Day 1
SOCY1000
SOCIOLOGY:
GLOBAL
PERSPECTIVE
Professor Carl B. Backman
Office: 7030D Haley Center
Phone: 844 – 2827
e-mail: backmcb@auburn.edu
web: www.auburn.edu/~backmcb/socy1000
Office hours: 11:00-11:45 Mon,
1:50-2:45 Tue, 1-1:50 Wed,
or by appointment
Do not be bashful about making appointments!
Definition of Sociology
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Sociology is the scientific study of human social behavior, where "social" refers to behavior in
interaction with or with respect to other people
Sociologists are also concerned with the residues of social behavior, especially insofar as they affect
future behavior
Levels and Examples of Human Social Behavior
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Small - Medium - Large: Sociologists tend to categorize social behavior and the residues of
social behavior in terms (roughly) of how many people are involved
Microsociology - concerned with individuals and with face to face interaction
Mesosociology - concerned with collections of potentially face to face groups
Macrosociology - concerned with large scale social phenomena like social movements, war,
population growth
Examples of Microsociology
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● The development of the self and the self-concept. How do we develop a unique
personality and how do we come to know about and think about ourselves?
The key sociological insight: the self and self-concept emerge through
interaction with other people
● The process of interaction. How do we manage to have conversations? What about
interruptions?
Surprising (?) finding: one gender interrupts more often in conversation than the
other: which do you think?
More Microsociology
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● The outcomes of interaction. How do groups come to decisions?
Consider this case: a squad of four soldiers is behind enemy lines. They have snuck up on an enemy
camp and are trying to decide whether to attack. Before they talk about it, two think they should not
attack, two think they should. What are they going to decide to do after they talk about it?
Factors to consider: 1) formal group structure, 2) informal group structure, 3) group norms, 4) the
mission, 5) the risky shift
Examples of Mesosociology
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Mesosociology is mostly concerned with organizational behavior, both by the organization and
by individuals and groups within the organization
Consider the company / organization that was the general contractor for building
the student union. How did they develop a schedule and try to go about following
the schedule? TOOLS: hiring properly trained people, contracts with subcontractors, informal trading of favors, overtime, surveillance, record keeping
(paperwork).
Sociological principle: they [organizations] try to control uncertainty
Examples of Macrosociology
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Macrosociology is concerned with societies and parts of societies
How do societies change? One way is through technological change. Consider: The
Automobile. Think of all the changes it brought about.
For starters:
-- most people here would be afraid to be plopped on a horse
-- not so many songs about blue-tail flies because not so many flies
-- products in the supermarket have on average traveled about 1000 miles, harming local
producers
-- road construction became big business
Review of syllabus
SOCY 1000 Sociology: Global Perspective
August 17, 2009
Professor Carl B. Backman
Office: 7030D Haley Center (Phone 844-2827)
Internet: e-mail: backmcb@auburn.edu
web page: www.auburn.edu/~backmcb/socy1000
I do not check my e-mail every day. If you need to contact me in a hurry,
come to class or call me
Office hours: 11-11:45 Mondays, 1:50-2:45 Tuesdays, 1-1:50 Wednesdays, or by appointment. Do not be
bashful about making appointments.
SUBJECT MATTER
This course is an introduction to sociology. The subject of the course is human social behavior, where
"social" refers to behavior that takes place in interaction with or with respect to other people. Human
behavior does not just "happen." Social behavior occurs in a context that helps the person -- and others -decide what the behavior means. This context also helps people plan their future behavior and anticipate
others’ behaviors. One of the objectives of sociology is to understand this context, which sociologists call
"culture." Social behavior within a culture tends to follow more or less predictable patterns. These
patterns constitute the culture's social system. Another of the objectives of sociology is to develop tools
for describing social systems and for analyzing change in social systems. People aren't born knowing the
meanings of behaviors or how to participate in social systems. Indeed, even adults may be confused when
they are in new situations. The process of learning a culture and the patterns of its social system is called
"socialization" and is another phenomenon of great concern to sociologists. Cultures and social systems
adapt to the number and characteristics of people participating. Population size, composition, and growth,
then, are important problems for sociologists. Things that are valued in a culture--money, for instance, or
prestige, political power, or opportunities for advancement--as well as things like crime and disease that
are considered undesirable are often distributed to individuals through the social system. Who gets what
and why is one of the oldest and most prominent questions in sociology. Sociology is a science, which
means that all these phenomena are investigated and understood on the basis of observations of social life.
