TOPIC 1:
MAPPING MAIN
CONCEPTS
Assistant Professor: Raquel Guzmán Ordaz
1.1WHAT IS IT SOCIOLOGY? (TO
ANSWER THIS QUESTION...)
Explain the concepts centrals to sociology
Define the sociological imagination- Sociological perspective
Describe the diffent levels of analysis in sociology micro-level, macro-
level sociology, and global-level sociology
Source: Little, et al., 2016
What is "sociology¨? (Brace yourself!)
Sociology can be defined as a systematic, rigorous, scientific study of society and
social interaction (based in Maccionis & Plummer, 2013 and Little, 2016)
Is a system of a structured social relations that brings people together according to
shared culture (Giddens, 2011)
Is the scientific study of human social life, groups, and societies with emphasis on
modern, industrialized systems (Giddens, et al, 2013)
Sociologist don’t use beaker and test tubes, but, like natural scientists, they do seek to learn about
the world by creating theories and testing them with systematic observations (Gabler, 2016)
studying society scientifically means setting aside -temporary- your thoughts about how
society should work.
SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
Seeing the General in the particular (Berger)
Seeing the strange in the familiar
Source: Macionis & Plumer, 2001)
Factors involved: gender, religion, marital status, social
class, context..
METHOD: Analysis of suicide
Catholic Countries -
rates considiring social
Protestant Countries *
categories
Married People -
Conclusion: To major social Single People +
integration less probability of Men +
suicide. Women -
Rich +
Poor -
Durkheim's research
Behind of suicide
The social causes of an individual phenomenon
The social causes of an individual phenomenon
What about
love?
What do you think about love?
How do you define it?
[Link]
THE IMPORTANCE OF A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
DEVELOPING A SOCIOLOGICAL
-
PERSPECTIVE
Sociological Imagination
See the general in the particular
([Link] Mills)
- (Peter Berger)
What we believe to be true or
“natural” is strongly influenced by
It's about seeing how individual
historical and social forces
- life reflects social experiences.
Thinking imaginatively and
The importance of social variables
detaching from preconceived ideas
or categories in individual life
about social relationships
- Putting thing in a wider context
- Seeing daily activity as a reflection
of large social issues
Advantages to sociological
perspective
• It helps to question many things we take for granted.
• It allows you to identify preconceived ideas.
• It allows us to better understand the opportunities and
obstacles we may encounter in our lives.
• It gives us the tools to live in heterogeneous and
complex societies like ours.
DISADVANTAGES TO SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
• Its object of study: society, is In constant change
• Sociological knowledge ends up being part of society: it
can modify social reality.
APPLYING THE SOCIOLOGICAL
PERSPECTIVE
• Sociology and Public Policy
• Sociology and Personal Growth
• The sociological Perspective helps us assess the truth of “common sense”
• The sociological perspective help us see the opportunities and constraints
in our lives
• The sociological perspective empowers us to be active participants in our
society
• Advantange in your career
SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES
• Often gets bad rap because people often think
as, at best, boring and worse, usless.
• Can empower your life
• Explain life help us makes sense of what’going
Theory on.
• Provide frameworks for understanding, and
frameworks for change.
• Provide a “road map” that help us how society
work
DIFERENT SOCIOLOGICAL
THEORY
The structural – Funcional Approach
The Social- Conflict Approach
Feminism and the Gender-Conflict Approach
The Race-Conflict Approach
• Functionalism
PARADIG
• Conflict Theory
MS
• Interactionism
Paradigm Overview Concepts
Functionalism See society as a system that strives for • Equilibrium
(Macro –sociology) balance. The interdependent parts of the • Social functions
system, such as institutions or roles, exist • Social dysfunctions
because they provide a function. • Manifest Function
Systems change by discarding parts that • Latent Function
don’t work, by adapting to new needs, or
by becoming more complex.
• Social Forces
The need for groups and society to • Institutions
maintain social stability explains social
behavior.
ÉMILE DURKHEIM
• The main dynamic of modern development is the division of labor as a basis
for social cohesion and organic solidarity.
• Durkheim believed that sociology must study social facts as things, just as
science would analyze the natural world. His study of suicide led him to
stress the important influence of social factors, qualities of a society external
to the individual, on a person’s actions. Durkheim argued that society exerts
social constraint over our actions.
• Functionalism understands social structures (relatively stable patterns of social relationships), in
terms of the social functions they fulfill.
