Soc. 100 Lecture 08.Chapter 1

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Introducing Sociology

Edited 3/31/01

Chapter 1 lecture/discussion

(1) Explaining poverty:popular vs sociology

(2) What is Sociology

(3) Challenge of Sociology

(1) Intro:All of us are amateur Sociologist (a) Sociology; a definition*

(3) The Promise of Sociology* The Sociological Imagination*

(4) Sociology and common sense*

(5) Suicide a Sociological Perspective

(6) Sociology and TV News

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(1)a Explaining poverty:popular view

• Example: Rosa Lee Cunningham (text p5,6)

• Public Opinion and Poverty

(1) Recognize unequal opportunity

(2) Hold individuals responsible

(3) Sympathetic toward poor

(4) Don’t like welfare programs

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(1)b Explaining poverty:sociological view• Social Forces Cause• Rates vary time, place, age, race and ethnicity

• Explanation specifics: Social Structure: economy; poor neighborhoods, lack of entry level jobs, lack of education Race: effects neighborhood, home, education quality, job networks, single mothers, higher possibility of jail then job Work: ways to make a living and framework for life lacking Culture:by those in poverty helps survive in poverty/ghetto but perceptions and problems in job interview. (e.g. “Are you eye balling me!) Inner city residents share hard work, honesty …values but difficult to apply.Outside groups stereotypes of effect.

Note: typical welfare participant is white (70%), live in suburbs, small towns and rural areas, 2 out of 3 are children, 9 of 10 adults were women, African Americans had highest ratio, most not become welfare dependant

4Example, Chicago South Side: 2 out of 3 unemployed, ½ no high school, 2/3 single mothers, 6 of 10 on welfare, poor economy

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(2)a What is Sociology

• Observation: humans or intensely social• We are, in large part, who we are because of when and where and

to whom we were born• Society creates and limits opportunities • Structure of society affects attitudes, behavior often in non

perceived ways (eg. graying of America)• Social Institutions: established patterns organized around

important functions: family(replenishment), education(socialization to group), religion(meaning), politics(social control), economics(distribution of goods and services

• Social Stratification: groups, societies are divided into layers/strata with unequal access

Beginning definition: Sociology is the systematic study of the groups and societies in which people live , how social structures and culture is created and maintained or changed and how they affect our behavior

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(2)b What are other Social Sciences

• Psychologist: most interested in internal causes of behavior and individuals

• Sociologist: interest in external causes of behavior and groups

• Social Psychologist:interest in group X to individual• Anthropologist: similar to sociologist except no time and

space limits• Economist: focus on economy exchange between

individuals and groups• Political Scientists: focus on political aspects of social life

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(2)c Sociology: an alternative definition

Sociology; the study of the groups* (small->large) humans build and how these affect our behavior

groups are relationships, identifications, to which one feelsthey are part of. The smallest are personal (primary) groups (family) The largest are impersonal possibly with no direct interaction between all members (society).

Sociologist examine Social institutions (family, education, economy, government, religion) and their affects

on individuals

Sociologist study creation, maintenance and change of societies and institutions

Structure of Society molds attitudes and behavior7

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(1c) Sociology Intro: group discussion

Give a definition of sociology and explain the sociological perspective in your own words.

Political scientists, Economists, Anthropologists Psychologists, and Social Psychologist, How are they similar and how different?

What are Social institutions and what functions do they perform

Social Stratification (what is it, examples?)

What is the challenge of Sociology?

How does Sociology differ from common sense

What is the sociological explanation for Suicide

Compare and contrast Social Science and Mass Media8

Tell me about the following:

Know and be able to recognize and give examples of all bold and italicized terms

(3) Challenge of Sociology: explain social changes• Sociology developed at end of the 19th century with accelerating social

change

• Industrialization changed work and life styles

• Moves from small, intimate stable communities to urban tenements

• Urban populations experienced squalor, riots and organized protest (e.g. French revolution)

• New: nation states, governments, social classes

• Religion was loosing some of its power

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(3)b Tasks of Sociology

-General Enlightenment-direct and indirect effects on public understanding, policy makers, news, public opinion poll (developed by sociologist), concepts (social role, white collar crime, self-fulfilling prophecy, white flight

-Questioning public Assumptions (myths, common sense): the debunking motiv •missing children kidnapped?(p14, 15), •crime rate increase?

-Identifying Social Problems: How widespread is family violence

-Designing Solutions, William J Wilson advisor to president on urban poverty and welfare reform(5 recommendations p16, 17)

HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW: all the T-F questions on the pre test were false

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(3)c Sociological Imagination

Sociological Imagination -Private troubles vs. public issues* -Sociological problem vs. "social problem" (Not discussed in text)

-Difference in role as a sociologist and use of sociology [theoretical vs. applied]

(Not discussed in text)

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(2b) The Sociological Imagination

The ability to see the interplay of biographyand history and the connection betweenpublic issues and personal problems (troubles)*

Social Forces: forces beyond the the control of an individual explainable in terms of social patterns not individual psychology

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public issues and personal problems (troubles)

public issues(aspects of the society)

personal problems (troubles)

Examples: Divorce X Post WWII Marriages Unemployment X Economic Change Suicide --check Dirkheim .. war, economic

