Sociology A Level First Year

• Sociology


  The systematic study of human groups and social life in modern society
• Sociology


  • It is a way of looking into how humans interact with each other and how they respond to social constructs and values
  • Society forms its own institutions, which is a main focus of study in sociology
  • Said institutions are what form a society's social structure, which is the blueprint to how society functions in everyday life
• Sociology takes a deeper dive into what people take for granted usually, like their families, education, social media and even simple things like mannerisms and practices in different cultures
• The diversity and common grounds between cultures all over the world is all thanks to how society developed throughout the years
• Sociology began truly from this, which commenced in the late 18th century


  The Industrial Revolution
• The Industrial Revolution took place during the Enlightenment Period, where people in society started considering their own reason over blind superstition and faith in respective religions
• With the sudden introduction of capitalism, imperialism and The Agricultural Revolution, the structure of society changed very quickly, and these changes created a rapid surge in population, more employment opportunities and a stronger fight for equality amongst society
• The three founding fathers of sociology

  • Marx, Comte and Spencer
• Marx's argument


  As workers were brought together in large numbers, class-consciousness would develop
• Marx's view


  The ideologies and norms raised in a society are heavily dependent on the way of life that the people of the time had
• Comte's Structural Perspective


  Society makes people who they are and defines their identity
• Comte's belief


  Sociology had to emerge from a scientific base and had to be objective
• Spencer's view


  Society worked on a survival-of-the-fittest basis, and that if you wanted to be in power, you had to sometimes be immoral
• This unfortunately led to the justification of imperialism and racism in certain circumstances at the time
• Sociological imagination


  Individuals see their own perspective according to their context, and base decisions on their own views of their social experience
• Sociology is a very opinion-based subject with endless theories and contextual arguments, but it is a concept that advocates for the development of society, ideally in a fair, beneficial way
• Sociology gives an individual the opportunity to take a deeper dive into what is usually their daily social interactions and experiences
• Social institutions


  Social organisations of a specific social aspect, like family, education, economy, legal system
• Social structure


  Social institutions put together, like the government and health system
• Norms


  Things or social cues that come for granted in a society
• Values


  Concepts that specific people hold true to themselves
• The Social Self


  The idea that there is the you that is yourself, and the you that is how society perceives you
• Sociological perspectives


  • Macro; Functionalism or conflict theory
  • Micro; Social interactionists
• Structuralism


  A theory by Giddens, who believes that it's a mix of both society making people and people making society
• Capitalism


  €1 - €0.1 = labour, €0.5 = products, €0.4 = Profit for capitalists
• Weber's view


  Not just economy that affects social change, but also ideas. Modern society pushes towards rationalisation which is simply logical modes of thought
• Harriet Martineau


  • English, the first woman sociologist; positivist, evolutionist, feminist. She said society would improve when women and men would be treated equally; she enlightened reform and cooperation among all social classes. She believed that when we reach these points we have truly progressed socially
• Sociological perspectives


  • Functionalists
  • Conflict theorists
  • Symbolic interactionists
• Durkheim's view


  Society is greater than the pieces that make it up. It exists with its own life force. In order to understand people, you must understand society. He believed very hard in statistics being used in sociology
• Social Solidarity


  If we lost any of it, we would descend into ANOMIE, which happens when the norms and values which we are traditionally agreed upon are thrown off balance, putting us in a place where we no longer have direction
• Culture


  The way of life in a society. Culture in Malta changed and evolved with society due to its many political influences
• Cultures vary across the world, with no culture inferior/superior to another (culture preferences is subjective)
• Socialisation


  Culture is inseminated into one's life from early childhood
• Dominant culture


  The general for-granted culture that a society or institution follows. Ex; dominant culture in Malta is Catholicism
• Subculture


  Aesthetics/fashion/art, Religion + cultural act, Food-related beliefs, Trends (areas of interest; topics, sport etc), Work, Lifestyle
• Types of subcultures


  • Resistant Subcultures
  • Counter Subcultures
• Folk Culture (in Malta)


  • Traditional food, Agriculture, Ghonnella, Ghana, Artigianal works/ crafts, Games (noli etc), Legends, Skills/toolswork, Divertiment
• High Culture


  Expensive lifestyle: food, clothes, Extravagant, Culture of investment, Opera, piano, harp, classical, Private schooling, hospitals etc, Culture of ownership, wealth, freedom, separation from the lower class, Leisure time
• Mass/Popular/Low Culture


  Fast Food + Fashion (Shein, Zara, Kiabi), Public Transport, Community Colleges, Illegal Downloads/Piracy, Social Media, Mainstream pop (T.S, Harry Styles), Free Public Events, Trashy Novels, Netflix (Stranger Things), Maltese TV/cable (Simpatici, Love Island, MGT), Full time/multiple jobs (working with school), Smartphones/android
• Mainstream culture is criticised for making people seem like they have no personalities, and the product of it is not always fruitful