Lecture 2: Social Science and the Family

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Lecture 2 Social Science and the Family

• Gene H. Starbuck, Ph.D.
• Mesa State College

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Word Derivation Socio logy

• Latin socius, companionship societas,
  fellowship.
• Society, social, socialize, association
• Greek logos, word (logo), reason (logic)
  logia, speak.

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Definitions of Sociology

• The study of human society and social behavior.
  -Eshleman
• The systematic and objective study of society
  and social behavior. -Popenoe
• The systematic study of social behavior and
  human groups. -Schaefer and Lamm

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Working Definition of Sociology

• The Scientific Study of Humans in Groups
• Humans--not pigeons or dandelions (biology) or
  rocks (geology)
• Groups, not individuals (psychology)
• from Greek psukh? , breath, spirit or soul
• Sociology as Science

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Assumptions of science

• 1. Objectivity (not subjectivity)
• Truth is in the thing being studied.
• 2. Replication--
• Two persons performing the same operations should
  get the same result
• 3. Falsifiability (testability).
• 4. Precision of definition and measurement.

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Sociologists look for Regularities

• Repeated patterns of social events or traits.
• People in groups are predictable.
• Norms, roles, and institutions are all
  regularities.
• Discovery of regularities leads to discovery of
  irregularities, and vice-versa.

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Problems with Anecdotal Data

• Story told to prove a point.
• Not representative, difficult to falsify or
  replicate, not objective.
• Anecdotal data has legitimate purposes--
• Illustrate a concept or principle
• Provide a starting point for valid research.

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Difference between social science and natural
science

• We are what we study.
• Use of personal experience in social science
• Webers verstehen
• Advantages
• Have prior knowledge
• Have subjective, as well as object knowledge
• Disadvantages
• Being value free and objective is more
  difficult.

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Levels of Social Analysis (Scripting Theory)
Macrosociology Structural-functional, Conflict
Theory
Institutions, Norms, Values, etc.
Socialization
Microsociology Symbolic-Interactionism
Individuals
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Structural-Functional

• Studies inter-relationship of parts of a system
• assumes homogeneous interests
• finds traits, then asks How is that trait
  functional to society?
• Organismic analogy.

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Social Conflict Theory

• Assumes heterogeneous interests among groups in
  society
• Where interests conflict, society is generally
  constructed so that haves win.
• Marxist conflict theory Economics is key
• Conflict Feminism gender system is key.

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Sociocultural Evolutionary Theory

• Gerhard Linski
• Societies have particular ways of producing goods
  and services (Modes of Production)
• These change over time as technology builds.
• Modes of production and technology affect all
  other aspects of society.

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Symbolic Interactionism

• Assumes humans are actors.
• Studies the way meanings are created in human
  interaction.
• G. H. Mead Role taking Our actions are based
  on our expectations about others reactions to
  our imagined actions.
• Goffman Dramaturgic Sociology.
• Garfinkel Ethnomethodology.

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Social Exchange Theory

• Based on assumptions from economics.
• Assumes people are rational, attempt to maximize
  rewards and minimize punishments
• People have resources that can be exchanged for
  other resources.

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Developmental Theory

• Key concepts are stages, family life cycle, life
  course, and developmental tasks.

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Societal Script-- institutions, values, norms etc.
Individual Script--Socialization
Individual Script--Socialization
Mutual Scripts
Scenes
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