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Part 1)How do feel about the main sociological perspectives? Which of the main three (conflict, functionalist, symbolic interactionist) most represents your perspective? Why?posts should be at least 150 words.Part 2). Reaction Papers: You are expected to read all material and prepare a reaction paper of 1-2 full pages (min. 600 to 1000 words) for each reading assignment. These papers should discuss your analysis of the material and in particular how it relates to your life experience. First person, avoid summary and do not use quotes.
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Soc. 101
Ch. 1
I the Sociological Imagination
a) Troubles vs. issues
b) Sociology as Social Science
i.
Empirical- society can be studied based on observation and data
c) ocial Structures- organized patterns of social relationships and institutions
d) Social institution- a complex structure that meets a need.
e) Debunking myths
II Founders
a) Comte- “Sociology”
b) Spencer- Scientific Method
c) Marx- Economic determinism
i.
Dialectic/conflict theory
d) Durkheim- Collective Consciousness
i.
Anomie/Suicide
ii. Positivist sociology- the world can be described and predicted based on sensory
experience. (social facts)
e) Weber- Value-free
i.
f)
Verstehen-“understanding”
Simmel- small group interactions
a. Critical distance
g) Chicago School- the social self
i.
Action research, activism and social justice
ii.
Jane Addams- Hull House
iii.
W.E.B. Du Bois-Double consciousness
III Theory
a) Structural Functionalism
A) Stability, Harmony and Evolution
B) Functions and Dysfuntions
i)
Manifest and Latent
b) Conflict theory
A) Competition, Inequality and Social Change
B) Feminist theory
c) Symbolic Interaction Theory
A) Meanings are important, Meanings grow out of relationships, Meanings are
Negotiated between people
d) Post Modernist theory- deconstructionist theory
e) Mid-range theory-a theory which attempts to predict how certain institution will function
f) Social construction –an entity exists because people behave as if it exists.
IV Reseach
A) Macro sociology vs. Micro sociology
Chapter Outline
A busy commuter train station might seem like a very individualized
place. Tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of strangers flow
through with a singular purpose: to get where they need to go. Whether
walking through main doors at a pace of a dozen people each second,
or arriving by train hundreds at a time, the station can feel a bit like a
balloon being pumped too full. Throngs of people cluster in tight
bottlenecks until they burst through corridors and stairways and
tunnels to reach the next stage of their journey. In some stations,
walking against the crowd can be a tedious, nearly impossible process.
And cutting across a river of determined commuters can be almost
dangerous. Things are fast, relentless, and necessary.
:
But are those hundred thousand or half a million or, in the case of
Tokyo’s Shinjuku station, 3.5 million people really acting individually? It
may seem surprising, but even with those numbers, strangers from
across cities can synch up on the same schedules, use the same doors,
take one leg of the trip together every day before separating into
different directions. After just a few months, faces can become familiar,
and senses can be tuned. An experienced commuter can tell where
another person is going according to their pace and whatever
announcement just went out; they may slow up a bit to let the other
person pass, or hold a door open just a bit longer than usual, certain
that someone will grab the handle behind them. Many regulars don’t
need to check the schedule board; they sense whether a train is
running late or whether a track has changed simply by the movement
of the crowd.
And then the customs develop: Which side to walk on, how fast to go,
where to stand, how much space to leave between people on the
escalator. When you board early, which seat should you take? When
you see someone running for the train, do you jam the closing door with
your foot? How does the crowd treat people who ask for food or
money? What’s the risk level in telling someone to be quiet?
:
Very few of these behaviors are taught. None are written down. But the
transit hub, that pocket of constant flow, is an echo of its society. It
takes on some aspects of the city and country around it, but its people
also form an informal group of their own. Sociologists, as you will learn,
may study these people. Sociologists may seek to understand how
they feel about their trip, be it proud or annoyed or just plain exhausted.
Sociologists might study how length of commute relates to job
satisfaction or family relationships. They may study the ways that
conditions of a train station affect attitudes about government, or how
the difficulty of commuting may lead people to relocate. This
:
understanding isn’t just a collection of interesting facts; it can influence
government policy and spending decisions, employer interventions,
and healthcare practices. The work sociologists do to understand our
society, and the work you will do in learning about it, is meaningful to
our lives and our futures.
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