As apart of my degree studies with ASUO, I took the (SOC 101) Introduction to Sociology Class and it was life changing. Below is a small portion of the notes I generated while taking the class. I’m going to revisit this page in the future and add more notes, pictures, spacers and such, so feel free to check this page again in the future.

Chapter 1 – The Sociological Perspective and Research – Study guide

Sociology – is the scientific study of society and Human behavior.

Society – A group of people who share a territory and a culture.

– The difference between Psychology and Sociology

Psychology is the study of individuals and how they are developed and influenced by society whereas Sociology is the study of society as a whole, as well as the social constructs and contracts that inhibit or disinhibit said societies’ function.

For Example, a Sociologist may study the impacts of consumerism and consumerist media on modern culture whereas a psychologist might focus on the consumption, addiction and/or other predilections of an individual without the need to reflect on the ills of the larger society that said individual is living in. In other words, one subject is far more granular than the other with respect to the people being studied.

Consumerism and consumption are an integral part of modern life.

Consumption is the selection of and consumption of goods and services.

Consumerism refers to the characteristics of a larger society’s implicit ideology which drives consumption behaviors. Sociologists would study topics like consumerism to explain or predict larger trends and use that information to make more impactful decisions.

– Why Study Sociology?

Auguste Comte, the father of sociology, was himself a philosopher, so one way to describe why we study sociology is with a Philosopher’s story, the story of Plato’s cave.

 The story starts with multiple slaves chained up inside of a cave, they have lived in the cave their entire life, the only freedom they have is to eat the scraps of food that fall to their feet. The only thing they can see is shadows on the wall of people passing the mouth of the cave. The slaves could all talk to one another and they would take great pride in ascribing meanings to the shadows on the wall, the slaves even had a social hierarchy based around this knowledge, one day one slave gets free and exits the cave, the light from the sun blinds him temporarily, eventually the pain subsides and his eyes are able to re-focus, and for the first time in his life he is able to see all the brilliant colors of the real world, he is able to taste real food and bask in the warmth of the sun. He returns to his enslaved comrades’ in the cave, and they don’t believe him. they believe that he is tainted by the outside, they now believe him to be mad.

This story is an integral part of the study of philosophy, it is normally used to illustrate the importance of the study of philosophy, The story describes the limitations imposed by ones perception of reality and the breaking of those limitations through the acquisition of knowledge, In the same way, Sociology removes the blinders of social pre-conditioning given to us by our societies and enables us to see the social contracts we participate in, to see the social institutions which bind and maintain us, to assess both the opportunities and limitations of our lives and empowers us to participate in and improve the social world around us and make it a better place.

– Early Thinkers: A Concern with Social Order and Stability

• Auguste Comte – 1798-1854, French Philosopher,  coined the term sociology, concerned with social order continuity and stability, Positivism philosophy, argued Sociologists would replace priests.
• Harriet Martineau – 1802 – 1876, British sociologist, made Comte’s work more accessible, got not recognition because of being a woman, advocated equality of gender.
• Herbert Spencer -1820 – 1903, Social theorist, describes Social Darwinism, attempts to describe social evolution, philosophy can be used to justify class, racial-ethnic and gender inequalities.
• Emile Durkheim – 1858-1917, Studied Suicide, studied anomie, sometimes considered the true father of sociology due to the scientific discipline displayed during his studies, contributed to symbolic interactionism.
• Karl Marx – 1818-1883, German Economist, Philosopher, posited that History is a continuous clash between conflicting ideas and forces, Contributes to Social Conflict Paradigm, known for his description of the proletariat and the Bourgeoisie, “The Haves & Have-nots”.
• Max Weber – 1864-1920, German Social Scientist, concerned about the changes brought about by the industrial revolution, contributed to the concept of the sociological imagination.
• Georg Simmel -1858-1918, German sociologist, Analyzed the impact of industrialization and urbanization on people’s lives. He concluded that class conflict was becoming more pronounced in modern industrial societies. 

– The Beginnings of Sociology in the United States

Sociology spread from western Europe in the 1890s to the United States where it thrived as a result of the intellectual climate and the rapid rate of social change.

The Chicago School – The first department of sociology in the US was established here,  the faculty here were instrumental in starting the American Sociological Society which later became the American Sociological Association.

Robert E. Park – Asserted that urbanization has a disintegrating influence on social life by producing an increase    in the crime rate and in racial/class antagonisms that contribute to the segregation and isolation of neighborhoods.

