Lecture notes and overheads from Week 2, 8/24-28/09, of SOCY1000, Carl Backman
Day 4
Exam 1 details
How to read a textbook
Quiz
Ethics – philosophic study of how we should behave [OUGHT]
Social science – study of how people do behave [IS]
Review
Ethnocentrism/cultural relativism
Sociological Imagination
Lazarsfeld’s defense of surveys
Debunking
10 & 12 o’clock sections
Backman bio
Strong ties
Weak ties
Importance of weak ties because we have so many
Microsociological aspects of bipartisanship
2 o’clock section
Econ, Poli Sci, Anthro, Psych
Economics and
Political Science
Economics: the science that studies the distribution of scarce resources
Economics only seems to be the study of money because money is this fabulous
human invention that is now so pre-eminent in how we distribute resources
Political science: the science that studies the distribution and use of power
Of course we’re talking about social power, not electricity
Political scientists are not as interested in person-to-person power as in larger scale
power, particularly governments
Anthropology
The science of humankind
Fields within anthropology:
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Physical Anthropology
Study of the structure and evolution of the human body
Cultural Anthropology (aka Social Anthropology)
Study of human societies and social organization
Linguistics
Study of language, languages, and language groups
Archeology (aka Archaeology)
Study of human societies on the basis of the physical residues they leave behind
Cultural Anthropology
and Sociology
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Anthropology tends to be more holistic
Sociologists tend to be more willing to look at a small part of society; anthropologists
want to see how it all hangs together
Anthropologists tend to study smaller groups
It is difficult to get a holistic view of large complex societies like the United States
Anthropologists are less likely to generalize from an N of 1
Sociologists tend to know a lot about one society; anthropologists know about many
societies
Branches of Psychology
PSYCHOLOGY :
the science of the mind
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BIOPSYCHOLOGY -- biological processes affecting the mind
LEARNING / COGNITION -- learning and thinking
PERSONALITY and SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY -- effects of society on the individual; group
process
DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY – psychological changes throughout the life span
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY – mental illness and its treatment
Backman biography
Ascribed characteristics – characteristics over which the individual has no control
Achieved characteristics – characteristics over which the individual has at least some control
Societies can differ on which characteristics are achieved and which ascribed
Day 5 8/26/09
Reminders:
Exam 1
Processing of quizzes
On the death of Senator Kennedy: a first hand sociological observation
Principle: effective subordinates make effective bosses
Kennedy was not afraid of his staff; he encouraged them
10 & 12 sections
Review of previous
Strength of strong and weak ties in job searches in the US
Backman jobs
SOCY1000 as an adult course
Jobs are:
1. Our entrée to the adult world
2. Our entrée to people we might otherwise not have contact with
a. Sometimes the poor (co-workers, clients/customers)
b. Sometimes the well off (bosses)
Do sociology on your jobs!
Origin myth I (see notes below)
2pm section
Review
Anthro, psych
Bio: Ascribed/achieved
Abbreviated bio
Backman jobs (see above)
Origin myth (see notes below)
---------------------------------------------------Origin myth 1
I. Three "founders" of modern sociology
A. Karl Marx 1818 - 1883
B. Emile Durkheim 1859 - 1917
C. Max Weber 1864 - 1920
II. Stimuli for development of sociology
A. Dramatic changes in 19th century
Changes begged to be explained, perhaps even helped along
Though we remember the big three in this class for their scientific contributions, each
worked to make important practical contributions
1. Consequences of the French Revolution (1789-99)
a. "Death knell" of the Ancien Regime
(1). Many advantages of the nobility were stripped away (they were taxed!)
