M O N D A Y J U L Y 9 T H , 2 0 1 2
S E C T I O N 1 & 2

My email – joshcurtis.utoronto@gmail.com
Office – Sociology building 725 Spadina (second floor)
Web site - http://joshcurtispolisoc.com/

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Starting Points – Chapter 2 ‘Material Settings’
Readings in Sociology – Section 15
 10% total of your grade is based on tutorials. 2% per class (max of 4), 2% for a short assignment.

 Attendance @ 10-15 past the hour
If you are not able to arrive at this time you will not be given credit for the tutorial
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General Questions (open discussion)
Key Terms
Group Discussion

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Questions about lecture material?
Text material?

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Demography
Population composition
Population pyramid
Cohort
Human capital
Megacity
Bedroom city

Demography – The study of human populations, their growth and decline through births, deaths and migration.
Read pg. 42 to understand why demography is important
Population composition – the make up of different social types in a society.
Population Pyramid – graphic depiction of some of the population composition – namely age/sex.
Cohort - A set of people with a common origin or starting point – i.e., birth cohort (same year, or set period).

Functionalism
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Society as a set of interconnected elements that operate together in equilibrium
Social institutions – families, economy, government, etc.– all make contributions to the functioning of society as a whole.
Institutions perform both manifest and latent functions.
Social problem occur when institutions are unable to perform their functions.
Conflict Theory
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Divisions between ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’
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Disagree with the assumption of consensus in values among all members of society.
It’s about unequal distribution of power and resources.
Views society as a collection of disparate groups struggling over a limited supply of resources and power.

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Thomas Malthus – the earth would eventually become
‘overpopulated’.
The idea of: ‘positive checks’ (death, war, famine) and
‘preventative checks’ (limiting #’s of births).
Functionalist approach– ‘preventative checks’ reflect the maintenance of equilibrium; the dangers associated with losing equilibrium are positive checks.
Critical approach – deny that social equilibrium is attainable. The upper classes take action that benefit themselves. The problems poor countries face are a result of unequal distribution of wealth.

 The beginning of this chapter is about a rising global population, scarce resources, and inequality. You are presented with two perspectives: one functionalist argument, and the other a more ‘critical’ or ‘conflict’ approach. Which do you believe is most relevant and why?

Suggestion: These readings are short and heavily edited to fit this volume. Take some extra time and search key terms that might not be fully developed or explained.
Summarize at the outset the goals of the paper?
If it’s goals are theoretical, understand how it is relevant to the course.
If it’s goals are empirical, summarize the results.
Always link back to the substantive sections of the main text.
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E.g. Chapter 15:
Applies Merton’s theory of anomie to policing, arguing that cultural definitions of success and the opportunity structure are different.
Specifically, police deviance can be understood as a function of an anomic social structure that is disproportionate to the reality of police work.
Deviant behaviour coincides with Merton’s 4 classifications: a) innovation; b) retreatism; c) rebellion; d) ritualism

Important ideas in this chapter:
 Anomie
Normlessness, or conditions in which social norms are weak and different values are in conflict with one another
 Deviance
No behaviour is inherantly right or wrong: they become wrong, deviant, or criminal only when someone in power attaches a moral label to them.
 Robert Merton
Key figure in the development of Structural
Functionalism. Developed concepts such as ‘latent’ and
‘manifest’ functions, ‘anomie’, society as a system of interrelated parts.

Also important:
 The opportunity structure varies as a function of three overlapping phenomenon:
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Economics and organization
Institutional support
Public Assistance
As a result, the authors argue that various forms of police deviance are probabilistic outcomes of these structural conditions

 Do you find anything ‘wrong’ with the arguments being made by these authors?

 Police deviance is explained by Merton’s 4 classifications:
 1) Innovations
 2) Retreatism
 3) Rebellion
 4) Ritualism
In groups, discuss 1 of these classifications and explain how the authors apply it to examples of police deviance.

Joshcurtis.utoronto@gmail.com