Lecture 1 Flashcards
psychology vs sociology
within psychology, one looks at the individual and the psyche whereas in sociology, one looks at society
- psychology give a more individual explanation while sociology gives a more social explanation
Durkheim’s 4 types of suicide
- altruistic suicide: too much integration in society
- selfish suicide: too little integration in society
- anomic suicide: too little regulation in society
- fatalistic suicide: too much regulation in society
the paradox of modern society
despite people being social beings who need social contacts, individuality is seen as an important value in modern society
- involves autonomy, self-identity, and originality
sociology
conducts systematic research on human society
- human patterns of thinking, feeling, and acting are examined within sociology
- it is a critical view of all things social (‘seeing the general in specific things’)
- examines interactions between people/categories of people
the architecture of social life
- cosmic: the broadest layer of reality, the universe
- global: connectedness of all that is social and cultural
- social and cultural: societies, and states with symbolic meaning for us, but which also exist independently of us
- interactional: we experience the world directly and interact with others
- individual: your individual experience
advantages of sociology
- debunking: not every thought is always true
- everything is constantly changing
- understanding: better understanding of the circumstances one is in
- sociology becomes part of the social debate
- empowering: shows the disadvantage of some groups which can be mobilizing
- acknowledgement
disadvantages of sociology
- part of a changing world: we are studying a moving object
- sociologists are a part of what they study: it’s hard to keep a distance
- social knowledge becomes part of society: the work of sociologists is recursive, it gives itself feedback
sociological imagination
the difference between personal and social problems
easier ways to adopt the sociological perspecitve
- it is easier to adopt with sociological perspect with greater marginality
- sociological thinking is more common among social outsiders as they become more aware off patterns that ‘insiders’ take for granted
- it is also easier in a case of crisis, as these situations throw us off balance
the sociological perspective
the viewpoint of the core of sociology in which people’s behavior and lives reveal general social patterns
Zygmunt Bauman’s distinguish between sociology and common sense
- responsible speech: the rules of responsible argumentation
- size of the field: transcending one’s own social world
- making sense: explaining and interpreting human behavior by looking at the various figurations and institutions in which people are embedded
- defamiliarize: the ability to question things known and taken for granted
3 stages of sociology
- micro level: the smallest level, including close family and friends
- meso level: includes for example the workplace and training
- macro level: the largest level consisting of the government and the country
3 main questions of sociology
- how is social disorder possible?
- how is social inequality possible?
- how does the process of rationalization (modernization) of the world work?
the global perspecitve
looking at the world as a whole, and the role society plays
- world divided into 3 different groups based on their economic development
high income countries
have the highest overall standard of living
- the people are economically well off and possess the most wealth
- includes most countries in Western Europe, USA, Canada, Japan, and Australia
middle income countries
have an average standard of living
- great social inequality in these countries (very poor and very rich)
- includes alsmost all Latin American and Asian countries, and some African and Eastern European countries
low income countries
countries with a low standard of living
- most inhabitants are poor
- some countries in Africa and Asia
lack of variation in sociology
- most contributions made by white, Western, heterosexual males
- research field is often too narrow
globalization
is about increasingly connecting different societies around the world
- creates more hybridization and more international prosperity and markets
Peter Berger
an American sociologist, described sociology as something that helps recognize general patterns in people’s behavior
- each individual is unique, however, these individuals belong to diverse categories in society
4 general benefits in everyday life
- is important in the formation of laws and government actions that affect life
- studying sociology is preparation for the job market
- the sociological perspective makes us think more critically
- it helps with personal growth and awareness
roles of sociologists
- researchers: they collect and analyze data on humans
- theorist: they try to gain a deeper understanding about people by interpreting and connecting data
- critic: they need to look critically at the world around them (‘nothing is what it seems’)
- teacher: they have to teach and write, but also support government institutions
public sociology
can be used to raise awareness of the issues among people, translate technical terms into terms that can be understood, give recognition to the different perspective on issues, or give place to public debates
sociology in relation to other disciplines
- history: social events should be placed on a timeline, and there should be an understanding of the circumstances
- philosophy: understanding the assumptions of human nature
- anthropology: recognize that we always judge another culture from the biases learned from our own culture
- literature: books, movies, and theater are part of human life; sociologists should ask whether we can create these imaginary worlds in other places and times
- but economics, politics, biology, and many other disciplines are also related to sociology
