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Introduction to Sociology Notes (University of Manitoba)

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Course
SOC 1000 (SOC1000)

Institution
University Of Manitoba (UManitoba )

This notes package includes all notes for the 17 chapters. The textbook used was Sociology: Compass for a New Social World, and all notes were written based on it. Total 172 pages. It also includes an Exam review at the end. It could be used for any class of SOC 1000 using the textbook 'Sociology: ...

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Uploaded on January 19, 2025
Number of pages 172
Written in 2023/2024
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Professor(s) Jihad othman
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SOC 1000
Introduction to Sociology

Chapter 1 – A Sociological Compass
Learning Objectives
(1) Define sociology.
(2) Identify the social relations that surround you, permeate you, and influence your behaviour.
(3) Describe how sociological research seeks to improve people’s lives and test ideas using scientific
methods.
(4) Summarize sociology’s major theoretical perspectives.
(5) Appreciate how sociology emerged out of the scientific, Democratic, and Industrial revolutions.
(6) Understand the main challenges facing society today.

Goal of this Chapter
(1) To illustrate how society can help us understand social world better – using suicide as a example.
(2) To show that sociology is not just an academic exercise, but a way to improve society.
(3) To suggest that sociology helps us understand social changes we experience today.

What is Sociology?
➢ The systematic study of human behaviour in social content.
○ It is systematic because it requires theory and organized observations (like interviews, surveys,
statistics, etc) to study how people interact.
➢ Sociology can
○ Be a liberating practical activity
○ Teach you who you are and what you can become
○ Helps us to create the best possible future
○ Helps us understand the changes we have in our societies, such as marriages, family dynamics,
minority groups, immigration, technology, and so on

Sociological Perspective of Suicide
➢ Antisocial and non-social act
○ Suicide is a very personal decision
○ Antisocial because it looks like its not influenced by others
○ Non-social act because it's a personal decision and not about being alone, many things can lead to
consider it
○ Focuses on individual states of mind rather than the state of society
➢ Sociological perspective can be used to determine the hidden social causes
○ It’s like trying to understand why things happen by looking at how society rules and systems affect
people, rather than just looking at what individuals do

Emile Dukheim (1951)
➢ Demonstrated that suicide is more than just an individual act of desperation that results from a
psychological disorder – comonly believed by people of his time.

, ➢ Showed that social forces strongly influence suicidal rates
○ Examined association between rates of suicide and rates of psychological disorder for different
groups
○ Found suicidal rates and rates of psychological disorder did not vary directly, and often appeared to
vary inversely
➢ Durkheim's observations
○ Married couples less likely to die by suicide
○ Women and Jews less prone to suicide
○ Elderly most at risk due to isolation
○ Suicide rates increased by one’s age.
➢ Durkheim argued that suicide rates varied as a result of differences in the degree of social solidarity in
different categories of the population

Social solidarity refers to
(1) The degree to which group members share beliefs and values; and
(2) The intensity and frequency of their interaction

Suicide in Canada Today
➢ Youth is more likely at risk today – a substantial increase since the 1960s
➢ Factors that explain increased youth suicide rate in Canda since 1960s – using Durkheim’s theory of social
solidarity:
(1) Decrease in attending religious services
(2) Increase in divorce rates and out-of-marriage births
➢ Children enjoy less social interaction with parents and less adult supervision
(3) Increase rate of LGBTQ society – being discriminated, mistreated and carried out by social minorities
(4) Indigenous communities suffering from abuse, unemployment, etc
In summary, these factors suggest that social solidarity is lower than it was a few decades ago, especially for
young people.

Main goal for sociologists is to identify and explain how personal troubles are connected to social structures

Social Structures
➢ Stable patterns of social relations
➢ Provides insights on human society dynamics

Three levels of Social Structure
(1) Microstructures
➢ Patterns of intimate social relations formed during face-to-face interactions
(2)Macrostructures
➢ Patterns of social relations outside and above one’s circle of intimates
(3)Global Structures
➢ Patterns of social relations outside and above the national level

, Term Definition Explanation Examples

Microstructures Patterns of intimate social Small social groups or Families, groups of friends,
relations formed during relationships. How we connect and work associates.
face-to-face interactions. with people up close.

