What are the practical uses of sociology? How can it help you understand your own life

and the changing world in which you live?

1

It contributes to an understanding of today’s

complex world by offering fresh ideas; challenging popular perceptions (the familiar);

identifying social problems and designing solutions to persistent

problems.

2

As such, it is the systematic study of the groups and

societies in which people live, how social structures and cultures are created and

maintained or changed, and how they affect our behavior. [At best it is predictive!]

3

How might sociology look at such common American

problems as poverty, high unemployment, the distribution of resources, gender, race…?

4

For the sociologist, observations and insights differ from common sense

explanations of social behavior.

5

Questioning public assumptions. Peter Berger’s “debunking motif,” or the notion of exposing urban legends.(Consider racial and gender stereotyping.)

6

Common explanations of such issues tend to focus on

individual behavior. Sociologists look at social forces—at trends and patterns, social structure and culture—to illuminate the connection between personal troubles and social problems.

7

It may reveal the flaws in our common sense views of the world. Our perceptions are often distorted

by our previous experiences, attitudes (prejudice), values, and beliefs, and our images of reality

are strongly influenced by the people around us.

8

How did Emile Durkheim use the sociological

perspective to add to our understanding of suicide?

9

Durkheim’s (1857-1917) study of suicide for the first time utilized real data accumulated from archives. It was a nomothetic approach and an application of the scientific method to a social problem. He identified “social facts” so that he could create a typology of suicide such as egoistic, altruistic, anomic, or fatalistic.

10

Durkheim set the ball rolling for the real science of the social sciences. We may

think of it as the application of the “research cycle” to

social research.

11

The Research Cycle(as based upon Durkheim’s study of

Suicide)

12

The Research Cycle(a more generalized view)

13

The Scientific Method:

What is a testable hypothesis?

15

It is a a proposition that can then be tested to determine its validity.

What you test is variables

16

A variable is a concept that can take on different values.

Dependent variables are those that are affected by some form of testing. Such as losing hair.

Independent variables is one that causes some effect, such as age.

17

Example

18

SES or socioeconomic status can be a dependent variable.

Or, can it be an independent variable as well?

Conducting Research

Variable — concept that can take on different values

Independent variable — variable that causes effect

Dependent variable — the variable affectedHypothesis — propositions that can be

tested to determine its validity

Basic Concepts in Research

Conducting Research

Spurious correlation — apparent relationship between two variables produced by third variable that influence the original variables

Basic Concepts in ResearchCorrelation — exists if change in one

variable is associated with change in other variable

But what of storks

21

You all know that storks bring babies.

22

In northern Germany, birth rates in rural areas positively correlated with the presence of storks.

Does this mean causality?

What could be the reason for this?

23

This would be a spurious correlation.

This means that there is a third variable.

Sociology as science:

24

Sociology is an empirical discipline

·        It relies on evidence·        Is systematic observation and experimentation·        Is verifiable through independent observation·        There is a demand for proof (hunches are for direction only)

25

Methods of minimizing errors and bias

·        Control groups·        Randomization in sample selection

26

It is a public venture

·        Results are public for other’s verification (peer review)·        Open discussion and examination of research·        Conclusions are never final or absolute – they are open to question

27

Generalizations

·        Conclusions should be generalizable; they should be able to be applied to other elements of the social structure

28

To produce Theory

·        Not just description but explanations·        The meaning of social actions is sought·        We look for the causes of social facts

29

Conducting Research

General framework or perspective that provides explanation for specific social phenomenon

Research provides findings that test our theories and provide the information needed to formulate public policy

Theory

Conducting Research

1. Select researchable problem

2. Review literature

3. Formulate hypothesis

4. Choose research design

5. Collect data

6. Analyze data

7. State conclusions

The Logic and Method of Science

Types of Research:

Observation (watching individual's or groups' behavior)

Participant observation (joining in the activity of the group)Ethnography (cultural - usually anthropology)

Case study (one or more individuals or groups)

Survey large (1000 plus, GSS and Census)

Survey small: (Structured interview and Semi-structured interview)

Archival (historical documents)Content analysis (television, film, internet, print)

Longitudinal study (usually survey/interview over time)

Focus group (responses from members of a group_32

33

Conducting Research

Experiment: researchers work with two groups that are identical in all relevant respectsExperimental group: group into which

researcher introduces change Control group: group into which the researcher

introduces no change

How Do Sociologists Collect Data?

Conducting Research

Secondary Data:Government documentsPrevious large surveys (GSS, Census)Historical records (older Census, receipts,

shipping documents, property deeds (yes, slavery)

How Do Sociologists Collect Data?

Conducting Research

Random sample: every individual in a population has the same chance of being chosen for a survey

Stratified random sample: researchers divide a population into relevant categories and draw a random sample for each category

How Do Sociologists Collect Data?Surveys: using sampling procedures to

collect data about a group

Conducting Research

Unobtrusive observation: sociologist observes the activities of people without intruding or participating in activities

Participant observation: sociologist is involved directly in activities of subjects—such as working at a job to study job satisfaction.

Multiple MethodsArchival research: use of existing records

How Do Sociologists Collect Data?Observation

Conducting Research

Should not mislead respondentsExpose respondents to substantial riskMust not coerce or deceive students into serving

as research subjects

Research Ethics Sociologists should not misuse positions

Class Exercise

39

Consider the previous slide and choose a methodology for studying either one of the following or another social issue/problem of Some choices (you may choose another):

HomelessnessDrug AddictionRacial DiscriminationConversation analysis of genderUnemployment

Narrow your research question down to something that you can actually study. Consider examples from EBSCOhost.

Some functions of sociology:

40

41

General enlightenment –

The ways in which social arrangements shape our lives; sociology affects public understanding.

Identifying social problems – calling attention to hidden, ignored, or misunderstood social problems; Example: family violence was considered extremely rare 25 years ago. (The first national survey on family violence was done in 1976 and showed family violence as a pervasive phenomena.) Sociologists can also be considered “professional whistle-blowers.”

42

Designing solutions – sociologists can function as

advisors, and can recommend solutions to social problems as

a way of influencing public policy. An example is sociologist

William J. Wilson’s advisory position in the Clinton

administration.

43

The sociological imagination – to help

individuals better understand their own

experiences.

44

ADDENDUM

Harold Garfinkle 1917 - 2011

Ethnomethodology is a fairly recent sociological

perspective, founded by the American sociologist Harold Garfinkel in the early 1960s.

Ethnomethodology

Ethnomethodology simply means the study of the

ways in which people make sense of their social world.

Ethnomethodologists start out with the assumption that social order is illusory. They believe that social life merely appears

to be orderly; in reality it is potentially chaotic.

49

Breaching ExperimentsThe breaching experiment is a simple yet

ingenious social psychology technique that explores people’s adherence to the unwritten social norms of society. The experiment was developed by sociologist Harold Garfinkel and has become a favorite tool in teaching sociology and psychology students about the strength of social norms and social conformity.

~Wired Cosmos http://wiredcosmos.com/2012/06/07/sociology-in-action-the-breaching-experiment/

50

Breaching Experiments In order to demonstrate the concept of the

breaching experiment, Garfinkel famously instructed his sociology students to act as lodgers when they went home to their parents. Students were excessively polite to their parents, asked permission to use the restroom, and pretended to be ignorant of the comings and goings of the household. Parents were reported to be distraught and generally bewildered, some were even angry at their children’s behavior.~Wired Cosmos http://wiredcosmos.com/2012/06/07/sociology-in-action-the-breaching-experiment/