Unit 1: What is Sociology?
Why should we study sociology? How can we apply it to the real world? Sociology is the systematic study of society. C. Wright Mills (1916–1962), the American sociologist, coined the concept of sociological imagination to encourage us to recognize the connections and distinctions between our personal lives and larger social issues.
For example, did you know the United States has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the industrialized world? Sociologists explore individual decisions through the lens of society. Using the scientific method, we can study how and why the trend of teen pregnancy exists. How do social issues influence this personal experience? Teenagers receive direction and influence from sex education in schools, religion, access to birth control, sexualization in the media, poverty, and women's alternatives to childbearing.
Humans create theories to make sense of the world. These theories are not necessarily "right" and "wrong" but frameworks we use to understand. For example, the earliest humans created theories about how the Earth originated and what happens when we die. Sociological theories examine our societal beliefs. We will explore three classical sociological paradigms; structural-functional, social conflict, and symbolic interaction. Each paradigm presents a different lens sociologists use to study society.
Finally, we examine why we should study sociology. For example, sociologists helped argue for ending "separate but equal" racial segregation in the United States. Sociology teaches how individuals fit into society and how we classify ourselves and others.
Completing this unit should take you approximately 4 hours.
Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- define sociology;
- explain the benefit of using sociological imagination;
- describe different types of societies;
- identify theories and concepts from classical and contemporary sociological theories; and
- compare the theoretical perspectives on society: functionalist, conflict, and symbolic interactionism.
1.1: Introduction to Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. As with other academic disciplines, sociology uses the scientific method to systematically examine the groups, interactions, institutions, and categories that shape our individual lives. This section introduces how we use the sociological imagination to view the world differently.
Sociology helps us assess the truth of "common sense" and the cultural expectations we take for granted. Sociology can help us be more active and informed participants in our diverse world. Sociology can teach us to empathize with others and help create a better society and world.
Read this text, which explains the central concepts of sociology. It explores the development of different sociological concepts, such as the three components of culture – a group's shared practices, values, and beliefs. What are some cultural facts, according to sociologists?
Read this text for an overview of sociology as a way of thinking and academic discipline. Pay attention to the impact of positivism on sociology and the importance of scientific research methods. Why is it important that sociology is based on science and not opinion?
Watch this video for a brief explanation of sociology. According to the American Sociological Association, sociologists study society, individual behaviors, and interactions. This includes family, education, and economics. How do social institutions affect our decision-making?
This video briefly explains the sociological imagination, the connection, and the distinction between personal troubles and public issues. This video examines examples of shifting perspectives from the personal to the public regarding being overweight and obese. Try envisioning a challenge you have experienced through a sociological perspective.
In this video, Sam Richards explains how he introduces his students to the sociological perspective. This practice begins with empathy – where you can sympathize with and understand another person's perspective by "putting yourself in their shoes". Richards uses a radical exercise to help individuals pursue empathy through perspective-taking. Challenge yourself to view the world from someone else's perspective. Try putting yourself into the shoes of someone who has a different cultural or ethnic background.
Watch this video on the benefits of using sociological imagination to view opportunities and life constraints. Pay attention to how the groups we belong to shape our experiences and outcomes. Can you see how everyone's life is influenced by the social categories we belong to, such as social class, gender, race, and ethnicity?
1.2: History of Sociology
Sociology became prominent as an academic discipline in Europe during the industrial revolution (1760–1840) when researchers began studying rapid social change. They adopted a scientific approach rather than relying on opinion, religion, and dominant cultural ideologies.
Read this text, which introduces classical European and contemporary American sociological thinkers.
Read this text on Auguste Comte (1798–1857), a French philosopher who founded the concept of positivism, which articulated that sociology follows the principles of the natural sciences. Many call Comte "the father of sociology."
Read this text on Karl Marx (1818–1883), a German philosopher who argued that economic history is filled with examples of conflicts over scarce resources between business owners (the bourgeois) and the working class (the proletariat). Marx was a revolutionary activist who founded critical theory. Pay attention to the main arguments of his most famous work, The Communist Manifesto.
Read this text on Herbert Spencer (1820–1903), an English philosopher who applied Darwin's evolutionary theory to study society which he called Social Darwinism. Spencer coined the term "survival of the fittest" and applied it to societal inequality.
Read this text on Georg Simmel (1858–1918), the German sociologist who rejected simple materialism and interactionism. He believed society comprises complex interactions that create more than the sum of its parts. His work was influential in philosophy and sociology.
Read this text on Émile Durkheim (1858–1817), a French sociologist who pioneered the functionalist approach, which looks at how different parts of society function to keep the society healthy and balanced. Durkheim is famous for his early studies on suicide and insights into the power of social facts.
Read this text on Max Weber (1864–1920), a German sociologist who was an anti-positivist who believed ideas fuel modern society. His work was influential in economics and religion. Pay attention to his most famous work, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.
