Week #1
Week #1. Introduction to Social Science & Theory: Why Study Sociology and Social Theory?
This section will give you a general overview of the different theories. We will focus on understanding their "domain assumptions" & how theories compare – we will explore the basic differences between the three major theories we will also talk about Max Weber, We will discuss some of the theories in more detail as the course unfolds.
This section also asks you to think critically about science and scientific method. Science is not TRUE or FAKE. Pure social science should be an attempt to understand what is happening in the world. Social scientists should be strive to be "objective" and consider observable facts. But we can never be completely free of our paradigms or “perspectives”. The Sociology of Knowledge is a paradigm that suggests that Sociology and what social scientist do is no different from what anyone else does in society. Therefore Sociology should be reflective and also turn a critical lens on its own beliefs and practices.
I included feminist theory in the first week because it is a good example of how different theoretical perspectives handle the same social problem. (women’s inequality) Even though the objective data shows that there is a good deal of inequality between men and women on the planet. All "feminist" theorists don't agree on the root of the problem or how to fix it.
All feminist theoriest see a problem but they don’t agree on the cause or solution. You could be a functionalist, symbolic interactionists or conflict theorist AND write from a feminist perspective. You can also be a male and be a feminist. How on earth is that possible? Subsequently Feminist Standpoint theory says that it is important to understand the perspective of viewer.
Where you stand determines how the world looks to you. Although in our patriarchal society women in general have lower status than men. It is not true for all women. All women don't have the same distance to traverse to get to equity.
When reviewing this information remember that all theories have underlying beliefs and ideas.
Theories are made up of concepts, belief systems, methods....
Assignments
Assignment #1: Quiz (Domain Assumptions and comparing theories) 100 points Quiz posted to canvas.
Assignment #2: Interview 1 male and 1 female on their ideas on feminism and post their beliefs to the canvas discussion board. What rational did they give for their belief systems. (100 points - 3-5 page paper, full instructions posted to canvas) - The goal of this assignment is to develop your interview skills and to also have you explore how your community sees a particular social issue. Post a summary of your paper to the discussion board.
Readings
The readings for this week are listed below. When ever possible I linked directly to an online resource. I also posted these readings and links to canvas.
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Reading: Chapter 1, Wallace and Wolf
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Reading: Wallace and Wolf pages 262 to 269
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Reading: WI Thomas Definition of the Situation
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Optional Reading: Berger and Luckmann The Social Construction of Reality http://perflensburg.se/Berger%20social-construction-of-reality.pdf.
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Reading Link: Betty Friedan to Beyoncé: Today’s generation embraces feminism on its own terms. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/feminism/betty-friedan-to-beyonce-todays-generation-embraces-feminism-on-its-own-terms/2016/01/27/ab480e74-8e19-11e5-ae1f-af46b7df8483_story.html
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Reading: Feminist Epistemology and Standpoint https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/feminism-epistemology/#standpoint
Discussion Questions
Discussion Question #1: Introduce yourself to the class and tell what experience you have with Sociology. What do you see as the benefits of Sociology as a discipline and do you think people construct their own reality. Do you believe that people construct their own reality? What did you think about the movie(s)? Do we live in a simulation where we are controlled like the pieces in a computer game in a structural functional world?… or do we create this world as we live out our lives? Early Sociologist were also philosophers and they were trying to find our the meaning of life, and social behaviors. (100 points)
Discussion Question #2: Post your feminism interview information to the discussion board. (100 points) (Note this is a paper and a post.)
Optional Discussion Video: Explicit Adult Language The Problem with Feminism in the 21st Century in 7 Minutes. https://youtu.be/wwixAoStscU. Do you agree or disagree with this video. How would you suggest changing the language? Is it possible to point out oppression and problems within the system without offending people in general and the oppressors in particular? This guy is pretty blunt how do you feel about what he said? Do his opinions match your interviewees?
Is this image exploitative or empowering for women?
Get it? Where do you stand?
There are three lectures for this week. Please click on the lecture links in canvas. I decided not to post them to the webpage now. You will find the lectures on cancas.
The following are a few points below I want you to remember when you review the course lectures for week 1.
Theorists look at the same social world and see something different. What do you see in the image below?
There are many many different Sociological theories this is just a partial list of the most popular ones.
Each of these theories have their own domain assumptions and ideas on how the social world works and how and why people behave the way they do.
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Functionalism
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Conflict Theory
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Symbolic Interaction
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Critical Theory
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Ethnomethodology
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Phenomenology
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Dramaturgy
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Rational Choice Theory
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Exchange Theory
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Feminist Theory
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Queer Theory
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Structural Theory
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World Systems Theory
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Strain Theory
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Critical Race Theory
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Etc…
Thomas Kuhn- studied how science changes – he found that scientist were not really that objective. As with all humans, scientist held paradigms which constrained and influenced their work.... and that they held on to their paradigms very tightly and were reluctant to change until the proof of the new paradigm was overwhelming. This video below does an excellent job of explaining Kuhn's idea of how science changes.
Even if you are not aware of it you also have belief systems about these things. For example do you believe the a criminal offender is a product of their environment or a person that makes bad choices? Do you think people can really "change" things in the social world or do you think that the system influences what we do?
H.O.M.E
All social research/theories have underlying Domain Assumptions
In their 1979 Burrell and Morgan noted that all research had basic "domain assumptions" that influence how they interpreted the world. This is a simplification but there are a few fundamental questions that all theories have a perspective on regardless of focus. A good way to remember these ideas is with the acronym HOME
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Human Nature –What is the nature of human nature - Is man an actor/creator or observer?
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Ontology – What is the nature of Reality?
Does the world exist outside the individual - Objective Reality – Structuralist
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Theories: functionalism, conflict theory, structuralism
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Look for natural laws of human behavior
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Positivism – applying the scientific method to the study of man (A. Comte)
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Does the world exist within the individuals perceptions – Subjective Reality - Humanist
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Theories, symbolic interaction, social psychology, role theory, exchange theory
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Look at subjective meanings, perceptions, interpretations
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Methodology – What is the best method to find out about the world?
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Epistemology – What is valid knowledge?
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Other questions to consider
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What is the view of society?
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What is the level of analysis
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What is the view of the individual?
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What is the view of the social order?
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What is the view of social change?
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Week #1 Video Links
The following videos introduce you to the major ideas related to Sociological theory. They do an excellent job of explaining the ideas and concepts in your Week #1 readings.
Feminist Theory
What exactly is Feminist theory? What are the domain assumptions of the various "feminist" theories? Are they the same for each theory? What is "Standpoint" theory and Black feminism?
Do all girls have the same distance to run to achieve the goal of equality?
Canvas Week 1 Page Snapshot
All of the resources on this webpage can also be found on Canvas. You have to post your discussions and assignments to canvas in the links identified below.