How to make and interpret such observations is not as obvious as it might seem; we'll spend some time
making and interpreting observations, All of these topics--culture, social systems, socialization,
population change, the distribution of things good and bad, and how to do good science--are also of
interest to social scientists other than sociologists, including anthropologists, psychologists, economists,
political scientists, demographers, geographers, and others. Though the emphasis in this course will be on
sociological perspectives on behavior, concepts and findings from these other disciplines will also be
covered when pertinent.
OBJECTIVES
This course has several objectives. The first is to make you familiar with some of the concepts used by
social scientists, especially sociologists, in the analysis of culture, social systems, socialization,
population, and the distribution of things of value. This familiarity will include seeing connections
between these concepts and certain broad themes that occur throughout Western thought and art, not just
in sociology. The second objective is to give you some appreciation of the enormous variety of cultures
and social systems that can and do exist. Helping students overcome parochialism and ethnocentrism is an
important part of the mission of liberal arts education and an important responsibility for courses such as
this one. A third objective is to teach you certain facts that can help you understand social systems in
general or American society in particular. A fourth objective is to provide you with tools that may be
useful when trying to coordinate social behavior or in evaluating the plans of others that involve social
behavior, particularly plans of office holders and candidates for political office. A final objective is to
impart enough of the flavor of sociological analysis that you may be able to perform your own analyses of
situations in which you find yourself, whether they be romantic relationships, job situations, relations with
members of other racial or ethnic groups, or other settings for social behavior.
THE BOOK
The book for this course is Sociology, 10th edition, by Rodney Stark. There will also be a short internet
reading assignment and some internet computer work based on the book. Other professors teaching
SOCY1000 may use other books or editions, so make sure you have the correct edition of the right book.
THE MOVIE
In addition to a textbook, this course will use a movie, Fiddler on the Roof. Several questions on the
exams will be based on the movie.
GRADING
Grades will be based on a final exam (32 percent), three other exams (17 percent each), and a five to 10
page paper (17 percent). In addition, there will be occasional quizzes. At my discretion, graded material
missed due to an excused absence, as defined by the university, will be either made up at a time mutually
agreed upon or will be ignored, with the final grade prorated to reflect the proportions given above. I do
not give makeups for quizzes, though I accept excuses for the day of the quiz. Tests dates are specified in
the schedule below. Tests are what I call semi-cumulative. That is, questions will appear asking about
material covered in the previous test except that the final exam will cover the entire semester. The paper
will involve using 2000 Census data to characterize your home neighborhood. Late papers will have their
grade reduced one half a grade point for every calendar day they are late (excluding weekends). Quizzes
are of two forms: homework quizzes, when everyone prepares an answer to a question I pose in class, and
class quizzes, when everyone answers all the questions. Quizzes will almost always be over material
covered in the previous class. Quizzes may also cover certain concepts or facts that I will expect you to be
able to tell me about at any time. I will announce these concepts as we come to them. Quizzes will be
referred to in determining grades for students on the borderline between two grades. The final exam for
the 10am section of this class is scheduled for Thursday, December 10 from 8-10:30am. The final exam
for the 12 o’clock section of this class is scheduled for Wednesday, December 9 from 12-2:30pm. The
final exam for the 2pm section of this class is scheduled for Wednesday, December 9 from 4:00pm to
6:30pm. The exam will be administered ONLY at the time scheduled by the university. If you think
that there is even a remote possibility that you will not be willing to take the exam when it is
scheduled, DROP THIS CLASS NOW. I find “academic misconduct” (cheating) to be despicable and
am inclined to penalize miscreants to the maximum extent allowed by the university, which can affect
your grade. If you find your grade in the toilet or for any other reason, remember that you may withdraw
from this or any other course with no penalty by September 4 or with a W on your transcript through
midsemester (October 7). (Be sure to double check those dates.)
