SOC 105 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Social Change, Social Fact, C. Wright Mills

• School: Ryerson University
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 105
• Professor: Carmen Schifellite

Document Summary

Sociology - systematic study of social behaviour and human groups. How ideas, objects, institutions and social relations are socially constructed. Challenges taken for granted ideas; new ways to view world. Complicated than common sense (eg. how can we see the world?) Not about straight forward observation (eg. just go look at the world. Construct survival by building social groups - living, practical, reality. If someone has a lot of money, they have more power to hire more labour. Eg. desk; mostly empty space bc of space between atoms. Macro: study of bigger picture (generalization) eg. study of education systems. Einstein - theories of relativity - closer you are to speed of light, time goes slower. Atomic clocks, one on earth, one in space. Eg. cancer, gov"t spend more time on treatment rather than prevention. Social bases of cancer: we know how to prevent but only 18% of funds on it. Decision to focus on treatment > prevention has socioeconomic impact.