Don't let the length of the journal article intimidate you, nor should you be intimidated by the loquaciousness of the author's writing. Professional researchers, especially academics like to use fancy jargon (like loquaciousness). It makes the reading longer and sometimes confusing, but you can still understand what the researcher is getting at. Especially if you understand the structure that I explain below. Primary Source Structure for Sociological Research
Once you choose a specific article to read, note that most research articles have a format that looks like this:
Abstract - A summary before the actual article, usually in italics or set off from the actual article. Not all articles have this, but most do.
Introduction - The beginning of the research explaining what the author set out to study and why it is important.
Literature Review - This is often confused by students for being the actual research, but it is just a review of previous research that has been done. This section might point out previous research that informs the author's research or shortcomings of the previous research that the author hopes to address. Karen Sternheimer explains the literature review here on the Everyday Sociology Blog.
Methods - This explains how the author gathered data. It might include multiple methods such as surveys, ethnography, existing data, etc...
Data/Stats - The author will make sense of the data that they gathered. For quantitative data, the analysis might be complex such as regression analysis, or a discussion of p-value. Don't let the complicated discussion of the statistics intimidate you. You can make sense of the data without understanding all of the statistical jargon.
Conclusion - After the explanation of the methods and data, the author will summarize the data and make sense of it. Finding this section will help you understand what the most important parts of the research was.
Discussion/moving forward - This section is sometimes at the end of the article suggesting either future research or policy implications.
For more on how to read journal articles see this post. Once you have your article, try to label each section (if they are not labeled already). Understanding this structure should help you understand the research efficiently.Don't be intimidated by the length of the research or the jargon that the authors use. Types of Sociological Research
Longitudinal
Cross-sectional
Cross-cultural
Methods of sociological research
Survey (questionnaires, interviews)
Ethnography
Audit study
Experiments
Statistical analysis - existing sources (data sets, such as: GSS, Census data)
Historical analysis
Applying research methods Small group:
Which of these does Venkatesh use? Explain.
Individually:
Is the data in your research article quantitative or qualitative? Why?
HW: Reminder to read Gang Leader for a Day for Wed Often, sociological research shows up in secondary sources. These sources explain the findings of the research without detailing the research methods and background. Some examples of secondary sources include:
Textbooks; for our class; Real World Sociology by Ferris and Stein. The text might seem to just be musings/opinions about society but there are 30 pages of references at the end of the book. Here is one page showing the references for the text.
News articles; One example is the article, The Myth of the Two-Parent Household, from Harvard professor Christina Cross in the NY Times (2019) also available here. What research is this article based on? Is it qualitative or quantitative?
Contexts magazine; A publication by the American Sociological Association that explains the latest research in an accessible way for students and general public to understand. Here is the Contexts website, especially in the In Brief section You can access Contexts by issue through the ILC page using the search by title page here.
The Society Pages: Website of sociology resources, especially Discoveries page.
Journal of Contemporary Sociology, a journal of reviews. You can access Contemporary Sociology through the ILC page using the search by title page here.
Using JSTOR
JSTOR is an online storage site for journals. JSTOR is very helpful for research. You can search for individual journals or groups of journals. The downside to JSTOR is that there is a "moving wall" which only allows access to journals a few years old. For the most recent journal articles, you have to access the journal directly (using the links above for Contexts or Contemporary Sociology) or you can read the latest articles in print at your university library. Applying your secondary source understanding Do your own search in the NY Times for sociology by clicking here for a Google search of "sociology" in the NYT. Choose an article that looks interesting to you. What was it about? Skim the article to find the sociology research in it. Can you identify who did the research and where it was published?
Search JSTOR for secondary sociology sources in Contemporary Sociology and Contexts. Choose topics that are interesting to you. What research did you find? Was the research qualitative or quantitative?
For today's lesson, we are doing a simulation that is based on real events. Please open this link and follow the instructions.
Once you have finished with the link above, continue reading below.
We just did an activity based on the real-life events that were portrayed in the movie Abandon Ship! (1957).
First, students chose a role.
Then, I told them that just like in real life, a storm was threatening the boat so they must choose 7 people to place a life preserver around and send them into the ocean.
In the real-life incident, all
of those aboard turned to the highest-ranking person (ship’s officer) to take
command. He had a sidearm on him. When the sea got too rough, he called
everyone’s attention and he chose who would go/stay. He kept only the strong, able-bodied who were
strong enough to survive a long row. On
the last day, they were rescued and the captain was put on trial for
murder. He was declared guilty, but
received a minimum sentence of only 6 months in prison because of the unique
circumstances.