(2). Power of the Catholic church was drastically reduced; priests became employees of
the state, not the church
(3). Eventually even the monarchy was abolished and the first republic established
(4). Death was protracted; not really complete until WWI
(a). Illustrated a principle of social movements: strong social movements tend to
generate countermovements
(1.1) Because movements are trying to change things, but some people are
benefiting from the status quo and hence have interests in resisting and resources to do so
(b.) France is now on the Fifth Republic
(2). Napoleon overthrew revolutionary govt, eventually restructured much of Europe
b. For intellectuals, uneasy end to the breezy optimism of the Enlightenment [see
Enlightenment overheads]
(1). The Law of Progress: every day, in every way things are getting better because we
are getting smarter
(a). In France it seemed that every day things were getting snarfed up
(2). The guillotines and worse of the First Republic were hardly enlightened
2. Urbanization
a. "Traditional" feudal society was rural; people were leaving the countryside and going
urban
(1). Frederick Toennies: Gemeinschaft vs Gesellschaft
3. Rise of capitalism
a. Industrial Revolution (1750ff) changed economies
(1). May not have had to be capitalist, but it was
b. Industrial Revolution was largely responsible for urbanization
c. Capitalism's rise preceded the 19th century, but it took over then
B. Institutionalization of science and modernization of universities
1. Newton in physics, Darwin and others in biology inspired some to think science could be
applied to social life
a. Term "sociology" introduced by Auguste Comte, an instructor in mathematics at France's
premiere engineering school. He thought sociology would be the Queen of the Sciences, building
on physics and biology
2. Creating a field called "sociology" and finding it a home in universities meant people
could make a living doing it in the academy
The Enlightenment
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An era in European intellectual history from the Glorious Revolution in England (1688)
to the French Revolution (1789)
- Not everyone uses these same dates
The emphasis was on the powers of human rationality, not just in science, but also in
matters of ethics, aesthetics, and social policy
There was great belief in the “idea of progress,” the feeling that progress in all things
was here and was here to stay
The Enlightenment II
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With the weakening of traditional governmental forms (monarchies and papacy), the
question arose, How should people be governed?
- Among many with answers: Locke (1602-1704), Montesquieu (1698-1755), the
US Constitution (1787), Rousseau (1712-1778), Jefferson (1743-1826), Condorcet
(1743-1794), Paine (1737-1809), Voltaire (1694-1778)
- As a group these folks, along with some other Enlightenment thinkers, are often
called “the philosophes” (though some people restrict the term to French
Enlightenment thinkers)
Day 6 8/28/09
Two reasons to encourage superior work by subordinates (suggested by the experience of Sen.
Kennedy and supported by sociological research)
1. Good work by subordinates leads to good work by the boss
2. Subordinates whose work is good enough that they can leave for more responsible positions in
the organization (or elsewhere) form a network of attachments that can be helpful later on.
Review Origin Myth 1 as far as we got. Emphasize the impact of the French Rev
Karl Marx (1818-1883)
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Huge impact on the world
No doubt the most of any PhD
More than most people of any kind
At one time, 1 / 3rd of world under governments calling themselves “Marxist”
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Great scholar
“Biggie” in philosophy, political science, economics, history
Had impact without an army, wealth, or political position
- His importance today (and those Marxist governments) remind us of the power of ideas
We’ve forgotten the other “socialists” of his day
Marx Ideas
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• A theory of capitalism
“Explained” past and present
Predicted the future
Included discussion of globalization that sounds very current
• A theory of revolution
Who would rebel, when they would rebel, and why
19th and 20th centuries were centuries of revolution
- Particularly colonies shedding “masters”
- Ironically, countries that did rebel often were not ones his theory expected (e.g., Russia
and China)
• Marx did not separate his science from his activism
Max Weber and Rationality
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Max Weber (Mocks VAY-bur) argued that increasing rationality in social life was key to the
development of Europe in the centuries after the fall of Rome
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Weber’s three forms of rationality
1. Knowledge of how to achieve desired ends
2. Predictability and regularity in complex systems, especially the market and government
3. Active efforts to master or change the world
Max Weber & Rationality II
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Put another way, Weber argued Europe owed its social and economic structure to 1) cause and
effect knowledge, 2) predictable markets and governments, and 3) norms encouraging actors,
individual and corporate, to take advantage of knowledge and predictability
The results were dramatic:
Better life chances
Fabulous economic productivity
Unprecedented military might
Max Weber & Rationality III
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Weber argued there are aspects of human behavior that are emotional, not rational
Seen in bureaucracies, leadership
Bureaucracies:
are better ways of organizing large scale efforts than any previous way of organizing
minimize individuality among bureaucrats
minimize emotional behavior
can be “iron cages” in which we accomplish a great deal, but at great emotional cost
Max Weber & Rationality IV
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Forms of Authority/Leadership/ Followership
1.
Traditional leadership: we follow the leader because we always have (e.g., in a hereditary
monarchy)
2.
Rational-legal leadership: we follow the leader because the rules or the laws tell us to
(this is the basis for bureaucracies)
3.
Charismatic leadership: we follow the leader because we like the leader and want to
please him or her (such authority is non-rational)