Ch. 2-Thinking Sociologically I. The Development of Sociology a. Historical Development of Sociology Industrial Revolution Four major changes: Technology Growth of cities Change in political ideas Colonization-exposure to diverse cultures (see Ch. 14, pp. 484-485) b. European Origins Auguste Comte-Father of Sociology-society can be studied Positivism-a need to make moral sense of society in a time of declining religious authority; social reform Herbert Spencer-Social Darwinism-survival of the fittest, liked status quo, did not believe sociology should be used for social reform. Harriet Martineau-translated Comte into English One of the earliest feminist sociologists Emile Durkheim-First research study-suicide His research on suicide shows how individual acts are conditioned by social forces. Major cause of suicide was isolation and disconnection from others. Interested in religion-social bonds; How society holds together; what are society’s values. The ways in which capitalism and industrialization have transformed how people relate to one another; Anomie-normlessness-decline in strength of societal rules, aimlessness or despair that arises when we no Thinking Sociologically 2 longer expect life to be predictable; too little social regulation-deviance; not knowing what to expect Marx-society shaped by economic forces, historical materialism. Society is always changing-focused on capitalism and class struggle. Conflict between social classes drove social change throughout history; social conflict arises from how people work within a system to produce material goods. Capitalism = exploitation Class Conflict-bourgeoisie (capitalists) and proletariat (workers) Alienation-isolation resulting from powerlessness; feeling unconnected to one’s work Class Consciousness- beliefs about an individual’s social positioning – produced when the proletariat (worker) truly understands the workings of capitalism and their collective role in it and their relationship to one another as well as to the capitalists; a necessary prerequisite to the revolutionary action. False Consciousness an erroneous set of beliefs – workers believe the system operates according to their benefit, which lies in the interests of the bourgeoisie. Max Weber-multidimensional view of societyintegrating political, economic and cultural dimensions. Verstehan-empathic understanding. Interpretative sociology-the study of social meaning and the importance of ideas Research should be value-free (free of personal bias). Rationalization-the growth of efficient, matter of fact ideas over tradition; bureaucracy. Rationalization can have negative consequences as well. Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (see Ch. 13, pp. 434-436) Thinking Sociologically c. 3 Sociology in the U.S. Characterized by empirical research The “Chicago School”-early 1900 until 1930’s-human behavior and personality are shaped by social and physical environments-focused on improving societyinteractionist-activist Jane Addams-Hull House-social worker W.E.B. Dubois-founder of NAACP-first AfricanAmerican to earn degree at Harvard; worked to develop civil rights in the U.S.; double consciousness-two behavioral scripts-one for moving through the world, the other for incorporating the opinions of prejudiced onlookers George Herbert Mead-focused on social interaction and the development of the “self”; the self develops as the individual learns to take the role or point of view of others in specific contexts Charles Horton Cooley-focused on social interaction, development of the “looking-glass self” 1940’s-1950”s-focused on research-more conservativeFunctionalist Merton-manifest & latent functions; dysfunctions C. Wright Mills-activist at this time, focused on distribution of power in the U.S. 1960’s-1970’s-conflict-lots of social change-civil rights, feminist movements, anti-war; sociology largest academic major; greater influence of women and minorities during this era Mid-Twentieth Century-Post-Industrial Age: white collar work, bureaucracies, growth of service sector Thinking Sociologically 4 Twenty-first Century-Information Age-increased participation of women in work force, growth of unpaid labor, effects of computer technology on society and individuals. Focus on knowledge, information, and technologies. All perspectives used now-emphasis on diversity and globalization V. Theoretical Perspectives a. Structural/Functionalism-society is a complex system whose parts work together to promote stability. (Durkheim) People socialized to perform functions Macro level-analysis of large scale patterns of social dynamics (government, religion, the military, etc) across the breath of society Major concepts: manifest and latent functions; dysfunctions, organic analogy-homeostasis Criticism-too conservative-like/accept status quo b. Conflict Theory-society is always changing; always in a state of friction. Based in Marx’s theory. Macro level-analysis of large scale patterns of social dynamics (government, religion, the military, etc) across the breath of society People shaped by power and authority Critical of social structure and use of power and coercion Social change may have positive consequences Major concepts: competing interests, social inequality, social class, subjugation of groups Criticism-too radical-ignores cooperative aspects of social life such as agreement on values-religion c. Symbolic Interactionist Theory-focuses on everyday life and the interaction between individuals. Micro level-analysis-uses smaller parts of society (individual actions and interactions between two or more Thinking Sociologically 5 people and their meaning and purpose) to help understand larger features People create their own world through interaction Society is maintained by shared understanding of everyday behavior. Major concepts: symbols, small groups, nonverbal communication, impression management, dramaturgy, definition of the situation, looking-glass self, ethnomethodology, exchange theory Criticism-ignores the effect of social structure on interaction.