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Handout 1 The Sociological Perspective: Patterns in Society Presentation 1a I. We will begin by posing four questions and revealing the answers. (There is room in this space to write the answers.) II. Introduction There are many facts about people in the social groups they belong to. Having knowledge of many social patterns, sociologists can describe, in average terms , the lives and futures of complete strangers! A. Predicting your current reality
1. being in this class is a clue to your social (economic) standing: where you go to school (e.g., private schools, state universities, or community colleges. a. The household income of those attending state universities hovers near the median value. What does median mean? B. Predicting your future
- marrying patterns (i.e., marriage rates and divorce rates )
- earnings over one’s lifetime a. lifetime expected earnings related to highest degree obtained
b. gender and average earnings (i.e., the pay gap).
3. life expectancy - what it is overall, for men, and for women. Also, within U.S. states there are differences (e.g., by race). C. These are social facts, but why the predictable patterns? Yes, you have many choices in your lives, but paying attention to social trends shows how important society is in our lives, too. Presentation 1b III. Definition of Sociology A. Sociology is the scientific study of 1. social life (the group is the unit of analysis) 2. social change 3. the social causes and consequences of human behavior 4. Sociologists investigate the parts of society (e.g., a culture) and how people interact within these contexts.
C. “The number of children born to families is a matter of personal choice.”
1. To some extent, yes, especially among the most educated.
- Yet, social forces are also a strong predictor of number of children across different societies (see UN Development Report ). D. In sum --Sociology does not accept something as a fact because “everyone knows it.” We rely on scientific studies and the results of as much research as possible to understand a social issue. References Frey, Bruno S. and Alois Stutzer. 2002. “What can Economists Learn from Happiness Research?” Journal of Economic Literature 40(2): 402-35. Roxburgh, Susan. 2004. “There Just Aren’t Enough Hours in the Day’: The Mental Health Consequences of Time Pressure.” Journal of Health and Social Behavior 45(2): 115-
Ruane, Janet M. and Karen A. Cerulo. 2004. Second Thoughts: Seeing Conventional Wisdom Through the Sociological Eye. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge. Zajonc, R.B., Adelmann, P.K., Murphy, S.T., and Niedenthal, P.M. 1987. “Convergence in the Physical Appearance of Spouses.” Motivation and Emotion , 11: 335-46.
