Dr. Rodriguez
Introduction to Sociology
I. What is Sociology?
- Sociology is a social science--it uses the scientific method of research to study social phenomena (What do we mean by "scientific"?)
- Sociologists study groups, populations, social structures, and their social behavior
(What is a "social structure"?)
(Social structures have visible and invisible properties)
(Structuralism/Structuralist) - Example of sociological studies range widely-
- impact of immigration on intergroup relations (new groups, new relations, the formation of new boundaries and new bridges)
- development and growth of social movements (millennium movements, Y2K, UFOs, Falun Gung, environmental movements
- formation of global communities (the globalization of everyday life)
- growth of deviant behavior (gangs, outlaw behavior, drug use, etc.)
- social stigmas (how/why stigmas develop, reaction to stigmas)
- historical stigmas--"adulterer," "illegitimate" child, persons with leprosy
- modern stigmas --persons with AIDS/HIV, heavy accents?, Amerasians, having a mental illness, being unemployed?, "being black!" ("We don't have any stigmas in the modern age; we have become permissive and accepting.")
- study of social identities (ethnic, racial, national, gender, occupational, regional, etc.)
- formation of social identities in a multicultural environment
- Black vs. African American
- Hispanic vs. Latino (Latina/o) vs. Mexican American (Cuban American, etc.) vs. American
- Chinese (Vietnamese, etc.) American vs. "Asian"
- Black vs. African American
II. Sociological Perspective/Sociological Imagination
Sociological perspective--considers the influences and effects of sociological factors (the influences of, and on, groups, institutions, communities, etc.; for example, why does the rate of suicide vary by culture?)
Deaths from suicide and self-inflicted injury (1992/1994)
Russia
Hungary
Finland
U.S.A.
Italy
Portugal
England &Wales
Suicide rates by race and gender (1991)
Female
White
Black