I signed up
for sociology
because my
counselor told
me I should…
(and Mrs.
Heilander is
an awesome
teacher)
What did I sign up for?
What is Sociology?
• The study of
human society and
social behavior.
What is Sociology?
• Think about our class as a “society” – our
“Sociology Society”
Contradiction
• We are all
individuals -unique
and different in
some ways,
but
• We live in groups some pre-existing
and some we
develop
What is Sociology?
• The study of social groups.
• The study of how group membership
shapes us (identity) and how we shape the
behavior of others.
• The study of social
order.
Groups of Three
1. How are we different?
Did you get the following?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Class differences - Rich and poor
Age – young and old
Gender – male and female
Ethnicity – different cultures
Nationality – different nations, regions of the same
country
Family differences -divorced parents, single-parent
families…
Educational differences -are some people more
intelligent?
Religion – differences in faith / beliefs
Lifestyle differences – do we have different tastes?
2. What do we have in common?
• If we are so different / individual / unique
how are we able to live together?
Roles
Behavior – the
rights and
obligationsexpected of
someone
occupying a
particular status.
Values
Shared beliefs
about what is
good or bad, right
or wrong,
desirable or
undesirable.
Norms
Shared rules of
conduct that
tell people how
to act in
specific
situations
Social Status
The position or rank of a person
or group within the society
Sanctions
Rewards or
punishments used to
enforce conformity to
norms
3. How is our “Sociology
Society” possible?
• How is it possible for our society to
function?
• Relationships, rules, responsibilities
4. How do we learn the rules?
• Experience
• Observation
• Teaching
That is a bite-size intro to Sociology
but we will cover other topics
Culture
•
•
•
•
Language – slang
Norms and values
Beliefs
Diversity
Deviance
Race and Ethnicity
• Discrimination
• Prejudice
Gender and Age
• Gender Roles
• Women’s movement
• Ageism
Family
• Marriage patterns
• Child rearing
And so much more……