The Real WorldAn Introduction to Sociology

4th Edition

Chapter 1:Sociology and the Real World

What is sociology?

What is Sociology?• Sociology is the systematic or scientific study of

human society and social behavior, from large-scale institutions and mass culture to small groups and individual interactions.– Howard Becker (1986) defined sociology as the

study of people “doing things together.”– We must remember that humans are essentially

social beings…our survival is contingent up on the fact we living in various groups and ultimately, our sense of self derives from our membership in society.

What is Sociology?• What does the definition mean by “society” and

“social behavior?”– Society – a group of people who shape their lives in

aggregated and pattered ways that distinguish their group from other groups.

– Social Behavior - behavior influenced or controlled by other persons or by organized society. In other words, behavior as influenced by the group or groups.

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What is Sociology?• To understand this concept of society,

sociologists must first develop the sociological perspective.– One of the classic statements about the

sociological perspective comes from C. Wright Mills who coined the term Sociological Imagination.

– Mills says, “To understand social life, we must understand the intersection between biography and history.”

The Girl and the Sailor

Character Group Ranking

Girl

Sailor

Fiancé

Best Friend

Old Man

Sociological Imagination• Sociological imagination is quality of the

mind that allows us to understand the relationship between our particular situation in life and what is happening at a social level.

• For example, think about people who are unemployed and are having trouble finding a job. What is the most common explanation for their problem?

• Now…lets think like a sociologist…

Sociological Imagination• What are some other aspects of the

characters that you might not have considered?

• What information are you lacking that would change some of your ideas about the situation?

This Semester’s Topics• Unit 1: The Basics

– Sociological Theory– Sociological Research– Culture– Socialization and Social Interaction– Groups– Deviance

This Semester’s Topics• Unit 2: Inequality

– Class– Race– Gender– Age

This Semester’s Topics• Unit 3: Social Institutions

– Marriage and Family– Government– Education– Religion– Healthcare

Why do we judge?• You may have experienced this yourself—if you’ve ever

watched a program on television where they’re showing you some remote tribe of people and their way of life seems very different you might say something like, – “Oh, that is so gross, I can’t believe those people eat

that…” • You’re assuming that your way of life is better than their way

of life. Interestingly, if that tribe watched your daily life, they would question some of the things that you consider “normal.”

• Ethnocentrism occurs when a person uses their own culture as a standard to evaluate another group or individual, leading to the view that cultures other than one’s own are abnormal.

Why do we judge?• Like it sounds, the “beginner’s mind” is

the opposite of an expert’s mind. • Bernard McGrane says that to explore the

social world, it is important that we clear our minds of stereotypes, expectations, and opinions so that we are more receptive to our experiences.

• We must unlearn what we already know. How can we do this? Is it difficult?

Why do we judge?• We can also clear our view of society by;• Cultural relativism is the process of

understanding other cultures on their own terms, rather than judging according to one’s own culture.

• When studying any group, it is important to try to employ cultural relativism because it helps sociologists see others more objectively.

Why do we judge?• It is important to remember that when

sociologists use the term “deviant,” they are making a social judgment, never a moral one.

Why do we judge?• If a particular behavior is considered

deviant, it means that it violates the values and norms or a particular group, not that it is inherently wrong.

• Much of the literature on deviance focuses on crime, and how different cultures define very different behaviors as criminal or not and the vast differences seen in how crimes are punished.

Issues in Sociological Research (cont’d)

• Objectivity: (not subjectivity) Most sociologists believe that they should not allow their personal beliefs to influence their research. (Leave out your biases) – Max Weber wrote the classic sociological

statement on this issue. He coined the phrase value-free sociology, an ideal whereby researchers identify facts without allowing their own personal beliefs or biases to interfere.

17The Real WorldCopyright © 2008 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.

What is Sociology?• The “Everyday Actor” vs. the “Social Analyst.”

– The “Social Analyst” takes all of these everyday, common, and taken-for-granted behaviors and places them into question.

– Imagine how an alien might view some of these very common behaviors. Would he/she/it really understand them? Would it make sense to them as it does to you?

– It is difficult to study behavior when you’re surrounded by it. It’s almost like we’re in a bubble and we can’t see on the other side of it.

– This is the role of a sociologist to move beyond the bubble.

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Socialization• Socialization is the process by which

children and adults learn from others. We begin learning from others during the early days of life; and most people continue their social learning all through life.– Culture, Family, Gender, Race, Social

Class, Religion, etc.

Components of Culture• Material culture includes the objects associated with

a cultural group, such as tools, machines, utensils, buildings, and artwork; basically, any physical object to which we give social meaning.

• Symbolic culture are the ideas associated with a cultural group including ways of thinking (beliefs, values, and assumptions) and ways of behaving (norms, interactions, and communication)– Language– Values– Norms

Sociology as a Value-Free Science

• The subject matter of sociology is human behavior in society. All social behavior is guided by values. Thus the study of social behavior can never truly be value-free.

• Moreover, social research is often guided by the search for “true knowledge,” …which, is a social value shared by academics.

• So, what is meant by Max Weber’s “value-free” sociology is that the sociologist must be aware of their values and biases and confine them.

• Sociologists should observe “value neutrality” while conducting social research. They should exclude ideological or non-scientific assumption from research.

• Value Neutrality: They should not make evaluative judgment about empirical evidence. Value judgment should be restricted to sociologists' area of technical competence. They should make their own values open and clear and refrain from advocating particular values.

Sociological Research• Most sociological research uses the

scientific method, which is the standard for acquiring and verifying empirical (scientific) knowledge. – Definition: The scientific method is a procedure

for acquiring knowledge that emphasizes collecting data through observation and experiment.

• It provides researchers with a series of steps to follow.

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Levels of Sociological Analysis

• Macrosociology approaches the study of society from the opposite direction, by looking at large-scale social structures in order to determine how it affects the lives of groups and individuals.

• So, to recap, a microsociological analysis might look at the relationship between a couple or the interactions of a sports team to develop theories about large scale social phenomena.

• A macrosociological analysis might look at the economy and how it impacts consumer behavior or how a presidential election influences American morale.

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Levels of Sociological Analysis

• Sociologists can use different levels of analysis to explore social relationships:– Microsociology vs. Macrosociology

• Microsociology concentrates on the interactions between individuals and the ways in which those interactions construct the larger patterns, processes, and institutions of society.

• It looks at the smallest building blocks of society in order to understand its large-scale structure.

Overview of Research Methods

• 2 Broad types of research:– Quantitative research: translates the social world into

numbers that can be studied mathematically• Example: United States Census

– Qualitative research: uses non-numerical data like texts, interviews, photos, and recordings to help understand social life

• Example: Anne Frank’s Diary• This applies to pretty much ALL social sciences including

a variety of other fields such as education, criminal justice, business/marketing research, etc.