SOCI 1010 Chapter Notes -Harriet Martineau, George Herbert Mead, George Ritzer
4 Oct 2013
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Systematic study of behaviour in human societies (logic and evidence) How do we explain patterns of behaviour in sociology: structure: decisions structured by social institutions. Or: agency: decisions based on free will, in that we are the agents of our own lives. Two scopes of sociological research: micro: small group level interactions (family, peer group, coworkers, macro: large social organization (universities, churches, towns, wright mills sociological imagination" connection between personal troubles and public issues. Example: a couple"s marriage that breaks down can be linked to a broader realization of many marriages breaking down in society. This then can correlate to the notion that there is an absence of public daycare, forcing one parent to stay home, creating potential problems for each individual marriage. Therefore, it is no longer a personal problem when using our sociological imaginations, but a widespread social issue. Purpose: theories are tools to help us understand social issues, organize our ideas, and interpret reality.
