SOC100H1 Chapter 1,2,4: Textbook Notes
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY
-Social problem: a problem affecting a large social group or segment of society
-Sociology is concerned with finding solutions to social problems (and more)
-Sociology: the study of the patterned (or predictable and recurring) relations among human beings, and
of the social institutions and societies people create through such relations
oAka: the way people interact and what those interactions produce
-Social institution: a kind of social structure made up of a number of relationships; operating to achieve
certain social goals; examples: the family, organized religion, education system
-Two social crises – the industrial revolution and the French revolution – pushed Europeans to look for
new ways to think about the social problems they were experiencing + new ideas about the best rational
ways to organize society
oIndustrial revolution: people were moving from rural areas into the cities to find work in new
factories and mills that were being built; cities were becoming crowded and had an abundance of
social problems (poverty and homelessness, child labour, dangerous working conditions,
prostitution industrial pollution, scarcity of resources)
oFrance revolution: traditional rulers were overthrown and new political arrangements were being
considered; social and political transformation
-Numerous approaches adopted by sociologists to study the patterned relations among human beings and
the social institutions they create
o(structural) functionalism
oconflict theory
osymbolic interactionism
ofeminism
opostmodernism
ofusion approach
-sociology and other social sciences arose largely out of a desire to explain social differences and to find
patterns in people’s social relations – to find reasons why we do things this way and they do things that
way
-society: the largest-scale human group, whose members interact with one another, share a common
geographic territory, and share common institutions
-sociology has always been aimed at solving social problems, to find better ways of living together
-sociological imagination: approach to sociology that attempts to make sense of the personal
experiences of individuals within the societal context in which these experiences occur, and relate them
to public issues
-founding figures of sociology’s five classical theoretical approaches: Karl Marx (theorist of revolution
and critic of capitalism provided a classic analysis of social class inequality), Max Weber (liberal who
called attention to the rationalization and bureaucratization of modern life), and Émile Durkeim
(proposed a political approach that avoided both revolutionary socialism and laissez-faire capitalism)
-social conflict
oKarl Marx
Wealth as a source of social conflict
Observed that capitalism, as an economic system, permitted the wealthy class of capitalist
business owners (bourgeoisie) to earn profits by exploiting the poorer class of workers
(proletariat)
Co-wrote The Communist Manifesto (1848) with Friedrich Engels: identified division
between the haves and have-nots that exists in every society
Class conflict is the driving force of history
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Bourgeoisie own the means of production (money and equipment required to
manufacture commercial goods) and were pit against the proletariat in a series of periodic
crises that ultimately led to the destruction of the system
Him and Engels warned that by uniting in collective action – especially revolution –
could the workers achieve a fair standard of living
Class was the most important concept
oMax Weber
Included non-economic conflict and conflict between non-economic groups
Status groups defined by nationality, religion, ethnic background etc were as important as
social classes in power
Power was the most important concept
Power is transformed into legitimate authority
Ancestor of modern conflict theory according to textbook because he was more
interested in how interest groups (social classes under certain conditions) gain, hold, and
exercise power
-Scholars at Frankfurt school of “critical sociology” transformed and nourished Marx and Weber’s works
and create modern conflict theory
oScholars thought that Marx’s ideas were tied too closely to the workings of communist parties so
they tried to develop a brand of Marxist theory that was distinct from the version practised by
political parties
oTheir interpretation of Marxism wasn’t faithful to the original
oTraditional: more into positivism
Positivism: philosophical belief that any rational assertion can be proven scientifically
oModern: more subjective, less dogmatic approach to shed light on society and thus bring about
change
Horkheimer thought this one was necessary because like Weber he saw a distinction
between social science and natural science
Believed that observations about society are rarely objective since researchers
shape observations according to perspectives and ideologies
Their conclusions are likely to confirm what they already believe to be true
Only way out of this is to acknowledge goals and biases at the outset
oRecently: Jürgen Habermas stresses in The Theory of Communicative Action the humanist side of
Marx’s work and examines tensions between philosophical theory and practice
Links scientific methods to social analysis and argues for social improvement – not
revolution
