INTRODUCTION TO
SOCIOLOGY
Sociology
• The scientific study of human society
Observation
Theory
and social behavior.
• Focus on the group, not the individual
Prediction or
Hypothesis
• 2 interests:
• Social interaction – how people relate to
one another and influence behaviors
• Social phenomena – observable facts or
events that involve human society
Choose Research
Method
Analyze Data
Conclusion
Why Study Sociology?
• To gain a sociological
perspective...
• Look past “common sense”
explanations of the world
• Take a scientific systematic viewpoint
• All people are social beings… look for
the hidden or not obvious motives for
behaviors
• Helps you view your life in context of
your culture and in history
Sociology and the Social Sciences
The Sociological Imagination
• “The capacity to range from the
most impersonal and remote
[topics] to the most intimate
features of the human self – and
to see the relations between the
two.” – C. Wright Mills
• The ability to see the connection
between the larger world and your
personal life.
Personal Troubles vs. Public Issues
• Read the excerpt of C. Wright Mills’ “The Promise of the
Sociological Imagination.”
• Answer the following questions in your notes…
1. What are the main differences between personal troubles and public
issues?
2. Is sociology more concerned with personal troubles or public issues?
3. How can an issue, such as unemployment, be a personal trouble or
a public issue?
4. Describe 1 example from society that can be a personal trouble AND
a public issue. (Hint: think about current events)
Personal Troubles vs. Public Issues
• Differences…
• Troubles deal with the individual and are dependent on
the individual’s values and immediate social setting….
PRIVATE MATTER
• Issues deal with groups of people or institutions (gov’t,
religion, marriage, etc) and are dependent on the
structure of the institution… PUBLIC MATTER
• There will always be people who want status quo (no change)
and people who want change (antagonists, antagonisms)
Personal Troubles vs. Public Issues
• Sociology is more concerned with public
issues, however individuals MAKE
groups, therefore personal troubles must
be shared to make a public issue.
• Unemployment
• Personal trouble – 1 person unemployed…
Lazy? Uneducated? Unfortunate life events?
No open jobs? Etc…
• Public issue – millions of people
unemployed… what is wrong with the gov’t,
economy, political system, etc?
Personal Troubles vs. Public Issues
• WAR
• Personal trouble (dependent on one’s
values)– how to survive or how to die with
honor, how to make money, how to
contribute to the war effort and/or
termination.
• Public issue (dependent on structural issues)
– what are the causes of the war, what are
the effects on the economy, political system,
and culture, how will the world be different?
Personal Troubles VS. Public Issues
• MARRIAGE
• Personal trouble – personal
problems/issues between a couple
• Public issue – high or increasing
divorce rates… what is wrong with
the institution of marriage? Are
there economic factors?
• ALSO, current debate on same-sex
marriage… no longer a personal
trouble…
History of Sociology
• Late 1700s-mid 1800s - Industrial
Revolution in Europe and America
• Increased social classes, cities, population
• increased social problems
• Late 1700s - American and French
Revolutions
• Demand for personal liberty and social
change
Auguste Comte (1798-1857)
• Coined “sociology” – the study of
society
• Interested in the causes of the
French Revolution  social order
and social change
• Studied using sci. method
• Social statics – processes that hold
society together
• Social dynamics – processes that
change society
Karl Marx (1818-1883)
• Father of “conflict theory”
• Society is divided into two parts:
• Bourgeoisie (capitalists)
• Own the means of production
• The “haves”
• Proletariat (workers)
• Own nothing, provide labor
• The “have-nots”
• Imbalance  inevitable conflict, in which the proletariat must
overthrow the bourgeoisie
• Result  classless society to which each citizen would
contribute and be rewarded according to needs (socialism
then communism)
Herbert Spencer (1820-1903)
• Influenced by Darwin’s ideas
• Viewed society as a biological
organism – a set of interdependent
parts that worked together to
maintain the system over time.
• Social Darwinism – the fittest
societies survive over time 
general upgrading of global
societies
• No longer used to describe societies
due to lack of scientific method
Emile Durkheim (1858-1917)
• Founder of “functionalist theory”
• Very concerned with sociology as a
SCIENCE
• Society is like a biological organism, in
which each part of society serves a
function
• If the function can be done without, that part of
society disappears.
• First true sociological study ever – Suicide
(1897)
• Examined suicide rates in several European
countries
Max Weber (1864-1920)
• Interested in effects of society on the
individual
• Go beyond directly observable behaviors and
events and consider emotions and thoughts
• Interpretive rather than empirical (based upon sci.
evidence)
• “Protestant work ethic” – religion and
capitalism
• Insecurity about salvation influenced Protestants to
look for signs of later salvation  profits and
financial gain
Current Perspectives
• Theory – an explanation of phenomenon that organizes
data and predicts future behaviors
• Theoretical perspectives – a school of thought, a
general set of assumptions about the nature of things.
Functionalist
Symbolic
Interactionist
Conflict
Functionalist Perspective
• Macro (big picture)
• Comte, Spencer, and Durkheim
• Society is like an organism in which
each part serves a function.
• Society is held together through consensus.
• Most people agree on what is best for society
and work together to ensure the system runs
smoothly.
• Dysfunctional elements have negative
societal consequences, but can still serve a
purpose
• Ex: “What role does crime play in
society?”
Functionalist Perspective
• Manifest function – the intended and recognized
consequence of a societal element
• EX: The manifest function of the automobile is to transport
people/things.
• Latent function – unintended and unrecognized
consequence of a societal element
• EX: The latent function of the automobile is to display wealth or
social status.
Conflict Perspective
• Macro (big picture)
• Marx
• There are always forces in society
that promote competition and change.
• Conflict occurs due to scarcity of wanted
resources.
Conflict
• Haves vs. have-nots
• Shown in revolutions (violent) to
competition between men and women
(nonviolent)
• Ex: “What types of group conflict
motivate criminal actions?”
Social
change
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
• Micro (small scale)
• Focuses on how people interact with one
another and how people assign meaning to
actions.
• Symbols – anything that represents
something else, individuals in a society must
agree on meaning
• Objects, gestures, words, events
• Symbolic interaction – how people use
symbols to interact with one another
• Ex:”How do people use criminal actions to
symbolize thoughts?”
Perspectives Video