Introduction to Sociology

Overview

• Sociology is the study of human societies.
• Explores why crime occurs, poverty, and mundane human actions.
• Focuses on social causes of seemingly natural events or actions.

Sociological Perspective

• Sociologists study the wider context, historical events, and social processes that influence individual behavior.
• C. Wright Mills' Sociological Imagination
  • Encourages understanding the link between individual experiences and broader social issues.
  • Makes public issues of what appear to be personal troubles.

Foundational Theorists

• Auguste Comte

  • Coined the term "sociology."
  • Advocated for studying society scientifically.

• Émile Durkheim

  • Focused on discovering social facts, defined as rules channeling behavior that exist independently of individuals.
  • Studied suicide as a social fact using quantitative data to show external factors influence personal acts.

Evolution of Sociology

• Early sociology (Durkheim, Parsons, Merton)

  • Focused on social cohesion and how institutions regulate behavior.

• Later sociology (Mead, Blumer, Goffman)

  • Studied individual interactions and the management of impressions in social life.
  • Goffman likened society to a play where individuals are actors and audience.

Deviance and Social Norms

• Howard S. Becker

  • Studied how behaviors become labeled as deviant.

• Stanley Cohen

  • Analyzed media sensationalism and moral panics.

Michel Foucault's Contributions

• Argued that understandings of mental illness are shaped by medical language.
• Explored the emergence of criminals as a group alongside modern prisons.
• Asserted that power and knowledge are linked, influencing institutions like prisons, hospitals, and schools.

Edward Said's Extension of Foucault

• Argued the West constructs the East as inferior, facilitating European colonialism.

Key Questions in Sociology

• Do individuals control their lives, or are they constrained by societal forces?
• Is conflict normal or pathological?
• Where does societal knowledge originate?

Conclusion

• Sociology provides insights into the world we live in and the role of sociologists as scientists of society.