SYG 2000H Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Émile Durkheim, Social Fact, Social Stratification
Document Summary
Sociology- the study of patterns of human social interactions and their effects on human thought and behavior. Goal: to understand human behavior and society. To investigate the connections between what society makes of us and what we make of ourselves. Our activities structure the world around us but are also structured by that world. Structuration- the two-way process by which we shape our social world through our individual actions and by which we are reshaped by society. Local actions- the way we relate to each other in face-to-face contexts. Two or more people who interact with one another on a regular basis. Examples of behaviors heavily shaped by other people: Social locators categorize people according to characteristics such as age, sex, income, etc. The more diverse the society, the more categories. Some categories are valued more than others (rich v poor, white v black) Categories serve as social locators and determine a person"s location/status in a society.
