Start of set 1.

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Sociology
THE SYSTEMATIC STUDY OF HUMAN SOCIETY
AND SOCIAL INTERACTION
What is Sociology?
• Sociology is a social science that studies human society and behavior.
• Sociologists are mainly interested in social interactions – how people
relate to one another and how they influence each others decisions.
• Sociologists focus on the group, rather than the individual.
• Sociologists EXAMINE
social phenomena or observable facts or events involving human
interaction
• TO MAKE
predictions about future trends and behaviors.
Agenda/Plan/Things for today
• What is Sociology ?
• Sociological Perspective
• Social Sciences ?
• How did sociology develop?(History)
• Theoretical aspects
• Take Home assignment/activity
Why Study Sociology?

• Sociology can give you a new perspective on

yourself and the world around you.
• It is called the “Sociological Perspective.”
 Perspective
1.The art of representing three-
dimensional objects on a two-
dimensional surface so as to
give the right impression of
their height, width, depth, and
position in relation to each
other
2.A particular attitude towards or
way of regarding something; a
point of view.
3D images and 3D Films
• Pictures
• 3D video / Films
• Use of two eyes/Photogrammetry/Arial Photos photogrammetry a SUMMARY.ppt
Sociological perspective
• By adopting the sociological perspective you can look beyond commonly
held beliefs to determine hidden meanings behind human actions.
• The sociological perspective helps us understand that peoples behavior is
influenced by social factors and learned behaviors from those around us.
• The sociological perspective can help us view the world through the eyes of
others. (2D,3D …..nth Dimension?) Multidimensional space !
• By developing this perspective, we can begin to use the Sociological
Imagination; the ability to see a connection between the larger world and
one’s personal life.
• The sociological perspective is a way of looking at the world that enables
sociologists to see beyond commonly held beliefs to the hidden meanings behind
human actions
A few ideas about the term Perspective
• The difference between a mountain and a molehill is your perspective.

• The only thing you sometimes have control over is perspective. You don’t have control
over your situation. But you have a choice about how you view it.

• Is the glass half empty, half full, or twice as large as it needs to be?

• Being happy doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. It means that you’ve decided to
look beyond the imperfections.

• The difference between a stumbling block and a stepping-stone is whether you are
cursing your bruised knee or admiring the view.
Think about this
• There are things known and there are things unknown, and in
between are the doors of perception
 Thinking Like a Sociologist

Sociological Perspective Sociological Imagination

• Looking at social life in a • Ability to see the connection
scientific, systematic way between the larger world and
• Looking beyond commonly your personal life
held beliefs • Seeing the relations between
• Trying to find patterns impersonal and intimate
features of human life
 What did we do last week ?
Activity 1
• Name the batchmates with whom you would travel If you are to go for
two weeks study tour to a non English speaking?
• Name the batchmates with whom you would commence a
“Start Up”
• If your Aunt/Uncle request you to suggest a person to marry their
daughter/son which member would you propose ?
Your selection was based on what characteristic/s of your friend/s ?
• Age
• Height
• Figure
• Clothes
• Other (pl specify)
 What did we do last week ?
Activity 2 & take-Home Activity
Agenda/Plan/Things for today
• What is Sociology ?
• Sociological Perspective
• Social Sciences ?
• How did sociology develop?(History)
• Theoretical aspects
• Take Home assignment/activity
 Sociology and Other Social Sciences
The social sciences are disciplines that study human social
behavior or institutions and the functions of human society in a
scientific manner.

• Sociology
–Sociology studies human society and social behavior through social
interaction and social phenomena
–Social Interaction – how people relate to one another and influence
each other’s behavior
–Social Phenomena – observable events in human society
Social Sciences
 Social Sciences
• Social Sciences are the related disciplines (fields) that study
various aspects of human social behavior.
• The other social sciences include: history, anthropology,
psychology, economics and political science.
• Anthropology: the study of past and present cultures. It’s the
most similar to sociology. Anthropologists focus / concentrate on
the past cultures and present simple cultures or less advanced
societies.
• While sociologists are more interested in group behavior in
complex more advanced societies.
 Social Sciences
• Psychology: deals with the behavior and thinking of organisms.
Psychology focuses more on individual behavior. While sociology is
focused on group behavior.
• Economics: is the study of the choices people make in an effort to satisfy
their needs and wants. Economists focus on the process in which goods
and services are produced, distributed and consumed.
• Political Science: is the examination of the organization and operation of
governments. Some areas of political science and sociology overlap, such
as the formation of political parties and with voting patterns.
• History: is the study of past events. Sociologists are also interested in the
past. Like many social historians, sociologists study past events in an
effort to explain current social behaviors and attitudes.
Use of other Social Sciences
• Despite the different focus’ of the fields they are all related in terms
of their study of human beings and their interactions; whether past or
present.
• Many sociologists now borrow freely from the various social sciences
in an effort to better understand the social forces that help shape our
lives.
How did Sociology Develop?
• Throughout history scholars have always been interested in the social life
and interactions of people.
• Despite this Sociology did not develop as a field of study until the 1800’s.
• Several factors led to its development:
1. The rapid political and social changes that took place in Europe as a result
of the Industrial Revolution.
2. The rapid growth of cities and their problems as a result of Industrial
Revolution.
3. The questioning of traditional beliefs. People across Europe began to
question traditional roles and expectations.
 The Development of Sociology

• Political changes
– Focus on individual liberty and rights
– American and French Revolutions
• Social changes
– Growth of cities
– Housing shortages
– Crime and pollution increased
• Economic changes
– Industrial Revolution
– Growth of cities
THE SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

An Approach
 Definitions

Debunking

Sociological Study of patterned behaviors

Perspective that meet social needs.

