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Section 1 Intro
● Sociological Imagination
Definition: The ability to see personal experiences within a broader social context
Key Idea: Individual experiences are shaped by larger societal forces. People have personal
agency, but that agency operates within a social framework.
Example: Homelessness may be blamed on the individuals who are living on the streets. Perhaps
their personal choices influenced their position; some would say they are lazy, unmotivated, or
uneducated.
● Division of Labor (Adam Smith)
Definition: According to Adam Smith, division of labor involves assessing the production process
and allocating tasks to individuals to enhance productivity.
● Sociological Theory
Definition: Explanations about how society works, answering “why” and “how” questions based
on observed patterns
Levels
- Micro level: Focuses on interpersonal interactions (way people communicate and interact
with each other)
- Macro-level: Large-scale processes and structures. It looks at how institutions, social
systems, and whole societies operate and interact. Eg: Theories about the economy or
politics.
● Three Major Sociological Theories
1) Structural Functionalism
- Society functions like a human body; all parts have to work together to maintain
order
- Institutions, norms and traditions are crucial for societal cohesion
2) Conflict Theory
- Emphasizes power struggles and inequality
- Focuses on how dominant groups maintain power, while subordinate groups fight
for resources
3) Symbolic Interactionism
- Focuses on micro-level interpersonal communication and the subjective
meanings people create
- Social life exists because individuals attach meanings to their actions and
surroundings
● Key Sociologists and Their Theories
1) Émile Durkheim 1858 - 1917
- Focused on the relationship between individuals and social structures
- Emphasized studying society using science rigorous methods and data (social
facts) rather than philosophical speculation
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- Solidarity
- Mechanical: Found in simple societies, where individuals are highly
integrated and depend on each other. Eg: families
- Organic: Found in complex societies, where individuals are less
connected but more independent due to division of labor.
- Integration and Regulation
- Integration: How closely an Individual is connected to society (too much
feeling trapped, too little feeling isolated)
- Regulation: The rules (norms) that govern behavior. Too much regulation
oppresses freedom, too little leads to anomie (breakdown of social
norms)
- Anomie: A state where individuals lack clear social guidlines, increasing the risk
of societal breakdown and issues like suicide. Eg: a single mother who is forced
to commit crimes if she cannot get a job or social aid to pay for the expenses for
herself and her child.
2) Karl Marx 1818 - 1883
- German philosopher, economist, sociologist, who observed the emergence of the
industrial revolution in Europe and North America
- Marx saw economic relationships as the key factor that determined how a
society works. He argued that all societies were based on social conflict between
different classes.
- Social Conflict: He concluded that all societies are based on social conflict, a
struggle between groups that have differing interests and needs. The basis of this
conflict was the ownership and distribution of goods and resources—or more
simply, economic relationships.
- Alienation: Marx believed that workers experienced widespread alienation, since
they competed with other workers for jobs and had little control over their work
conditions or what they produced.
- Dialectic: Hegel believed that history consisted of a dialectic, or an ongoing
struggle between opposites, as humanity progressed toward true freedom and
self-understanding.
3) Max Weber 1864 - 1920 - Composition of Modern Society
- German sociologist that focused on individuals and their actions rather than
social structures alone.
- Weber saw sociology as a science as well but emphasized that it is interpretive,
meaning it involves understanding the subjective meanings behind people's
actions
- Methodological Individualism: Stresses the importance of studying individual
actions and the meanings behind them to understand society.
- Rationality: The replacement of traditions, values, and emotions as motivators
for behavior in society with concepts based on rationality and reason.
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Section 1 Intro
● Sociological Imagination
Definition: The ability to see personal experiences within a broader social context
Key Idea: Individual experiences are shaped by larger societal forces. People have personal
agency, but that agency operates within a social framework.
Example: Homelessness may be blamed on the individuals who are living on the streets. Perhaps
their personal choices influenced their position; some would say they are lazy, unmotivated, or
uneducated.
● Division of Labor (Adam Smith)
Definition: According to Adam Smith, division of labor involves assessing the production process
and allocating tasks to individuals to enhance productivity.
● Sociological Theory
Definition: Explanations about how society works, answering “why” and “how” questions based
on observed patterns
Levels
- Micro level: Focuses on interpersonal interactions (way people communicate and interact
with each other)
- Macro-level: Large-scale processes and structures. It looks at how institutions, social
systems, and whole societies operate and interact. Eg: Theories about the economy or
politics.
● Three Major Sociological Theories
1) Structural Functionalism
- Society functions like a human body; all parts have to work together to maintain
order
- Institutions, norms and traditions are crucial for societal cohesion
2) Conflict Theory
- Emphasizes power struggles and inequality
- Focuses on how dominant groups maintain power, while subordinate groups fight
for resources
3) Symbolic Interactionism
- Focuses on micro-level interpersonal communication and the subjective
meanings people create
- Social life exists because individuals attach meanings to their actions and
surroundings
● Key Sociologists and Their Theories
1) Émile Durkheim 1858 - 1917
- Focused on the relationship between individuals and social structures
- Emphasized studying society using science rigorous methods and data (social
facts) rather than philosophical speculation
Downloaded by youn sam ()
, lOMoARcPSD|6353920
- Solidarity
- Mechanical: Found in simple societies, where individuals are highly
integrated and depend on each other. Eg: families
- Organic: Found in complex societies, where individuals are less
connected but more independent due to division of labor.
- Integration and Regulation
- Integration: How closely an Individual is connected to society (too much
feeling trapped, too little feeling isolated)
- Regulation: The rules (norms) that govern behavior. Too much regulation
oppresses freedom, too little leads to anomie (breakdown of social
norms)
- Anomie: A state where individuals lack clear social guidlines, increasing the risk
of societal breakdown and issues like suicide. Eg: a single mother who is forced
to commit crimes if she cannot get a job or social aid to pay for the expenses for
herself and her child.
2) Karl Marx 1818 - 1883
- German philosopher, economist, sociologist, who observed the emergence of the
industrial revolution in Europe and North America
- Marx saw economic relationships as the key factor that determined how a
society works. He argued that all societies were based on social conflict between
different classes.
- Social Conflict: He concluded that all societies are based on social conflict, a
struggle between groups that have differing interests and needs. The basis of this
conflict was the ownership and distribution of goods and resources—or more
simply, economic relationships.
- Alienation: Marx believed that workers experienced widespread alienation, since
they competed with other workers for jobs and had little control over their work
conditions or what they produced.
- Dialectic: Hegel believed that history consisted of a dialectic, or an ongoing
struggle between opposites, as humanity progressed toward true freedom and
self-understanding.
3) Max Weber 1864 - 1920 - Composition of Modern Society
- German sociologist that focused on individuals and their actions rather than
social structures alone.
- Weber saw sociology as a science as well but emphasized that it is interpretive,
meaning it involves understanding the subjective meanings behind people's
actions
- Methodological Individualism: Stresses the importance of studying individual
actions and the meanings behind them to understand society.
- Rationality: The replacement of traditions, values, and emotions as motivators
for behavior in society with concepts based on rationality and reason.
Downloaded by youn sam ()
