SM
Ch. 1
Sociology: Perspective, Theory, and Method
Contents
Author’s Note
Late Breaking News
Additional Content in Revel
Learning Objectives
Detailed Ch. Outline
Revel Media
John’s Ch. Close-Up: Society and Personal Choice (A)
John’s Ch. Close-Up: The_ Census Bureau Paints a Picture of the_ United States (B)
John’s Personal Video Suggestion (A)
John’s Personal Video Suggestion (B)
Research for a Cutting-Edge Classroom
Supplemental Lecture Material
Sociology and Related Disciplines
Using the_ ASA Journal Teaching Sociology in Your Classroom
The_ Liberation Sociology Tradition
The_ Social Conflict Approach and the_ Sociology of Sport
Academic Freedom and “Political Correctness”
The_ False God of Numbers
Separating the_ Wheat and the_ Chaff: Spurious Correlations
Essay Topics
________________________________________________________________
1
,SM
Author’s Note for Ch. 1
This first ch. is the_ most important ch. in the_ text. Why? Because this ch. presents
the_ sociological perspective, the_ point of view that is the_ foundation for everything
that follows. Students who “get it” at this early stage have excellent odds of doing well
throughout your course.
How can you help them understand the_ sociological perspective? Giving clear
definitions is important. But it is vital that you illustrate the_ perspective with lots of
examples. Notice how the_ Power of Society Figure on page 2 of the_ text helps show
that what we feel to be the_ personal force called “love” is guided by society. Here are
additional examples found throughout the_ ch. :
Page 4 explains how women’s expectations for a spouse are guided by their
class position.
Global Map 1–1 on page 5 explains how women’s decisions about childbearing
are guided by the_ level of economic development of the_ society in which they
live.
Figure 1–1 on page 6 shows how the_ most personal choice about ending one’s
life is guided by gender and race.
National Map 1–1 on page 14 shows suicide rates are higher in states with low
population density and lower in states with higher population density.
The_ discussion on pages 9 and 10 also explains how the_ birth of sociology
itself was the_ result of social forces—a breakdown in the_ traditional social
order of the_ middle ages with the_ Industrial Revolution, the_ growth of cities,
and a more individualistic political culture.
The_ discussion of applying sociology’s theoretical approaches to sports also
shows insights gained from looking at sports with the_ sociological perspective.
The_ “stacking” figure on page 19 shows how African–American players are
disproportionately playing the_ outfield and not the_ central positions of pitcher
and catcher.
Finally, use the_ Seeing Sociology in Everyday Life photo essay (at the_ end of
each ch. ) to highlight the_ power of society to shape personal choice and
individual experience. The_ photo essay for this ch. , found on pages 38–39,
2
,SM
explores popular culture to see how social forces guide celebrity couples to come
together.
Sociology is defined by its perspective, or point of view. But applying that
perspective to the_ task of gathering knowledge about the_ social world brings us to
sociological investigation. Sociology is a multi-paradigmatic discipline. This is true, as
the_ ch. explains, in terms of theory. It is also true that there are many ways to
approach sociological investigation. In part, sociology is a social science. Therefore,
the_ second half of the_ ch. starts off with an explanation of scientific inquiry. But
some sociologists, aware of the_ limitation of focusing on observable action and
quantitative data, support a more qualitative inquiry that relies on interpretation and
focuses on meaning. In addition, some sociologists, aware of the_ limitation of science
imposed by its struggle to claim objectivity, embrace a more critical and activist vision
of research in pursuit of social change.
In sum, scientific sociology, qualitative sociology, and activist or critical sociology
all fall within the_ “big tent” of our discipline. Many sociologists favor one approach;
many blend them in various ways. Notice, too, that these approaches roughly
correspond to the_ differences in theoretical orientations: scientific sociology is
consistent with structural-function theory, interpretive sociology shows commonality
with symbolic-interaction theory, and critical sociology shares traits with various social-
conflict and feminist theories.
Keep students focused on the_ reason we study the_ social world in the_ first
place—there is much to learn and this knowledge can help us live richer lives and
improve our society. But to shape our world, first we must understand it.
Ch. 1 explains and illustrates four major methods of doing research:
Experimental research, which is heavily used in the_ sciences such as
psychology and is occasionally used in sociology, is illustrated with the_ classic
research of Philip Zimbardo about the_ effects of prison life on people who live of
work there.
Survey research, which is widely used in sociology, is illustrated by the_ research
of Lois Benjamin into the_ power of race and racism as experienced by highly
successful African–American women and men.
3
, SM
Fieldwork research, used by both sociologists and anthropologists, is illustrated
by the_ participant observation research carried out by Joseph Ewoodzie,
investigation the_ lives of homeless people in Jackson, Mississippi.
Use of available data, which is done by sociologists, historians, and others, is
illustrated by the_ historical study of culture and achievement in Boston and
Philadelphia carried out by E. Digby Baltzell.
Late Breaking News
In this new feature, found only in Revel, John Macionis provides new data and points
to recent events that are highly relevant to the_ ch. at hand. In this ch. , the_ news
bulletin offers insight into why national polls incorrectly predicted that Hillary Clinton
would win the_ 2016 presidential election
__________________________________________________________________
Additional Content in Revel
Revel is the_ electronic version of this text that provides interactive learning, student
learning assessment, and additional readings and engaging video—at remarkably low
cost. All of the_ Revel content has been developed by John Macionis and is
seamlessly integrated into the_ text.
For each ch. , Revel expands and deepens student learning with rich content including:
Late Breaking News –This brand new feature, available in every ch. , is described
above.
In Greater Depth—This interactive graphic allows students to go deeper into the_
Power of Society figure at the_ beginning of the_ ch. , in this case showing how social
class position is linked to choice of a marriage partner.
