Session 2

October 5th, 2010

● What is Sociology?
– Definition of the object of study and of the
discipline itself is problematic
– Importance of bibliographies to sociology due to
the intersection with history.
● Sociological approaches
– Emphasize an aspect of society:social
construction of reality, networks & relations, or
collective features.
● Different explanations of society
– Need to approach the study of society in a
scientific manner.(e.g. Marx, Mary Waters,
Gamson...)
● 4 scientific standards common in Sociology
– Clarity and precision in defining concepts &
measures
– Procedures that are publicly accessible and/or
objective
– Reference to previous work
– Emphasis on appeal to evidence (feasible,
objective, representative)
 Levels of analysis

● Different scales of phenomena (and

consequences)
– Micro -> meso ->macro
– Collective properties
● Units of analysis
– What we are studying...
● Individuals, organizations, institutions
● However we do not focus on single individuals for
most of research, but a group of people.
Schools, frameworks & perspectives
● Sociologists mostly adhere to one specific
“tradition”
– MARX: classes, conflict & injustice, economy –
Materialism
– WEBER: meaning (verstehen), symbolic
interactionism, conflict among morally
coherent bodies, authority, formal
bureaucracy,
– DURKHEIM: moral order, society as a morally
cohesive organism
– PARSONS: structural-functionalism, society as
a normative system organized around value
consensus
● The difference between structural-functionalism
and conflict theory is that the former attributes
social arrangements to the use of power to
secure (and/or stabilize) social advantage(s),
while the latter proposes a dyadic conflict of
classes, there is no consensus, as proposed by
structural functionalism.
 Pool of concepts
Class conflict social constructionism
Social solidarity social mobility
Structural-functionalism achievement
cultural capital wealth
Class consciousness social stratification
Global inequality proletariat
Human capital theories
Gini index class
Development Bourgeoisie
Education social change