February 9th Sign in and Participation cards

Lecture One – Sociological Imagination & Sociological Theories

Individual Work & Discussion

Homework: Read: Eitzen, D. Stanley et al. A Progressive Plan to Solve

Society’s Social Problems SL Forms (if you have not turned them in all ready)

The Sociological Imagination & Sociological Theory

Lecture One

Coming Down from the Ivory Tower Public Sociology: connecting sociological

study with civil society Social justice Human rights Economic, cultural, and political equality

"I try to be objective. I do not claim to be detached." - C. Wright Mills

Building Civil Society

Three Spheres of Social Life: Private – Family Life Public – Marketplace & the State Civil/Civic - collective action around shared

interests, purposes, and values

Civil Society Volunteering Community Organizing “Third Places”

The Origins of Sociology

The sociological discipline emerged at the end of the 19th C as a response to the dramatically changing world Scientific Revolution Democratic Revolution Industrial Revolution

Sociology emerged to solve the social puzzles of the industrial and modern era

According to Mills, what is the PROMISE of sociology?

The task of sociology is to… To turn indifference (apathy) and uneasiness

(anxiety) into well-being

But, how does sociology do that?

C Wright Mills: Sociological Imagination A quality of mind that allows us to connect:

“Personal troubles of the milieu”(biography)

with“Public issues of social structure”

(history)

Examining these relationships gives us the knowledge to understand society, our place in it, and the ability to make changes

HIV/AIDS Globally

Understanding and Explaining HIV/AIDS Cultural Explanations

Virility is strongly linked to masculinity in many cultures affected by HIV/AIDS

Low status of women

Social Structure Explanations Global poverty and inequality create low immune systems Underdevelopment limits economic opportunities

Political Explanations Lack of adequate health care and access to treatment Political policies that do not address the issue

Individual Explanations Lack of education and poor choices

Relating Issues and Troubles

“The first fruit of this imagination – and the first lesson of the social science that embodies it – is the idea that the individual can understand his own experience and gauge his own fate only by locating himself within his period, that he can know his own chances in life by becoming aware of those of all individuals in his circumstances.”

Karl Marx (1818-1883)

Association of Marx with Communism obscure his contribution to sociology and his ideas. Communism is a later application of his ideas.

Marx focused on the economic relations of society as the source and solution of social conflict He believed that social scientist’s task is to

analyze and explain conflict, which drives social change

Marxist/Conflict Theory In contrast to functionalists who focus on order and

stability, the conflict approach focuses on conflict and social change.

According to the conflict approach, society is based on conflict between social groups Patterns of inequality create social stability in some

circumstances and social change in others Social conditions are the expression of the ongoing power

struggle between groups

The main question asked by the conflict approach is: Who benefits from a particular pattern or social arrangement and at whose expense?

Emile Durkheim (1858-1918)

While Marx was concerned with the source of conflict in society, Durkheim wondered what tied people to each other and society

Durkheim believed that the social scientist’s task is to analyze and explain solidarity and the mechanisms through which it is achieved

Functionalism Functionalist approach believes that society

works toward equilibrium and stability

According to functionalism society is a system of interrelated parts – economy, family, religion, mass media, etc. Each of society’s parts function to maintain the

stability of the larger system

Main questions asked by functionalists: How do the institutions (parts) of society contribute to social stability and/or instability?

Max Weber (1864-1920)

Weber believed that the structure of society could be explained by observing the behavior of people in society that supports that structure and the ideas/values that motivate those actions. He was concerned with social actions and the meaning

people attach to their behavior.

Weber believed that social scientist’s task us to explain the course and consequences of social action

Symbolic Interactionism In contrast to functionalism and conflict theory,

which assumes that people’s group membership determine their behavior (race, class, etc.), symbolic interactionism focuses on how people’s ideas/values shape their behavior

Symbolic Interactionism assumes that social life is possible because people attach meaning to it.

Main question asked by symbolic interactionism is how do individuals communicate and interact to make social life meaningful?

Rational Choice Theory

People make decisions based on their values, but more importantly on their own self-interest.

Assumes that people chose to do what benefits them the most and costs them the least. Mr. Greenspan said that he had found “a flaw in the model

that I perceived is the critical functioning structure that defines how the world works.”    

Why do we engage in altruistic behavior?

Individual Writing:

What do you think is the most important social problem in our communities?

Which theoretical perspective do you think best explains why this social problems exists?

How can we begin to address this social issue?