SY101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Talcott Parsons, The Sociological Imagination, Solidarity

• School: WLU
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SY101
• Professor: Glenda Wall

Document Summary

Sociology: systematic study of human behavior in social context: term coined by french social thinker auguste comte in 1838 (father of sociology, sociologists attempt to answer questions we have about social world. The sociological imagination: quality of mind that enables one to see the connection b/w personal troubles and social structures/forces (wright mills 1916- Eg a. male/female struggles with weight (become anorexic) Eg b. male/female graduates from school but after 1 year of unsuccessfully trying to find a job, they join gang/sex trade: public issue. Sociological theory and theorists (influential in development of sociology) Theory: conjecture about the relationship between observed facts: used to explain (help us understand, are influenced directly by cultural values + beliefs systems of their times, no completely right theories. Types of theories + theorists: structural functionalism: assumes society is comprised of structures, each structure is functional, cohesion ideas/consensus that holds a society together.