Jane Addams – 1860-1935, best-known early woman sociologist in the United States, founded hull house in Chicago, awarded a Nobel prize for her assistance to the underprivileged. Recognized for influencing feminist theorists and activists.

William Edward Burghardt Du Bois – 1868-1963, Second sociology department established in America, at Atlanta university, established a, “Sociology lab”, record of valuable publications, better known for “The Philadelphia Negro: A Social Study.” 

– Macro vs. Micro sociology

Macro – A theory aimed at the big picture. These theories exist at the institutional level like class, class struggles, family, church, can be thought of as a blueprint, template or standard for describing a concept.

Micro – A theory aimed at understanding social life at the intimate level of individuals and their interactions. For example, dating behavior and student-faculty interactions.

– The Sociological Perspective – Peter Berger

“See the general patterns in the particular.”

– The Sociological Imagination

The ability to see the relationship between individual experiences and the larger society. Sociological imagination is important to each of us because having this awareness enables us to understand the link between our personal experiences and the social contexts in which they occur.

– An overview of structural – functional theory

Society is composed of interrelated parts that work together to maintain stability within society. This stability is threatened by dysfunctional acts and institutions.

Talcott Parsons – 1902-1979, most influential advocate of the Functionalist perspective, posits that a division of labor exists between man(instrumental) and wife(expressive), and the school and church exist to support them in there given roles.

Robert K. Merton – 1910 – 2003, Distinguished between manifest functions (explicit and intended) and latent (implicit, hidden, unintended) functions of institutions.

– Differing Views on the Status Quo: Stability vs. Change

In the Marxian framework, class conflict is the struggle between the capitalist class and the working class.

– Anomie

A sense of norm- lessness when the institutions begin to breakdown.

Emile Durkheim’s designation for a condition in which social control becomes ineffective as a result of the loss of shared values and of a sense of purpose in society.

– Be able to understand and define the conflict theory
(i.e. class struggle, haves and have-nots)

Society is characterized by social inequality; social life is a struggle for scarce resources. Social arrangements benefit some groups at the expense of others.

In the Marxian framework, class conflict is the struggle between the capitalist class and the working class.

– The concept of power under the conflict theory

The capitalist class, or bourgeoisie, is those who own and control the means of production the tools, land, factories, and money for investment that form the economic basis of a society. 

The working class, or proletariat, is those who must sell their labor because

they have no other means to earn a livelihood. 

From Marx’s viewpoint, the capitalist class controls and exploits the masses 

of struggling workers by paying less than the value of their labor. This 

exploitation results in the workers’ alienation—  feeling of powerlessness and estrangement from other people and from oneself. 

– Understand the basic definitions of symbolic-interactionism

Society is the sum of the interactions of people and groups. Behavior is learned in interaction with other people; how people define a situation becomes the foundation for how they behave.

– Postmodernism

Societies characterized by post industrialization, consumerism, and global communications bring into question existing assumptions about social life and the nature of reality.

– A Question of Socio-Biology or Feminism? (Discuss, Sociology on Blackboard – Theory)

It has been said that men are more intellectually suited to instrumental tasks whereas woman are more suited to expressive tasks.

Gender-Conflict Theory – applies conflict theory to gender roles. Example women were not eligible for education back in the day.

Feminism – The support for social equality among Genders.

Patriarchy – A from of social organization in which institutional structures are dominated by men.

Is the transgenderism Movement helping or hurting the patriarchy? LOL

Chapter 3 – Culture – Study guide

– What culture is, and is not

Society is different from Culture, A society refers to a group of people, interacting within a given territory who are guided in their daily lives by their culture. Culture is made up of symbols, language, and values.

– Beliefs

Beliefs – the mental acceptance or conviction that certain things are true or real. Beliefs are typically a result of socialization; Symbols can communicate beliefs. Beliefs are supported by values.

– The roles of symbols, language, and values in a culture

Symbols – anything that carries a particular deeper meaning that can be recognized by people who share the same culture. For example, owning a car in the United States is a status symbol. Not so much in other countries.

Language – a set of symbols that expresses ideas and enables people to think and communicate with one another. 

Values – Defined as cultural standards of desirability, goodness, and beauty, which serve as broad guidelines for social living.

– Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

We only know the world in terms of the language we speak, without language its arguable that understanding itself cannot exist.

Verbatim; According to the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis, language shapes the view of reality of its speakers (Whorf, 1956; Sapir, 1961). If people are able to think only through language, then language must precede thought.

Para language – refers to the language conveyed without words, nonverbal language, gestures, body language that are generally dictated by the culture.