• Talcott Parsons (1902-1979) is the maximum representative of functionalism understood society as
a system that tends to balance and survival.
• The reformulation of the concept of social function was carried out by Merton, who pointed out
that the consequences of a pattern of social action could be different for different individuals. He
also said that people are rarely aware of the functions they perform when they participate in a
particular social structure.
• Differentiated between Manifest functions refers to the intentional and recognized consequences of
social action. Latent functions that refer to the unknown and unintended consequences of social
action. It also identified Social Dysfunctions negative consequences...
Concepts of Functionalism
• Equilibrium.- Balance between the parts of social system
• Social Functions.-Productive consequences of patterns of attitudes, beliefs,
values, and behavior on the normative operations of society
• Social Dysfunctions.- Disruptive consequences of patterns of attitudes, beliefs,
values, and behavior on societal operations.
• Manifest Function. The intentional consequence or purpose of a social pattern
• Latent Function. The unintended consequence or purpose of social pattern
For example, the manifest function of studying at university is
that you will have a career and get a qualified job. But, during
your stay at the university, you will meet people and you can
create relationships of all kinds with them, this is a latent
function (of your time at the university). Whereas, if at the end
of the degree you do not find work, we are saying that the system
has failed, then we will talk about a social dysfunction.
Overview Concepts
CONFLICT Society is the result and • Social class
THEORY (macro- cause of conflict. • Power
sociology) • Subordination
Contrasting values, and • Exploitation
desire to posses and • Oppression
subsequently compete for • Alienation
social resources, explain • False Consciosness
social behavior.
It groups sociological theories that analyze society from the
point of view of inequality, conflict and social change.
Concepts of Conflict Theory
• Social Class .- A group of people who share a socioeconomic position or status
• Subordination.- Dominating another person through the use of power
• Exploitation.- Using other people for personal or collective gain
• Oppression.- The process by which people with vast resources make people
without them powerless to change their social conditions.
• Alienation. The process by which exploited and oppressed people are separated
from their humanity of from their true human potential. They come to feel alien
in their lives and society.
• False Consciousness. The state of not knowing that you, and the group you
belong to, are being alienated and exploited.
MARX
1. The main dynamic of modern development is the
expansion of capitalism. Rather than being cohesive,
society is divided by class differences.
2. Marx believed that we must study the divisions within a
society that are derived from economic inequalities of
capitalism
Overview Concepts
Interactionism People create and Identity
change society Share meanings
through social Expectations
interaction. Roles
Social interaction
How people define Taking the role of
and experience social other
interactions explains
social behavior
Concepts of Interactionism Theory
• Identity.- More than personality, this is who we think we
are. Our notion or our self, which is constantly a work in
progress.
• Share Meanings.- Collective ways that we define things
such that we are able to know how others will interact
with us.
• Expectations. Our presumptions concerning how people
will act, think, feel or say based on their role, power,
prestige, wealth or status.
APPLIED KNOWLEDGE
What is it? How do I do it?
Functionalism
1. Start with this basic assumption: Society is a set of interdependent parts.
2. Choose a social situation.
3. What are the needs of this situation? That is, what is supposed to be done here?
4. Think about this situation is a system. Ask yourself: What are the parts that
make up the system? What function does each part serve? What are the parts
relationships with the other parts?
5. Draw a diagram inside the needs circle with arrows that show the connections
between the social parts.
6. Are there any ‘gaps’ between what is supposed to happen and what the system
is able to do?
Conflict Theory
1. Start with this basic assumption: conflict is frequent and social change is
certain
2. Choose a social situation
3. What groups have more power to control other people and the outcomes of
the situation? List them.
4. What values, interest, goals does the group have in this situation?
5. What groups have less power and less influence over the outcomes? What
values, interest, goals does the group have in this situation?
6. Does the group with power think they can achieve their goals? Does the
group without power think they can achieve their goals?
1. Start with this basic assumption: Societies and persons in them are
Interactionist Theory
guided by the way things are collective defined.
2. Select a social situation.
3. What are the different definitions of this situation? What are the
characteristics of the people holding these different definitions?
4. What influences their definitions?
5. How does their definition influence how they behavior in daily social
life?
6. How does it influence how they interact together?
7. How do these definitions influence how people act?
1. Create a more complex and realistic appreciation SOCIOLOGY
of your own personal life using sociological IN YOUR
thinking to answer this question: Can you point to
several ‘decisions’ in your own life that were EVERYDAY
largely guided by society due to your class, race, LIFE
age, or other factors?
