Lesson 1: What is Sociology?

Attention

Sociology is many things...it touches every aspect of our lives...

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this lesson's material, students will be able to:

  • Identify the influence of globalization, urbanization, and technology on everyday life
  • Identity why the study of sociology may be important in your future career.

Teaching

~ Read Chapter 1 in Benokraitis ~

Sociology is the systematic study of human society and social interaction.

A society is a large social grouping that shares the same geographical territory and is subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations.

We study sociology because it surrounds us.  We are a part of our society and it effects us in personal ways.

We can also recognize that our world is changing.  Through the processes of Globalization and Urbanization the boundaries of our cultures are blurring and our awareness of culture and different political authorities is much greater than it has been.

Technology is playing a role as well.  Computers have become much more commonplace than only a few years ago.  Our access to this wider range of information sources makes it all that more important that we understand our social world better.

And finally, with the changes going on in the global arena…countries collapsing, international terrorism, and the environmental crisis…all of these lend themselves to a study and deeper understanding through Sociology

The Sociological Imagination

The Sociological Imagination is, according to Mills, the ability to see the relationship between individual experiences and the larger society.

By understanding SI, we can gain an appreciation for approaching problems that we encounter from a sociological perspective.  In the past, when I required research papers from my students in Sociology (aren't you glad that is in the past!?) this was a difficult concept to teach.

It is clear to see that we can look at many issues in this manner and by doing so we practice our Sociological Imaginations!

As we make our way through this course we will be further challenged not only exercise an SI in terms of our own society, but from a global perspective.  We will be examining social life her in the US through this course, but we will also consider social life in other countries.  Our lives are truly global if you consider the political unrest, terrorism and the global marketplace issues of today.

We will exercise our ability to see a relationship between every day experience and the entire global scene!

I'll give you an example:

Consider the purchase of a new car.  Certainly this is a personal decision, but we must face that even if it says Dodge on the front of it, many of the components for the car came from many other countries.  Some of those countries may still have child labor, for instance.  We might be at war with some of them.  Who knows these days!

Now I buy the car because, in this culture, I have been show this car 1000 times through advertising and the web.  I'm an educated consumer because I do web based research before I buy, but I'm still struck by it's sleek lines and color (good engineering).

The gas I will put into the car rarely comes from the US.  The gas I use is refined by the oil we get from OPEC members, so I am participating in the global marketplace.  Changes in any of the countries that supply the parts and labor for my car will affect the price of the car and the gas.

We see expressions of global culture, marketplace, politics and economics in almost everything we do.

Consider your own purchases, your job, your day-to-day activities from a global SI perspective and you will appreciate how interdependent we have all become.

But what about day-to-day? 

As we go about our business every day it is sometimes difficult to imagine a direct impact of world affairs on us.  (911 certainly brought some of this awareness to many of us)

However, our jobs themselves are shaped by social forces which are the focus of sociological study.  Trends in population (people moving out of Maine), inequality (gender differences in pay and type of work), education (welcome to KVCC!), the economy (ups and downs in the current economy of Maine) and politics (the current efforts of the administration to improve the lives of people living in Maine), all play a role in what we do every day and the future prospects that stand before us.

Take a look at your own job and/or activities and look at the titles of the chapters in the book and you will see that Sociology touches our everyday lives.

Assessment

Lesson 1 Quiz

  1. Describe an example from your own life that exemplifies a direct impact of either globalization, urbanization, or technology.

Possible Class Discussion

In this discussion I would like you to share with each other why you feel that the study of Sociology may be important in your career, personal life, etc.