Summary
In a nutshell, sociology is the scientific study of society. Sociologists use the tools and methods of science to understand how and why humans behave the way they do when they interact together in groups. Though social groups — or societies — are made up of individual people, sociology is the study of the group rather than of the individual. When it comes to understanding how the individual human mind works, sociologists largely leave that up to psychologists.
Most people who call themselves “sociologists” work in universities and colleges, where they teach sociology and conduct sociological research. They ask a variety of questions about society, sometimes wanting answers just for the sake of curiosity; however, many times their findings are used to inform
decisions by policymakers, executives, and other individuals. Many people who study sociology go on to conduct sociological research outside of academia, working for government agencies, think tanks, or private corporations. Accurate, systematic study of society is in one way or another useful to
just about everyone.
Studying sociology, whether or not you call yourself a “sociologist,” means taking a particular view of the world: a view that sociologist C. Wright Mills called “the sociological imagination.” You have to be willing to set aside your ideas about how the social world should work so that you can see how it actually
works. That doesn’t mean that sociologists don’t have personal values and opinions about the social world; they believe that to change the world, you first need to understand it.
Sociology is the study of human and societal interaction. Whether you’re currently enrolled in a course or want to learn how to apply sociological concepts to your personal or professional life.
- Discover the who, what, and where of sociology — wrap your head around the basics of sociology to get a handle on what it is, where it came from, and who practices it.
- Put on your sociology sunglasses — learn how to look at society through the eyes of a sociologist to get a better understanding of culture, social networks, society and your place in it, and more.
- Get a grip on the social status quo — find out how everything from race to sex and gender plays a role in social equality and inequality.
- Organize (and disorganize) social organizations — discover what sociology tells us about how corporations, nonprofits, governments, and social movements work (and sometimes don’t).
- Take a look in the mirror — understand how your life’s course is inexplicably tied to your society.
Contents
Introduction
- About This Book
- Conventions Used in This Book
- Sociology is Controversial: Brace Yourself!
- How This Book Is Organized
- Part I: The Basic Basics
- Part II: Seeing Society Like a Sociologist
- Part III: Divided — er, United — We Stand: Equality and Inequality in Our Diverse World
- Part IV: All Together Now: The Ins and Outs of Social Organization
- Part V: Sociology and Your Life
- Part VI: The Part of Tens
- Icons Used In This Book
- Where To Go From Here
Part I: The Basic Basics
Chapter 1: Sociology — Getting Your Head Around It
- Understanding Sociology
- Defining Sociology
- The History of Sociology
- Doing Sociology
- Seeing the World as a Sociologist
- Understanding Culture
- Microsociology
- Network Sociology
- Understanding Differences Among People and Groups
- Social Stratification
- Race and Sex
- Religion
- Crime and Deviance
- Social Organization
- Corporate Culture
- Social Movements and Political Sociology
- Urban Sociology
- Sociology and Your Life
- The Life Course
- Social Change
- Sociology for Dummies, for Dummies
Chapter 2: What Is Sociology, and Why Should I Care?
- Figuring Out What Sociology Is
- Defining Sociology
- Studying Society Scientifically
- Asking and Answering Sociological Questions
- Discovering Where Sociology Is “Done”
- Colleges and Universities
- Think Tanks and Research Institutes
- Nonprofit Organizations
- Government
- Journalism and Reporting
- Business and Consulting
- Everyday Life
- Recognizing How Sociology Affects Your Life and Your World
- Thinking About the Social World Objectively
- Visualizing Connections Across Time and Place
- Uncovering What Really Matters
- Informing Social Policy
- Keeping a Unique Perspective for Everyday Problems
Chapter 3: Making It Up as They Went Along — The History of Sociology
- Who Cares About History?
- Thinking About Society Before There Was Sociology
- Pre-sociologists: People with Ideas About Society
- Political and Industrial Revolution
- The Development of Sociology
- Positivism and Early Sociologists
- Sociology’s Power Trio: Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber
- Sociology in the 20th Century
- The Chicago School
- Mass Society and The Power Elite
- Sociology Today
Chapter 4: Research Methods — Because You Can’t Put Society in a Test Tube
- The Steps of Sociological Research
- Choosing a Method
- Quantitative vs. Qualitative
- Cross-Sectional vs. Longitudinal
- Analyzing Analytical Tools
- Statistics and Qualitative Data
- Preparing for Potential Pitfalls
- Data/Theory Mismatch and Common Errors
Part II: Seeing Society Like a Sociologist
Chapter 5: Socialization — What Is “Culture,” and Where Can I Get Some?
- Understanding What Culture Is — and Isn’t
- Breaking Down Structure
- The Culture-Structure Continuum
- Studying Culture: Production and Reception
- Subcultures and Microcultures
- Socialization and Identity
- Nature vs. Nurture
- The Culture Paradox
Chapter 6: Microsociology — If Life Is a Game, What Are the Rules?
- Social Facts
- Rational and Irrational Choices
- Symbolic Interactionism
- Role Switching and Frames
Chapter 7: Caught in the Web — The Power of Networks
- Seeing Society as a Network
- Egocentric Networks
- The Strength of Weak Ties
- Structural Holes
- Network Analysis Insights
- Online Social Networking
Part III: Equality and Inequality in Our Diverse World
Chapter 8: Social Stratification — We’re All Equal, But Some of Us Are More Equal Than Others
- Understanding Social Inequality
- Income and Wealth
- Occupation and Education
- Race, Sex, and Age Discrimination
- Comparing Inequality Internationally
Chapter 9: Gender and Ethnicity — I Know My Race, But Where’s the Finish Line?
