File - Introduction to Sociology CED

advertisement
Introduction to Sociology
Understanding
Sociology
DEFINITION
“Sociology is the study of social behavior
and human groups” (Schaeffer, 2011).
Sociology is a branch of social science that
deals with the study of society, groups,
processes, norms (laws, practices,
patterns of behavior; a belief of what is
acceptable; unwritten or written rules on
how to behave), and organizations.
NORMS (obvious) in the CLASSROOM

No cheating

Talk only when you are told to do so

No smoking, no PDA

No sleeping
DEFINITION
“A social science involving the
study of the social lives of
people, groups, and societies.”
(American Sociological Society)
DEFINITION
“Sociology is the study of how
society is organized and how
we experience life.”
(collective experience)
(British Sociological Association)

Why people group themselves?

Why people organize? Are there social
forces/phenomenon that move people
to organize?

How people interact with each other
and how these interactions impact on
individuals.
DEFINITION
“Sociology is also the study
of social interaction.”
FOCUS of Sociology (Schaeffer, 2011)
 Impacts
of relationships on
people’s attitude and behavior.
Photo courtesy of http://www.openideo.com/open/impact/inspiration/social-network-analysis
FOCUS of Sociology
(Schaeffer, 2011)
How societies develop
and change.
Sociology and
the Social Sciences
█ Science: Body of knowledge obtained by
methods based on systematic observation
– Natural science:
Study of physical
features of nature
and the ways they
interact and change
Source: Schaeffer, 2011 (McGraw Hill)
– Social science:
Study of social
features of humans
and the ways they
interact and change
Additional Notes on Sociology

The discipline is holistic and is related to
everything else.
Focus of Sociology

Actors, Roles, Rules, and Relationships.

Let us take for example, our classroom.
Sociology in Sayings

Birds of the same feathers flock together.

Tell me who your friends are and I will tell
you who you are.
How is SOCIOLOGY DIFFERENT?
 Psychology-
Individual Behavior
 Sociology-Group
Behavior
Photo courtesy of: Cardiff University School of Social Sciences
LADY K
LADY K: The 'American
Idol' winner struggled
with bulimia for six
months until friends
discovered her secret
and begged her to get
help.
Possible cause factors





Poor self image
Low self-esteem
History of trauma or abuse
Major life changes
Appearance oriented professions
Source:
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/bulimia_signs_symptoms_causes_treatm
ent.htm
How sociologists
examine society?
Rely on critical thinking,
which C. Wright Mills calls,
SOCIOLOGICAL
IMAGINATION
What is SOCIOLOGICAL
IMAGINATION?

“An awareness of the relationship between
and individual and the wider society, both
today and in the past” (Schaeffer, 2011).

The connection between history and
biography.
SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION
ABILITY TO VIEW One's OWN WORLD as an
OUTSIDER!
SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION
ABILITY TO VIEW One's OWN WORLD as an
OUTSIDER!
SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION
It allows us to go beyond
personal experiences and
observation to understand
broader public issues.
DIVORCE
A personal problem between husband and wife.
Divorce may influence family (family in
transition).
Divorce may deconstruct the traditional notion
of family.
DIVORCE QUESTIONS THE VERY
CONCEPT OF MARRIAGE

To live happily ever after.

Love is the very foundation of marriage.

But why divorce happens?
“Consider unemployment. When, in a city of one
hundred thousand, one man is unemployed, that is
his personal trouble, and for its relief, we may
properly look to the character of the man and his
skills. But when in a nation of fifty million employees,
fifteen million men are unemployed, that is an issue,
and we may not hope to find its solution within the
range of opportunities open to any one individual.
The very structure of opportunities has collapsed”
C. Wright Mills (1959)
OTHER SOCIOLOGICAL
PERSPECTIVES

DEBUNKING- “Debunking is a process of
questioning actions and ideas that are
usually taken for granted.” (Peter Berger)

Aha Attitude

Healthy skepticism regarding common
notions
AHA ATTITUDE
DIG THE HOLE
Sociological Imagination

Is also an examination of the effects of social forces
on people’s personal and social lives.

What are social forces? (racism, gender inequality,
population growth or decline, globalization, poverty,
change in education, etc)

Social forces are processes, realities, and
notions/concepts of something that are considered
an “in thing”.
Sociological Thinking

See the strange from the familiar-to detach
oneself from what is common.

From general to the particular-to seek for
general patterns in the behavior of
individuals.
Example

For many years, scholars thought that Japan is a
homogenous society.

But this is no longer the case.

Cultural diversity has existed in Japan even before it
opened its door to foreigners.

Foreigners are increasing in Japan.
Other Examples
Women tend to be chattier than men
Military marriages more likely to
end in separation or divorce
Source:http://complexrhetoric.blogspot.com/2008/07/xkcd-on-literary-criticism.html
Download