SOC 1101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Verstehen

September72016

● “Fundamentalattributionerror”wedothisallthetimeweattributepeopletotheir

behaviourasopposedtolookingatexternalreasoningforit.

○ Weneedtotakeintoconsiderationourenvironmentalotmorethanwedo.

○ Theabilitytoseehowthecontextofsocietyshapesourlives.Weneedtostep

outsideourselves

notenoughjobstosupporttheseindividuals.

● Multiplefactorsattributetohowweourworld:Minoritystatus,socioeconomicstatus,

age,sex,location,etc.

○ Goalofsociology

○ Processofquestioningactionsandideasthatareusuallytakenforgranted

○ Tryingtoseeeverydaylifeindifferentways

society,weareoftenbuildingmoreprisons,thecrimerateisgoingdown,sowhy

arewebuildingmoreprisons?”

○ WewanttoseethestrangeinthefamiliarSociologistshavetoactasoutsiders,

askquestions.Ex.Makeup.

○ Sociologicaldiscovery:Cultureshockminusthegeographicaldisplacement

○ Sociologistsneedcriticaldistanceandnearness.Enoughdistancetonotbe

judgemental,butnearenoughtounderstandthegroup'sexperience.

○ Sociologistsshouldgenerallybeobjective

● Knowledgeisalwayscontextbound.Studiesbasedaroundwhowasstudied,the