SOCY 275 Lecture Notes - Unintended Consequences, Social Theory, Critical Criminology

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Social Sci, Edu and Soc Work - Sociology
• Course: SOCY 275
• Professor: Stacey Wilson

Document Summary

Commenting on the diversity of perspective, analysis and understanding of social deviance. Crime: act that contravenes a law, censured by authorities and subject to formal sanction. Deviance: action not conforming to group values, defined by the reaction of other. This study is not unified through a single approach but merely a similar subject. Many people over different times have developed complex theories. Deviantology: sociological study of deviance, focusing on its intersubjective definition. There are many theories, each with their own historical context, arguments, explanations and terminology. Conformity: behavior that is in accordance with social norms because of either agreement with social values or fear of sanctions. Many theories cannot be reconciled as they stand in different metaphysical contexts and due to the different opinions (no real fact) People are wary to classify things as deviant but prefer to find alternate explanations.