Sociology: Introduction & Historical Foundations

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the scientific study of

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society (people living as a community)

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and human behavior

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What (do sociologists study)?

◦ Main interest – how people relate to one another and influence each other’s behavior ◦ Focus on groups

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How (what strategies do sociologists use)? ◦ Sociological perspective:

 an unbiased way to view the familiar, the unfamiliar & ourselves  viewing group behavior in a scientific, systematic way (common sense= unreliable)

How & when did you develop your standard of beauty? 

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There is something inside each of us that shapes our tastes, our likes and dislikes, what we feel is and is not appropriate behavior. That something is society. The sociological perspective allows us to step outside ourselves, passed our biased social lens through which we ordinarily view the world and see things more objectively.

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Develop your sociological imagination: ◦ idea developed by C. Wright Mills ◦ the ability to see the connection between the larger world and your own personal life

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A man enters an empty restroom. Which of the following urinals does the man use?

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BUT WAIT! Why did you pick THAT urinal?

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A man enters the restroom but finds it occupied with an individual in the far left urinal. Which of the following urinals does the man use now?

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BUT WAIT! Why did you pick THAT urinal?

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A man enters the restroom but finds it occupied with an individual in the far left urinal AND the far right urinal. What does the man do now?

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BUT WAIT! What made you say that answer?

What’s their story?

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You did something you were not comfortable with because someone else told or asked you to. OR You did something just because everyone else was doing it.

“I was only following orders.” -Adolf Eichmann “There was a sign 'to disinfection'. They opened the door, threw the children in and closed the door. There was a terrible cry. The bodies were loaded on a rough wagon and taken to a ditch. After that I didn't look at my wife for four weeks.” -Testimony of SS Private Boeck

What’s their story?

What’s their story?

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You made an assumption about someone that turned out to be totally wrong. OR

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You were unfairly or inaccurately judged/described by someone who didn’t know you at all.

“I once heard a story about a homeless man on Hollywood Blvd who really thought he was invisible. But one day a kid handed the man a Christian pamphlet. The homeless guy was shocked and amazed, “what! You can see me? How can you see me? I’m invisible!” - http://invisiblepeople.tv/blog/

What’s their story?

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Social Science – studying human social behavior or the institutions and functions of human society in a scientific manner Other social sciences: Anthropology, Psychology, Economics, Political Science, & History

Your small group will be assigned one of the following timeline items. On your piece of paper, write (bullets are fine) a brief description of your item and create an illustration that represents your item. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Factors that led to the development of sociology as a distinct field of study (pg. 9-10) Auguste Comte (pg. 10) Herbert Spencer (pg. 10-11) Karl Marx (pg. 12) Émile Durkheim (pg. 12-13) Max Weber (pg. 14)

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Industrial Revolution ◦ Rapid growth of urban populations = social problems (crime, unemployment, pollution, urban life) American & French Revolutions ◦ Demands for freedom and rights ◦ Scholars question traditional explanations of life ◦ Influence of science (learn through observation, experiments & data collection)

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Tenements: families lived in poverty and despair

Many women forced to work in factories

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founder of sociology

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first used science methods to study social life

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Two focus areas: social order & social change

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Social statics hold society together & social dynamics cause change

French philosopher August Comte

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Anti-other people’s ideas

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Influenced by Darwin’s evolution theories

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Social Darwinism

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Society - set of interdependent parts that work together to keep the system going Social change & unrest naturally occur as a society evolves towards stability & perfection = good, “survival of the fittest”

English sociologist Herbert Spencer

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Society is influenced by how the economy is organized

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2 social classes:

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◦ Bourgeoisie = wealthy capitalists; owners ◦ Proletariat = workers

Power imbalance would cause a workers’ rebellion; workers would win & create a society without social classes Conflict causes social change

German philosopher Karl Marx

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French sociologist Émile Durkheim

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Agreed: Society - set of interdependent parts that work together to keep the system going BUT he focused on the function (benefits; what it offers to keep the social system going) of each part (esp. religion) Study only observable things

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Interested in separate groups rather than society as a whole

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Studied the effect of society on the individual

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Study feelings & thoughts (not just observable things)

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Verstehen – put yourself in the

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Ideal type – a good example of something; a basis for comparison

place of others & see the situation through their eyes German sociologist Max Weber