SOCIOL 1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Jargon, Insurance Policy, Devaluation
4.4.18
Sociology and Common Sense
- The aim of any scholastic discipline
- Be clear
- Be nonobvious
- Ought to contribute knowledge that goes beyond common sense
- Be possible to communicate knowledge so that it can be understood
- Should be something to say, something that makes a difference once you
know it, something you didn’t know before
- Sociology is infamous for its abstract jargon
- Sociologists seem to be saying what everyone already knows; document obvious
facts about our social world
- There’s a real core to the discipline
- Have very important things to say; developed useful thinking tools when it comes
to analyzing social life
- MAKE THE FAMILIAR STRANGE
- Heart of thinking sociologically
- Question what seems obvious
- Fundamentally about moving beyond common sense understandings about the
way that the world works
- Not assuming ANYTHING
- Not having preconceived notions about why people do what they do or
why the world works
- Sociology as a discipline gives us tools to defamiliarize the things that seem
obvious; questions what seems obvious
- Should everyone go to college? Is it necessary to even be here?
- Do you really believe that college will result in a better life for you in the future?
- For that past few decades, it has been argued that a college degree is a prerequisite
to enter the middle class in the United States
- Higher education is still a worthwhile investment as far as life choices for
your future
- College is a default option (modern day)
- People feel like they HAVE to go to college
- College today is like high school was 50 years ago
- College enrollment rates have increased from 26% to 41% over the past 3
decades
- Women more than men over time
- What about college completion?
- Approximately one-third of men and women in 2015 had a bachelor’s
degree
find more resources at oneclass.com
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Document Summary
Ought to contribute knowledge that goes beyond common sense. Be possible to communicate knowledge so that it can be understood. Should be something to say, something that makes a difference once you know it, something you didn"t know before. Sociology is infamous for its abstract jargon. Sociologists seem to be saying what everyone already knows; document obvious facts about our social world. There"s a real core to the discipline. Have very important things to say; developed useful thinking tools when it comes to analyzing social life. Fundamentally about moving beyond common sense understandings about the way that the world works. Not having preconceived notions about why people do what they do or why the world works. Sociology as a discipline gives us tools to defamiliarize the things that seem obvious; questions what seems obvious. For that past few decades, it has been argued that a college degree is a prerequisite to enter the middle class in the united states.
