SOC 1100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Canadian Economics Association, Auguste Comte, Social Inequality

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 1100
• Professor: Deanna Behnke- Cook

Document Summary

Seeing the general in the particular (peter berger) (how we do sociology): you cannot look at an entire culture- we have to look smaller groups. Sociologists identify general social patterns in the behavior of particular individuals- and then make assumptions. Sociology is about how we see the world and see each other- how we interact with one another. Sociology is whom we think we are- it is learned. We were born in a certain place and certain- and this shapes our experiences. Everything we think we know about ourselves we learn. Giving up the idea that human behavior is simply a matter of what people decide to do because we are influenced. Understanding that society shapes our lives- we do things to fit in. The power of society to shape even our most private choices. Durkheim on suicide: he discovered that society plays a huge role in deciding someone to commit suicide.