2. Chapter 1 Outline
Society
Social Science
What is sociology?
Microsociology vs. Macrosociology
The sociological Perspective
Sociology and Everyday Life
The U.S. in Global Perspective
The Mass Media and Popular Culture
3. Reality T.V. and Society
Reality T.V. - the issues that are dealt with
reveal social dynamics of the real world
Why do we watch it? Are the issues reflective
of our world? We see some aspect of social life,
no matter how contrived it may be
Society – a group of people who shape their
lives in aggregated and patterned ways that
distinguish their group from other groups.
Sui generis? What can we actually see?
Working, playing, eating, driving, etc…
4. Sociology’s Development
Sociology developed out of modern science
discoveries in 17th &18th centuries, new forms of
knowledge and practices were established
During 19th century, the concept of social
science emerged
Social Sciences – use scientific method to
study social world (natural sciences look at
physical world)
Sociology is a social science
Overlaps bits of other social science fields
5. What is Sociology?
Sociology – scientific study of human society
and social behavior from large institutions &
mass culture to small groups & individual
interactions
Becker- “The study of people doing things together”
As sociologists, we need to learn to question everything
Neither society nor the individual exists in
isolation-each is dependent and intertwined with
the other
6. Food and Eating
Food & Eating – biological or social?
What, when, where and with whom we eat, and
how we feel about eating- socially constructed
Meaning is not inherent (McDonalds Vs. Spago)
Eating and family (women)
Eating and dating
The values, hierarchies, and institutions of our
society have all intervened in our drive to seek
nourishment
7. Microsociology and Macrosociology
Microsociology – study face to face & small
group interactions – how they affect society
Like a zoom lens-see details
Pam Fishman-(pg. 12) recorded/analyzed
heterosexual couples conversations in
homes
Women ask 3x as many questions as men
Macro-level phenomena like gender and
power are manifested in everyday
interactions
8. Microsociology vs. Macrosociology
Macrosociology - study large scale social
structures – how they affect groups/individuals
Like a wide-angle lens- “big picture”
Christine Williams-(pg. 14) studied sex
segregation in the workplace: glass
ceiling vs. glass escalator
Men in female-dominated jobs advance
more quickly
Large-scale structures create constraints
by which we experience success or failure
9. The Macro-Micro Continuum
Society
Culture
Social Institutions
Social Inequality
Groups
Roles
Socialization
Interaction
Self
10. Quantitative vs. Qualitative Sociology
The use of either quantitative or qualitative
methods depends on the question asked of
research
Quantitative-translates social world into
numbers that can be treated mathematically
Tries to find cause/effect relationships
Qualitative-works with non-numerical data
(texts, interviews, photos, recordings)
Goal to find how people make sense of their world
11. The Sociological Perspective
Sociological Perspective – understand the
relationship between our particular situation in
life and what is happening at a social level
Sociological Imagination – ability to
understand intersection between history &
biography
C. Wright Mills
We normally think of our problems as being of a
private matter, but they are connected to our
cultural and historical context
Unemployment-personal or social problem?
12. Sociological Imagination
We look at what is going on in society and how
that affects people
Ex. – Columbine (pg. 18)
Understand time and place (Soc. Imagination)
Harris & Klebold shaped by their environment
American adolescents exposed to violence through
entertainment (movies to video games; guns available
Sociological Imagination-gives broader context
for understanding people and situations
13. Culture Shock and Beginner’s Mind
Culture Shock – disorientation when you enter
a radically new social or cultural environment
Sociologists try to create this effect in our own culture
We try to put ourselves in position of “the Other”
Beginner’s Mind – approach world without
preconceptions to see things in a new way
Lose bias to understand the social world – live in the
present moment
Opposite of expert’s mind
Sociology is not just common sense – we
investigate common wisdom or knowledge
14. Starting Our Sociological Journey
There is a difference between an everyday actor
and a social analyst
Everyday actor-one who has practical
knowledge needed to get you through daily life,
but not necessarily scientific knowledge
Social analyst-must place in question everything
that seems unquestionable to everyday actor
Tries to act as a stranger in the social world, without
biases or assumptions about it
Only makes conclusions after investigation or evidence
15. America as a Place and Ideal
America is both a real place and an ideal
concept with a meaningful cultural and historical
context
Tocqueville-admired American ideals of freedom,
equality, individuality, tolerance, democracy and
enterprise
Troubled by slavery, lack of universal suffrage, the
exploitation of workers, tyranny of majority, materialism
America & multiculturalism in large cities
16. The U.S. in Global Perspective
We are closely linked to others around the world
Open society means mutual flow of goods,
services, information, ideas, and people
Macro-trade agreements, multinational corp.
Micro-my way of life is influenced by…
“Global Village”-Term coined by Marshall
McLuhan to describe how media create new
kinds of social bonds
Bring together as if belonged to the same small tribe