Intro To Sociology

What is Sociology?

•Sociology is the study of society, social relationships, and human
behavior in society.

•Sociologists study these topics to better understand human
interactions and relationships, and how these relationships follow
patterns.

•How might this be helpful in our world today?

Why study Sociology

•There are more than 8 billion people living on Earth and this number
is growing every day.

•Sociology studies the interactions of these people within groups and
populations.

•Sociology teaches us about human interaction and social networks.

What will you learn about in Sociology?

•Social interactions
•Crime and deviant behavior
•Social inequality
•The impact of poverty
•Society and social media
•Race and ethnicity

•And so much more!! Which topic are you MOST interested in?

The History of Sociology

•Many philosophers studied social interactions long before the
development of Sociology.

•Inspired by:

• The Age of the Enlightenment
• The French Revolution
• The Industrial Revolution

The three paradigms of Sociology

Sociological
Theories/Paradigms

Focus

Analogies

Questions that might be
asked

Structural Functionalism

The way each part of society
functions together to
contribute to the functioning
of the whole.

How each organ works to
keep your body healthy (or
not.)

How does education work to
transmit culture?

Conflict Theory

The way inequities and
inequalities contribute to
social, political, and power
differences and how they
perpetuate power.

The one with the most toys
wins, and they will change
the rules to the games to
keep winning.

Does education transmit only
the values of the most
dominant groups?

Symbolic Interactionism

The way one-on-one
interactions and
communications behave.

What it means to be an X?

How do students react to
cultural messages in school?

Adapted from: OpenStax College. (2021). Sociology. OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/introduction-sociology-3e/pages/1-3-theoretical-perspectives-in-sociology

Structural Functionalism

•Views society as a “structure with interrelated parts designed to meet
the biological and social needs of the individuals in that society”.

•Key guiding question- How is social order maintained?

•Emphasis on patterns and how the patterns contribute to maintaining
society dynamics.

Conflict theory

•Views society as a competition for the limited resources within the
society.

•Key guiding question- How is society organized and/or divided, and
who benefits from this?

•Emphasis on change that results from conflict.

Symbolic Interactionism

•Believes that communication is the key to social interactions and
relationships.

•Key guiding question- How do people interpret their surroundings,
and how does this influence social interactions?

•Emphasis on the importance of language and symbols.