WHAT IS Marshall High School Sociology Mr. Cline Unit One- Slides - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

WHAT IS Marshall High School Sociology Mr. Cline Unit One- Slides D

The History of Sociology • Max Weber took the understanding of social facts even farther, as he believed that they had to be evaluated using the scientific method, and were only the cumulative results of the social action of individuals. • Weber argued that Sociologists must be able to arrive at an explanation for why individuals do what they do, and not just a collection of social facts indicating exactly what they do. • In other words, not being able to just say “this is what humans do,” but rather explaining why they do it.

The History of Sociology • While Adam’s rational choice theory stated that the analysis of actor’s objective interests was what was needed, Weber postulated that sociologists have to see the action from the point of view of the actor, subjectively, and think of their personal thoughts and feelings. • Sociologists have to interpret, not just observe, in an approach Weber called verstehen , a German word that means empathetic understanding • It has often been said that Weber was engaged in an argument with Marx’s ghost, as many of his theories seemed not only to be in opposition to, but in answer to, Marx. • For example, unlike Marx who saw the history of western culture as a conflict between classes, Weber saw it as a shift from the traditional ways of thinking to more rational, scientific ways of thinking.

The History of Sociology • The traditional way called for people to accept the wisdom of the past as a guide to the future and strive to follow the ways of their ancestors. • The rational way calls for people to make a logical assessment of the consequences of an act in deciding how to behave. • An allegory to help demonstrate this change would be the young girl who became ill. • In a more traditional age, the past history of those who suffered from similar illnesses showed that hanging garlic around a room helped clear it of the evil spirits that were causing the sickness. • In a more rational age, the young girl may simply get some medicine from a doctor that has been proven in scientific trials to fight the illness. • Weber developed this theory of the traditional to the rational in an age where science was first becoming the principal means of acquiring knowledge, and the emergence of government based on the rule of law, and the development of capitalism, were also becoming very popular, and demonstrated rational analysis.

The History of Sociology • Weber felt Marx had put too much emphasis on economic structure, where Weber felt that it was first changes in culture, through the changes and advancements of knowledge, not changes in economic conditions, were what followed one to the other. • As you may recall, however, Marx felt that there had to be a change in economic condition first, before there could be a change in the culture. • For example, take the change in most people working in agriculture and living in rural environments to most people working in industry and living in urban environments • Marx would say that the growing wealth of the industrialist bourgeoisie forced people off of their land, so that in order to make a living, they had to seek employment in their factories and move into the city. • Weber would say that the technological advances in agriculture required there to be less need for as many people, and this freed up labor resources who then had to move to urban areas in order to find work and make a living.

The History of Sociology • While like Marx, Weber felt that power and conflict are fundamental aspects of social life, he argued that individuals care more about social factors such as race, religion, and personal tastes, and these meant more to them, and influenced their decisions more, than did their economic condition • These other social factors are the basis of status groups , or particular traits that define a social group, which he felt were just as important as economic class. • For example, in the 1920’s and 1930’s factory workers were working diligently to unionize, in order to use their collective strength to gain concessions from employers that would benefit and improve all of their conditions. • There was a large group of people that they could have added to their own collective numbers in order to become more powerful, and that was working class African Americans. • However, the white union members actively sought concessions that would bar African Americans from most employment prospects on an equal footing with white union members. • Of course, this blatant racism was diametrically opposed to their best interests, increasing their numbers so as to have more power, but they pursued it anyway.

The History of Sociology • George H. Mead was an American Sociologist who postulated that much of human behavior is determined not only by the objective facts of a situation, but also by how people define that situation, or the meanings they give to it. • “If men define situations as real, then they are real in their consequences.” • If you feel walking the streets of the campus in Terre Haute at night is too dangerous, that is defining the situation, regardless of the actual statistical crime rate may be. • Since a person’s thoughts or feelings cannot be determined without language, then we depend on the symbols of language such as; • Facial expressions • Sounds • Actions • words

The History of Sociology • Mead came to the understanding that we learn what behavior and events mean through interaction with others. • Even our sense of identity or self is shaped through social interaction. • As a person’s thoughts and feelings cannot be determined without language, then we depend on the symbols of language, such as facial expressions, sounds, actions, and words, or the symbols all cultures use and are understood across cultures to determine our behavior. • This is known as symbolic interaction . • We feel that walking the campus of ISU at night is dangerous, because a friend told us about her cousin’s neighbor’s sister that was mugged a few weeks ago • Or, why would young people smoke cigarettes even when all objective medical evidence points to the dangers of doing so?

The History of Sociology • The answer is in the definition of the situation that people create. • Studies find that teenagers are well informed about the risks of tobacco, but they also think that; • Smoking is cool • That they, themselves, will be safe from harm • And, that smoking projects a positive image to their peers. • So, the symbolic meaning of smoking overrides the actual facts regarding smoking and its risks.

The History of Sociology • Contemporary Sociological theories are based on the theories of these influential early Sociologists. • For example, Structural-Functionalism (known widely just as Functionalism ) draws on Mead, Durkheim and Weber and emphasizes functional integration and social structure. • Functionalism interprets each part of society in terms of how it contributes to the stability of the whole society. • Society is more than the sum of its parts; rather, each part of society is functional for the stability of the whole society. • The different parts are primarily the institutions of society, each of which is organized to fill different needs and each of which has particular consequences for the form and shape of society. • The parts all depend on each other.

The History of Sociology • From this perspective, disorganization in the system, such as deviant behavior, leads to change because societal components must adjust to achieve stability. • When one part of the system is not working or is dysfunctional, it affects all other parts and creates social problems, which leads to social change. • Conflict Theory emphasizes the role of coercion and power in producing social order. • This perspective is derived from the works of Karl Marx, who saw society as fragmented into groups that compete for social and economic resources. • Social order is maintained by domination, with power in the hands of those with the greatest political, economic, and social resources. • When consensus exists, it is attributable to people being united around common interests, often in opposition to other groups.

The History of Sociology • According to conflict theory, inequality exists because those in control of a disproportionate share of society’s resources actively defend their advantages. • The masses are not bound to society by their shared values, but by coercion at the hands of those in power. • This perspective emphasizes social control, not consensus and conformity. • Groups and individuals advance their own interests, struggling over control of societal resources. • Those with the most resources exercise power over others with inequality and power struggles resulting. • There is great attention paid to class, race, and gender in this perspective because they are seen as the grounds of the most pertinent and enduring struggles in society.