What is Sociology?

• What is Sociology?


  - the systematic study of human behavior in a social context

  - believes that people can't be studied individually but must be studied in the context of their social environment

  - Individuals have the capacity to influence society and society has the capacity to influence individuals

  - is about describing a phenomenon rather than making a judgment about what SHOULD the case
• The Sociological Imagination


  - mills thinks of it as connecting individual experiences with societal relationships

  - something that attempts to link biography/personal troubles with history/public issues
• Biography/Personal Troubles


  the life trajectory and experience of an individual person
• History/Public Issues


  the trajectory of a society over a period of time
• How to Become Batman


  this podcast demonstrates that people make observations of the social world for evidential confirmation of their ideological belief, instead of seeing the ways in which belief produces the so-called "evidence"
• Social Forces


  societal influences on people's character and their life trajectories
• 2 Types of Social Forces

  1. Ideology/Culture

  2. Social Structure
• Ideology/Culture


  systems of thought that influence us to perceive the world in particular ways, and to make particular judgements and can influence choices about behavior
• Social Structure


  stable patterns of social relations, often reinforced by social institutions (ex: university deciding how many people can enroll in a course)
• Social Constructions


  when your truth about reality comes from society
• Social Reproduction


  when the same societal configuration get reproduced over time

  - occurs when people's behaviors more or less align with the existing expectations (of ideology and the structure of social institutions)
• Social Change


  when the configuration of social institutions changes substantially over time (can change slow or fast)

  - occurs when people behave differently
• Empirical


  based on, concerned with, or verifiable by observation or experience

  - no ... observation will solve/answer an ethical question (ex: do drug dealers deserve compassion?)

  - ... question: asking workers what their circumstances were to end up in their position
• Max Weber


  "To take a practical political stand (morally) is one thing, and to analyze political structures and party positions is another." (how things actually are)

  AKA "to take a moral stand is one thing but to analyze how things actually are is another."
• Research Scope: Levels of Analysis

  - Macro

  - Mezzo

  - Micro
• Macro Level of Analysis

  - Public Policy

  - Culture

  - Society
• Mezzo Level of Analysis


  - Schools

  - Community

  - Healthy Agency
• Micro Level of Analysis


  - Family

  - Peers

  - Individuals
• The Research Cycle


  1. Formulate a Research Question

  2.Review Existing Literature

  3. Select a Research Method

  4. Collect Data

  5. Analyze Data

  6. Report Results