Introduction to SociologyHenry L. TischlerPrepared by Charles E. Faupel

Chapter 1:The Sociological Perspective

What to Expect in This Chapter...Defining the Sociological PerspectiveThe Sociological ImaginationSociology and Common SenseSociology and ScienceSociology and the Social SciencesThe Development of SociologyTheoretical Perspectives in Sociology

Defining the Sociological PerspectiveSociology is the scientific study of human society and social interactions.What makes sociology scientific?

Personal experience Awareness of friends Systematic studywith drug use and associates patterns of a random of drug use sample of drug usersLevels of Understanding Drug Use

The Sociological ImaginationC. Wright Mills coined the term sociological imagination to refer to ...the vivid awareness of the relationship between private experience and the wider society.C. Wright Mills

Sociology and Common SenseCommon sense assumptions are usually based on very limited observation.Moreover, the premises on which common sense assumptions are seldom examined.Sociology seeks to:use a broad range of carefully selected observations; andtheoretically understand and explain those observations.While sociological research might confirm common sense observation, its broader base and theoretical rational provide a stronger basis for conclusions.

Sociology and ScienceScience is ...a body of systematically arranged knowledge that shows the operation of general laws.As a science, sociology employs the scientific methodThe Scientific MethodFormulate hypothesesChoose research designGather DataAnalyze DataReview of literature

Sociology and the Social Sciences

The Development of SociologySociology emerged as a separate discipline in the nineteenth centuryThis was a time of great social upheaval due largely to the French and Industrial RevolutionsSeveral early sociologists shaped the direction of the discipline

Auguste Comte (1798-1857)Responsible for coining the term sociologySet out to develop the science of man that would be based on empirical observationFocused on two aspects of society:Social Staticsforces which produce order and stabilitySocial Dynamicsforces which contribute to social change

Harriet Martineau (1802-1876)Authored one of the earliest analyses of culture and life in the United States entitled Theory and Practice of Society in AmericaTranslated Comtes Positive Philosophy into EnglishHarriet Martineau

Herbert Spencer (1820-1903)Authored the first sociology text, Principles of SociologyMost well known for proposing a doctrine called Social DarwinismSuggested that people who could not compete were poorly adapted to the environment and inferiorThis is an idea commonly called survival of the fittest

Karl Marx (1818-1883)Marx is the father of conflict theorySaw human history in a continual state of conflict between two major classes:Bourgeoisieowners of the means of production (capitalists)Proletariatthe workersPredicted that revolution would occur producing first a socialist state, followed by a communist society

Emile Durkheim (1858-1917)Durkheim moved sociology fully into the realm of an empirical scienceMost well known empirical study is called Suicide, where he looks at the social causes of suicideGenerally regarded as the founder of functionalist theoryEmile Durkheim

Max Weber (1864-1920)Much of Webers work was a critique or clarification of MarxHis most famous work, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism directly challenged Marxs ideas on the role of religion in societyWeber was also interested in bureaucracies and the process of rationalization in society

The Development of Sociology in the United StatesAmerican sociology had its beginnings at the University of Chicago in the early 20th centuryThe early emphasis was on empirical study of communities and neighborhoodsLater, East Coast schools such as Columbia and Harvard Universities began sociology departments, producing scholars such as W.E.B. Dubois, Talcott Parsons, and Robert MertonHome page of the University of the Chicago Sociology Dept

Theoretical Perspectives: FunctionalismFunctionalism sees society as a system of highly interrelated parts that work together harmoniouslyThe image that functionalists use to understand society is a living organismEach part of society works together for the benefit of the whole much like a living organism

Theoretical Perspectives: Conflict TheoryConflict theory is grounded in the work of Karl MarxSociety is understood to be made up of conflicting interest groups who vie for power and privilegeThis dynamic results in continuous social change, which is the normal state of affairsConflict theory focuses heavily on inequality and differential distribution of power and wealth

Theoretical Perspectives: The Interactionist PerspectiveFocuses on how individuals make sense of and interpret the worldThis perspective tends to focus on the micro-order of small groupsHas given rise to several specific approaches:Symbolic Interactionism developed by George Herbert MeadEthnomethodology developed by Harold GarfinkelDramaturgy developed by Erving Goffman

Comparing Theoretical PerspectivesPerspectiveScope of AnalysisPoint of ViewFocus of AnalysisStructural-FunctionalismMacro LevelVarious parts of society are interdependentSocial systems are highly stableSocial life governed by consensus & cooperationFunctional and dysfunctional aspects of societyConflict TheoryMacro LevelSociety accommodates between competing interest groupsSociety unstable and prone to changeSocial life conflict-laden1. How social inequalities produce conflict2. Who benefits from social arrangementsInteractionistMicro-LevelActions have symbolic meaningsMeanings can varyHow people make sense of their world