Sensitive Subject Warning:
Sociology examines all aspects of society - including those that can be emotional. Today's lesson briefly involves the topic of suicide.
Students will find just about any topic that interests them has sociological research about it. However, some topics of everyday life can be emotional. Just watching the evening news reveals many topics in everyday life that might create a visceral response: murder, environmental pollution, racism, sexual assault and sexism are just to name a few. All of these are an emotional part of everyday American society. Sociology as a discipline examines all of these areas. The researchers studying these topics do not want to be morbid or grotesquely critical of our society out of spite. Instead, they want to shed light on aspects of society that we might not like to talk about; with proper academic attention, we can understand these emotional events better and perhaps even improve our society. I know that talking about suicide or racism or sexual assault all can be emotionally wrought experiences. But in the end, sociology will help us all understand these and other social ills better and hopefully, help us to strengthen society against them so that we all may live in a more peaceful and content society and be true to ourselves.
HW: Read Chapter 1: How Does It Feel to Be Black and Poor from Venkatesh's Gang Leader for a Day here. (For background info, see this post about Chicago Housing Projects Leader for a Day.)
This is the introductory chapter of Venkatesh’s book, Gang Leader for a Day. As you read the chapter, look for all of the ways that Venkatesh gathers data and attempts to study race and poverty. NOTE: there is offensive language in the chapter which Venkatesh included in order to preserve the authenticity of his interactions with the people he meets. Please do not take the use of this language as making light of the offensivesness of this language.
Background: The Creation of Sociology as an Academic Discipline
The Social Construction of Reality and the Sociological Imagination are two ways of understanding how sociologists view the world, both created during the twentieth century. But, to understand sociology as an academic discipline, it is necessary to look back to the 1800s.During the 1800s, Western Europe and the United States rapidly industrialized. The disruption to society was swift, vast, and noticeable. The industrial revolution changed the way people lived.
The industrial revolution brought about changes from:
Pre-industrial Society to Post-industrial Society
agricultural to industrial economy
rural to urban living
a cottage system of production to a factory system
group identity (tribe, religion, nation, family) to a belief in individualism
See this picture of industrial Chicago:
At the time, scholars noticed the tremendous changes and the effects that they had on individuals living n these societies. These scholars used the scientific method that was being used to study physical sciences and applied it to the study of society. Their findings began to challenge the Enlightenment Era thinking that individuals are all simply a product of their own choices. And so, the term sociology was first used in French (sociologie) by Auguste Comte in 1830. It comes from the combination of the Latin words socius which means "friendship, neighborliness and companionship and -ology which means the "study, science." And so sociology is the scientific study of how people are influenced by their social groups. Three scholars of the 19th century laid the foundations for how sociology would develop.
Here is a graphic organizer to help you think about the sociological perspective. Think of it as a prism through which sociologists look at the world. In the middle are the Social Construction of Reality and the Sociological Imagination and at each point are the paradigms below. All of these are connected and although they all have a unique nuance in how they approach the world, they are all part of how I want you to have a sociological perspective.
The Founding Paradigms of Sociology
Emile Durkheim's Structural-Functional Paradigm
The first paradigm we will consider is called Structural-functional. This paradigm was created by Emile Durkheim. Durkheim studied suicide and found that within industrial Europe, the rate of suicide varied from country to country but it also stayed stable within each country. So, something that seemed like an individual choice, such as suicide, was really a product of the country a person lived in. Someone living in Britain was much more likely to commit suicide than someone living in Italy. In other words, something was happening in British society that was creating a problem for the individuals living there. Suicide was not an individual problem, it was a social one. Durkheim called these social problems dysfunctions.
Durkheim said that societies have a structure made up of different systems that function to keep order in society. Just like a body has different systems such as a respiratory, circulatory, digestive and nervous system, a society has different systems like family, education, economy, religion and government etc… These systems serve a function of keeping order in society by creating a structure for stability and continuity. Therefore, Durkheim's paradigm becomes known as structural-functional. Durkheim says that when the structures help to make life healthy for individuals, the structures are functional, whereas structures that are not healthy for individuals are called dysfunctional.
In sum, The institutions/structures provide stability and continuity for individuals - like helping individuals survive and thrive. The structures help us understand what is expected of us and provide an identity and a purpose. This is functional.