Calculation of Grades. Exams and the paper will receive numeric grades on a 4 and a half point scale.
The curve I use when determining the grades for each exam varies from exam to exam, depending mainly
on my notion of how difficult the exam was but also on how hard I feel the class has worked. As a general
rule my curve is more generous than the usual 90, 80, 70, 60 percent system. The numeric grades will be
combined using the weights described above to calculate an average for the course. These averages will
be converted to letter grades for the course grades using the following conversion scheme: 3.51-4.5 = A;
2.51-3.49 = B; 1.51-2.49 = C; 0.51-1.29 = D. 0.0-0.49 = F. Averages of 3.5, 2.5, 1.5, and 0.5 will require
that I look at quizzes to determine the final grade for the course.
ATTENDANCE
There is no grade for class attendance per se. However, students missing class may miss quizzes, which
can affect their grades. Students are always responsible for the previous day's lecture material, whether or
not the student was present that day, so class notes for days missed should be acquired immediately.
Similarly, students are expected to attend class on days that exams are scheduled. It is worth noting that a
large proportion of the questions on each test will be based on lecture material. My best guess of how hard
students are working when I’m determining the curve is class attendance. I believe that the greatest
weakness I have observed in the Auburn student body is too much cutting of classes.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
It is the policy of Auburn University to provide accessibility to its programs and activities and reasonable
accommodation for persons defined as having disabilities under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of
1973, as amended, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. If any student has a certifiable
disability, he or she should contact the Program for Students with Disabilities located in 1244 Haley
Center (844-2096). All reasonable accommodations will be made for students with appropriate
documentation from the Program for Students with Disabilities. This documentation must be presented
prior to or within the first week of class. It is my personal practice to be as accommodating to such
students as I can.
CLASSROOM HINTS, GUIDELINES, and REGULATIONS
In this classroom we are trying to create the shared image that for 50 minutes we are all totally focused on
this class. Anything you do that makes me suspect that you are paying attention to anything other than me
drives me bonkers. This is not good because I don’t teach as well when I’m bonkers. You also don’t learn
as well when your mind is in two places simultaneously. You don't learn as well when you are being
distracted by those around you who are doing something other than attending to class. Put away out of
sight and sound (not in your lap or around your neck) all electronic equipment (except an approved tape
recorder). That means no cell phones, Blackberrys, blueberries, cameras, laptops, earphones, PDAs,
iPods, CD players, stereo turntables, woofers, or cell phones. Or anything else. This also means that when
I am lecturing you are not to be reading anything or writing anything other than notes you are taking as I
speak. Do not send or receive text messages. Do not copy someone else’s notes during class time. If I ask
you to leave class, go. You may come back when you have finished your other business.
A reminder: If you cannot go 50 minutes without using or fondling some type of electronic device,
PLEASE DROP THIS CLASS. If your response to boredom (yes, you will be at least slightly bored in at
least one class this semester) is to take out and use or fondle some type of electronic device, PLEASE
DROP THIS CLASS. If you feel a need or right to have access to electronics during class, PLEASE
DROP THIS CLASS.
This will be principally a lecture class. To get the most out of lecture classes, you must remember to bring
energy and discipline of your own to complement the energy and discipline that the lecturer may or may
not bring. With any luck, I will at all times understand what I am saying; you need the energy and courage
to tell me when you do not. Neither I nor you should have any tolerance for behavior that distracts us
from learning. At minimum I expect all to show the discipline not to converse with others during class
and to adhere to the electronics guidelines above. If you are being distracted by others, raise your hand
and I will take care of the problem. If you can't hear me, raise your hand or holler. To help you and the
other students feel more involved in the class, I may establish rules for where to sit. I may also ask you to
change your seat or even leave class if I believe it will enhance the learning environment. If I ask your
name, give it to me promptly and correctly. You may tape record this class, but please tell me about it
ahead of time to protect me and you from my going temporarily insane when I see the recorder.
