Sociology Unit Four Youth criminals shouldn't be treated as adults.....Discuss!

SociologySociologyUnit Four

Youth criminals shouldn't be treated as adults.....Discuss!

A society is a large social grouping that shares the same geographical territory and is subject to

the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations.

Sociology is the systematic and scientific study of human social life.

Sociologists study people as they form groups and interact with one another.

The groups they study may be small, such as married couples, or large, such as a subculture of suburban teenagers.

Sociology places special emphasis on studying societies, both as individual entities and as elements of a global perspective.

Three revolutions had to Three revolutions had to take place before the take place before the sociological imagination sociological imagination could crystallize:could crystallize: The scientific revolution (16th

c.) encouraged the use of evidence to substantiate theories.

The democratic revolution (18th c.) encouraged the view that human action can change society.

The industrial revolution (19th c.) gave sociologists their subject matter.

While sitting at your desk make clockwise circles with your right foot. (go ahead no one will see you) While doing this, draw the number “6″ in the air with your right hand.

Your foot will change direction – that is a fact. Pretty interesting, huh?

The Roles we PlayThe Roles we PlayWe all play certain roles in

our society – Social Scientists refer to this as status

Status is the term used to describe our position within an institutioneg. EL Crossley High School – There are many positions at Crossley ranging from teacher, vice-principal, guidance counselor, principal, student and superintendent – Can you put them in order on the hierarchy?

HierarchyHierarchyHierarchy is the ranking system

used in any particular environment based on authority ot power

Each position or role requires a certain type of expertise which is valued by society

In order to distinguish between these roles people are expected to dress and act in a certain way

On any given day we can play many different roles in society – eg. A parent can drive their kids to school and then go to work and teach their students

Sociological ImaginationSociological ImaginationThe ability to see

the relationship between individual experiences and the larger society.

Private v. Public Issues

Another Brick in the WallPink Floyd (1979)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvPpA

PIIZyo

LYRICS: We don’t need no education. We don’t need no thought control. No dark sarcasm in the classroom. Teachers leave them kids alone. Hey! Teachers! Leave them kids alone! All in all it’s just another brick in the wall. All in all you’re just another brick in the wall.

.People with higher number of moles tend to live longer than people with lesser number of moles.

. When filming summer scenes in winter, actors suck on ice cubes just before the camera rolls – it cools their mouths so their breath doesn’t condense in the cold air.

. Thinking about your muscles can make you stronger.

. Grapefruit scent will make middle aged women appear six years younger to men. The perception is not reciprocal and the grapefruit scent on men has no effect on women’s perception.

. The world’s youngest parents were 8 and 9 and lived in China in 1910.

. The colder the room you sleep in, the better the chances are that you’ll have a bad dream.

. There are more people alive today than have ever died.

. Women’s hair is about half the diameter of men’s hair

. Women blink twice as many times as men do. . The average person who stops smoking requires

one hour less sleep a night.

StereotypesStereotypes

. Laughing lowers levels of stress hormones and strengthens the immune system. Six-year-olds laugh an average of 300 times a day. Adults only laugh 15 to 100 times a day.

. Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair. . The human heart creates enough pressure while pumping to

squirt blood 30 feet! . The brain operates on the same amount of power as 10-

watt light bulb. The cartoon image of a light bulb over your head when a great thought occurs isn’t too far off the mark. Your brain generates as much energy as a small light bulb even when you’re sleeping.

. The brain is much more active at night than during the day. . The brain itself cannot feel pain. While the brain might be

the pain center when you cut your finger or burn yourself, the brain itself does not have pain receptors and cannot feel pain.

.The fastest growing nail is on the middle finger. And the nail on the middle finger of your dominant hand will grow the fastest of all. Why is not entirely known, but nail growth is related to the length of the finger, with the longest fingers growing nails the fastest and shortest the slowest.

. The lifespan of a human hair is 3 to 7 years on average. . Human hair is virtually indestructible. Aside from it’s

flammability, human hair decays at such a slow rate that it is practically non-disintegrative. Hair cannot be destroyed by cold, change of climate, water, or other natural forces and it is resistant to many kinds of acids and corrosive chemicals.

What is the “glue” that holds societies

together?

What provides people with a

sense of belonging?

Why are these bubbles coming out of my head?

Emile DurkheimEmile DurkheimConcerned with social order and

stabilityPeople are a product of their social

environmentHuman potential is socially based, not biologically based

Societies are built on social factsRapid social change produces social

strain

Key Terms for DurkheimKey Terms for DurkheimSocial Facts

◦ Patterned ways of acting, thinking, and feeling that exist outside any one individual but that exert social control over each person.

Anomie◦ Social control becomes

ineffective as a result of the loss of shared values and a sense of purpose in society

Provide Some ExamplesProvide Some ExamplesSocial Facts Anomie

Conflict is necessary to produce social

change and a better society

I, too, have these bubbles popping out my head!

