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Lecture One

Lecture One. Sociological Perspective. The Sociological Perspective. Sociology seeks to understand the relationship between the individual and society. C Wright Mills : Sociological Imagination. A quality of mind that allows us to connect: “Personal troubles of the milieu” with

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Lecture One

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  1. Lecture One Sociological Perspective

  2. The Sociological Perspective • Sociology seeks to understand the relationship between the individual and society.

  3. C Wright Mills: Sociological Imagination • A quality of mind that allows us to connect: “Personal troubles of the milieu” with “Public issues of social structure” • Examining these relationships gives us the knowledge to understand society, our place in it, and the ability to make changes

  4. HIV/AIDS Globally

  5. Understanding and Explaining HIV/AIDS • Cultural Explanations • Social Structure Explanations • Political Explanations • Individual Explanations

  6. Social Consciousness • Another sociologist, Peter Berger, believes that we need a social consciousness or “A form of consciousness that enables us to see the "reality" behind the "facades." • He asks us to critically examine the things that are familiar to us as unfamiliar • “It can be said that the first wisdom of sociology is this – things are not what they seem.”

  7. Practicing Social Consciousness • Have you ever asked yourself: Why do women shave their legs? • Why is it normal in our culture for women to shave their legs and not men?

  8. Asking How & Why (and when) with Social Consciousness • When did this ideal emerge? • How did this ideal emerge? • Why did this ideal emerge?

  9. The Origins of Sociology • The sociological discipline emerged at the end of the 19th C at the intersection of 3 major revolutions • Scientific Revolution: idea that we can objectively study society • Democratic Revolution: idea that ‘the people’ are responsible for making decisions that shape and change society (not God) • Industrial Revolution: created significant and lasting changes in society and people’s daily lives

  10. Karl Marx (1818-1883) • Association of Marx with Communism obscure his contribution to sociology and his ideas. Communism is a later application of his ideas. • Marx focused on the economic relations of society as the source and solution of social conflict • He believed that social scientist’s task is to analyze and explain conflict, which drives social change

  11. Emile Durkheim (1858-1918) • While Marx was concerned with the source of conflict in society, Durkheim wondered what tied people to each other and society • Focused on division of labor in society • Durkheim believed that the social scientist’s task is to analyze and explain solidarity and the mechanisms through which it is achieved

  12. Max Weber (1864-1920) • Weber believed that the structure of society could be explained by observing the behavior of people in society that supports that structure and the ideas/values that motivate those actions. • Focused on how society became rationally organized • Weber believed that social scientist’s task is to explain the course and consequences of social action • He was concerned with social actions and the meaning people attach to their behavior.

  13. Why are the DWEM’s still relevant? • Early sociologists studied the rapid and far-reaching changes that brought by Industrialization; these changes are the foundation of the society we live in today • Globalization – cultural, social, and economic interdependence • Post-Industrial society – economy based on services and education • Rationalization – dominance of value-rational thought/action • Division of labor and specialization – jobs, education, geography

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