WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY ?
Where psychologists study individual behaviour, sociologists study social behaviour. Biologists focus on nature, sociologists focus on culture.
WHAT DO SOCIOLOGISTS DO?
Study human social behaviour using one or more accepted sociological methods.
Many use methods of science, which focus on doubt.
Others try and understand from the point of view of the people they are studying.
The favourite sociologist's method is a survey.
DIVISIONS WITHIN SOCIOLOGY
Disagreement between sociologists forms the basis of many exam answers. Differences are:
Perspectives, the different ways the sociologists see the world.
Theories, are the explanations of social behaviour.
Methods, are the different ways of gathering and interpreting information.
SOCIAL ACTION PERSPECTIVES
Individuals create society, and have many motives and beliefs influencing their choices.
Individuals gave a social meaning to their and others' behaviour. They are shared within one group or society, but differ between groups.
Social meanings can change as time goes on.
Social action theories, explain how social meanings are learned and shared, e.g. labelling theories explain how the law enforcement define situations and impose meanings on people labelled as criminals.
Interactionist sociologists tend to use small-scale research to study hoe people or small groups make sense of the the social world.
For example, two raised fingers used to mean victory, but now in Britain, can also be offensive.
STRUCTURAL PERSPECTIVES
Society is a social system which exists independently of individuals. Society limits the behaviour of individuals, we learn norms, values beliefs and what is expected in our behaviour in society.
Structural sociologists tend to use quantitative methods to study the effects of society on large group behaviour.
STRUCTURAL CONSENSUS PERSPECTIVES
Consensus means agreement. The consensus perspective considers society bound by shared and agreed values (aims, beliefs and norms (rules). Social life is based on cooperation. Certain groups in the hierarchy, like politicians, have authority to maintain social order. The most important theory is functionalism.
STRUCTURAL-CONFLICT THEORIES.
Societies are groups with unequal access to power and rewards. The strong impose social order on the weak. The most powerful use institutions to control others. Conflict theories:
Marxism, focusing on social class inequalities.
Feminism, which focuses on gender inequalities.
Weberian theories, which focus on inequalities in power.
NEW THEORIES
Divisions between structural and action theories, and conflict and consensus perspectives, go back to the early days of sociology. Changes in society have encourages new theories. They include:
Feminism, argue society is dominated by men.
New Right, wants traditional moral values with free market economics
Postmodernism, says that the modern world has been replaced by the new, postmodern world.