Page 29 - Essencials of Sociology

2 CHAPTER 1 The Sociological Perspective

I quickly scanned the room filled with 100 or so bunks. I was
Learning relieved to see that an upper bunk was still open. I grabbed it, figuring that attacks are
more difficult in an upper bunk. Even from the glow of the faded red-and-white exit sign,
Objectives
its faint light barely illuminating this bunk, I could see that the sheet was filthy. Resigned to
After you have read this chapter,
another night of fitful sleep, I reluctantly crawled into bed.
you should be able to:
I kept my clothes on.
Explain why both history
The next morning, I joined the long line of disheveled
1.1 men leaning against the chain-link fence. Their faces “ The room was
and biography are essential
for the sociological strangely silent.
were as downcast as their clothes were dirty. Not a glim-
perspective. (p. 2)
mer of hope among them. Hundreds of men
Trace the origins of
1.2 No one spoke as the line slowly inched forward. were eating, each
sociology, from tradition to
When my turn came, I was handed a cup of coffee,
Max Weber. (p. 4) immersed in his own
a white plastic spoon, and a bowl of semiliquid that I
Trace the development of couldn’t identify. It didn’t look like any food I had seen private hell, . . .
1.3 ”
sociology in North America before. Nor did it taste like anything I had ever eaten.
and explain the tension
My stomach fought the foul taste, every spoonful a
between objective analysis
battle. But I was determined. “I will experience what they experience,” I kept telling myself.
and social reform. (p. 8)
My stomach reluctantly gave in and accepted its morning nourishment.
Explain the basic ideas of
1.4 The room was strangely silent. Hundreds of men were eating, each one immersed in his
symbolic interactionism,
own private hell, his mind awash with disappointment, remorse, bitterness.
functional analysis, and
As I stared at the Styrofoam cup that held my coffee, grateful for at least this small plea-
conflict theory. (p. 13)
sure, I noticed what looked like teeth marks. I shrugged off the thought, telling myself that
Explain why common sense
1.5 my long weeks as a sociological observer of the homeless were finally getting to me. “It must be
can’t replace sociological
some sort of crease from handling,” I concluded.
research. (p. 20)
I joined the silent ranks of men turning in their bowls and cups. When I saw the man
Know the 8 steps of the behind the counter swishing out Styrofoam cups in a washtub of murky water, I began to feel
1.6
research model. (p. 20) sick to my stomach. I knew then that the jagged marks on my cup really had come from
another person’s mouth.
Know the main elements
1.7
of the 7 research methods: How much longer did this research have to last? I felt a deep longing to return to my
surveys, participant family—to a welcome world of clean sheets, healthy food, and “normal” conversations.
observation, case studies,
secondary analysis, analysis
of documents, experiments,
and unobtrusive measures. The Sociological Perspective
(p. 22)
Explain how gender is Seeing the Broader Social Context
1.8
significant in sociological
The sociological perspective stresses the social contexts in which people live. It
research. (p. 31)
examines how these contexts influence people’s lives. At the center of the socio-
Explain why it is vital for logical perspective is the question of how groups influence people, especially how
1.9
sociologists to protect the people are influenced by their society—a group of people who share a culture and a
people they study; discuss territory.
the two cases that are To find out why people do what they do, sociologists look at social location, the
presented. (p. 32) corners in life that people occupy because of their place in a society. Sociologists look
at how jobs, income, education, gender, race–ethnicity, and age affect people’s ideas
Explain how research
1.10
and behavior. Consider, for example, how being identified with a group called females
versus reform and
or with a group called males when you were growing up has shaped your ideas of
globalization are likely to
who you are. Growing up as a female or a male has influenced not only how you feel
influence sociology. (p. 34)
about yourself but also your ideas of what you should attain in life and how you relate
to others. Even your gestures and the way you laugh come from your identifying with
one of these groups.
Explain why both history
1.1
Sociologist C. Wright Mills (1959) put it this way: “The sociological imagination
and biography are essential for the
[perspective] enables us to grasp the connection between history and biography.”
sociological perspective.
By history, Mills meant that each society is located in a broad stream of events.