SOCB26H3 Chapter 1: Chapter 1
Document Summary
Chapter 1: thinking sociologically about the schooled society. Schooled society : formal education has moved to the centre stage of social life over the past century. Schooling has become the major route for social mobility. Social science differs from natural science by recognizing the fundamental fact of human agency, the unique ability to make meaning, to choose, and to behave intentionally. The key insights of social scientists have probabilistic, not deterministic effects on people. Sociological thinking uses evidence-based rigour to study meaningful human activity in its context. Social construction: it takes into account the limited force of human biology in social affairs and also implies that complex behavior and institutions cannot be reduced to an individual"s intentions and meanings. Social structures are flexible but enduring ensembles of interconnected rules and resources. A key social mechanism that connects individual action to a large scale social outcome is rational choice thinking.