SCHEDULE
Mon 9/14 Exam 1. New chapters: syllabus, 1, 2, 3, 8, 12, Body Ritual Among the Nacirema (plus
chapter computer exercises)
Mon 10/5 Paper due
Wed 10/28 Exam 2. New chapters: 18, 4, 20, 7, 17, 14, 15 (plus chapter computer exercises and
movie scenes to be specified later)
Wed 12/2 Exam 3. New chapters: 6, 13, 9, 10, 11, 19, 21 (plus chapter computer exercises and
movie scenes to be specified later)
Final exam depends upon your section.
10:00 section: Thurs 12/10 8-10:30am
12:00 section, Wed 12/9 12-2:30pm
2:00 section, Wed 12/9 4-6:30pm
Day 2
1. Review syllabus (www.auburn.edu/~backmcb/socy1000/syl1000f09.htm)
2. Introduce GTA
3. In groups write down what they would like to know about social life
4. Make a friend (find backup for days student misses)
5. Review last time
Ethnocentrism
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Ethnocentrism: the belief that your culture’s ways of doing things are the best and that other
cultures and cultural features are inferior to the extent they differ from yours
More Macrosociology
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Riches and destitution: why are there rich people and poor people? Are the rich really
different?
Racial and ethnic relations
Interactions between parts of society: After-school daycare programs illustrate interactions
between parts of society: patterns of male-female relations, the economy, the family, and the
school. And even the gummint
Day 3
Review ethnocentrism; add parochialism, cultural relativism. How to answer “compare A and B”
questions
Parochialism, Ethnocentrism, and
Cultural Relativism
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Parochialism: limited understanding of how the world does or could operate due to actors’
limited experiences in the world
Ethnocentrism: the belief that your culture’s ways of doing things are the best and that other
cultures and cultural features are inferior to the extent they differ from yours
Cultural relativism: the belief that cultures should not be compared with each other and that
cultural features should be evaluated on the basis of how they contribute to the success of the
society
Ethnocentrism and
Cultural Relativism (part 2)
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Ethnocentrism and cultural relativism are alike because they both are approaches to the
evaluation of cultures and cultural features
Ethnocentrism and cultural relativism differ because cultural relativism rejects comparisons
with other cultures, while ethnocentrism is all about comparisons and even offers one standard
for comparison, the evaluator’s own culture
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parochial: limited in understanding due to a narrow range of social experiences
More Macrosociology
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Riches and destitution: why are there rich people and poor people? Are the rich really
different?
Racial and ethnic relations
Interactions between parts of society: After-school daycare programs illustrate interactions
between parts of society: patterns of male-female relations, the economy, the family, and the
school. And even the gummint
Metaphor of society as fabric/sheet
Micro Macro Tweeners?
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It is not always easy to tell if something is a study in microsociology or a study of
macrosociology
Examples:
1) Talley’s Corner by Elliott Liebow
Study of young black men who hung out at a particular corner in inner-city Washington, DC in
1967
2) The Snowmobile Revolution by Pertii Pelto
Study of Laplanders (Sami) and how their culture was affected by the introduction of the
snowmobile
Lazarsfeld and debunking
Debunking
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debunking – dispelling social myths
Sociology is often called “the debunking science”
empirical – based on actual observations of the world
ex post facto – after the fact
Sociology vs. Common Sense
Paul Lazarsfeld. 1949. "What Do Attitude Surveys Tell Us?"
Surveys are [in 1949] an increasingly important tool for social science
Survey methods have various limitations
All sciences attempt to find regularities
Social phenomena are less visible than natural science phenomena
Survey methods help describe social phenomena and their interrelationships
Common objection: surveys only tell us common sense, which we already know!
EXAMPLES of "common sense" survey results
CONCLUSIONS
1. Common sense is a poor guide to truth
2. Empirical research is necessary for science
Empirical - based on actual observation of the world
Ex Post Facto - after the fact
Source: Lazarsfeld, Paul F. 1949. “The American Soldier – An Expository Review.” Public
Opinion Quarterly 13:377-81.
10 o’clock and 12 o’clock sections
Concepts from Backman’s Biography
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Ascribed characteristic – characteristic of an individual over which the individual has no
control
Achieved characteristic – characteristic of an individual over which the individual has at least
some control
Increasing independence of the child – independence takes a long time in modern industrialized
societies
Conformity – shoes at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School
2pm section
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:
●
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
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