Sociology Background Check

What do you already know

about sociology?

WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY?Sociology is the systematic study of human society and social interaction.

• Theory and research

• Relationship between group and individual

Possible Topics in Sociology• Culture• Economy• Health• Law• Deviance• Media• Education• Environment• Government

• Industry• Military• Stratification• Race• Ethnicity• Gender• Sexuality• Family• Knowledge

First --- what exactly is society?• A large social grouping that shares the same geographical

territory and is subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations.

What societies are you a member of?

Why do we study sociology?• Helps us see connections between

our lives, larger patterns of society & of the world

• Adds to global interdependence• All people closely intertwined• Any single nation’s problems are part of

larger global problems too

The Sociological Imagination• See relationship between individual

experience & larger society

• Distinguish between personal troubles and public issues

• C. Wright Mills (1916-1962)

Forrest Gump & the Sociological Imagination

The sociological imagination looks at how historical events impact normal

events in an individual’s life.

Why is it important to have a global sociological imagination?• Enables us to distinguish between the world’s high, low

and middle income countries

• High Income Countries• Industrialized economies• Technologically advanced occupations• High levels of income

• Examples?

United States

Canada Japan

AustraliaWestern Europe

• Middle income countries• Economies in process of industrializing• Moderate levels of income• Examples: Eastern Europe and Latin American countries

• Low income countries• Agrarian economies• Low levels of income• Examples: African and

Asian countries

Why is it important to have a global sociological imagination?• Helps us understand that diversity is important to our

social, personal and economic well-being

What makes people different?

• 4 main factors:• Race• Ethnicity• Class• Gender

Origins of Sociological Thinking

The Age of Enlightenment (1700s Europe & Colonies)

• Dominated by philosophers

• Emphasis on individual critical thinking and experiences

• Skepticism towards religion

Origins of Sociological Thinking

The Age of Revolution, Industrialization and Urbanization (1800s)

• Intellectual, political and economic revolutions as a result of the Enlightenment

• Increased industrialization

• Increased urbanization

Liberty Leading the People, Eugene Delacroix

• Industrialization and urbanization led to new social problems…• Inadequate housing• Poverty• Pollution• Crime

Early Sociological Thinkers• Interested in analyzing social order and stability

Comte Martineau Spencer Durkheim

Early Sociological Thinkers• Interested in analyzing social order and stability

MarxWeber Simmel

“Conflict, especially between social classes,

is necessary in order to produce social change.”

Karl Marx

“The dead govern the living.”

Auguste Comte

“If there is any country on earth where the course of

true love may be expected to run smooth, it is America.”

Harriet Martineau

“You had better live your best and act your best and think your best today; for today is

the sure preparation for tomorrow and all the other

tomorrows.”

Harriet Martineau

“We all decry prejudice, yet all are prejudiced.”

Herbert Spencer

Beginning of Sociology in the U.S.• Jane Addams – founder of Hull House, Chicago

• W.E.B. Du Bois – “double consciousness”

Classwork Objective

• Students will explain the major contributions of early sociologists by using the textbook to complete a chart.