Backman Backman SOCY1000SOCY1000

Big PictureBig Picture

SOCY1000 is a Liberal Arts courseSOCY1000 is a Liberal Arts course

Liberal arts?Liberal arts? Various characteristicsVarious characteristics

• Especially important for this course:Especially important for this course:

Broadening perspectives; Broadening perspectives; Helping overcome parochialismHelping overcome parochialism

Parochial ParochialismParochial Parochialism

ParochialismParochialism: limited understanding : limited understanding of how the world does or could of how the world does or could operate due to actors’ limited operate due to actors’ limited experiences in the worldexperiences in the world

parochial: parochial: limited in understanding limited in understanding due to a narrow range of social due to a narrow range of social experiencesexperiences• We are all, to a degree, parochialWe are all, to a degree, parochial

EthnocentrismEthnocentrism

EthnocentrismEthnocentrism: the belief that your : the belief that your culture’s ways of doing things are the culture’s ways of doing things are the best and that other cultures and best and that other cultures and cultural features are inferior to the cultural features are inferior to the extent they differ from yoursextent they differ from yours• Very commonVery common

Cultural RelativismCultural Relativism

CulturalCultural relativismrelativism: the belief that : the belief that cultures should not be compared cultures should not be compared with each other and that cultural with each other and that cultural features should be evaluated on the features should be evaluated on the basis of how they contribute to the basis of how they contribute to the success of the societysuccess of the society

Compare “A” and “B”Compare “A” and “B”

When Backman asks, “Compare A and When Backman asks, “Compare A and B,” he wantsB,” he wants

1.1. Define ADefine A

2.2. Define BDefine B

3.3. Tell how A and B are alikeTell how A and B are alike

4.4. Tell how A and B differTell how A and B differ

Compare Ethnocentrism and Compare Ethnocentrism and Cultural RelativismCultural Relativism

1.1. Define ethnocentrism as aboveDefine ethnocentrism as above2.2. Define cultural relativism as aboveDefine cultural relativism as above3.3. Alike because both are approaches to the Alike because both are approaches to the

evaluation of cultures and cultural evaluation of cultures and cultural featuresfeatures

4.4. Differ because cultural relativism rejects Differ because cultural relativism rejects comparisons with other cultures, while comparisons with other cultures, while ethnocentrism is all about comparisons ethnocentrism is all about comparisons and even offers one standard for and even offers one standard for comparison, the evaluator’s own culturecomparison, the evaluator’s own culture

Course ObjectivesCourse Objectives

Bottom line: Make you more Bottom line: Make you more competent in making sense of what competent in making sense of what is going around youis going around you• Make you a “better” citizenMake you a “better” citizen

See syllabus for moreSee syllabus for more

WarningWarning: Course Pains: Course Pains

Some thing we talk about this Some thing we talk about this semester will make you feel creepysemester will make you feel creepy• If not, some would say I’m not doing my If not, some would say I’m not doing my

jobjob• One of the messages of this course is One of the messages of this course is

that that what seems normal and natural what seems normal and natural to some people may seem creepy to to some people may seem creepy to othersothers

The creepy thing won’t be the same The creepy thing won’t be the same for everyonefor everyone

General Topics 1General Topics 1

Context of behaviorContext of behavior• CultureCulture

Predictable patterns of behaviorPredictable patterns of behavior• Social structureSocial structure

Learning what to doLearning what to do• SocializationSocialization

General Topics 2General Topics 2

Population size and structurePopulation size and structure• DemographyDemography

Distribution of “goodies”Distribution of “goodies”• StratificationStratification• Race and ethnicityRace and ethnicity• GenderGender

THEME I:THEME I:The Thomas TheoremThe Thomas Theorem

People decide what to do next on the People decide what to do next on the basis of what they think is going on basis of what they think is going on nownow• Above is my simplified version of W.I. Thomas’s Above is my simplified version of W.I. Thomas’s

original. The original is …original. The original is …

If men define If men define situations as real they are situations as real they are real in their consequencesreal in their consequences

W. I. ThomasW. I. Thomas

THEME II:THEME II:The Uncertainty PrincipleThe Uncertainty Principle

Uncertainty Is a Powerful Factor in Uncertainty Is a Powerful Factor in Social Behavior and Social StructureSocial Behavior and Social Structure• Much of what we do is an attempt to Much of what we do is an attempt to

reduce uncertaintyreduce uncertainty• Much of what we do Much of what we do generates generates

uncertaintyuncertainty• Institutions and structures reduce and Institutions and structures reduce and

generate uncertaintygenerate uncertainty

THEME III:THEME III:Why Do People Follow Rules?Why Do People Follow Rules?

Most of the time, most people do Most of the time, most people do what they are supposed to dowhat they are supposed to do

WHY ???WHY ???(Part of the answer has to do with (Part of the answer has to do with

uncertainty)uncertainty)

Rules and Sociology

“The central task of sociology is to understand

how rules generate their effects, how people respond to the rules under which they live, and

how the rules change over time,” according to Erik Olin Wright, 2012

President of the American Sociological Association

THEME IV:THEME IV:The Creaming PrincipleThe Creaming Principle

People with greater appropriate People with greater appropriate resources are better able to take resources are better able to take advantage of opportunitiesadvantage of opportunities• Helps explain why the rich get richerHelps explain why the rich get richer• Resources include money, attractiveness, Resources include money, attractiveness,

family name, popularity, fame, power, family name, popularity, fame, power, access to powerful people, college access to powerful people, college degree, test taking ability, working car, …degree, test taking ability, working car, …

Review DefinitionsReview Definitions

ParochialParochial EthnocentrismEthnocentrism Cultural RelativismCultural Relativism Thomas TheoremThomas Theorem Uncertainty PrincipleUncertainty Principle Creaming PrincipleCreaming Principle