Apply interpretive methods to critical analysis of modern society and to the positivist
goal of improving that society, Habermas represents the example of a fusion approach
FUNCTIONALISM
-Views society as a set of interconnected parts that work together to preserve the overall stability and
efficiency of the whole
-individual social institutions – families, economy, government, education, etc – all contribute to the
continued functioning of society
-i.e. families reproduce and nurture members of society; economy regulates the production, distribution
and consumption of goods and services
-Robert Merton = key contributor to this perspective, proposed that social institutions perform two kinds
of functions:
oManifest functions: intended and easily recognized
oLatent functions: unintended and often hidden
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-Helps us understand how social change occurs even as social institutions operate to maintain the status
quo – society as it is;
oManifest functions promote consistency over time, latent functions allow change
-Evolutionary theories: (Herbert Spencer, Talcott Parsons) focus on system-changing developments
associated with modernization – with urbanization, industrialization, etc
oStress the changing effects of science, technology, literacy, mass media, law, democratic
government, market-based economies, etc
-Since social institutions influence one another, according to the structuralist view, changes in one part of
society bring about changes in other parts
-Functionalist perspective accounts for social problems by focusing on the failure of institutions to do
what we expect of them during times of rapid change – to perform their manifest functions
-Émile Durkeim introduced the term “anomie” or normlessness to describe the condition typical in times
of rapid social change in which social norms are weak or in conflict with one another giving rise to
social problems such as these
-Norms: rules or expectations telling us what kinds of behaviour are appropriate and inappropriate in
specific social situations
CONFLICT THEORY
-always about the unequal distribution of power
-rejects the functionalist explanations of social life – criticizes their limited attention to power struggles
and special interests
-views society as a collection of varied groups that constantly struggle with each other to dominate
society and its institutions
-began in the 19th century with Marx and Weber; mid 20th century approached as a reaction against
functionalism building on Ralf Dahrendorf, Lewis Coser, and Randall Collins’ work
-Dahrendorf argued that neither functionalism nor Marxism alone provides sufficient understanding of
advanced society
oFunctionalists paid too little attention to the realities of social conflict while Marxism ignored
consensus and integration in modern societies
oMarxism was too focused on class conflict
oHe viewed society as being in a constant state of conflict held together by coercion
oLike Weber he paid special attention to the societal role of authority which he characterized as an
exercise of power in imperatively coordinated associations
Imperatively control (i.e. dominated) interest groups have the potential to turn into
conflict groups – groups actively pursuing their own interests – and their actions can
produce changes in society
-Coser: more often than not conflict has important social function which is why it’s never-ending and it’s
universal
oConflict can tighten the bonds of loosely structured groups and societies
oMaintains status quo if groups remain locked in conflict for long periods of time
oIn a society that lacks strong bonds of consensus, conflict with another society can increase
social solidarity
oMany potential conflicts don’t erupt into violence; conflict can create new kinds of balance and
interdependence in society
-Randall Collins: least functionalist presentation of conflict theory
oHuman beings are sociable but conflict prone
oThere is conflict because violence coercion is always a potential resource
oMen live in self-constructed subjective worlds; others pull many of the strings that control one’s
subjective experience; there are frequent conflicts over control
oLife is a struggle for status in which no one can afford to be oblivious to the power of others
around
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SOC100H1 Full Course Notes
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Document Summary
Social problem: a problem affecting a large social group or segment of society. Sociology is concerned with finding solutions to social problems (and more) Sociology: the study of the patterned (or predictable and recurring) relations among human beings, and of the social institutions and societies people create through such relations: aka: the way people interact and what those interactions produce. Social institution: a kind of social structure made up of a number of relationships; operating to achieve certain social goals; examples: the family, organized religion, education system. Wealth as a source of social conflict. Observed that capitalism, as an economic system, permitted the wealthy class of capitalist business owners (bourgeoisie) to earn profits by exploiting the poorer class of workers (proletariat) Co-wrote the communist manifesto (1848) with friedrich engels: identified division between the haves and have-nots that exists in every society. Class conflict is the driving force of history.
