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Course notes for introduction to Sociology (SOC1100)
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SOC 1100 Full Course NotesThe Sociological Perspective
1.1 : Sociological perspective differs from common sense.
Sociology: is the systematic study of human society. At the heart of sociology is a special point of
view called the sociological perspective.
Sociological perspective: special point of view that sees general patterns of society in people
Seeing the general in the particular
Peter Berger in 1963 described the sociological perspective as seeing the general in the particular.
Meaning sociologists patterns in behaviors while acknowledging individualism and catgories of
people (children vs adults, men vs women, poor vs rich)
the behavior of a particular individual must be understood in terms of the social, cultural, and
structural context
A global perspective: We can easily see the power of society over the individual by imagining
how different our lives would be had we been born in first world countries
Seeing the strange in the familiar
Its hard to learn how society affects us because we live in an individualistic society
sociological perspective provides additional insights that may not be readily apparent
Example: Attendance in post secondary education is associated with this period of life, socio-
economic background, race, ethnicity, religion
Seeing society in our everyday lives
Average women have 2 children in Canada, but different countries have an increasingly higher
average which is not completely based off of personal choice
Durkheim found that some categories of people were more likely than others to take their own
lives. Men, Protestants, wealthy people, and the unmarried had much higher suicide rates than
did women, Catholics and Jews, the poor, and married people.
people with strong social ties had low suicide rates, and more individualistic categories of people
had high suicide rates.
suicide rates for males are at least three times higher than for females
Where divorce rates are highest and marriage rates are lower = higher suicide rates
Suicide rates for black people are less then half then white people due to experience more
poverty, less freedom, and less mobility—which results in stronger social ties and greater social
cohesion
Seeing Sociologically: Marginality and Crisis
People with the greatest privileges tend to see individuals as responsible for their own lives. Those
at the margins of society, in contrast, see clearly that race, class, and gender imply disadvantages
People at the margins of social life, including women, gay and lesbian people, people with
disabilities, and the very old, are aware of social patterns that others rarely think about
society—rather than personal failure—is the main cause of poverty and other social problems
Just as social change encourages sociological thinking, sociological thinking can bring about social
change.
, Becoming aware of the power of gender, for example, has encouraged many women and men to
try to reduce gender inequality.
1.2 : The importance of a global perspective
global perspective : the study of the larger world and our society's place in it
High-income countries: are the nations with the highest overall standards of living. (USA, Can,
Japan etc)
o people in these countries are very well off, not because they are smarter or work harder
than anyone else but because they were lucky enough to be born in a rich region of the
world.
middle-income countries , nations with a standard of living about average for the world as a whole
(Latin america, asia, eastern europe)
o Many lack safe housing or adequate nutrition
low-income countries , nations with a low standard of living in which most people are poor (africa)
o majority struggle to get by with poor housing, unsafe water, too little food
Where we live shapes the lives we lead
o To understand ourselves and appreciate how others live, we must understand something
about how countries differ
Societies throughout the world are increasingly interconnected.
o One effect of new technology is that people the world over now share many tastes in food,
clothing, and music.
o Rich countries such as the United States influence other nations
o Trade across national borders has created a global economy
Many of the social problems we face in Canada are far more serious elsewhere
o Poverty is a serious in Canada but, poverty elsewhere is both more common and more
severe.
o gender inequality is even greater in the world's poor countries.
Thinking globally helps us learn more about ourselves
o Comparing life in various settings also leads to unexpected lessons
1.3 : Applying the sociological perspective
sociology is at work guiding many of the laws and policies that shape our lives
making use of the sociological perspective leads to important personal growth and expanded
awareness.
studying sociology is excellent preparation for the world of work.
Sociology and Personal growth
The sociological perspective helps us assess the truth of “common sense.”
o you might praise very successful people as superior and less successful ones as personally
deficient.
o A sociological approach, encourages us to ask whether such common beliefs are true and,
to the extent that they are not, why they are so widely held.
The sociological perspective helps us see the opportunities and constraints in our lives.
o Sociological thinking leads us to see that, in the game of life, we have a say in how to play
our cards, but it is society that deals us the hand
, o Sociology helps us “size up”our world so that we can pursue our goals more effectively.
