Chapter 1- What Is Sociology

Question 1

What is the study of sociology

Answer 1

The systematic study of society- the society is too large and it’ll would be almost impossible to study completely
So sociologist study a part of the society

Question 2

What is human interconnectedness in reference to the study if society?

Answer 2

In other to understand the social interactions in humans we must study not just the individual but all the influences around their life. The connectedness that affect their lives must be studied

But that is particularly difficult as their are multiple influences although finite, so sociologist study a part out of the whole society

This can be intimate relationships, larger relationships or medium sized relationships

Question 3

Explain sociology as an umbrella

Answer 3

It is all encompassing of different humanities like economics, linguistics, anthropology, history, politics, psychology

These although have distinct topics they study but those topics can be modified to be studied in context of the society

Question 4

How many sections are in the American sociological association

Answer 4

53

Question 5

What did C. Wright Mills mean by:
Neither the life of an individual nor the history of a society can be understood without understanding both

Every individual lives from one generation to the next in some society, that he lives out a biography and that he lives it out within some historical sequence. By fact of his living he contributes, however minutely to the shaping of this society and to the course of its history, even as he in made by society and by its historical push and shove

Answer 5

To study sociology involves the CO-CONSTITUTION of individual and society.
We cannot understand the individual without understanding the influence the society has in the individual
And we cannot study the society without the people that are living and affecting the events within that society

Question 6

What did Karl Mark mean by:
Men make their own history, but they do not make it simply as they please, they do not make it under self-selected circumstances, but under circumstances directly found, given and transmitted from the past

Answer 6

Behavior of the people in a society influence that society
We cannot understand an individual only by the choices they make.
Their choices are as a result of their mindset and the society as well.
So we don’t just study a person from their choices but the elements within that society that influenced those choices

For example i chose to loc my hair, not solely because I didn’t like the stress of braids but also because the price of braids was too much, the inconvenience of transport, the weather influencing a simple hair choice to fit my cap, seeing Chimdi’s locs because I went to the Christmas party- all societal factors that influenced my choice

Question 7

What is the role of circumstance and inequality in the study sociology

Answer 7

Our circumstance influenced by the society affect our choices

Inequality affects the choices we make although people may have similar circumstances.
Same opportunity different choices because of inequality

Question 8

Explain how mills explained social imagination from the point of intimate connections

Answer 8

Mills commented on how our most intimate and private moments in our lives with the totality of the society

Question 9

Explain the connection between the intimate moments of our lives and the societies influence in context of social imagination

Answer 9

The most intimate moments in our lives should should be understood with the influence the society have with those moments as well
For example the experience of giving birth although very intimate between month we and child but the type of hospital, epidural, nurses and doctors

Question 10

Explain the relationship between biography/ personal troubles and history/ public issues

Answer 10

People often think our personal trouble result form our behavior and choices, although there is a small role our choices play but the decisions we make is constrained by the society that is by the history and public issues—> co- constitution

Question 11

Who emphasized the co-constitution of individual people and societies they are imbedded

Answer 11

Mills Wright

Question 12

Explain the reasoning behind Mills relation between personal trouble and public issues from, with respect to Vietnam war example in context to coconstituion between in individual and the society

Answer 12

According to Mills with respect to the Vietnam war, the personal trouble was an American getting drafted for the war and not anting to fight
The pubic issue was the mandate to go to war regardless of who you were
So although a personal reason which was to not go to war this is made because if the context of the Public mandate to go to war
The individual- biography being American or Vietnamese and the personal trouble being drafted for war
The society- history relation between the two countries and the public issue, the war between the two countries

Question 13

What is the relationship between personal troubles and public issues

Answer 13

Social forces

Question 14

What are social forces

Answer 14

Societal level mechanisms that affect the direction of an individuals life and affect their character

Question 15

Social forces include what

Answer 15

Ideology/culture
Social structures

Question 16

What is ideology

Answer 16

Thoughts we have that affect how we see the world and the judgements we make then influence the choices and behavior

OUR THOUGHT
When we decide to make certain decisions out of our own free will

Question 17

What is social structure

Answer 17

How the social world is organized to create particular patterns that lead to practical activity

When we are made to act in a certain pattern because of societal rules not out of our own minds

Question 18

Explain the reasoning behind Mills relation between personal trouble and public issues from, with respect to unemployment example in context to coconstituion between in individual and the society

Answer 18

Mills gives an example that at the individual context someone’s decision to not work could be as a result of being rich, having parents funds but in a situation when there only 80 jobs available and 100 people are searching for work the remaining 20% lack of a job is not because of their own reason but more public and societies fault for lack of jobs avauvkbe