- Bias and Discrimination
- Race and Ethnicity
- Racial Discrimination and the Model Minority Myth
- Immigration and Assimilation
- Sex and Gender
- GBLTQ Rights
- Why Race, Ethnicity, Sex, and Gender Still Matter
Chapter 10: Getting Religion — Faith in the Modern World
- Religion in History and Theory
- Marx, Durkheim, and Weber
- Religious Organizations
- Faith and Freedom Today
- Belief, Action, and Modern Practice
Chapter 11: Crime and Deviance — I Fought the Law and I Won!
- Crime and Deviance
- The Social Construction of Crime
- Criminal Behavior
- Fighting Crime and Incarceration
Part IV: All Together Now — The Ins and Outs of Social Organization
Chapter 12: Corporate Culture — The Study of Organizations (and Disorganizations)
- Weber’s Theory of Bureaucracy
- Rational, Natural, and Open Systems
- Corporate Culture and Institutional Isomorphism
Chapter 13: The Rules of the Game — Social Movements and Political Sociology
- Government and the State
- Power and Social Structures
- Conflict and Pluralist Models
- Social Movements and Change
Chapter 14: Urban Sociology and Demographics — Love in the Heart of the City
- Sociology in the City
- Neighborhoods and Suburbs
- Gentrification
- Urban Life and Inequality
Part V: Sociology and Your Life
Chapter 15: Get Born, Get a Job, Get a Kid, Get Out of Here — The Family and the Life Course
- The Social Construction of Age
- The Life Course and Transitions
- Health Care and Society
- Families Past and Present
Chapter 16: Future Passed — Understanding Social Change
- Marx, Durkheim, and Weber on Change
- Globalization and Diversity
- Technology and the Middle Class
- Sociology in the Future
Part VI: The Part of Tens
Chapter 17: Ten Sociology Books That Don’t Feel Like Homework
- Randall Collins — Sociological Insight
- William Foote Whyte — Street Corner Society
- William H. Whyte — The Organization Man
- Erving Goffman — The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life
- Elijah Anderson — Streetwise
- Arlie Hochschild — The Second Shift
- Viviana Zelizer — Pricing the Priceless Child
- Michael Schwalbe — Unlocking the Iron Cage
- Richard Peterson — Creating Country Music
- Katherine Newman — No Shame in My Game
Chapter 18: Ten Ways to Use Sociological Insight in Everyday Life
- Think Critically About Research Claims
- Beware of Unprovable Assertions
- Understand Barriers to Communication
- Know the Difference Between Chosen and Assigned Identities
- Understand Art Through a Sociological Lens
- Build Better Relationships
- Change Society Realistically
- Mobilize a Social Movement
- Run a Company Effectively
- Celebrate Human Diversity
Chapter 19: Ten Myths About Society Busted by Sociology
- Hard Work Always Pays Off
- Our Actions Reflect Our Values
- The Media Brainwashes Us
- Society Is Just Common Sense
- Race Doesn’t Matter Anymore
- Immigrants Always Assimilate
- Bureaucracy Is Always Dehumanizing
- Bad Choices Come from Bad Messages
- Society Prevents Our True Selves
- A Perfect Society Exists
Extract
I’ve written this book to introduce you to one of the biggest and most fascinating disciplines in all of science. Yes, you read that right: Sociology is a science. Sociologists don’t use beakers and test tubes, but like natural scientists, they do seek to learn about the world by creating theories and testing them with systematic observations.
What makes sociology both so interesting and so challenging is its subject: the social world. Society is huge and hugely complex; there are answers to sociological questions, but there usually aren’t any easy answers. In addition to the challenge of answering sociological questions, there’s the challenge of asking them — that is, of thinking about society as a subject of objective, scientific study.
Your grandpa, your minister, and the guy who works at your local coffee shop probably don’t have any opinions about how atoms should and shouldn’t bond with one another, but they certainly all have opinions about how society should be organized. Studying society scientifically means setting aside — temporarily — your thoughts about how society should work.
After you do that, though, you can learn some amazing things about the world. The achievements of sociologists are among the great achievements of the human race because, in sociology, people from all different walks of life come together to understand society objectively — so that, in the long run, it can perhaps be made to work better for everyone.
However you’ve come to sociology, I hope this book leaves you with a greater respect not just for sociologists wearing lab coats (yes, some of them actually do) but for your entire species — the first species on Earth capable of conscious self-analysis.
What sociologists see when they look at society isn’t always pretty, but that fact makes sociology all the more important: just like you need to know how a car works before you can fix it, you need to understand how society works before you can change it.
Author
Jay Gabler is a writer, editor, and college teacher living in Minneapolis. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Boston University and graduate degrees,
including a Ph.D. in sociology, from Harvard University. With colleagues, he has published multiple sociological research studies including the book
Reconstructing the University (with David John Frank, Stanford University Press, 2006). He currently teaches sociology, psychology, and education at Rasmussen College. He is also associate editor of the Twin Cities Daily Planet, where he writes regularly on the arts, and author of the most recent edition of the Insiders’ Guide to the Twin Cities (Globe Pequot Press, 2010).
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