Chapter 1 Sociological Theory Chapter Summary

Transcription

1 Chapter 1 Sociological Theory Chapter Summary Like most textbooks, Chapter 1 is designed to introduce you to the history and founders of sociology (called theorists) who have shaped our understanding and appreciation of the discipline. Along with the major theorists, you should also take from this chapter the basic principles and perspectives that are vital in order to better understand the discipline. As the author explains through C. Wright Mills key work The Sociological Imagination, it is not enough to understand one s own experiences; those situations must also be situated in their social context. Sociology attempts to understand how individuals private troubles are rooted and in turn become public issues. Furthermore, the question of whether or not it is structure or agency that shapes our society s actions play an important question one must deal with. Sociology as a discipline rose in the time of the Enlightenment era, when science and reason were brought to light. The rationale was that science would be better able than mysticism or religion to explain the way in which society functions. The early (or classical) theorists such as Durkheim, Weber, and Marx (an easy way to remember them is to remember DWM or Dead White Men ) introduced the basic schools of thought that explained how society functions. Functionalists, conflict theorists, and symbolic interactionists each understood society to be composed of different things. For the functionalists, society can best be understood like a body. Each part of society acts like an organ, and has its own unique function in the maintenance and survival of the body. Conflict theorists argued that society is unequal there are those with power and economic means, and those without. Society is comprised of different classes, sexes, and races. Each of these different groups in the capitalist system is competing for its own interests and attempting to maximize the group s benefits. In doing so, there is an unequal balance that favours one group over another. For the symbolic interactionists such as Cooley and Mead, society is based on social interaction. This constant interaction, coupled with perception and interpretation, is what allows society to reproduce itself continuously. Moving to more contemporary theories, we see the rise of feminist sociology, which moved away from maledominated sociology, and focuses on women instead. Finally, new theories such as postmodernist theories arise with the claims that there is no single universal truth, but rather the truth is created through us and the mass media. As you can see, Chapter 1 introduces the reader to the varying theories in sociology. Each has its own merits, and as the author mentions, sociology is not designed to create binding laws about how societies around the world operate, but rather to make generalizations and understand what is likely to happen and why it happens.

2 Study Questions Multiple Choice Questions 1. The term sociology was invented by which of the following theorists? a) C. Wright Mills b) Émile Durkheim c) Herbert Spencer d) Auguste Comte e) Max Weber 2. In Marx s terms, which of the following are the Wage Workers? a) Capitalists b) Proletariat c) Bourgeoise d) Aristocrats e) Verstehen 3. Which of the following is NOT one the types of authority that Max Weber identifies? a) Legal-rational authority b) Charismatic authority c) Patriarchal authority d) Traditional authority e) All of the above are Weber s types of authority. 4. Which of the following is NOT a type of feminism identified in Chapter 1? a) Socialist feminism b) Liberal feminism c) Radical feminism d) Maternal feminism e) All of the above are types of feminism. 5. In a conversation between two students, Mark argues that society is made up with several different groups, each of which plays a certain role in maintaining the order of society. Which type of theorist is Mark? a) Symbolic interactionist b) Conflict theorist c) Objective theorist d) Functionalist e) Positivist 6. Which of the following terms is most closely associated with Emile Durkheim? a) Anomie b) Surplus c) Authority d) Social capital e) Alienation

3 True or False Questions 1. According to Weber, capitalism was not the inevitable outgrowth of European feudalism. 2. Karl Marx would be considered a functionalist. 3. Durkheim s concept of anomie refers to the idea that people were no longer united by a single code of right and wrong, or a state of normlessness. 4. Max Weber s term verstehen means to understand. 5. Facts are open to subjective analysis, but our values are entirely objective. 6. In macrosociology, society emerges from individuals and their social interactions. 7. According to post-modernists, there is no such thing as a single reality. Fill in the Blank Questions 1. Antonio Gramsci believed that everyone is a. 2. Individual choice and free-will is known as, while pre-existing social arrangements that limit our choice is known as. 3. Sociology should understand an individual s private as rooted in widespread public. 4. Sociology as a discipline originated during the age of the era. 5. Marx used the term to describe the way capitalist systems began to separate the workers from their jobs, as machines became a widely used tool for creating goods. 6. Cooley argues that people orient their actions according to what they think (subjectively) others think. This complex calculation involves. 7. For feminists, women are superior to men by their very nature. 8. Through reflexive thinking, an individual is able to build up a sense of. Short Answer Questions 1. Differentiate between structure and agency and provide an example of each.

4 2. What is a collective conscience? What does Durkheim mean when he says that we as a society no longer share one? 3. Briefly explain Marx s Pyramid of Capitalist System. 4. Briefly explain each of the following forms of authority: charismatic, legal-rational, and traditional. Provide an example of someone who would fall into each of these categories. 5. What does Michel Foucault mean when he argues that rules can be both external and internal to the individual? 6. Differentiate between Bourdieu s concepts of social capital and cultural capital. 7. Differentiate between subjective and objective. Additional Readings and Websites 1. Durkheim, Émile. (1962). Suicide: A Study in Sociology. New York: Free Press of Glencoe. Durkheim s work on the subject of suicide is perhaps his most well-known. The book offers the reader an understanding of the four subtypes of suicide that Durkheim attributes to society and the individual. 2. Goffman, Erving. (1959). The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. Garden City, NY: Doubleday. Goffman s work in sociology viewed people as essentially actors playing a role on stage. Through a symbolic interactionist lens, Goffman argues how we all present ourselves in two different areas: on stage and off stage. 3. Mills, C. Wright. (1959). The Sociological Imagination. New York: Oxford University Press. C.W. Mills book is perhaps the best starting point for sociologists as his book captures the basic and necessary components to how the individual and society has interlocked throughout time to establish a social force. 4. Wollstonecraft, Mary. (1995). Vindication of the Rights of Women. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Wollstonecraft s book is one of the earlier works of a feminist ideology. Writing in a time when women s rights were virtually non-existent, Wollstonecraft provides insights and arguments beyond her time in response to eighteenth-century political theorists who argued that women should not have an education. Rather than accepting these claims, Wollstonecraft s book shows how women are equal to men and should be treated as such.

5 Answer Key for Study Questions Multiple Choice Questions 1. d (p. 15) 2. b (p. 19) 3. c (p. 23) 4. e (pp. 26 7) 5. d (p. 16) 6. a (p. 17) True or False Questions 1. T (p. 23) 2. F (p. 19) 3. T (p. 17) 4. T (p. 24) 5. F (p. 24) 6. F (p T (p. 28) Fill in the Blank Questions 1. social theorist (p. 12) 2. agency / structure (p. 13) 3. troubles / issues (p. 13) 4. Enlightenment (p. 15) 5. alienation (p. 20) 6. inter-subjectivity (p. 26) 7. maternal (p. 26) 8. self (p. 26) Short Answer Questions 1. See p See p See pp See p See p See p See p. 24