Dysfunctions are when aspects of these institutions do not meet those needs and instead individuals are harmed by the dynamics of society.
Any questions so far about the beginnings of sociology and Durkheim and his structural-functional paradigm?
Reminder -
One of the best ways to learn something is to have to teach it to someone or explain it. This is the philosophy behind small group discussion. Please try to explain your example. If you have trouble, call me over:
1a. Using the picture above, what questions might a Structural Functionalist ask to analyze the image sociologically?
How is the lack of government regulation making the streets dysfunctional?
How is the economy adding to the congestion?
Think about how you might view covid and school shut downs through a Structural-Functional lens.
1b. How might you use the Structural-Functional paradigm to analyze the Lifeboat activity that we did? What questions would a Structural-Functional sociologist ask about the results of the activity?
How were the decisions on the boat a result of the influence of education, government policies, and family influence?
1c. How might the paradigm apply to college? In other words, what might a Structural-Functionalist study about college?
1c. How might the paradigm apply to college? In other words, what might a Structural-Functionalist study about college?
How is the choice to attend college influenced by schools and families?
What role does government policy and public college/loans play in college attendance/success?
Karl Marx's Conflict Paradigm
Dubois (pronounced "Do Boys") applied the conflict paradigm to race. He was the first black scholar to be allowed to earn a PhD. from Harvard U. and a sociology student.
Alice Paul: Conflict Paradigm and Gender
Oftentimes, the study of inequality and the fight for equal rights led to overlapping movements such as social class and gender led by Chicago's Jane Addams. Addams was an influential leader in Chicago who used her sociology degree to improve the lives of Chicago's women, poor, and immigrants
Wells applied Marx's theory to race and gender. She was born into slavery in Mississippi but made her way to Chicago as continued to document lynchings and fight against racism and sexism. The Association of Black Sociologists established an award in her honor (2020).
For small group discussion:
2a. Using the picture above, what questions might a sociologist ask to analyze the image sociologically using the Conflict paradigm?
What groups of people are forced to navigate that congested mess?
Who is put in danger because of that mess?
Who profits from that congestions?
Think about how you might view covid and school shut downs through a conflict perspective.
2b. How would you examine the Lifeboat simulation using Marx's Conflict paradigm? What questions might a sociologist ask using the Conflict paradigm?
Who is always treated unequally?
Who has power on the boat and Why? And, how do they use that power?
2c. How can you apply Marx's Conflict paradigm to college?
Who goes to college and who benefits from college? Are there groups that do not?
Max Weber and Symbolic Interaction Paradigm
Max Weber's contribution to the development of sociology during the Industrial Revolution
Max Weber (pronounced VAY-ber) studied the development of capitalism in European countries. He found that countries that became more Protestant also became more capitalist. This is peculiar because religion and economics seem to be separate. But Protestants held shared meaning with each other about their wealth and finance. They saw living within their means and investing their money as signs that they were living righteously within their Christian beliefs. This created an economy that was based on investment. It led to the creation and expansion of capitalism, investing profit to make even more profit. It might seem strange for religion to be connected to the economy, but in their interaction with each other, it was real for them.
The development of the Symbolic Interactionist paradigm
Building off of Weber's work, two sociologists created a third paradigm for which sociologists view the world. Weber showed symbolic meaning in the Protestants' lives and in their everyday interaction with other people. Stemming from Weber's work, George Herbert Mead, W. I. Thomas and Herbert Blumer all worked at the University of Chicago and focused on the shared meaning in everyday life between people. This paradigm became known as Symbolic Interaction. It is more focused on face-to-face interaction, or small groups, as opposed to large-scale institutions. Much of our interaction with each other holds symbolic meaning to us. The words we use, our body language, our clothes all hold symbolic meaning for us. They convey an identity we have to the world.
The development of the Symbolic Interactionist paradigm
Building off of Weber's work, two sociologists created a third paradigm for which sociologists view the world. Weber showed symbolic meaning in the Protestants' lives and in their everyday interaction with other people. Stemming from Weber's work, George Herbert Mead, W. I. Thomas and Herbert Blumer all worked at the University of Chicago and focused on the shared meaning in everyday life between people. This paradigm became known as Symbolic Interaction. It is more focused on face-to-face interaction, or small groups, as opposed to large-scale institutions. Much of our interaction with each other holds symbolic meaning to us. The words we use, our body language, our clothes all hold symbolic meaning for us. They convey an identity we have to the world.
