Sociology
Lecture 1 3
What is sociology? 3
Genesis of sociology 3
Paradigm (world view) 4
Lecture 2 Inequality: Karl Marx 4
Capitalism 5
Proletarians (working-class people) vs bourgeoisie 6
According to Marx 6
Inequality 6
Lecture 3 Social cohesion: Durkheim 7
Functionalism 7
Integration hypothesis 8
Structural functionalism 8
Lecture 4 Modernization: Max Weber 10
Weber (1864-1920) and modernization 10
Methodology of social sciences 10
Economy and society (rationalization & bureaucratization) 10
The protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism 11
Sociological perspectives 12
Lecture 5 Pragmatism: John Dewey 13
Francis Bacon 13
American Pragmatism 13
John Dewey 14
Conclusion 14
Lecture 6 Social control: Dewey 16
Durkheim as a sociologist 16
Dewey’s views 16
Relational sociology 17
Conclusion 18
Lecture 7 Social inequality 19
What is social stratification 19
Theorizing social class 19
Mapping social inequality 20
Social mobility 20
Lecture 8 Social cohesion and culture 22
Social cohesion 22
Groups 23
Culture 23
Explaining crime 24
Lecture 9 Rationality and bureaucracy 25
Weber revisited 25
, Rationality 25
Bureaucracy 25
Mcdonaldization 26
Lecture 10 Globalization 27
Causes of globalization 27
Consequences of globalization 27
Conclusion 28
Lecture 11 Culture 29
Why do values (and culture) change? 29
Why culture matters: culture as a positional good 29
, Lecture 1
Sociology explores systematically human society, explores human patterns of thinking,
feeling and social action and tries to see the particular in the general.
Durkheim says a man is double: there is an individual being and a social being.
What is sociology?
Investigates, describes and explains the way people live together. Looks at the interaction
between people.
- Categorize individuals
- Look for similarities and differences between these categories.
- Solving riddles or dilemma’s
Examples of social problems are: delinquency, terrorism, migration, self-enrichment, poverty,
divorce etc.
- Sociological problems: logical problems, objective
- Social problems: issues of valuation (is it bad that people..) issues of action
(something should be done).
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 the familiar and the obvious
Three levels of sociology, which interact:
1. Micro: family, friends
2. Meso: office, university
3. Macro: government, country
Key questions of sociology:
1. Social inequality (to what extent are scarce resources unequally distributed)
2. Social cohesion (to what extent do members of society live peacefully together)
3. Rationalization or culture (to what extent is a society rationalized)
3 problems in studying sociology:
1. Societies change very rapidly
2. We are part of the societies we study
3. Sociology itself becomes a part of society
Genesis of sociology
Auguste Comte invented the term ‘sociology’.
Herbert Spencer started the rise of social-darwinistic thinking (survival of the fittest).
- Civilization labor, discipline, education of the masses, trust in science
- The social question: misery of urbanisation and industrialisation. Rise of the labor
movement (socialism).
Theme of research of sociology: poverty, division of labour, class relations
Academics and do-gooders: anti-alcohol movement, social workers, volksheffing.
Founding fathers:
1. Inequality: Marx (1818-1883)
2. Cohesion: Durkheim (1858-1917)
3. Rationalization: Weber (1863-1921)
Lecture 1 3
What is sociology? 3
Genesis of sociology 3
Paradigm (world view) 4
Lecture 2 Inequality: Karl Marx 4
Capitalism 5
Proletarians (working-class people) vs bourgeoisie 6
According to Marx 6
Inequality 6
Lecture 3 Social cohesion: Durkheim 7
Functionalism 7
Integration hypothesis 8
Structural functionalism 8
Lecture 4 Modernization: Max Weber 10
Weber (1864-1920) and modernization 10
Methodology of social sciences 10
Economy and society (rationalization & bureaucratization) 10
The protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism 11
Sociological perspectives 12
Lecture 5 Pragmatism: John Dewey 13
Francis Bacon 13
American Pragmatism 13
John Dewey 14
Conclusion 14
Lecture 6 Social control: Dewey 16
Durkheim as a sociologist 16
Dewey’s views 16
Relational sociology 17
Conclusion 18
Lecture 7 Social inequality 19
What is social stratification 19
Theorizing social class 19
Mapping social inequality 20
Social mobility 20
Lecture 8 Social cohesion and culture 22
Social cohesion 22
Groups 23
Culture 23
Explaining crime 24
Lecture 9 Rationality and bureaucracy 25
Weber revisited 25
, Rationality 25
Bureaucracy 25
Mcdonaldization 26
Lecture 10 Globalization 27
Causes of globalization 27
Consequences of globalization 27
Conclusion 28
Lecture 11 Culture 29
Why do values (and culture) change? 29
Why culture matters: culture as a positional good 29
, Lecture 1
Sociology explores systematically human society, explores human patterns of thinking,
feeling and social action and tries to see the particular in the general.
Durkheim says a man is double: there is an individual being and a social being.
What is sociology?
Investigates, describes and explains the way people live together. Looks at the interaction
between people.
- Categorize individuals
- Look for similarities and differences between these categories.
- Solving riddles or dilemma’s
Examples of social problems are: delinquency, terrorism, migration, self-enrichment, poverty,
divorce etc.
- Sociological problems: logical problems, objective
- Social problems: issues of valuation (is it bad that people..) issues of action
(something should be done).
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 the familiar and the obvious
Three levels of sociology, which interact:
1. Micro: family, friends
2. Meso: office, university
3. Macro: government, country
Key questions of sociology:
1. Social inequality (to what extent are scarce resources unequally distributed)
2. Social cohesion (to what extent do members of society live peacefully together)
3. Rationalization or culture (to what extent is a society rationalized)
3 problems in studying sociology:
1. Societies change very rapidly
2. We are part of the societies we study
3. Sociology itself becomes a part of society
Genesis of sociology
Auguste Comte invented the term ‘sociology’.
Herbert Spencer started the rise of social-darwinistic thinking (survival of the fittest).
- Civilization labor, discipline, education of the masses, trust in science
- The social question: misery of urbanisation and industrialisation. Rise of the labor
movement (socialism).
Theme of research of sociology: poverty, division of labour, class relations
Academics and do-gooders: anti-alcohol movement, social workers, volksheffing.
Founding fathers:
1. Inequality: Marx (1818-1883)
2. Cohesion: Durkheim (1858-1917)
3. Rationalization: Weber (1863-1921)