According to this resource, "symbolic interactionism theory, the third of the three most recognized theories of sociology, is based on Weber's early ideas that emphasize the viewpoint of the individual and how that individual relates to society. For Weber, the culmination of industrialization, rationalization, and the like results in what he referred to as the iron cage, in which the individual is trapped by institutions and bureaucracy. This leads to a sense of 'disenchantment of the world,' a phrase Weber used to describe the final condition of humanity."
Read this text on Harriet Martineau (1802–1876), an English sociologist who translated Comte's work and was one of the early influential feminists. She advocated for equal education and pay between men and women and was an early abolitionist.
Read this text on W.E.B. Du Bois (1868–1963), an American sociologist who was the first Black man who had the opportunity to earn a doctorate at Harvard University. He wrote about the double consciousness of being a Black man in America. He founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909 and had a tremendous influence on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the American civil rights movement.
Read this text on George Herbert Mead (1863–1931), an American philosopher and social theorist who is an early thinker in the symbolic interaction approach. He was interested in how we use symbols to make meanings. Pay attention to his explanation of the "I" (internal self) and the "me" (social or external self).
1.3: Social Constructions of Reality
Society is a social construct. This means that humans create a society, and we define what things mean in our everyday communications. Our actions are not driven by instinct but by the rules of engagement based on the situation or status we occupy. For example, consider your status as a student. What are some expected behaviors for students?
Read this text, which provides a micro explanation of society. According to the social construction of reality, society is created by our daily interactions. Pay attention to the impact of roles and statuses and our presentation of self in everyday life.
1.4: Three Theoretical Perspectives in Sociology
Theories help us understand and explain social phenomena. A paradigm is a set of ideas. Think about paradigms as if you are putting on a pair of glasses to view the world. For example, you could use biology glasses to view teen pregnancy from the perspective of health and the human body. Sociological theories help us understand and explain society.
This section introduces the three classical paradigms in sociology, which we will explore as we study different sociological situations and concepts throughout this course: functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism. Functionalism and conflict theory use a macro perspective to view how society works to create order, stability, conflict, and inequality. Symbolic interaction is a micro perspective that examines how everyday interactions influence our society.
- Functionalists view society as a living organism that is always seeking stability. Émile Durkheim studied how we behave differently individually and collectively regarding collective consciousness and shared ideas. Notice the difference between societies held together by mechanical and organic solidarity.
- Karl Marx created the idea of conflict theory which focuses on the economy as a basis of society, its institutions, and its superstructure. According to conflict theory, owners create false consciousness among the workers, and the nature of their work leads to alienation.
- Finally, symbolic interaction theory builds on Max Weber's ideas of rationalization of society and the impact of power on individual interactions. A rational society is built around logic and efficiency rather than morality or tradition. Weber's primary focus on the structure of society lay in the elements of class, status, and power.
Read this text on functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism. Notice how functionalists focus on order and stability while conflict theorists and symbolic interactionists focus on how the economy and power shape societies.
Watch this video, which summarizes functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism and discusses the basic tenets of macro versus micro perspectives. How does using multiple perspectives help us understand society better?
Watch this video on the classic macro paradigm functionalism. Pay attention to the goal of stability and order through societal institutions and social facts. Consider the social institution of education. How does education contribute to order and stability in society?
Watch this video on the classic macro paradigm conflict theory. Pay attention to its focus on inequality and social conflict based on who are the owners and the workers. Pay attention to the development of class consciousness. How does class consciousness encourage social change?
Watch this video on Karl Marx's conflict theory. Make sure you can define the terms bourgeois, proletariat, and alienation. What are the four types of alienation?
Watch this video on symbolic interactionism. Pay attention to the interaction among individuals to explain the creation of society and the three tenets of symbolic interactionism. What is a meaning that has changed over time for you?
- Functionalists view society as a living organism that is always seeking stability. Émile Durkheim studied how we behave differently individually and collectively regarding collective consciousness and shared ideas. Notice the difference between societies held together by mechanical and organic solidarity.
1.5: Types of Societies
Sociologists categorize societies as pre-industrial, industrial, and post-industrial. Each stage examines the social impact of daily life, institutions, and individual interactions. Many of our behaviors follow the status and roles of society that were determined before we were born. We often think our behavior is entirely shaped by psychological factors.
Consider Shakespeare's idea that society is a stage, and we are merely actors playing our parts. How do you present yourself in everyday life? How do you manage the impression you make in different settings, such as in an office environment or during a job interview?
Code-switching refers to how people from minority communities consciously and unconsciously adjust their language, syntax, grammatical structure, behavior, and appearance to fit into the dominant culture. We all do this to some extent in different venues, but the pressure to conform is often stronger and more critical for those less represented.
Read this text on the characteristics of preindustrial, industrial, and postindustrial societies. Make sure you can describe the difference between them.
Unit 1 Assessment
- Receive a grade
Take this assessment to see how well you understood this unit.
- This assessment does not count towards your grade. It is just for practice!
- You will see the correct answers when you submit your answers. Use this to help you study for the final exam!
- You can take this assessment as many times as you want, whenever you want.