Sociological Imagination

Social construction of reality

 THE SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
DEFINITION OF SOCIOLOGY: THE SYSTEMATIC STUDY OF
HUMAN SOCIETY AND SOCIAL INTERACTION

• WE LIVE IN GROUPS AND GROUPS AFFECT OUR LIVES

• THE FOCUS OF STUDY IS ON GROUPS RATHER THAN THE INDIVIDUAL

• USE SCIENTIFIC METHOD- BEYOND COMMONSENSE

2. SOCIOLOGY AS “DEBUNKING”

• LOOK BEHIND THE APPARENT UNMASKING REALITY

• LOOKING FOR NEW INTERPRETATIONS OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR

STUDY OF “PATTERNED BEHAVIORS”
THAT MEET OUR SOCIAL NEEDS:
• PROVIDE GOODS AND SERVICES-
ECONOMIC SYSTEM

• REGULATE SEX - THE FAMILY

• PASS ON OUR WAY OF LIFE-EDUCATION

• MAINTAIN ORDER- GOVERNMENT/LAW

• GIVE MEANING TO LIVE - RELIGION

THE SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION
• PERSONAL ISSUES SEEN IN SOCIAL
CONTEXT

• SEE HOW SOCIAL STRUCTURES AFFECT

OUR INDIVIDUAL LIVES
SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF REALITY

• WE DEFINE WHAT IS REAL

• WHO HAS THE POWER TO DEFINE REALITY

Sociological Perspective & Theorists
A Breakdown of Functionalism, Conflict Theory and Symbolic
Interactionism
What is Sociology?
• Sociology is a science guided by the basic understanding that “the
social matters: our lives are affected, not only by our individual
characteristics, but by our place in the social world.”

Sociology should be studied using a

Sociological Imagination
• Sociological Imagination is the ability to look beyond the individual as
the cause for success/failure and see how one’s society influences the
outcome…

As well as an examines the relationship between…..

Individual Choice vs. Social Forces
• Solidarity– the level of connectedness a person feels to others in the
environment
• Social control—the social mechanisms that regulate a person’s
actions

And may be studied using one of the three theoretical paradigms…..

Can there be other theoretical paradigms ?
 Three Theories

• Sociology employs three major theoretical perspectives—Functionalism, Conflict, and

Interactionism.
• The Functionalist perspective focuses on order and stability,
• The Conflict perspective focuses on power relations,
• The interactionist perspective focuses on how individuals interact with one another in
everyday life.
.
Levels of Analysis
• Macrosociology
• The study of large-scale systems or societies as a whole
• The study of long-term problems

• Microsociology
• The study of small-group settings
• The study of everyday interactions among group members

• Globalization
• A process of creating a world-wide system of interactions, larger
than any one society
Functionalism
Functionalism
• The Functionalist Perspective: They view society as a set of
interrelated parts (Family, religion, economy and educational system )
that work together to produce a stable environment while
securing evolution and growth.
• Attempts to address
• What keeps the society functioning smoothly ?
• What are the parts of society and how do they relate ?
• What are the intended and unintended outcomes of an event ?

• It is a macro (large scale) orientation because it studies how social structures

affect and how a society works
The characteristics of society – Functionalist view
• Well planned uniformity
• Stability and equilibrium between different parts
• Consensus of the main values
• Every institution has a function which helps society to remain stable
• What is, is good – “natural selection” of good institutions/functions
• Functionalism suggests that a society’s values and norms provide the
foundation for the rules and laws that it creates.
• These norms regulate the relationships between social institutions
• Functionalists, however, have differing views about how these structures
cooperate with one another.
• Some compare society to a living, breathing organism; others analyze the
expected and unexpected outcomes of a social event; while still others
wonder what exactly it is that holds a society together
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Functionalist Perspective
View of society as a set of interrelated parts that work together to produce a
stable social system

• Dysfunction • What keeps the society functioning

– A negative consequence of an smoothly ?
element of society • What are the parts of society and
• Manifest function how do they relate ?
– The intended and recognized • What are the intended and
consequence of an element of society unintended outcomes of an event ?
• Latent function
– Unintended and unrecognized
consequence of an element of society
• Auguste Comte
• Herbert Spencer
• Emile Durkheim
• Talcott Parsons
• Robert Merton
Auguste Comte
• Comte coined the term sociology.
• Felt that sociology should strive to discover social laws (statements of
fact that are unchanging under given conditions and can be used as
grounds rules for any study of society).
Comte’s Social Laws
• Comte suggested in order to know social laws of a society one must
study social statics and social dynamics
• Social statics are the existing structural elements of society
• Social dynamics are the change in those elements of society