4
Ch. 1
Sociology: Perspective, Theory, and Method
Contents
Author’s Note
Late Breaking News
Additional Content in Revel
Learning Objectives
Detailed Ch. Outline
Revel Media
John’s Ch. Close-Up: Society and Personal Choice (A)
John’s Ch. Close-Up: The_ Census Bureau Paints a Picture of the_ United States (B)
John’s Personal Video Suggestion (A)
John’s Personal Video Suggestion (B)
Research for a Cutting-Edge Classroom
Supplemental Lecture Material
Sociology and Related Disciplines
Using the_ ASA Journal Teaching Sociology in Your Classroom
The_ Liberation Sociology Tradition
The_ Social Conflict Approach and the_ Sociology of Sport
Academic Freedom and “Political Correctness”
The_ False God of Numbers
Separating the_ Wheat and the_ Chaff: Spurious Correlations
Essay Topics
________________________________________________________________
1
,SM
Author’s Note for Ch. 1
This first ch. is the_ most important ch. in the_ text. Why? Because this ch. presents
the_ sociological perspective, the_ point of view that is the_ foundation for everything
that follows. Students who “get it” at this early stage have excellent odds of doing well
throughout your course.
How can you help them understand the_ sociological perspective? Giving clear
definitions is important. But it is vital that you illustrate the_ perspective with lots of
examples. Notice how the_ Power of Society Figure on page 2 of the_ text helps show
that what we feel to be the_ personal force called “love” is guided by society. Here are
additional examples found throughout the_ ch. :
Page 4 explains how women’s expectations for a spouse are guided by their
class position.
Global Map 1–1 on page 5 explains how women’s decisions about childbearing
are guided by the_ level of economic development of the_ society in which they
live.
Figure 1–1 on page 6 shows how the_ most personal choice about ending one’s
life is guided by gender and race.
National Map 1–1 on page 14 shows suicide rates are higher in states with low
population density and lower in states with higher population density.
The_ discussion on pages 9 and 10 also explains how the_ birth of sociology
itself was the_ result of social forces—a breakdown in the_ traditional social
order of the_ middle ages with the_ Industrial Revolution, the_ growth of cities,
and a more individualistic political culture.
The_ discussion of applying sociology’s theoretical approaches to sports also
shows insights gained from looking at sports with the_ sociological perspective.
The_ “stacking” figure on page 19 shows how African–American players are
disproportionately playing the_ outfield and not the_ central positions of pitcher
and catcher.
Finally, use the_ Seeing Sociology in Everyday Life photo essay (at the_ end of
each ch. ) to highlight the_ power of society to shape personal choice and
individual experience. The_ photo essay for this ch. , found on pages 38–39,
2
,SM
explores popular culture to see how social forces guide celebrity couples to come
together.
Sociology is defined by its perspective, or point of view. But applying that
perspective to the_ task of gathering knowledge about the_ social world brings us to
sociological investigation. Sociology is a multi-paradigmatic discipline. This is true, as
the_ ch. explains, in terms of theory. It is also true that there are many ways to
approach sociological investigation. In part, sociology is a social science. Therefore,
the_ second half of the_ ch. starts off with an explanation of scientific inquiry. But
some sociologists, aware of the_ limitation of focusing on observable action and
quantitative data, support a more qualitative inquiry that relies on interpretation and
focuses on meaning. In addition, some sociologists, aware of the_ limitation of science
imposed by its struggle to claim objectivity, embrace a more critical and activist vision
of research in pursuit of social change.
In sum, scientific sociology, qualitative sociology, and activist or critical sociology
all fall within the_ “big tent” of our discipline. Many sociologists favor one approach;
many blend them in various ways. Notice, too, that these approaches roughly
correspond to the_ differences in theoretical orientations: scientific sociology is
consistent with structural-function theory, interpretive sociology shows commonality
with symbolic-interaction theory, and critical sociology shares traits with various social-
conflict and feminist theories.
Keep students focused on the_ reason we study the_ social world in the_ first
place—there is much to learn and this knowledge can help us live richer lives and
improve our society. But to shape our world, first we must understand it.
Ch. 1 explains and illustrates four major methods of doing research:
Experimental research, which is heavily used in the_ sciences such as
psychology and is occasionally used in sociology, is illustrated with the_ classic
research of Philip Zimbardo about the_ effects of prison life on people who live of
work there.
Survey research, which is widely used in sociology, is illustrated by the_ research
of Lois Benjamin into the_ power of race and racism as experienced by highly
successful African–American women and men.
3
, SM
Fieldwork research, used by both sociologists and anthropologists, is illustrated
by the_ participant observation research carried out by Joseph Ewoodzie,
investigation the_ lives of homeless people in Jackson, Mississippi.
Use of available data, which is done by sociologists, historians, and others, is
illustrated by the_ historical study of culture and achievement in Boston and
Philadelphia carried out by E. Digby Baltzell.
Late Breaking News
In this new feature, found only in Revel, John Macionis provides new data and points
to recent events that are highly relevant to the_ ch. at hand. In this ch. , the_ news
bulletin offers insight into why national polls incorrectly predicted that Hillary Clinton
would win the_ 2016 presidential election
__________________________________________________________________
Additional Content in Revel
Revel is the_ electronic version of this text that provides interactive learning, student
learning assessment, and additional readings and engaging video—at remarkably low
cost. All of the_ Revel content has been developed by John Macionis and is
seamlessly integrated into the_ text.
For each ch. , Revel expands and deepens student learning with rich content including:
Late Breaking News –This brand new feature, available in every ch. , is described
above.
In Greater Depth—This interactive graphic allows students to go deeper into the_
Power of Society figure at the_ beginning of the_ ch. , in this case showing how social
class position is linked to choice of a marriage partner.
4
