Notes Introduction to Sociology
Lecture 1 – What is sociology?
Sociology is everything in society.
Pros and cons:
Debunking – understanding – empowering – recognition
Definition of sociology = science of society
Social problems vs personal troubles (C.W. Mills)
Social problems = Social problems (public issues) are problems rooted
in the structure of society. They affect large groups of people and
cannot be solved by individuals alone.
Personal troubles = Personal troubles are problems experienced at the
individual level. They occur in someone’s private life and are often seen
as the result of personal choices, abilities, or circumstances.
Key idea: what appears to be a personal trouble is often a social problem
when many people experience it. Understanding this link between
individual experience and social structure is central to sociology.
Individual perspective vs social context
Individual perspective = Individual perspective focuses on personal
choices, traits, and responsibilities to explain behavior or problems. Issues
are seen as the result of individual actions or characteristics. v.b ‘why is
Henk poor?’
Social context = Social context looks at how behavior and problems are
shaped by social structures, such as culture, institutions, norms, power
relations, and economic conditions. v.b. ‘Why is poverty increasing in
society?
Key idea: individual actions can only be fully understood when placed
within their broader social context.
Social problems: 6 criteria (C.J.M Schuyt)
1. Problem involves many people
2. ‘Private troubles’
3. Accumulation of problems
4. Not temporary / persistent
, 5. Systematic causes
6. Fundamental values threatened
Scientific questions about social problems = sociological problems
sociology vs ‘common sense’
Zygmunt Bauman
1. Responsible speech: rules of responsible arguments.
2. Size of the field: transcending your own social world.
3. Making sense: explaining and interpreting human behavior by
looking at the different figurations and institutions which people are
embedded in.
4. Defamiliarize: The ability to discuss/question the familiar and the
obvious.
WHAT-questions
What is going on?
Who are committing more crimes thana others?
WHY-questions
Why do lower educated people commit more crimes than higher educated
people?
3 types of problems
Social or societal problems
Sociological problems
Social policy problems
Sociology: 3 levels
- Micro > family, friends
- Meso > office, university
- Macro > government, country
Differences sociology and psychology
- Type of problem
- Type of explanation > individual vs social context
P-T-O (empirical cycle)
P = Problem > Why?
T = Theory > Maybe because…
O = Observation > is the explanation true?
, PTO – PTO = Empirical cycle
Key questions of sociology
1. Social inequality
2. Social cohesion
3. Rationalization (or culture)
Lecture 2
Myth vs science
Myths are displaced by the concepts, hypotheses, and theories developed
in the various branches of empirical science, including the natural
sciences, psychology, and sociological as well as historical inquiry.
After the first PTO, another PTO starts to occur. O1 raises a new question,
and a new T and a new O.
PO-PTO (starts with the ‘what’ question) > when you answer questions,
you create new questions.
Ground rules P
1. ‘What’ and ‘Why’ (most important one) questions with
question mark. A ‘Why’ question implies a ‘what’ question, but not
the other way around.
2. Structured. Almost all scientific questions are comparative
questions.
3. Precise and unambiguous.
4. True questions
5. Right order
Specific order
1. Descriptive question: What is going on?
2. Trend or comparative question: what is going on compared to…?
3. Explanatory question: Why is this going on?
4. Test question: is it going on because of…?
5. Application question: Does this policy lead to..?
What is theory?
Theory is a preliminary answer to a why-question. It is an explanation.
Scientific truth = what we at this moment have as the best possible
answer to all kinds of questions.
Lecture 1 – What is sociology?
Sociology is everything in society.
Pros and cons:
Debunking – understanding – empowering – recognition
Definition of sociology = science of society
Social problems vs personal troubles (C.W. Mills)
Social problems = Social problems (public issues) are problems rooted
in the structure of society. They affect large groups of people and
cannot be solved by individuals alone.
Personal troubles = Personal troubles are problems experienced at the
individual level. They occur in someone’s private life and are often seen
as the result of personal choices, abilities, or circumstances.
Key idea: what appears to be a personal trouble is often a social problem
when many people experience it. Understanding this link between
individual experience and social structure is central to sociology.
Individual perspective vs social context
Individual perspective = Individual perspective focuses on personal
choices, traits, and responsibilities to explain behavior or problems. Issues
are seen as the result of individual actions or characteristics. v.b ‘why is
Henk poor?’
Social context = Social context looks at how behavior and problems are
shaped by social structures, such as culture, institutions, norms, power
relations, and economic conditions. v.b. ‘Why is poverty increasing in
society?
Key idea: individual actions can only be fully understood when placed
within their broader social context.
Social problems: 6 criteria (C.J.M Schuyt)
1. Problem involves many people
2. ‘Private troubles’
3. Accumulation of problems
4. Not temporary / persistent
, 5. Systematic causes
6. Fundamental values threatened
Scientific questions about social problems = sociological problems
sociology vs ‘common sense’
Zygmunt Bauman
1. Responsible speech: rules of responsible arguments.
2. Size of the field: transcending your own social world.
3. Making sense: explaining and interpreting human behavior by
looking at the different figurations and institutions which people are
embedded in.
4. Defamiliarize: The ability to discuss/question the familiar and the
obvious.
WHAT-questions
What is going on?
Who are committing more crimes thana others?
WHY-questions
Why do lower educated people commit more crimes than higher educated
people?
3 types of problems
Social or societal problems
Sociological problems
Social policy problems
Sociology: 3 levels
- Micro > family, friends
- Meso > office, university
- Macro > government, country
Differences sociology and psychology
- Type of problem
- Type of explanation > individual vs social context
P-T-O (empirical cycle)
P = Problem > Why?
T = Theory > Maybe because…
O = Observation > is the explanation true?
, PTO – PTO = Empirical cycle
Key questions of sociology
1. Social inequality
2. Social cohesion
3. Rationalization (or culture)
Lecture 2
Myth vs science
Myths are displaced by the concepts, hypotheses, and theories developed
in the various branches of empirical science, including the natural
sciences, psychology, and sociological as well as historical inquiry.
After the first PTO, another PTO starts to occur. O1 raises a new question,
and a new T and a new O.
PO-PTO (starts with the ‘what’ question) > when you answer questions,
you create new questions.
Ground rules P
1. ‘What’ and ‘Why’ (most important one) questions with
question mark. A ‘Why’ question implies a ‘what’ question, but not
the other way around.
2. Structured. Almost all scientific questions are comparative
questions.
3. Precise and unambiguous.
4. True questions
5. Right order
Specific order
1. Descriptive question: What is going on?
2. Trend or comparative question: what is going on compared to…?
3. Explanatory question: Why is this going on?
4. Test question: is it going on because of…?
5. Application question: Does this policy lead to..?
What is theory?
Theory is a preliminary answer to a why-question. It is an explanation.
Scientific truth = what we at this moment have as the best possible
answer to all kinds of questions.
