01:920:101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: The Sociological Imagination, Auguste Comte, African-American Studies
Class 1: Sociology-
A scientific study of society and human behavior or
(Science of Society) in three words
Science- Information gained through experiments in a systematic way
Society- a population in the same geographic area
Auguste Comte- French Philosopher, he called it initially “social physics”,
- saw it as a scientific study of human behavior in society
- Believed in Functionalism, believed scientific knowledge could improved people’s
life
- He is not the founder of sociology, he coined the term
- Saw sociology as the last science to be developed
Problems in Sociology- these issues needed new discipline
1. Industrialization- farm based economies moved into manufacturers, immense
social changes,
2. Urbanization- people started moving to cities, cities had a problem with
sanitation
Sociology vs. Other Disciplines-
- Sociology belongs to social sciences- psychology, anthropology, sociology
How sociology differs from other social sciences?
- Concepts cover wide range of topics
- Explanations of how external world shapes behaviors of individuals and social
outcomes as broader
How is Sociology different?
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- Different levels
- Different units of analysis
- Wide range of connections than other social sciences
Came from sociology- Criminology, gender studies, African american studies, Latino
studies
Sociological Imagination- challenges our basic impulses
Effects- 1. Develop better understanding of cultural differences
2. Better able to evaluate public policy initiatives
3. Helps us become self-enlightened and change our behavior
4. Enhances career options
- C.Wright Mills coined the phrase in his 1959 book “The Sociological
Imagination”
- Capacity to think systematically about how many things we experience as
personal problems are really social issues that are shared by others
- Enables us to grasp history and biography and the relations between the two
within society
- At each stage we are both individuals and are members of a social world
Examples: 1. One unemployed man in a city of 100,000 versus (personal problem)
2. 15 million unemployed men in a nation of 50 million (public problem)
Limitation- Assessment of evidence (data)
● Everyone has some degree of sociological imagination
● Making generalization is not an example of sociological imagination
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Stereotypes
- assumptions (pictures in our heads)
- Negative
- Positive
Prejudice- attitudes (feelings)
Explicit - open
Implicit - hidden
Discrimination-behavior, practice, policy, racism
Individual
Institutional
4 Keys:
Social Construction- an idea or practice that a group of people agree exists
● Maintained over time by people taking its existence for granted
● What people think and do are products of culture and history
Social order- socialization -
● the social process through which children develop an awareness of social
norms and values and achieve a distinct sense of self.
Social Change- social life is dynamic, it is constantly changing due to human actions
Agency and Structure- Does the individual matter?
● The underlying regularities or patterns in how people behave in their
relationships with one another
Engaging Sociological Imagination-
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Document Summary
A scientific study of society and human behavior or (science of society) in three words. Science- information gained through experiments in a systematic way. Society- a population in the same geographic area. Auguste comte- french philosopher, he called it initially social physics , Saw it as a scientific study of human behavior in society. Believed in functionalism, believed scientific knowledge could improved people"s life. He is not the founder of sociology, he coined the term. Saw sociology as the last science to be developed. Problems in sociology- these issues needed new discipline. Industrialization- farm based economies moved into manufacturers, immense social changes: urbanization- people started moving to cities, cities had a problem with sanitation. Sociology belongs to social sciences- psychology, anthropology, sociology. Explanations of how external world shapes behaviors of individuals and social outcomes as broader. Wide range of connections than other social sciences. Came from sociology- criminology, gender studies, african american studies, latino studies.
