Sociology
the study of human behaviors as they are affected by social interactions within groups, organizations, societies, and the plant.
Social Interaction
everday events in which the people involved take one another into account, concsioucly and unconsciously attach mean to the situation, and interpret what others are saying and doing and then respond accordingly.
Social Facts
ideas, feelings, and ways of behaving that "possess the remarkable property of existing outside the consciousness of the individual." From the time we are born, the people around us seek to impose upon us ways of thinking, feeling, and acting that we had
August Comte
Named Sociology in 1839, father of positivism
August Comte: Law of Three stages-Theocratic
people explain the events going on in the world as the work of personified dieties. Dieties can be objects such as the sun or trees, a variety of gods, or a supreme diety.
August Comte: Law of Three stages-Metaphysical
people draw upon abstract and broad concepts to define features of reality that cannot be observed through the sense or direct experience. Philosophical questions such as the nature of the human mind, the meanings of life, and good v. evil.
August Comte: Law of Three stages-Positive
The conceptually superior stage. People use scientific explanations grounded in observation and experimental designs to understand world. Comte placed sociology in this third stage.
Social Statics
The forces that hold societies together such that they endure over time.
Social dynamics
The forces that cause societies to change.
Karl Marx
-Sought to analyze and explain conflict
-The communist manifesto
-Class conflict was the vehicle that propelled people from one historical epoch to another.
-understanding causes and consequences of inequality
-Proletariat and Bourgeoisie
-Das kapital
Solidarity
The ties that bind people to one another in society.
Emily Durheim:FourTypes of Suicide-Egoistic
-A state in which the ties attaching the individuals to others in the society are weak.
-When individuals are detached from others, they encounter less resistance to suicide.
-Excessive individuation
Emily Durheim:FourTypes of Suicide-Altruistic
-A state in which the ties attaching the individual to the group are such that he or she has no life beyond the group and strives to blend in with the group to have a sense of being.
-When people commit suicide, it is on behalf of the group they love more
Emily Durheim:FourTypes of Suicide-Anomic
-A state in which the ties attaching the individual to the group are disrupted due to dramatic changes in economic circumstances.
-Particular emphasis on economic situations.
Emily Durheim:FourTypes of Suicide-Fatalistic
-A state in which the ties attaching the individual to the group involve discipline so oppressive it offers no chance of release.
-Individuals see their futures as permanently blocked.
Max Weber: Four Types of Social Action-Traditional
-A goal is pursued because it was pursued in the past.
-"That is the way it has always been.
Max Weber: Four Types of Social Action-Affectional
-A goal is pursued in response to an emotion such as revenge, love, or loyalty.
-A soldier sacrificing himself/herself to protect their unit.
Max Weber: Four Types of Social Action-Value-Rational
-A valued goal is pursued with a deep and abiding awareness of the "symbolic meaning" of the actions taken to pursue the goal.
-Action is guided by codes of conduct that prohibit certain kinds of behavior and permit others.
-The means of achieving the goa
Max Weber: Four Types of Social Action-Instumental-Rational
-A valued goal is pursued by the most efficient means, often without considering the appropriateness or consequences of those means.
-It is result oriented action.
-For example, the Industrial Revolution put value on profit and cost effective production.
W.E.B. DuBois
-Wrote 22 books and 5 novels mostly pertaining to the black community.
-He had a fascination with the "strange meaning of being black" and the color line.
Color Line
A barrier supported by customs and laws separating nonwhites from whites, especially with regard to their place in the division of labor.
Double Consciousness
The sense of looking at one's self through the eyes of others.
Ideology of Consumption
-"proclaims that the meaning of life is to be found in the things that we possess."
-when one consumes one feels alive, and "to remain fully alive, we must continuously consume, discard, and consume" (p. 601).
The expansion of capitalism depends on creati
Global interdependence
a situation in which human interaction and social problems transcend national borders.
Globalization
the ever-increasing flow of goods, services, money, people, technology, etc. across political borders.
Position 1 on globalization
Globalization is producing a homogeneity that fuses distinct cultural practices/traditions into something that could be called a world culture as embodied in trends such as world beat, world cuisine, and world cinema and the Olympic games.
Position 2 on Globalization
Globalization is producing a homogeneous world by destroying variety or, more specifically, the local cultures that get in the way of "progress" or cannot compete against large corporations.
Position 3 on globalization
Globalization actually brings value to and appreciation for local products and ways of doing things. Although the products of corporate capitalism penetrate local markets, local ingredients, tastes, and preferences do not disappear.
Position 4 on globalization
Globalization and its interconnections intensify cultural differences by actually sparking conflicts as people fight:
to preserve their identity and way of life,
(2) to resist outside influences that clash with cultural ideals, or
(3) to protect and enfor
Capitalism
is the force shaping the character of globalization in several ways.