Sociology Unit 1 Notes by Jessie Mouner (Student)

What is sociology?

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Scientific study of society and human behavior. Sociology looks for patterns.

How does society affect you?

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The people you surround yourself with or follow mold your personality. Like the specific music you listen to is most likely influenced by your family, friends, etc. Another example would be the way you dress, if you live somewhere else in the world you most likely would dress differently.

What is the sociological perspective?

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Sociological perspective means seeing the general in particular. This means how our choices impact other people and picking out things and analyzing them. It also means seeing the strange in the familiar. This means to approach the everyday world as if you're seeing it for the first time and questioning your everyday life more.

What's the purpose? Trying to fix?

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The purpose of sociology is to understand how society is affecting someone. They are trying to fix how society influences people.

Difference between Sociology and Psychology

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Psychology focuses on thought and behaviors of people while sociology focuses on groups of people and the way they socialize. Psychology is studying inside a person, while sociology is studying groups of people and how the social system affects them and their choices.

What type of jobs?

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Law, working with cultural groups, qualitative analysis and data, and education.

-Civil engineering

Functionalism

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Each of the social institutions contributes important functions for society. Families provide a context for reproducing, nurturing, and socializing children; education offers a way to transmit a society’s skills, knowledge, and culture to its youth.

Conflict

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Feminist theory argues that we live in a patriarchal society, a

hierarchical system of organization controlled by men. Although there are many varieties of

feminist theory, most would hold that feminism “demands that existing economic, political, and

social structures be changed”

Symbolic Interaction

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A wedding ring equals a symbol of love/commitment for most people, but that could be completely different for someone else. A handshake is typically a symbol of greeting or agreement, but again could be something different for another person.

Functionalism

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Functionalism is the concept that society is a system of interconnected parts that work together in harmony to maintain a state of balance and social equilibrium for the whole.

Conflict

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The functionalist perspective views society as composed of different parts working together.

Symbolic Interaction

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Everything symbolizes something, society interprets things differently.

Sociological imagination

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The connection between an individual problem/person and society.

Sociologists might question something that is “normal” or “common sense" example

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Sociologists look around and try to give meaning behind why people do what they do.

Public Influence

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How your ability to exercise is influenced by society-

did you do it with your family?

How can a personal problem be considered a public issue?

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Obesity -

*can be caused by people wanting to feel accepted by others with the type of food they are eating.

*family can have a part of your eating habits growing up, leading you to get comfortable in a specific eating habit.

Societal structures

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(Food deserts, government subsidies, economics) - may be a cause of obesity.

government subsidies - gives money to farmers to grow certain products so those things are cheaper at the grocery store)

What are some societal causes to an issue

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poverty - social class

gun violence