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Part I – The Study of SociologyChapter 1: What is Sociology?
Lecture #2
The Development of Sociological Thinking
What is “theory”?
“Theories involve constructing abstract interpretations that can be used to explain a wide variety of empirical situations.” (P.10)
The Development of Sociological Thinking
What is “theory”?
How does a thing happen?↓
Why does a thing happen?
The Development of Sociological Thinking
What can theories do for us?
They “help us make sense of facts.” (P.10)
They “guide” (P.10) us so that we are able to understand and explain the complexity of
societies.
The Development of Sociological Thinking
Theories are not…
- End-products (but, open-ended)
- Panaceas (but, limited)
The Development of Sociological Thinking
How must theories be?
(1) “We can only develop valid theoretical approaches if we are able to test them out by means of factual research.”(P.10)
The Development of Sociological Thinking
How must theories be?
(2) Diverse
“Diversity in theoretical thinking provides a rich source of ideas that can be drawn upon in research, and stimulates the imaginative capacities so essential to progress in sociological work.” (P.22)
The Development of Sociological Thinking
Why can we find much more African-Americans in sports, for example NBA and NFL, than any other ethnic group populations ?
The Development of Sociological Thinking
“Why do men commit criminal acts much more than women do?”
The Development of Sociological Thinking
Biological
Socio-cultural
Economical
Political etc.
The Development of Sociological ThinkingModern theoretical approaches
- Functionalism
- Marxism/Conflict theory
- Symbolic interactionism (Constructionist approach)
The Development of Sociological ThinkingModern theoretical approaches
Functionalism
“How is society possible?”Society = Human body
“Biological (organic) analogy”
- “functions”- “needs”
- “purposes”
The Development of Sociological ThinkingModern theoretical approaches
Functionalism
“How does society change?”
- “Adjustment”
- “Differentiation”
The Development of Sociological ThinkingModern theoretical approaches
Functionalism
“Society creates us?” Or “Society is created by us?”
- Society creates us. Because we are born in society.
The Development of Sociological ThinkingModern theoretical approaches
Emile Durkheim1858 – 1917
- Social order
“organic solidarity”
“anomie”
- Social institutions
The Development of Sociological ThinkingModern theoretical approaches
Marxism/Conflict theory
“How is society possible?”- “Power”
- “Domination”
The Development of Sociological ThinkingModern theoretical approaches
Marxism/Conflict theory
“How does society change?”- “Conflict”
- “Competition”
The Development of Sociological ThinkingModern theoretical approaches
Marxism/Conflict theory
“Society creates us?” Or “Society is created by us?”
- Society creates us. Because the way of thinking and acting of human beings are determined by his/her position in society.
The Development of Sociological ThinkingModern theoretical approaches
Karl Marx1818 –1883
- Historical materialism
“History is created by men, but not in the way they
are pleased.”
- Class struggle
The Development of Sociological ThinkingModern theoretical approaches
Symbolic Interactionism
“Society creates us?” or “Society is created by us?”- Society is no more than a product of human actions
(interactions).
- Individuals are not just passive learners of cultures, customs, language…etc
The Development of Sociological ThinkingModern theoretical approaches
Symbolic Interactionism
“How is society possible?”- Society is a fabric of meanings and definitions provided
by its members in the process of interaction.
The Development of Sociological ThinkingModern theoretical approaches
Symbolic Interactionism
“How does society change?”- Society emerges from interactions between individuals
and groups. Thus, society is all the time the subject of change depending on actions by them.
The Development of Sociological ThinkingModern theoretical approaches
G. H. Mead1863 – 1931
- Capacity of thoughts- Symbols and
language- Interactions
The Development of Sociological ThinkingModern theoretical approaches
Max Weber1864 – 1920
Mutual influence between individuals and society
Interactions between different institutions
