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Sociology
Whole lot of extra credit
4 exams and quizzes all need scantrons
o Only on Fridays are the quizzes and
Officially need the book by Friday
Chapter 1
Introduction to Sociology
Sociology: study of human social relationships, groups, and societies.
Understand human behavior, social relations, and social institutions
Scientific approach & research methods
Critical Thinking
The ability to evaluate claims about truth by using reason and evidence
o Recognizes poor arguments
o Rejects statements not supported by evidence
o Questions our assumptions
The Sociological Imagination
Relationship between individual lives and larger social forces that shape them
o Relationship between private troubles and public issues
o Where biography and history intersect
o Examples:
An unhappy couple => National divorce rate
A person loses his or her job => Unemployment trends
Agency and Structure
Agency: the ability to exercise free will and make social change on a small or
large scale
Structure: patterned social arrangements that enable or constrain agency
Example: Going to College
C, Wright Mills
o Power elite: small group of wealthy businessmen, military leaders, and
politicians make key decisions for country in their own interests
Sociological Theories
Logical frameworks for the interpretation of social life
Glasses paradigms
Macro-level: large-scale patterns and institutions
Micro-level: social relations and interactions in specific, individual situations
The Functionalist Perspective
