Socio = People / iology = study : The Study of society and the people who make up and live in society

Sociology sets out to describe, understand and explain the social world that we live in Sociology is all around you, its about who we are and how we live It studies the relationship between the individual and society

Global Community

Society
National Organizations, Institutions, and Ethnic Subcultures

Local Organizations and community

Me (and my inner circle)

Sociologists seek to analyse and explain why people interact with others and belong to groups, how groups work, who has the power and who does not, how decisions are made, and how groups deal with conflict and change Within the vast field of sociology, the common denominator is people. Sociology explores the forces that influence people and help shape their lives Society shapes what we do, how we do it, and how we understand what others do (Univ. of Limerick 2007).

Me

How can sociology help me understand my own life and my sense of self

Local Community

How can sociology help me to be a more effective employee and citizen

National Organisations, Complex organisations, Ethnic Groups

How do Sociologists help us understand and even improve our lives in families, classrooms, and at work

National Society

How do national loyalty and national policies affect my life

Global How might global Community events affect my life

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influence of society is central to sociologists when they attempt to explain human behaviour. People are social beings. Our thinking and motivation are largely shaped by our life experiences as we interact with one another.

People are social by nature People live much of their lives belonging to social groups Interaction between the individual and the group is a twoway process in which each influences the other Recurrent social patterns, ordered behaviour, shared expectations, and common understanding among people characterize groups The processes of conflict and change are natural and inevitable features of groups and societies

We are all socialised to hold the same norms or standards of behaviour but what is normal varies from society to society. This is because of something we call culture What is held important in society is called a value values differ across societies If everyone in society agrees about the norm and value then we have a value consciences and this is critical to social solidarity the feeling belonging

 Each

of us has a role in Society What is your role ?

Sociology enables us to develop self awareness and self understanding Through the study of Sociology we increase our recognition of what enables and constrains not only our own actions but also the actions of others Enables us to consider how ours lives are intertwined with others and enhances our ability to see the world from other view points It encourages us to become more tolerant and sensitive to cultural difference

 Develops

your sociological imagination helps you distinguish between personal trouble and public issues e.g. Divorce a personal and public issue Its helps us understand diversity and social interaction Helps us learn how social position in society can influence life outcomes To question and critique the world around us The study of sociology broads your knowledge and this is empowering

 C.

Wright Mills (1970)

 The

Sociological imagination requires us to think ourselves away from the familiar routines our daily lives in order to look at them a new (Giddens, 2006:04) Example Having a cup of coffee/tea ? What could we find to say from a sociological point of view, about an apparently uninteresting piece of behaviour ? A cup of coffee/tea is not just a refreshment! It possesses symbolic value as part of our day to day social interaction

For many westerners the morning cup of coffee/tea stands at the centre of a personal routine

Drinking and eating in all societies provide occasions for social interactions and enactment of rituals

Coffee, alcohol- are socially acceptable d in most western societies yet there are societies that tolerate the consumption of marijuana or even cocaine, but frown on both coffee and alcohol consumption. Sociologist are interested in why these differences exist

Coffee is a product which links people in some of the wealthiest and most impoverished parts of the world

Far from being a new discipline, it has its roots in the early nineteenth century, with Auguste Comte (17981857) first coining the phrase in 1824. The interest in social phenomena may go all the way back to Aristotle and Plato, but it is in the European nineteenth century that, without a doubt, sociologists first undertook empirical and systematic study Famous sociologists Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, Karl Marx, Talcott Parsons, Anthony Giddens, Ulrich Beck

Subject areas in Sociology are as varied as society itself. Sociologists can study very small social relationships involving only a few people (such as the family). They can also explore relationships in much larger social collectivises such as organizations and institutions. Sociology may be concerned with issues revolving around social class, poverty, gender, race and ethnicity, or religion as well as social mobility and education. Other topics may include culture, socialization, conflict, power, and deviance. .

 The

ideas of these theorists continue to be relevant to sociological theory today. They have become classics because they have a wide range of application and deal with centrally important social issues.

The work of classical thinkers continues to inspire modern sociologists in a variety of ways. Many contemporary thinkers seek to reinterpret the classics to apply them to the contemporary scene.

 Sociology

requires us to look at the world critically and to confront ones own biases and prejudices openly Given that Sociology explores problems of pressing interest; its topics are often objects of major controversy and conflict in society itself ( Giddens 2001)

Global Community

Society

National Organizations, Institutions, and Ethnic Subcultures

Local Organizations and community

Me (and my inner circle)

Macro Level

National Society Global Community of Nations Organisations Institutions Ethnic Subcultures Individual Small group Local Community

Meso Level
Micro Level

Individual

Hector

Small Group

Family and Close Friends

Local Community

Village : Local School, church, neighbourhood organisations

Organisations

Brazilian organisations Catholic Church School system

Institutions

Family Education, political, economic and health system in the region or nation

Ethnic Subculture

Native Peoples African Brazilians

National Society

Social Policy, trend and programme in Brazil

Global Community

Status of Brazil within the Global Community Trade relations with other countries Programmes of International Organisations or corporations

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social world is changing. Some argue it is growing; others say it is shrinking. The important point to grasp is: society does not remain unchanged over time. Sociology as a discipline attempts to understand societal changes.

 Ballantine,

Jeanne H. & Roberts, Keith A, (2011) Introduction to Sociology, 3rd eds, Sage Publications, Canada Giddens, A (2001) Sociology, 4th eds, Polity Press, UK.