Source used: OpenStax College. (2012, June 12). Introduction to Sociology.

Retrieved from the Connexions Web site:

http://cnx.org/content/col11407/1.7/. Slides were created (changes were made and material was added) with
materials from OpenStax College under the Creative Commons license located at
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Outcomes
1.1 Apply the three major theoretical perspectives to
social events: conf lict, structural functionalism and
symbolic interactionism.
1.2 Identify the classical figures in sociology.
1.3 Identify American sociologists.
1.4 Recognize similarities and differences between
sociological perspectives and other perspectives of
human behavior, such as psychology and
anthropology.
What is Sociology
Sociology is the systematic study of society and social
interaction.
A society is a group of people whose members interact,
reside in a definable area, and share a culture.
A culture includes the groups shared practices, values,
and beliefs.
Sociological Imagination
Mills defined sociological imagination as how
individuals understand their own and others pasts in
relation to history and social structure (1959).
Figuration: the process of simultaneously analyzing
the behavior of an individual and the society that
shapes that behavior
History of Sociology
Comte Father of Sociology
Positivism
History of Sociology
Marx Capitalism
Means of production
Social Conf lict
History of Sociology
Durkheim - Social Facts
Weber - Verstehen
Theoretical Perspectives
Theory: a proposed explanation about social
interactions or society
Macro-level: a wide-scale view of the role of social
structures within a society
Micro-level theories: the study of specific relationships
between individuals or small groups
Table 1: Sociologica.I Theories. or Perspectiv es
Different sociological perspectives enable sociologists to view social issues through a variety of useful lenses.
Sociological Paradigm Level of Analysis Focus
Strucmra] Functionalism Macro or mid How each part of society functions together to conm10me to the whole
Con:llict Theory tvfacro
How inequalities conm10me to soda] differences and perpetuate differences mpower
Symbolic Jnteractiornsm tvficro One-te>-<one interactions and comnnmications
Sociological Theories
1. Structural Functionalism Macro and Mid - How
each part of society functions together to contribute
to the whole
2. Conf lict Theory - Macro - How inequalities
contribute to social differences and perpetuate
differences in power
3. Symbolic Interactionism Micro - One-to-one
interactions and communications