Question 19

Explain the reasoning behind Mills relation between personal trouble and public issues from, with respect to marriage example in context to coconstituion between in individual and the society

Answer 19

If in a society the rate divorce after even 4 years of marriage is 250 out of 1000 marriages, in this situation, there must be something between these marriages that although my seem like its the issue of the couple but the society may be playing larger role that contributes to the breakdown

For example,e consider 2 societies, one has 25% in breakdown of marriage and the other 10% but in the first society the process to divorce is much easier and smother than society 2 where the government may make a mandate that only certain reasons can cause people to divorce.
In a situation like that the feelings or personal trouble of the individuals neglected as long as it doesn’tmeet with the standard the government put in place therefore considering the societal, aspect and not just the personal trouble is a key point that mills tries to illustrate as having a social imagination

Question 20

Give an example that distinguishes ideology and social structure

Answer 20

Ideology influences our thoughts that change our behavior, for example when people began wearing face mask because of their own personal research about how to protect yourself from diseases

Social structure is the world being organized in certain patterns that force or indirectly cause us to change our thoughts and therefore our behavior- so when the government sent out the mandate that everyone hands to wear mask regardless of your age, health or class.

Question 21

Personal thoughts that we internalize, affect our thoughts and therefore influence our behavior is considered what?

Answer 21

Ideology

Question 22

What works by influencing our subjective thought, mind and beliefs that causes a change in our behavior which can sometimes be invincible to us, so such desires are not from us but from the societies influence

Answer 22

Social structure

Question 23

Explain the concept of ideology from the perspective of consumer culture

Answer 23

The idea of purchasing a certain brand of water bottle, i may have 5 other water bottles in my house but this new brand of bottle that has different colors which all have a specific name to them peaks my interest and i desire to get that one.
The idea to buy a new water bottle is not inherently from our own thought but with the way the society (bottle company) created a brand name, that influences my thoughts and i get the bottle

Question 24

What’s the difference between a subjective and objective view of the world

Answer 24

Subjective means in relation to a topic that has to do with mind and thought, thinking- you could say the type of ice cream people like is subjective, based on an individuals thoughts

Objective is more of an object in a physical reality or space. For example the temperature and feel of ice cream is cold

For example the people had a subjective thought that the world was flat but objectively, that’s false its round. So we may have a thought that maybe true false or true but objectively it is what it is regardless of what you think it is or should be

Question 25

What maybe be experienced as being unique to an individual but exhibit observable patterns?

These observable patterns are study be sociologist to understand what ?

Answer 25

Behavior
Ideology

Question 26

How do sociologist study the effects of ideology

Answer 26

By observing the patterns of behavior caused by change in thoughts and influenced by the societies

Question 27

How does social structure affect the decision we take in context to the ideal college student

Answer 27

Ina school system there is a built in hierarchy of letter grades that determines how well you do, a student who does not necessarily have the ideology or thought of being the best student but if they plan to apply to law school or med school, they’ll need a good gpa. So indirect causing us to change our thought and influence our behavior

So without having to directly influence thought like ideology, by the structure in place we are sort of mandated to follow a particular pattern
Structure—> ideology/culture—> individual thought

Question 28

What provides explanation about how the society influence the individual

Answer 28

Social forces like ideology and social structure

Question 29

What provides information on how individuals affect society

Answer 29

Agency and societal reproduction

Question 30

What is agency

Answer 30

The ability of each person to make a decision for them self is agency

Question 31

How is agency a part of societal reproduction

Answer 31

Societal reproduction is when individuals make decisions in accordance with the structure put in place
By making a decision to act on or against the ideologies or structure that exist, that is agency, so in order to reproduce an idea or mandate from structure, we have to choose/ make the decision to obey them

Which is why structure or ideology would not exist without human decisions

Question 32

How does social change differ from social reproduction

Answer 32

When the decisions individuals make is not consistent with the social structure and ideology/ culture.
So i choose to murder a human even though the idea is horrific, there would be repercussions that may include the death penalty or inprisonment set by structures

INCONSISTENT with the norm

Question 33

Why do sociologist study patterns observable from a larger group of people

Answer 33

Because of the complex link between ideology, structure and agency, each individual although still influenced by the society, behave in distinct ways that’ll be too difficult to study

Therefore sociologist study larger groups of people because people make decisions that are consistent with ideology and structure most of the time. So they study these recognizable PATTERNS