The sociological perspective empowers us to be active participants in our society.
o The more we understand about how society works then the more active citizens we become
o Turns personal problem into a public issue
The sociological perspective helps us live in a diverse world
o Encourages us to think about the strengths and weaknesses of all ways of life, including our
own.
Careers: The "sociology advantage"
Not just for people who wanna be "sociologists"
Work in criminal justice helpful for understanding criminals
Doctors helpful for understanding external effects on human health
1.4 : The origins of Sociology
Social change and sociology: 3 kinds of change are especially important in the development of
sociology
o the rise of a factory-based industrial economy
o the explosive growth of cities
o the spread of new ideas about democracy and political rights.
A new industrial economy: Instead of labouring at home, workers became part of a large and
anonymous labour force, under the control of strangers who owned the factories.
The growth of cities: As cities grew larger, these urban migrants faced many social problems,
including pollution, crime, and homelessness.
Political change: Europeans originally viewed society as an expression of God's will, From royalty
to serf, each person on the social ladder played a part in the holy plan.
o As cities grew, this social tradition became broken
o Everyone became values in the constitution with the Canadian Charter of rights and
freedom
A new awareness of society: With all new things happening, these changes made people aware
Science and Sociology
theological stage: from the beginning of human history to the end of the European Middle Ages
(about 1350 CE), people took a religious view that society expressed God's will
metaphysical stage: people saw society as a natural rather than a supernatural system.
scientific stage: Comte's contribution came in applying the scientific approach—first used to study
the physical world—to the study of society
o Positivism: Comte's approach is a way of understanding based on science. As a positivist,
Comte believed that society operates according to its own laws
Canadian Sociology: Distinctive touches
Includes a unique francophone component which was influenced by the Roman Catholic church
Marshall McLuhan: was a controversial figure who achieved international recognition as a media
theorist in the 1960s and 1970s. He foresaw the impact of electronic communication on culture,
politics, countries, and personal identities.
, John Porter: laid the groundwork for the focus on Canadian society in the context of development
and underdevelopment, social stratification, ethnic inequality, elites, French–English relations, and
bureaucracy.
Erving Goffman: One of North Americas most influential sociologists studied face to face
interaction
Dorothy Smith: Feminist developed sociology for women
Sociology and the Media
Marshall McLuhan claimed electronic media would transform the world and thought very
futuristic things about technology
McLuhan taught us that “the instantaneous world of electronic information media involves all of
us, all at once”
Electronic communication extends our nervous systems so that we can be aware, immediately, of
things that are happening in the world.
1.5: Sociological Theory
Theory: is a statement of how and why specific facts are related.
Theoretical approach: as a basic image of society that guides thinking and research
structural-functional approach: is a framework for building theory that sees society as a complex
system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability. Views society as an
organism with each part serving a purpose.
Social structure: any relatively stable pattern of social behaviour. Social structure gives our lives
shape—in families, the workplace, the classroom, and the community.
structure's social functions: the consequences of any social pattern for the operation of society as
a whole.
manifest functions: the recognized and intended consequences of any social pattern. Ex. in our
system of higher education is to provide young people with the information and skills they need to
perform jobs after graduation
latent functions: the unrecognized and unintended consequences of any social pattern. Ex. Higher
education also limits unemployment by keeping young people out of the labour market, where
many of them would have difficulty finding jobs.
Social dysfunction: is any social pattern that may disrupt the operation of society
social-conflict approach: is a framework for building theory that sees society as an arena of
inequality that generates conflict and change. This approach focuses on inequality and change
o Sociologists use this approach to look at ongoing conflict between dominant and
disadvantaged categories of people
o Particularly inequality related to class
gender-conflict approach: point of view that focuses on inequality and conflict between women
and men.
o Feminism: the advocacy of social equality for women and men.
o Studies differences of power between men and women
race-conflict approach: a point of view that focuses on inequality and conflict between people of
different racial and ethnic categories.
Macrolevel orientation : broad focus on social structures that shape society as a whole. Looking at
the big picture (highways in a major city)
micro-level orientation : a close-up focus on social interaction in specific situations. Observing
more specific things (pedestrians react to homeless people)
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