– Ideal vs. Real Culture

Ideal culture are the social patterns mandated by values and norms, can be thought of as the way we expect a culture to be or the way they “should” be.

Real Culture can be thought of as an approximation of ideal culture (Cultural Expectations), the goal of culture which usually falls short.

– What is a subculture, counterculture, and their differences?

Subculture is a category of people who share distinguishing attributes, beliefs, values, and/or norms that set them apart in some significant manner from the dominant culture.

Counterculture – are groups whose cultural patterns are at great odds with the wider society.

– Material and Non-material Culture

Material culture consists of the physical or tangible creations that members of a society make, use, and share. Initially, items of material culture begin as raw materials or resources such as ore, trees, and oil.

Nonmaterial culture consists of the abstract or intangible human creations of society that influence people’s behavior. Language, Beliefs, values and institutions are examples of nonmaterial culture,

– Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism

Ethnocentrism – When observing people from other cultures, many of us use our own culture as the yardstick by which we judge their behavior. Example: Chinese medicine is dumb, American medicine is better.

Cultural Relativism – the belief that the behaviors and customs of any culture must be viewed and analyzed by the culture’s own standards.  Example: well Chinese medicine is 300 years old, maybe regardless of the medicine type we should investigate before coming to a judgement.

– Culture Shock

Culture shock is the disorientation that people feel when they encounter cultures radically different from their own and believe they cannot depend on their own taken-for-granted assumptions about life. 

– High Culture & Popular Culture

High culture consists of classical music, opera, ballet, live theater, and other activities usually patronized by elite audiences, composed primarily of members of the upper-middle and upper classes, who have the time, money, and knowledge assumed to be necessary for its appreciation. 

Popular culture consists of activities, products, and services that are assumed to appeal primarily to members of the middle and working classes. 

– Cultural Diversity

Race is thought of as a Socially constructed category of people, who share biological traits that society has deemed important.

Intersectionality – The Analysis of how race, class and gender interact to create systems of disadvantage that are interdependent.

– Cultural Lag

William Ogburn’s term for a gap between the technical development of a society (material culture) and its moral and legal institutions (nonmaterial culture).

– Know what acculturation, assimilation and accommodation means

Acculturation – can be thought of as a period of culture shock where an individual becomes used to being in contact with a new culture.

Accommodation – when the larger culture allows the smaller culture to retain its own identity.

Assimilation – when the smaller culture is absorbed into the larger culture losing its own identity. Imagine China Town.

– What are Cultural Universals?

Cultural universals are customs and practices that exist in all societies and include activities and institutions such as storytelling, families, and laws. However, specific forms of these universals vary from one cultural group to another.

– Values & Value Contradictions

Equality vs. Individual Achievement: A society may value equality, advocating for equal opportunities and outcomes for all, while simultaneously valuing individual achievement, which can lead to unequal rewards based on personal performance.

Freedom vs. Security: Valuing personal freedom and autonomy may conflict with the desire for security and safety, especially when measures to ensure security restrict individual freedoms.

Progress vs. Tradition: The value of progress and innovation can clash with the value of tradition and maintaining established cultural practices.

Material Success vs. Environmental Sustainability: Valuing economic growth and material success may contradict the value of environmental sustainability and the need to protect natural resources.

Chapter 4 – Socialization- Study guide

– The definition of the “self”

 The id is the component of personality that includes all of the individual’s basic biological drives and needs that demand immediate gratification. 

 The ego is the rational, reality-oriented component of personality that imposes restrictions on the innate pleasure-seeking drives of the id.

The superego, or conscience, consists of the moral and ethical aspects of personality. It is first expressed as the recognition of parental control and eventually matures as the child learns that parental control is a reflection of the values and moral demands of the larger society. 

– The definition of Socialization

Socialization is the lifelong process of social interaction through which individuals acquire a self-identity and the physical, mental, and social skills needed for survival in society.

– Functions of Socialization

 Socialization is essential for the survival and stability of society. Members of a society must be socialized to support and maintain the existing social structure.

 From a functionalist perspective, individual conformity to existing norms is not taken for granted; rather, basic individual needs and desires must be balanced against the needs of the social structure.

The socialization process is most effective when people conform to the norms of society because they believe that doing so is the best course of action. 

Socialization enables a society to “reproduce” itself by passing on its culture from one generation to the next.

– Anticipatory Socialization

Anticipatory Socialization—the process by which knowledge and skills are learned for future roles.