• Although few sociologists use Comte’s original theories today, his

basic ideas are the groundwork on which functionalism is based
Herbert Spencer
• Spencer’s study of sociology was influenced by Charles Darwin’s
theory of natural selection.
• Spencer viewed society as a biological organism, and as such, it can evolve,
thrive, or die.
• For him, some societies are “more fit” than others because they adapt better
to changes in the environment.
Social Darwinism
• From Spencer you can see the type of thinking known as Social
Darwinism.
• A notion that suggests strong societies survive and weak ones become
extinct.
Emile Durkheim
• Durkheim was one of the first true sociologists in that he used data to
test theories.
• Durkheim’s work suggested that solidarity is a vital component that
holds society together.
Durkheim & Solidarity
• Solidarity integrates, or holds society together because people see
themselves as unified.
• He points out that the type of society influences the type of solidarity.
Mechanical & Organic
• Durkheim divided solidarity into two categories:
• Mechanical solidarity refers to the state of community bonding in traditional
societies in which people share beliefs and values and perform common
activities.
• Organic solidarity occurs when people live in a society with a diverse division
of labor, this forces people to depend on one another for survival.
Durkheim’s Solidarity & Social Control
• In his 1897 book Suicide, Durkheim proposed that two social forces,
solidarity and social control, influence the chance of a person taking
his or her own life.
• Solidarity is the level of connectedness a person feels towards others in their
environment
• Social control refers to the social mechanisms that regulate a person’s actions
Durkheim’s Four Types of Suicide
• Egoistic→ when people lack solidarity
• Altruistic→ result when the level of solidarity is exceptionally high,
suicide bomber
• Fatalistic→ result from too much social control
• Anomic→ occur as a result of rapid change, usually economic
Talcott Parsons
• Parsons was interested in creating grand theories that attempted to
explain every aspect of the human experience and how social
systems interconnect.
• Society was much like a bicycle wheel, made up of independent
spokes connected to a hub that keeps the wheel spinning.
Parson’s Bicycle
• When properly balanced, each independent spoke connected to the
hub and keeps the wheel spinning.
• But if just one spoke breaks on your wheel, the entire wheel will
eventually fall out of balance.
Parson’s Inertia
• Parsons also commented on the inertia of social systems, meaning
that they tend to remain at rest, if they are at rest, or stay in motion,
if already in motion.
• Thus, in order to change a society, some great force must impact the
system or it will remain unchanged.
• Change is unlikely, and often disruptive.
Robert Merton
• Merton sought to create a middle-range theory that could bridge the
gap between current theories
• He did this by breaking society into parts and studying them
individually to better understand the whole.
• This idea is widely accepted in sociology today, as most sociologists
have an area of expertise be it race, gender, crime, inequality,
population, or a host of other issues.
• Merton’s work also shows how sociologists are rarely “pure” theorists
in any area.
Merton’s Functions
• One of Merton’s greatest contributions to functionalism was the
understanding that social realities have both intended and
unintended functions.
• Social factors that affect people in society.
Manifest & Latent
• Merton identified two types of functions:
• Manifest functions are factors that lead to an excepted consequence or
outcome.
• Latent functions are factors that lead to an unforeseen or unexpected
consequence.
• Merton suggested that when looking at any social event, sociologists
should ask the question, “For whom is this functional?”
• By doing this, we’ll do a complete analysis because we’ll consider both
manifest and latent functions
Criticisms of Functionalism
• Critics of functionalism sometimes claim that this paradigm does not
take into account the influence of wealth and power on the
formation of society.
• Functionalists are accused of supporting the status quo, even when it
may be harmful to do so.
• Functionalists may argue that society works for the greatest number
of people.
• Change will arise when problems become “big enough”.
• However, critics would argue that this belief results in many
minorities being ignored.
• Functionalist perspective often fails to recognize how inequalities in
social class, race, and gender perpetuate imbalance in our society.
Take Home Group Assignment/Activity
• First you need to regroup. Listen to instructions
• Groups having more than 5 members to reduce the size to 5 members.
• The members coming out of groups to get into groups of 5 members.
• The number of remaining members should be less than 5 and those members
are not required to do this Take-Home activity
• Create a table /document linking the characteristics of a society to
the different Functionalistic theories (Next Slide)
• You are required to provide examples.
The characteristics of society – Functionalist view
• Well planned uniformity
• Stability and equilibrium between different parts
• Consensus of the main values
• Every institution has a function which helps society to remain stable
• What is, is good – “natural selection” of good institutions/functions
• Functionalism suggests that a society’s values and norms provide the
foundation for the rules and laws that it creates.
• These norms regulate the relationships between social institutions
• Functionalists, however, have differing views about how these structures
cooperate with one another.
• Some compare society to a living, breathing organism; others analyze the
expected and unexpected outcomes of a social event; while still others
wonder what exactly it is that holds a society together
TOK202 64