women
 Protestants
 Catholic/Jew
 Wealthy People
 Unmarried
 Poor People
 Married
How Sociology started

 Sociology did not develop until the 1800s

 Sociology developed in Europe, because of
changes as a result of the Industrial Revolution.
▪ Urbanization (from rural to cities)
▪ Social Problems
 Sociologists
 Auguste Comte
 French (1798-1857)
 “father” or “founder” of sociology –
coined the term
 Believed that sociologist should worry
about two problems:
order and change
 Ideas
▪ Social statics – overall structure of a society
remains unchanged
▪ Social dynamics – elements within the society
change to allow for social developments
 Sociologists
 Herbert Spencer
 English (1820-1903)
 Adopted a biological view of society –
saw society as an organism
▪ Influenced by Charles Darwin
 Coined the phrase “survival of the
fittest”
 Advocated against social reforms
efforts because it would disrupt the
natural selection process of evolution
▪ The best trait of society would survive
over time
Sociologists

 Emile Durkheim
 French (1858-1917)
 First to apply scientific principles to
study of society.
▪ Study directly observable features
 Saw society as a series of
interrelated parts, but the
function(s) of these parts was his
focus.
▪ Function – a consequence that an
element of society produces in order to
maintain the social system
Sociologists

 Karl Marx
 German (1818-1883)
 Structure of society is
influences by how its economy
is organized.
▪ Emergence of two classes:
bourgeoisie and proletariat
 The imbalance of power
between the two classes
would lead to rebellion.
 Max Weber
 Prussian (1864-1920)
 Focused on the groups within a
society rather than society as a whole.
▪ What is the effect of society on the
individual?
 Believed in the use of Verstehn
▪ Put yourself in someone’s place to study
meaning behind an individual’s actions.
 Created the term ideal type to refer to
the essential characteristics of a
feature of society.
Sociological Theories

 Structural-Functional Approach
 Social-Conflict Approach
 Symbolic-Interaction Approach
Structural-Functional Approach

 A framework for building theory that sees

society as a complex system whose parts
work together to promote solidarity and
stability.
 Social structure – any relatively stable patterns of
social behavior
 Social functions – the consequences of any social
patterns for the operation of society as a whole
 Ex. Herbert Spencer
Structural-Functional Approach

 Robert K. Merton (1910 – 2003)

 Some aspects of society can be functional
(contribute to social stability) and dysfunctional
(disrupt social stability).
 2 Types of Functions:
▪ Manifest Function – the recognized and intended
consequences of any social patterns
▪ Latent Function – the unrecognized and unintended
consequences of any social patterns
Social-Conflict Approach

 A framework for building theory that sees

society as an arena of inequality that
generates conflict and change.
Symbolic-Interaction Approach

 A framework for building theory that sees

society as the product of the everyday
interactions of individuals.