– Freud and the Psychoanalytic Perspective

Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic perspective emphasizes the influence of unconscious desires and childhood experiences on behavior and personality development. He proposed that the mind is divided into three parts: the id, which seeks immediate gratification; the superego, which upholds moral standards; and the ego, which mediates between the id and superego. Freud’s theories highlight the importance of internal conflicts and the role of early experiences in shaping an individual’s psychological development.

– The differences between the “I” and “me”

In summary, the “I” and the “me” are two interrelated components of the self that reflect the tension between individual agency and social structure. The “I” represents spontaneity and individuality, while the “me” embodies social norms and expectations. Together, they enable individuals to function as both unique persons and social beings within their communities.

– The looking-glass self

Charles Horton Cooley (1864–1929), first U.S. sociologists to describe how we learn about ourselves through social interaction. Coined the concept of the looking-glass self refers to the way in which a person’s sense of self is derived from the perceptions of others. Our looking-glass self is based on our perception of how other people think of us.

– The “nature” vs. “nurture” argument

Socialization is instrumental in the development of healthy, functional adults.

– Cognitive development in social learning as outlined by Piaget

Piaget (1954) believed that in each stage of development (from birth through adolescence), children’s activities are governed by their perception of the world around them. His four stages of cognitive development are organized around specific tasks that, when mastered, lead to the acquisition of new mental capacities, which then serve as the basis for the next level of development.

1. Sensorimotor stage (birth to age two)
2. Preoperational stage (age two to seven)
3. Concrete operational stage (age seven to eleven)
4. Formal operational stage (age twelve through adolescence)

– Agents of socialization

Agents of socialization are the persons, groups, or institutions that teach us what we need to know in order to participate in society.

– Gender and Racial-Ethnic Socialization

Gender socialization is the aspect of socialization that contains specific messages and practices concerning the nature of being female or male in a specific group or society.

Racial socialization is the aspect of socialization that contains specific messages and practices concerning the nature of our racial or ethnic status as it relates to our identity, interpersonal relationships, and location in the social hierarchy.

– Mead’s theory on “language” and “role taking”

George Herbert Mead, 1863 – 1931, Theory describes the process by which a person mentally assumes the role of another person or group in order to understand the world from that person’s or group’s point of view. Role-taking often occurs through play and games, as children try out different roles (such as being mommy, daddy, doctor, or teacher) and gain an appreciation of them. 

– Kohlberg and the Stages of Moral Development

Lawrence Kohlberg, 1927-1987 extended Piaget’s theories by conducting research in which children and adolescents were presented with moral dilemmas that took the form of stories, based on his findings he was able to classify them into three sequential levels.

1. Preconventional Level
2. Conventional level
3. Postconventional level

– Socialization through the Life Course

Socialization is the lifelong process through which individuals learn and internalize the values, beliefs, norms, and behaviors necessary to function effectively in society. This process occurs through various stages of the life course, each characterized by distinct socialization experiences and agents. Here’s an overview of socialization through the life course:

1. Childhood
2. Adolescence
3. Adulthood
4. Old Age

Key Themes in Socialization

Continuity and Change: Socialization is continuous throughout the life course, but the nature and intensity of socialization vary at different stages.

Agents of Socialization: Different socialization agents play dominant roles at different life stages, but family, peers, education, and media are consistently influential.

Adaptation: Individuals adapt to new roles and expectations as they transition from one stage of the life course to another.

Cultural Context: Socialization processes are deeply influenced by cultural, social, and historical contexts, leading to variations across societies and time periods.

– Resocialization (Voluntary and Involuntary)

Resocializationis the process of learning a new and different set of attitudes, values, and behaviors from those in one’s background and previous experience.

Resocialization is voluntary when we assume a new status (such as becoming a student, an employee, or a retiree) of our own free will.

Involuntary resocialization occurs against a person’s wishes and generally takes place within a total institution—a place where people are isolated from the rest of society for a set period of time and come under the control of the officials who run the institution.
– The Internet as a Socialization Tool (Discussions in Sociology on Blackboard)

Paradigms shift over time, what’s normal today might have been outlandish in the past and vice versa, do any of you think the internet will one day become the sole socialization tool in the future? I socialized (somewhat) in person and I didn’t socialize much online outside of the Facebook era of sharing memes and funny videos and whatnot. So, it’s difficult for me to imagine what it must be like to receive anything above 50% socialization through a machine. I hated it but a lot of other people did.  What do you think the world would be like if 80-100% of every new child receives 80%-90% of their socialization through a Tower, Tablet or googles? Will we all just be autistic? Will the normies like me have to file for disability?