I think today I will establish a free and

classless society

Karl MarxKarl MarxHistory is a continuous clash between

conflicting ideas and forces◦Economic changes are most important

Class conflict between capitalist class (bourgeoisie) and the working class (proletariat)◦Alienation◦Fetishism of Commodities

Society should be changedCriticized for too much emphasis on

class struggleThey also believe that social institutions

(churches, schools, prisons etc.) have been created to perpetuate the division between the powerful and the powerless

Sociology should be value-free – it should

exclude the researcher’s personal values and economic

interests

Then, we need to gain the ability to see the world as

others see it

It really isn’t possible for

sociologists to be value-free is it?

Max WeberMax WeberBureaucracies – determines the social

relationships among people◦ These are destructive to human vitality and

freedomRationalization – the modern world has

become dominated by structures devoted to:◦ Efficiency◦ Calculability◦ Predictability◦ Technological Control

Emphasized the goal of value-free inquiry & necessity of understanding how others see the world

Structural FunctionalistStructural FunctionalistBased on the assumption that society

is a stable, orderly system (Durkheim)Societal Consensus

◦Common set of values, beliefs, behavioral expectations

Society composed of inter-related partsSocial structures and institutions

persist because they help society persist

Strains

Feminist TheoryFeminist TheoryFeminist Theorists focus on sex and

gender issues, believing that women have traditionally been disadvantaged in society because men have discriminated against them

They believe that men have made the decisions in society and that they tend to favour men.

Conflict PerspectiveConflict PerspectiveGroups in society are

engaged in continuous power struggle for control of scarce resources (Marx, Weber)

Encompasses several branches:◦ Neo-Marxist (class

struggle)◦ Racial-Ethnic

(exploitation)◦ Feminist (gender issues)

Post-ModernPost-ModernExisting theories have

not successfully explained social life in a contemporary society

Society focused on a shift from production to consumption

Postmodern Society◦ Information explosion◦ Rise of a consumer

society◦ Global Village

CultureCulture

The knowledge, language, values, customs, and material objects that are passed from person to person and from one generation to the next in a human group or society

ReflectioReflectionnWhy is culture important?

Material WorldMaterial WorldMaterial Culture

◦The physical or tangible (see, touch) that members of a society make, use, and share Raw Materials → Technology → Stuff

Non-Material Culture◦The abstract or intangible human

creations of society that influences people’s behavior Language, beliefs, values, rules of behavior,

family patterns, political systems

Cultural UniversalsCultural UniversalsCustoms and practices that occur

across all societies

Components of CultureComponents of CultureSymbols

◦ Anything that meaningfully represents something else

Language◦ A set of symbols that expresses ideas and enable

people to think and communicate with one anotherValues

◦ Collective ideas about what is right or wrong, good or bad, and desirable or undesirable in a particular culture

Norms◦ Established rules of behavior or standards of conduct

Come Up with Your OwnCome Up with Your OwnWith a partner, generate a list of

the following components of culture◦Symbols◦Language◦Values◦Norms

ReflectionReflectionWould you like to live in a place

where everyone:◦Is the same? (Homogeneous)

or

◦Is different? (Heterogeneous)

What is Diversity?What is Diversity?Cultural diversity refers to the

wide range of cultural differences found between and within nations◦Can be a result of natural

circumstances (climate, geography) or social circumstances (technology or demographics)

◦Societies can be homogeneous or heterogeneous

◦Heterogeneity in the U.S. (see chart – p. 91)

Have you ever been made to feel Have you ever been made to feel like an outsider?like an outsider?When societal tensions arise,

people may look for others on whom they can place blame or single out persons or groups who are the “outsider”, who do not belong.

SubcultureSubcultureA category of people who share

distinguishing attributes, beliefs, values, and/or norms that set them apart in some significant manner from the dominant culture.

CountercultureCountercultureA group that strongly rejects

dominant societal values and norms and seeks alternative lifestyles

EthnocentrismEthnocentrismThe practice of judging all other

cultures by one’s own cultureBased on the assumption that

one’s own way of life is superior to all others◦Can be positive or negative

Why might this map be considered

ethnocentric?

Are Social Networking Sites Are Social Networking Sites Good for Our Society?Good for Our Society?http://socialnetworking.procon.or

g/

What is the origin of romantic love? Originally, romanticlove was limited to affairs for medieval aristocrats such asTristan and Isolde, the subjects of a thirteenth centurycourt romance who inspired poems, operas, and films. Essentials Of Sociology, 3rd Edition

Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company

“How would you like me to answer that question? As a member of my ethnic group, educational class,income group, or religious category?”

Essentials Of Sociology, 3rd EditionCopyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company

Globalization and Everyday LifeEssentials Of Sociology, 3rd Edition


Globalization and Everyday Life


Table 1.2 A Sociologist’s Line of Questioning


Figure 1.2 Steps in the Research ProcessEssentials Of Sociology, 3rd Edition


In looking at this painting by Brueghel, we can observethe number of people, what each is doing, the style of thebuildings, or the colors the painter chose.


Table 1.3 Three of the Main Methods Used inSociological Research


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Sociology Unit Four Youth criminals shouldn't be treated as adults.....Discuss!