3a. Using the picture above, what questions might a Symbolic Interactionist ask to analyze the image sociologically?
Why do people stand on certain spots on the street?
How does this intersection stay orderly? Who has right of way and how do they learn this?
Why is everyone wearing a similar fashion? What does that symbolize to them?
Think about how you might view covid and school shut downs through a Symbolic Interactionist paradigm.
3b. How can you use Weber's Symbolic Interaction paradigm to analyze our lifeboat simulation?
How did the words people used affect the decisions?
What is the meaning of being labeled "elderly?" What labels/values resonated with people on the boat?
3c. How can you apply Weber's Symbolic Interaction paradigm to college? Identify some questions that a Weberian might ask about college.
What does a "college degree" mean? What does it symbolize to society?
Applying the paradigms to your life
Revisit the demographic survey that you filled out at the beginning of the semester.
Structural-Functional Paradigm
Look at the structures of society that you wrote about (especially family, school, work)
4. How do the institutions in your life provide stability or structure in your life? What institutions are most prominent in shaping you? What function do the structures provide - in other words, what purposes do they serve in your life? What are some ways that these structures interact or depend on each other?
(PLEASE NOTE: you may be influenced uniquely by one of the social structures/institutions, but if it only applies to you then that is ore psychology than sociology. Sociology would be the ways that these structures shape people within our society similarly.)
Conflict Paradigm
Look at your responses that might result in opportunities or obstacles (esp. social class, race, sex, gender, sexuality,
5. Using the demographic survey, what are some of the social groups that have led to you either having advantages or facing obstacles in your life? Can you cite specific examples?
Symbolic Interaction
Look. at your responses to what your plans are after college, what you are passionate about, what you are proud of and think about what meaning these hold to you and how that meaning relates to other people. Also, think about the meaning that your clothes, hair style, favorite music, hobbies, etc... creates for you and your interaction with other people.
6. What are some ways that you create/display meaning with others around you?
If you are having trouble with Symbolic Interaction, here is another example.
Chicago and the Foundation of Sociology
Chicago was a central player in the early establishment of sociology. Chicago was the fastest growing city in the USA during the late 1800s/early 1900s. The city was an incredible mix of industrial growth, urbanization and immigration. And so, the University of Chicago was the first sociology department in North America (1892) and Chicago was a leader in sociology for the next 50 years leading to what became known as "the Chicago School" of sociology.
Loyola followed shortly behind U of C in sociology. The School of Sociology was one of LUC's earliest departments established in 1914. This was a 2 year program that allowed women to earn a degree at a time when they were still not permitted in other areas of the university such as the College of Arts and Sciences. Jesuit Frederic Siedenburg was influenced about the importance of sociology's role in the progress of society and he not only established the School of Sociology, but he also became
"... one of Chicago's most significant civic leaders over the next two decades...and he routinely crossed denominational, ethnic, and racial boundaries in his dealings, and he never wavered from his belief that religion could be a progressive force in urban life. In 1915, the Chicago Tribune commented on Siedenburg's role with the American Peace Federation, his appearance with Rabbi Emil Hirsch at Sinai Temple, and his visit to Tuskegee Institute as the guest of philanthropist Julius Rosenwald along with Jane Addams of Hull-House and the Reverend Jenkin Lloyd Jones, a Unitarian minister ... He also found time to publish ground-breaking articles in the American Journal of Sociology, including 'The Recreational Value of Religion (1922), 'The Religious Value of Social Work (1922), and 'War and the Catholic Church' (1925)."
Ellen Skerrett (2008). Born in Chicago. Loyola Press, Chicago
HW: Read Chapter 1: How Does It Feel to Be Black and Poor from Venkatesh's Gang Leader for a Day here. (For background info, see this post about Chicago Housing Projects Leader for a Day.)
This is the introductory chapter of Venkatesh’s book, Gang Leader for a Day. As you read the chapter, look for all of the ways that Venkatesh gathers data and attempts to study race and poverty. NOTE: there is offensive language in the chapter which Venkatesh included in order to preserve the authenticity of his interactions with the people he meets. Please do not take the use of this language as making light of the offensivesness of this language.