The Sociological Perspective: How do sociologists view the world?
As a review, I created this document, A Framework for the Sociological Perspective. The framework should help you conceptualize that while each of these paradigms and theories is unique, they are all related to the sociological perspective. Moving forward, it would be helpful to see the interconnection of each of these.
Three Paradigms
We learned about 3 paradigms that were all started by scholars who were examining the effects of the industrial revolution in Europe. These three paradigms were the beginnings of sociology and they are still influential in what sociologists study/focus on.
Be able to identify the bold aspects for each of the three paradigms.
How might each paradigm apply to the research from Stephanie Coontz about teen-parent conflicts?
How might each apply to names?
Three Theories
After sociology became an established discipline, three theories emerged as a way of better understanding how sociologists view the world.
Be able to identify each theory and how sociologists might view the world through that lens.
How might each theory apply to the research from Stephanie Coontz about teen-parent conflicts?
As students join our class, please read this excerpt, Sociological Mindfulness, from sociologist Michael Schwalbe's book, The Sociologically Examined Life. Sociological Literacy: Sociological Mindfulness
The third theory that helps us have a sociological perspective is from a recent sociologist, Michael Schwalbe who wrote the book The Sociologically Examined Life. In it, Schwalbe explains the concept of sociological mindfulness, in this excerpt.
After reading the excerpt, answer these: 1) What does Schwalbe mean by "sociological mindfulness?" 2) How is this different from sociological imagination? 3) Why does Schwalbe say we should bother with sociological mindfulness?
4)What are some ways that you might live your life differently or view aspects of your life differently if you live with sociological mindfulness?
Schwalbe's "sociological mindfulness" can be a difficult idea to grasp and Schwalbe admits that. Mindfulness is a concept that describes an awareness in the world at this moment here and now. It implies being tuned in to the present moment. Sociological mindfulness, therefore, is being tuned into both the way in which the present moment is influenced by society and also being tuned in to how we are a player in shaping the present moment. The simple way I look at sociological mindfulness is that it is the mirror image of sociological imagination. In other words, once we realize that people are influenced by their social setting, we can then realize that influence is happening right now and we are a part of it. Each of us is both influenced by other people and influencing other people.
So, I think there are 3 critical aspects to sociological mindfulness.
First, in being tuned in to a sociological awareness, we can see and appreciate how we are affected by when and where we live and all of the social experiences that entails. That is, we can think with a sociological imagination about ourselves.
Second, sociological mindfulness provides us with an awareness of how other people are shaped by society. And because we realize that others are impacted by these experiences we can appreciate each person's uniqueness. This makes us more understanding and ultimately more empathetic and forgiving of others.
The third part of sociological mindfulness is being tuned into the idea that not only is each of us being influenced by society, but also that each of us is a participant in society. We all affect the social world, even in little ways. Each little act we do matters and has an effect on other people. This aspect has a much longer explanation:
Sociological mindfulness is an awareness that we are being influenced by the world and so we can question that influence and hopefully guide it. And it is an awareness that we are influencing others and hopefully it makes us question that influence so we can have the impact that we want on our world. Sociological mindfulness is an awareness that society is dynamic and fluid and we are a part of that. In short, sociological mindfulness is the awareness that how we interact in the world matters!
Another way of thinking about sociological mindfulness is an exercise in Schwalbe's reading,
Think of the people you love and the kind of life you wish for them...I hope you will consider the possibility that mindfulness may be useful as a way to create better lives for more people.
What kind of life would you wish for those whom you love? How can you affect the world to be more like this way of life? Can you see how humans impact society? How can you make an impact that supports the world you want to live in? I think by answering these questions, students can begin to think with sociological mindfulness.
If you are still having a hard time grasping sociological mindfulness think about the past and all the ways individuals with sociological mindfulness have impacted our world: think about Rosa Parks, Gandhi, Elenore Roosevelt, Desmond Tutu, Caesar Chavez, Einstein, Mother Theresa, Rabbi Heschel, and think about the movements like the tearing down of the Berlin Wall, the women's rights movement, the civil rights movement, the elimination of polio etc... Here is a link to 9 people who changed the world. And here are 10 acts of courage that changed the world. All of these people and movements are a product of those who had sociological mindfulness. Think about Rosa Parks and realize that her actions changed the people on that bus and that changed the people of the city which changed our nation and that has influenced the world's view of human rights and the dignity of all human beings. Our actions in day to day life, like where we sit on the bus and how we treat others can make a difference. That awareness is sociological mindfulness. In my personal life, it might be my parents sending me to college even though they themselves never went there and they didn't have the money. My grandfather might have had sociological mindfulness when he came alone to America in 1916 at age 15. He wanted a better life for his future and his family's future. Both, my parents and my grandparents had an awareness that their choices mattered and that their choices affected the future. So they made the best decision they could for my future based on that awareness.