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(4) Sociology and common sense*

1. Overlap of much common sense and Sociology (Rich get richer and poor get poorer)

2. Sociology rejects much common sense (Revolutions and social conditions) (T-F questions on the pre-test all F)

3. Seeing and believing: which comes first. Perception is socially based. (what you see is what you get but it may not be what is there) (depth, color, social roles -surgeon & son, race)

4. Social definition/determiners of reality (Ash 1952 study and autokenetic) (Sociology vs. Mass media)

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Example: Durkheim's Suicide {rejected mental state, nationality, biology, climate,)

Egoistic(lack of attachment -Protestants)

Anomie(breakdown of norms, war)

Altruistic(excessive attachment, Japanese)

Fatalistic(excessive control, opposite anomie, prison)

Structure of social relationships

Nomathetic vs. idiographic explanations; Sociologists use idiographic explanations

Patterns vs. ( Idiographic) Individual Casesyear, age, sex, 'race', economy,culture (religion) ,marital/family

X Suicide

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(5) Suicide, the most individual of acts: a Sociological Perspective

Excessive individualism

No clear expectations/norms

Too much group importance

No action possible

Type of Suicide

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(5)b Copycat Suicide,

Page 32-33

Suicide Stories may function as an advisementPatterns

-average increase of 58 suicides week after media treatment

-more media coverage X increase in suicides

-celebrity suicides X bigger increase suicides

-teenagers more prone to copycat suicides

Why teenagers? • advising aspect of reporting • cultural status/situation of teenager

- Kurt Cobain’s suicide shows preventative measures for controlling copycat suicides can be made

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(5)b Copycat School Shootings?Stories may function as an advisement

Patterns-number of incidents in 2 years following Columbine

-is media coverage X increase in number and size?

Social Factors changes in family structures (economic, stability--no “village”) American values of violence (current international events), success, special people (celebrity worship as seen in pop media, popular music) groups/”gangs” like this have existed for some time but “denial” since MC and white vs ethnic communications possibilities (internet)

Why teenagers? Are teenagers more prone to copycat incidents? • advising aspect of reporting • cultural status/situation of teenager--peers, ID seeking,

cultural of insults

Can measures for controlling these incidents be made

Reality•less crime in schools •Low, low probability of personal involvement

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Sociology and Mass Media Characteristics Characteristics

of Mass Media Sociological Reasoning(1) bite by bite Why-context and relations

(2) dramatic picture all social behavior

(3) unique event / personality social forces

(4) bad news / hard news normal / typical

(5) big business guided by theory not ad sales

[6] common sense logic & empiricism "scientific method"

Data gathering techniques check out chapter 2 and the web outline for A02(7)

(8)

(9)

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Whatare the

characteristicsof

sociologicalreasoning?

(6) Sociology and TV News

Next classes:

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Be prepared for a quiz and discussion on Chapter 2

Truths or Consequences

26. Religious cults that prophesize the end of the world at a specific date and time and fail in their prediction are devastated by the failure and disband.

27. With crime rates as they are one has to be most concerned about the possibility of being killed by a criminal.

Don’t Print

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3. Quiz Chapter 1a

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(__)_________________*****You will receive back answers but not questions****School___Group, L Name, First, (please print) ***Use back if you need more space****______________(1) One major reason the typical welfare recipient (70%) does not

work is because?

______________(2) A riddle: A man and his son are in an accident. The father is killed; the boy is rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery. The surgeon comes into the operating room and exclaims "I can't operate, that's my son." Who is the surgeon?

______________ (3) Solomon Ash found that less then ___in three would disagree when faced with unanimous agreement on an incorrect estimate of lengths of two lines.

______________ (4) Why is the typical "missing child" on a milk carton missing 

T or F (5) TV in the US is a product of a democracy and is uncensored

______________ (6) Name the sex and race of a typical suicide in the US

______________ (7) Suicide occurring during economic booms Emile Durkheim called___________________.

______________ (8) History typically examines all the particulars of a time or event while Sociology looks for recurring patterns. The Sociology approach to knowledge is called?

______________(9,10) Name two differences between TV news and Sociology. ________________________________ and _________________________

Don’t Print

3. Quiz Chapter 1 Name_____________________School____________________

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(1) One major reason the typical welfare recipient (70%) does not work is because? he/she is under 18

(2) A riddle: A man and his son are in an accident. The father is killed; the boy is rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery. The surgeon comes into the operating room and exclaims "I can't operate, that's my son." Who is the surgeon? the boys mother

(3) Solomon Ash found that less then 1 in 3 would disagree when two people before them agreed on an incorrect estimate of lengths of two lines.

(4) The typical "missing child" on a milk carton is likely runaway or taken by family member

Don’t Print *

(5) TV in the US is a product of a democracy is uncensored T or F

(6) Name the sex and race of typical suicides in the US M,W

(7) Suicide occurring during economic booms Durkheim called anomie

(8) History typically examines all the particulars of a time or event while Sociology looks for recurring patterns. Soc is a nomothetic approach to knowledge

(9,10) Two of the differences between TV news and Sociology are: scientific method of gathering/reporting, theoretical perspective*

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