Three Sociological Perspectives

Structural Functional Theory - a model that

stresses patterns of organizations and the
purposes of social structure.
Symbolic Interactionism Theory - a model that
stresses the importance of human interaction
and the use of symbols.
Conflict Theory - A sociological theory that
stresses interest groups, power, and change
rather than the cohesiveness of society.
 Macro vs Micro
Macro -Large scale phenomena
Micro - analysis concentration on small groups or
small units of analysis

Manifest Function - Latent Function

• Manifest - the intended purpose or result
• Latent - results not intended - by product
 Anomie
the feeling of not knowing the rules
-Social unrest a break down of
standards and values

Click to edit Master text styles

Second level
● Third level

● Fourth level

● Fifth level
Physical Sciences
Click to edit Master text styles
Second level
● Third level

● Fourth level

● Fifth level
 Social Sciences
History
Political Science
Economics
Anthropology
Psychology
Urban Studies
Women's Studies
Archeology
 Science
Science is a structured
process of seeking
the
TRUTH
 Other Methods
Conclusions based on Making conclusions based
intuition on poor experiments.
Arrive at conclusions based Examples: improper sampling
on tradition
Authority is a source of
knowledge
Common sense

Pseudo-science
 What is the Scientific Method?

It is a way of collecting information

such that the information is
objective, precise and fully
disclosed for public usage.
Ordered into steps
 Identify the Problem

Formulate a problem
Issues to be studied
observation
previous research
theoretical articles
Narrow down your problem
identify your variables
present theoretical definitions of the variables
 Survey Literature

Look for books on the subject matter or

journal articles that have been published
addressing the topic.
Reward for research
help form your hypothesis
other researched material will help write a
report.
 Formulate Hypotheses
Is a tentative statement of the relationship
between two or more variables.
A variable is a property or characteristic of
something that can take on different values.
Variable
● independent variable
● dependent variable
● Operational definitions
 Research Design/Method

This is our Click to edit Master text styles

Second level
blueprint for our ● Third level

research ● Fourth level

● Fifth level

systematic
plan for doing
research
 Types of research designs

Survey – interview or questionnaire

Planned experiment – need control group and one or
more experiment groups
Observation - participant vs. non-participant
Nonobtrusive measures –
Secondary analysis – analyze data collected by others
Documents / Content analysis – investigate social behavior by
studying recorded sources
Physical trace evidence and artifacts – study human behavior by
studying items
 Content Analysis
Method Used to Analyze the Mass Media
• Magazines
to edit Master text styles
•Paperbacks
nd level
hird level •Newspapers
Fourth level
•Music
● Fifth level
•Movies

Click to edit Master text styles

Click to edit Master text styles
Second level
Second level ● Third level
● Third level
● Fourth level
● Fourth level
● Fifth level
● Fifth level
 Collecting Data
Data is the information that we gather concerning our
hypothesis.
Population – is a group of people (or objects) that share
a common characteristic.
Sample – subset of the population
Random sample is a sample in which we can list
everyone or everything that could potentially be in the
study.
– we draw a sample of a predetermined size
– each individual has an equal chance of being included in the
sample.
 Collecting Data, cont.
Nonrandom sample – used when we can’t list
everyone in the population.
Snowball sample – give a questionnaire to subject
and ask the subject to pass on a questionnaire.
Accidental sample – accidental encounters.
Purposive sample – pick an area to question.
Quota sample – divide population into certain
categories and sample within each category.
Collect Data Analyze Results

Assure validity – must Variety of techniques

have measured what used
was intended to be
organizing, tabulating,
measured
making tables and
Attain reliability – if calculating statistics
others use your
We use – percentage,
operational definitions,
rates, means, and
findings will be
measures of association
consistent
 Make Conclusions, Formulate
Theories and Write Reports
From the analysis of our data – either
accept or reject our hypothesis.
Our final report will take our reader
completely through our scientific method so
that one can understand just exactly how
you arrived at your results.
Steps of the Scientific Method
Select a topic
Review the literature
Formulate the hypothesis
Choose a research method
Select the sample
Collect the data
Analyze the data
Form conclusions and theories
Share the results
Begin again!
 Difficulties
Hawthorne effect
Human behavior can be very unpredictable
Ethical issues
Social behaviors influenced by many variables
Facts and information frequently not directly
observable
can rarely make a definitive statement of
cause and effect
we have to be objective – free from biases
 Ethics in Research

Rules – Regulation – Standards

We must be objective in our research
We must respect the rights of research
subjects - no harm
We must respect the subjects right to
privacy – informed consent – debriefing.
We must acknowledge all authors and
researchers of the project.
Free Blood Test In Rural Poor
Community 1932

Click to edit Master text styles

Second level
● Third level

● Fourth level

● Fifth level
 Tuskegee Experiment

412 Black Men began

about 1930

40 years
continued
even with
a cure
 Nuremberg Trials 1945

Twenty-three Nazi
physicians charged with Click to edit Master text styles
conducting inhuman Second level
experiments on German ● Third level

civilians and nationals ● Fourth level

● Fifth level
of other countries. The
experiments ranged
from studying the
effects of high altitude
and malaria to
sterilization