Sociology in Our Times The Essentials

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Sociology in Our TimesThe Essentials

• Diana Kendall Fourth Edition

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Chapter 1

• The Sociological Perspective and Research Process

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Chapter Outline

• Putting Social Life into Perspective
• Comparing Sociology with Other Social Sciences
• The Development of Sociological Thinking
• Contemporary Theoretical Perspectives
• The Sociological Research Process
• Research Methods
• Ethical Issues in Sociological Research

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Why Study Sociology?

• Gain better understanding of ourselves and our
  social world.
• See how behavior is shaped by the groups to which
  we belong.
• Gain insight into society and the larger world
  order.

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Careers in Social Science

• Health and Human Services Counseling, Education,
  Medicine, Social Work
• Law Criminal Justice, Law
• Business Advertising, Labor Relations,
  Management, Marketing
• Communications Public Relations, Journalism,
  Broadcasting
• Academia

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The Sociological Imagination

• Ability to see a relationship between individual
  experiences and society.
• The link between personal experience and social
  contexts.
• Distinguishes between personal troubles and
  social issues.

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Sociology and Anthropology

• Anthropology is the study of human existence over
  geographic space and evolutionary time.
• Sociology is the study of contemporary social
  organization, relations, and change.

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Sociology and Psychology

• Psychology is the study of behavior and mental
  processeswhat occurs in the mind.
• Sociological research examines the effects of
  groups, organizations, and institutions on social
  life.

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Sociology and Political Science

• Political scientists concentrate on political
  institutions.
• Sociologists study political institutions within
  the context of other social institutions, such as
  families.

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Early Social ThinkersAuguste Comte

• Considered to be the founder of sociology.
• Believed objective knowledge could only be
  attained through science.

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Early Social ThinkersHarriet Martineau

• Focused on social distinctions based on class,
  race, and gender.
• Believed society would improve if women and men
  were treated equally, enlightened reform
  occurred,and there was cooperation among all
  social classes.

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Early Social Thinkers Emile Durkheim

• Believed the limits of human potential are
  socially, not biologically based.
• Considered the founding figure of the
  functionalist theoretical tradition.

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Early Social Thinkers Karl Marx

• Viewed history as a clash between conflicting
  ideas and forces.
• Believed class conflict produced social change
  and a better society.
• Combined ideas from philosophy, history, and
  social science into a new theory.

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Early Social Thinkers Max Weber

• Believed sociological research should exclude a
  researchers personal values and economic
  interests.
• Researchers should try to see the world as others
  see it.
• Provided insights on rationalization, bureaucracy
  and religion.

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Jane Adams

• Founded Hull House, one of the most famous
  settlement houses, in Chicago.
• One of the authors of a methodology use by
  sociologists for the next forty years.
• Awarded a Nobel Prize for assistance to the
  underprivileged.

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W. E. B. Du Bois

• One of the first to note double-consciousness,
  the identity conflict of being both a black and
  an American.
• Pointed out that people in the U.S. espouse the
  values of democracy, freedom, and equality while
  they accept racism and group discrimination.

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Major Theoretical Perspectives
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Sociological Research

• Quantitative Research
• Goal is objectivity. Focus is on data that can be
  measured numerically.
• Qualitative research
• Words rather than numbers are used to analyze
  meanings and patterns of social relationships.

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Conventional Research Model

• Define the research problem.
• Review previous research.
• Formulate the hypothesis.
• Develop the research design.
• Collect and analyze the data.
• Draw conclusions and report the findings.

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Qualitative Research Method

• Problem formulation is used to clarify a research
  question and create questions for participants.
• Researchers collect and analyze data to assess
  the validity of the starting proposition.
• Data is gathered in natural settings (homes and
  workplaces) rather than a research setting.

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Research Methods Survey Research

• Describes a population without interviewing each
  individual.
• Standardized questions force respondents into
  categories in which they may not belong.
• Relies on self-reported information and some
  people may not be truthful.

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Research Methods Analysis of Existing Data

• Analyze data originally collected by others.
• Materials studied may include
• written records (books, diaries, poems, and
  graffiti)
• narratives and visual texts (movies, television
  shows, advertisements, greeting cards)
• material culture (music, art, and even garbage)

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Research Methods Field Research

• Study of social life in its natural setting.
• Observing and interviewing people where they
  live, work, and play.
• Generates observations that are best described
  verbally rather than numerically.

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Approaches to Field Research

• Participant observation
• Collecting observations while part of the
  activities of the group being studied.
• Ethnography
• Detailed study of the life and activities of a
  group of people over a period of years.

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Research Methods Experiments

• Study the impact of certain variables on
  subjects attitudes or behavior.
• Designed to create real-life situations.
• Used to demonstrate a cause-and-effect
  relationship between variables.