The Starfish Parable is another way to think about being sociologically mindful
One day, an old man was walking along a beach that was littered with thousands of starfish that had been washed ashore by the high tide. As he walked he came upon a young boy who was eagerly throwing the starfish back into the ocean, one by one.
Puzzled, the man looked at the boy and asked what he was doing. Without looking up from his task, the boy simply replied, "I'm saving these starfish, Sir".
The old man chuckled aloud, "Son, there are thousands of starfish and only one of you. What difference can you make?"
The boy picked up a starfish, gently tossed it into the water and turning to the man, said, "It made a difference to that one!"
We cannot change the world, but by being aware of how our actions affect those around us, we can make a difference for those who we do come into contact with us.
This reminds me of chaos theory which is a modern theory of science and math that events sometimes seem random but really they are part of a complex system. Sometimes the butterfly effect is used an example - that the world is so connected and reliant on all processes that the wind from a butterfly flapping its wings in Mexico might contribute to a typhoon across the pacific in Japan. This thinking applied to society might be considered sociological mindfulness.
5. Jones's Touchscreen can be an example of sociological mindfulness - how?
If you realize that people are influenced by living in this age of technology that is sociological imagination. And if you question the influence of technology on you and make conscious choices about how to let it influence you, that is sociological mindfulness.
Here is a link to my post about all the research showing the effects of digital devices with special attention to an article from the Atlantic that highlights some of the consequences of the constant barrage of social media.
Applying Sociological Mindfulness to Teen-Parent conflicts 6. How would you apply sociological mindfulness to Coontz's article, Teen-Parent Conflicts?
Sociological mindfulness and the Iraq War: Ted Talk by Professor Sam Richards
Below is a Ted Talk by sociology professor Sam Richards that highlights sociological mindfulness from a "radical perspective". Richards talks about radical empathy but this another way of saying sociological mindfulness.
For a further understanding of this idea, you click on the link to "sociological mindfulness" and see some of my posts about it.
HW: Be sure that you have read Sociological Mindfulness by Michael Schwalbe.
Applying Sociology: The Sociological Imagination and Outliers Please read the intro from Outliers. Please answer the following questions on page 31 of your reading packet:
1. Describe life in Roseto.
2. What did Dr. Wolf set out to study originally?
3. What did he find instead?
4. Were the people aware of these effects? Explain.
In the book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell uses a sociological imagination to understand extreme success stories (aka Outliers). Using the introduction to understand sociology we see a few important ideas.
First, sociologists study how people are affected by their social groups. People are influenced by the groups they are a part of, whether it is family, a church, a town, etc. This often contradicts the idea that people are the sum total of their own individual genes and decisions. An important sociologist, C Wright Mills, calls this having a sociological imagination. The "sociological imagination" is an important theme throughout our semester. The idea of the sociological imagination was developed by C. Wright Mills who said that having a sociological imagination helps one to see the connection between history and biography. That is, who we are (our biography) is determined by where and when we live (history).
Second, we see that sociologists do not simply make opinions or philosophical ideas, rather they make claims based on research and data.
Lastly, understanding sociology can change how we think about the world and who we are. For example, in this excerpt, one might change how he thinks about good health.
Do you see how the excerpt highlights these three ideas?
The rest of Gladwell's book uses a sociological imagination to explain extreme success stories. For example, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs tremendous success and wealth stemming from the development of computers:
We can apply this model to more than just financial success. Think about what opportunities your own biography and history have afforded you. How has when, where, and to whom you were born shaped your life today?
The Outliers reading provides an example of how the people of Roseto were affected by where and when they live. Because they lived in the town of Roseto at that time, they lived in a way that affected them (without even knowing it) so that they had a much lower chance of getting heart disease and living longer than the rest of the country. In sociological terms, understanding the effects of when and where people live is called a sociological imagination.
Applying Sociology: Sociological Imagination and School
Recall that a sociological imagination is understanding that an individual's experience is shaped by where and when they live. If you have questions, please consult my post from yesterday and ask a student sitting near you. Today, I want you to use data to use a sociological imagination to understand your own life better. We will compare North Chicago to SHS/Lincolnshire. North Chicago is just 10 miles northwest of SHS.
