Sociology 101

• What Sociology is NOT… o Social Work
 Sociology is not designed to help people.
• Work is objective, if it ends up helping people, great. o Socialism o Statistics
 Getting the number is the easy part, done by the computer.
 We want to know what to do with the number
• This is where Sociology comes in. o Therapy
 One might spend time studying a successful marriage; however a Sociologist is not interested in hearing about a specific marriage’s problems.
• Sociologists do not help people have good marriages; they study what makes a marriage good.
• What Sociology IS… o Sociology is a discipline (language) given to systematically understanding society.
 All academic programs are languages.
• You learn a slightly different way of thinking o Words may mean different things than they do in English.
 Systematically means that this is not just made up, there are specific patterns that sociologists are interested in.
 Society is the key word here, Sociologists study society o A society is a population organized to carry out the major functions of life.
 For example, reproduction is a major factor in the continuance of life.
 We organize reproduction in our society through marriage, although this is currently falling apart.
 Nourishment is another factor in the continuance of life, and this is organized by the workers who provide the food that is necessary for life.
• Specific Formulations o A few takes on what it is…Weltenschaung
 Way of interpreting your life’s experiences.
 A framework that makes sense of what has happened to you and the things you’ve seen.
 The worldview is so ingrained in you that you don’t even question it most of the time.
• Sociology is going to question it. o C. Wright Mills (Know Mills and his specific terms for exam)
 Sociological Imagination
• See below
 Public Issues and Personal Troubles
• The distinction between these is similar to the distinction between history and biography.