Discovering Sociology9/23/10 (Tuesday) : Discovering Sociology9/23/10 (Tuesday) Today’s Objective: Define sociology, discuss the Sociological Imagination and give an invitation to sociology
Sociology: : Sociology: Sociology: The systematic and scientific study of human behavior, social groups, and society.
--Main goal: to understand social situations and to look for repeating patterns in society.
--Main focus: is the group.
“Sociology is not a practice but an attempt to understand” (Berger, 1963:4)
Sociology is not . . . : Sociology is not . . . Cultural Anthropology (study cultures and preindustrial societies);
Criminal Justice (CDS) (study the creation, causation, and the control of crime);
Social Work (study social problems and alleviate consequences of social problems); and
Psychology (study individuals and personalities).
Sociology is the study of social structure, social groups, interaction, and society)
Debunking theme: : Debunking theme: Debunking theme: crap detector; tells what is really happening.
Sociology IS NOT common sense!!
Common sense -- what people develop through living everyday lives.
Slide 5 : Not Sociology http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpzWlHb1BFc&NR=1
Common Sense : Common Sense
Peter Berger: Invitation to Sociology : Peter Berger: Invitation to Sociology Sociologists are people who are intensively, endlessly, shamelessly, interested in the doings of men and women.
We are motivated by an intense desire to know what is "really happening," what goes on "behind the scenes," nothing is too sacred or profane.
Peter Berger: Invitation to Sociology : Peter Berger: Invitation to Sociology Curiosity is a well-known concept for sociologists. The little boy who wants to know what his aunt is doing behind the closed door may later become a sociologist.
Peter Berger: Invitation to Sociology : Peter Berger: Invitation to Sociology The excitement of sociology is into the worlds that had previously been quite unknown. EX: crime, religion, nudist camps, homosexuality.
Through sociology you can see new light in the world we live in.
Peter Berger: Invitation to Sociology : Peter Berger: Invitation to Sociology CULTURE SHOCK -- man meets lady, next day having her for lunch in a restaurant; different culture than his to eat a human being: cannibalism.
Peter Berger: Invitation to Sociology : Peter Berger: Invitation to Sociology Sociologists travel at home also to find shocking results. EX: Duncan.
So, if you avoid shocking discoveries and have no curiosity about closed doors sociology may be boring.
For example . . .
How do we explain human behavior? : How do we explain human behavior?
The Promise: C. Wright MillsSociological Imagination: : The Promise: C. Wright MillsSociological Imagination: Sociological Imagination: a quality of mind that provides an understanding of ourselves within the context of the larger society.
The Promise: C. Wright MillsSociological Imagination: : The Promise: C. Wright MillsSociological Imagination: Sociological Imagination: refers to the ability to grasp history (events that shape our values and beliefs) and biography (individual’s life experiences) and the relations between the two within society.
Looks at the relationship between individuals’ experiences and the larger society.
Rosa Parks in 1955 and the reactions on the bus. : Rosa Parks in 1955 and the reactions on the bus.
The Promise: C. Wright MillsSociological Imagination: : The Promise: C. Wright MillsSociological Imagination: We distinguish between:
Personal troubles: which affect the individual.
Give an example.
Social issues: which reflect a problem for the entire society.
Give an example.