Use your sociological imagination to analyze the three data sources below. Using your sociological imagination, create a hypothesis for each of the three data sources. Be sure to cite data to support your hypothesis.
2. Compare the community data from CMAP. Here are community snapshots for North Chicago and Lincolnshire. Hypothesize how the data might shape your experience, opportunities, and challenges if you lived in North Chicago as opposed to Lincolnshire. 3. How might this data reveal that some of the private troubles of different students are really public issues: First, brainstorm with your group, what might be the private troubles of these students? Then use your soc imagination to think about how living in North Chicago instead of Lincolnshire might be part of the problem. 4. Please use a sociological imagination using this research from the Pew Research Center. How might this help you understand your own life better? Cite data.
Another exercise in sociological imagination and college is at this post. It has some ways of both using data and exploring college and the sociological imagination.
Refer to Ferris & Stein (textbook) pgs. 9-13, 17 for more info.
We have learned about three paradigms that influenced the beginnings of sociology as a discipline. They were the foundations of sociology as a discipline and most of what sociologists study can be viewed through one or more of these three paradigms. These three paradigms are also three ways of having a sociological perspective. Other sociologists have tried to explain the sociological perspective in their own ways. There are three other theories or ways of having a sociological perspective that are helpful and important within the discipline.
Saliva in a spoon?
The first theory that will develop your sociological perspective involves spitting into a spoon. Yes, spitting. into. a. spoon. This is a lesson first published in Teaching Sociology (2003) by Brouillette and Turner and updated in ASA's Trails. Simply put, the average American will be repulsed by the idea of spitting into a spoon and then swallowing it back again. However, we are constantly swallowing our own saliva all day long. But we have defined a difference between saliva and spit. Saliva is in our mouth and is not gross. Spit has left our mouths and is gross.
Sociological Literacy: What is the social construction of reality? What is the Thomas Theorum?
There is no difference between spit or saliva except for how we think about each. But how we think about each matters greatly to how we feel about the experience. In other words, our reality is how we experience the world. The social construction is that our society or the people around us influences how we experience the world. Hence our experiences(reality) are created (constructed) by others (society). This is called the social construction of reality. Spitting in different cultures or different situations (baseball) can be experienced differently, i.e. more or less acceptable. For example, many of us have been to baseball games and watched players spit all throughout the game. We didn't get repulsed by that.
During one World Series, Reggie Jackson averaged 19 spits per at-bat! Another example is when parents or siblings use their saliva to wipe off a baby's face. We don't find that repulsive, but if a teacher drops saliva onto a desk it becomes gross. This can be true for nearly all of our experiences; feelings of happiness, sorrow, stress, worry. Nearly all of these are created within us by the society we are in.
Here is an example that you might not realize. The Japanese would be grossed out by the typical American bathroom. In Japan, toilets are located in a different room than the shower and bath. And the Japanese shower is always separate from the bath. They see the shower for cleaning and the bath for soaking after you have cleaned.
Another way social construction can be illustrated is in our symbols and how they shape our reaction. For example, there is a feeling that you should not walk on the Patriot.
There is no real reason why, but it is a social construct. Finally, another example is the faculty restrooms. Some of the restrooms are for individual use, which is one person at a time. These restrooms are exactly the same: one toilet and one sink. However, the rooms are labeled with "Men's" and "Women's" signs. That makes men feel weird if we use the "women's" room, even though the men's room is exactly the same. (and vice versa). The sign is a social construct that elicits that feeling. There is a restaurant like this at Voodoo Donuts in Austin, TX. The donuts themselves challenge our feelings about what a donut should be, but the bathroom goes even further.
Applying social construction of reality to teen-parent conflicts:
How is the idea of "teenager" an example of a social construction?
How does the article say that the
idea of "teenager" gets constructed?
What is the reality of "teenager"
to adults?To the teens themselves?
What are some moments in your own life where you experience these feelings, but when you stop and think about it, you realize that the feelings have been created for you by society?
Applying social construction of reality to your own life:
Think about something from your own life; your religion, sports, fashion, or something. How can social construction of reality apply to your life?
1. Randomly fill in each blank square with one of the concepts above.
Here is an example that you might not realize. The Japanese would be grossed out by the typical American bathroom. In Japan, toilets are located in a different room than the shower and bath. And the Japanese shower is always separate from the bath. They see the shower for cleaning and the bath for soaking after you have cleaned. 
