Unit 1: What is Sociology?Essential Questions:
What do social groups do for you?
Did you choose your social group because they were like you, or did you become like them?
WHY BOTHER?
Most people don’t recognize how much they are shaped by the people around them
Most people assume that their
By understanding other groups
they are able to see
Sociological Imagination
• 1. The ability to see the connection between our lives, those of our social group, and
• 2. The ability to use sociology to examine what has happened and to
•Are you a completely unique individual or are you the product of the Town of New Providence, your parents, your school, or your friends?
The Background: Mr. Sociology
•August Comte:
•French philosopher
•Goal to uncover “laws” that govern society … lead to social reform and a better place to live
•Coined the term
•Considered the “founder” of sociology
Karl “must be the money” Marx
Marx thought that Class Struggle
between
Society is a
war
Between
Marx would be
Classified as a
Herbert Spencer:“Survival of the Fittest”FUNCTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE:
•SPENCER: The death of the
Spencer fell out of favor because
Of his perceived
Emile Durkheim
•Used Science to examine groups
•Functionalist: institutions and practices in society
•Dysfunction: when society breaks down because of the
•
What would be the function of:
–Religion? (Durkheim’s favorite)
-Schools
-Prisons
-Organized Sports
Self-Test• What is Sociology?
• How does Sociological imagination help us better understand the world around us?
• Why is August Comte the father of sociology?
• What makes Karl Marx a conflict theorist?
• Are Herbert Spenser’s theories wrong? Why or why not?
• What function does Durkheim suggest an institution such as religion serve for our society?