Theories and Theorists - Basics of Sociology - Lecture Slides, Slides of Introduction to Sociology

Download Theories and Theorists - Basics of Sociology - Lecture Slides and more Slides Introduction to Sociology in PDF only on Docsity! Theories and Theorists How we understand the social world Docsity.com Introduction to Sociology: Theories and Theorists 2 Outline  What is a Theory?  Sociology’s family tree (theorists)  The three major theoretical perspectives in sociology  New theoretical approaches Docsity.com Introduction to Sociology: Theories and Theorists 5 Sociology’s Family Tree—Auguste Comte  He also began to imagine how the scientific method, a procedure for acquiring knowledge that emphasized collecting concrete data through observation and experiment, could be applied to the study of social affairs.  Why is this so important (and it is!)? Docsity.com Introduction to Sociology: Theories and Theorists 6 Sociology’s Family Tree—Harriet Martineau  Harriet Martineau was an English journalist and political economist.  She traveled to the United States and studied American society, which she believed was flawed and hypocritical because of the existence of slavery and the fact that both women and blacks were denied equal rights. Docsity.com Introduction to Sociology: Theories and Theorists 7 Sociology’s Family Tree—Harriet Martineau (Cont)  Despite these impressive works, her most important contribution may have been her English translation of Comte’s Introduction to Positive Philosophy.  Why would this be the case for her? Docsity.com Introduction to Sociology: Theories and Theorists 10 Sociology’s Family Tree—Emile Durkheim  Emile Durkheim spent much of his life trying to establish sociology as an important academic discipline.  In his first major study, he demonstrated that social bonds exist in all types of societies (mechanical and organic). Docsity.com Introduction to Sociology: Theories and Theorists 11 Sociology’s Family Tree—Emile Durkheim (cont’d)  He believed that agrarian, pre- modern societies were held together by mechanical solidarity, a type of social bond where shared traditions and beliefs created a sense of social cohesion.  Ex: The Amish Docsity.com Introduction to Sociology: Theories and Theorists 12 Sociology’s Family Tree—Emile Durkheim (cont’d)  On the other hand, industrial societies were held together by organic solidarity, a type of social bond based on a division of labor that created interdependence and individual rights.  Ex: modern cities Docsity.com Introduction to Sociology: Theories and Theorists 15 Sociology’s Family Tree—Karl Marx  Karl Marx was a German philosopher and political activist whose contribution to sociology can be found in conflict theory. Docsity.com Introduction to Sociology: Theories and Theorists 16 Sociology’s Family Tree—Karl Marx (cont’d)  Marx lived during the Industrial Revolution, when major societal changes were leading to the emergence of capitalism, the economic system that is based on the private for-profit operation of industry. Docsity.com Introduction to Sociology: Theories and Theorists 17 Sociology’s Family Tree—Karl Marx (cont’d)  Marx believed that capitalism was creating class conflict and social inequality between the bourgeoisie, who owned the means of production (money, factories, natural resources, land), and the proletariat, who were the workers. Docsity.com Introduction to Sociology: Theories and Theorists 20 Sociology’s Family Tree—Max Weber (cont’d)  Too much rationalization  iron cage of rationality  Cloak to iron cage Docsity.com Introduction to Sociology: Theories and Theorists 21 Sociology’s Family Tree—Max Weber (cont’d)  He believed that contemporary life was filled with disenchantment, the inevitable result of the dehumanizing features of bureaucracies that dominated modern societies. Docsity.com Introduction to Sociology: Theories and Theorists 22 Modern Schools of Thought— Structural Functionalism  Structural Functionalism or simply functionalism begins with the assumption that society is a unified whole that functions because of the contributions of its separate structures. Its origins can be traced to the ideas of Comte, Spencer, and Durkheim. Docsity.com Introduction to Sociology: Theories and Theorists 25 Modern Schools of Thought— Conflict Theory  Conflict Theory sees social conflict as the basis of society and social change, and emphasizes a materialist view of society, a critical view of the status quo, and a dynamic model of historical change, emerged from the writings of Marx. Docsity.com Introduction to Sociology: Theories and Theorists 26 Modern Schools of Thought— Symbolic Interactionism  Symbolic Interactionism sees interaction and meaning as central to society and assumes that meanings are not inherent but are created through interaction.  It is America’s unique contribution to sociology and has proved to be the most influential perspective of the twentieth century. Docsity.com Introduction to Sociology: Theories and Theorists 27 Three tenets of Symbolic Interactionism  Symbolic Interactionism, the process by which things are socially constructed:  1)Human beings act toward ideas, concepts and values on the basis of the meaning that those things have for them.  2) These meanings are the products of social interaction in human society.  3) These meanings are modified and filtered through an interpretive process that each individual uses in dealing with outward signs Docsity.com Introduction to Sociology: Theories and Theorists 30 New Theoretical Approaches— Queer Theory  Queer theory is a paradigm that proposes that categories of sexual identity are social constructs, and that no sexual category is fundamentally either deviant or normal. Docsity.com Introduction to Sociology: Theories and Theorists 31 New Theoretical Approaches— Postmodern Theory  Postmodern Theory is a paradigm that suggests that social reality is diverse, pluralistic, and constantly in flux.  Critical of accounts of Truth – especially traditional science Docsity.com