Macrostructures Patterns of social relations Larger social patterns beyond Classes, patriarchy (power
outside and above one's one’s circle. How we interact systems) and bureaucracies .
circle of intimates. with people outside our circles.

Global Patterns of social relations Large scale social patterns Internal organizations,
structures outside above the national beyond a country. We consider patterns of worldwide travel
level. the connections and and communication, and
interactions between people economic relationship
and societies worldwide. between countries.

Sociological Imagination
➢ The ability to see the connection between personal troubles and social structures
➢ C. Wright Mills

Origins of Sociological Imagination
(1) Scientific Revolution (began 1550)
➢ Used evidence, not speculation (theory without evidence) about society
➢ Encouraged evidence based conclusions about how society works
(2)Democratic Revolution (began 1750)
➢ Suggested people were responsible for creating society and that human intervention can solve social
problems
➢ People controlling society
(3)Industrial Revolution (began 1750)
➢ Created a wide range of new social problems that made social thinkers to focus on

Summary of Revolutions
➢ The Scientific Revolution suggested that it was possible to have a science of society
➢ The Democratic Revolution suggested that people could improve society
➢ The industrial Revolution gave social thinkers a wide range of important social problems that demanded
solutions
➢ The sociological imagination was developed based on these revolutions

Theories, Research, Values
➢ Theories – tentative explanations of some aspect of social life; how and why certain facts are related
○ Sociological ideas are usually expressed in the form of theories
➢ Research – process of systematically observing social reality; testing and assessing theories
○ After sociologists formulate theories, they can conduct research
➢ Values – ideas about what is good/bad, right/wrong
○ Values help sociologists formulate and favour certain theories over others

, ➢ Auguste Comte (1798-1857)
○ Introduced the terms sociology in 1838
○ Sought to understand the social world using a scientific method of research
○ Origins of sociology were based on scientific methods of research and a vision of the ideal society
○ Never conducted research
➢ Herbert Spencer (1820-1903)
○ Theorized that societies evolve in the same way as biological species do
○ Social inequalities were necessary in order for societies to evolve
○ Spencer’s ideas became known as “social Darwinism”
➢ Three giants in the early history of sociology
○ Karl Max (1818-83)
○ Emile Dukheim (1858-1917)
○ Max Weber (1864-1920)

Time for Review Questions
(1) How does the sociological study of suicide show that a distinctly social realm influences all human
behaviour, even if the behvaiour seems non-social or antisocial?
It tells us that things like marriage, age, and how connected people feel to society can affect whether
someone considers suicide. Even though suicide is more a personal choice, social factors play a big role.

(2)What are microstructures, macrostructures, and global structures?
Microstructures are about close relationships, like family and friends. Macrostructures involve larger
patterns in society, like social classes or power systems. Global structures look at big social patterns
worldwide.

(3)How did the Scientific Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, and the Democratic Revolution influence
the emergence of sociology?
People started using evidence to understand society during the Scientific Revolution. The Democratic
Revolution made us think we can improve society. The Industrial Revolution brought new social problems,
making us focus on studying them.

(4)What is the relationship among theories, research and values?
Theories are our ideas about how society works. Research is when we study and test these ideas. Values,
or what we think is good or bad, influence the theories we choose to study.

Sociological Theorists and Theories
(1) Functionalism
➢ Sees as a machine with parts working together
➢ Emile Durkehim’s theory of suicide is an example of functionalism
➢ Believes more order and solidarity lead to fewer social issues
➢ Features
○ Stable patterns in social patterns (how people react)
○ Social structures can maintain or undermine social stability
○ Social structures is based on charred values or preferences
○ Restoring equilibrium (balance) is the best way to solve most social problems

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