Sociological Imagination Essay
Chapter 1
The Sociological Imagination: An Introduction
(August 19-25)
Sociology is the study of human society, and there is the sociology of sports, of religion, of music, of medicine, even a sociology of sociologists.
“Thinking like a sociologist” means applying analytical tools to something you have always done without much conscious thought—like opening this book or taking this class. It requires you to reconsider your assumptions about society and question what you have taken for granted in order to better understand the world around you. In other words, thinking like a sociologist means making the familiar strange.
The Sociological Imagination
Sociological imagination is the ability to see the connections between our …show more content…
gives us an objective view of the parts we play in the world and empowers us to see our personal actions in a larger context; and
4. helps us to see how some individuals and groups are disadvantaged through no fault of their own and to appreciate the challenges we face living in a world characterized by inequality, struggles for power, and social change.
II. Thinking Sociologically
The Construction of Social Knowledge
Social facts are those realities or institutionalized patterns (e.g., taxes, posted speed limits, registration for draft) that constrain both personal and group behavior.
Sociology’s Three Major Theoretical Perspectives
Macro-level analyses are research focused on large-scale patterns of society. Micro-level analyses focus on social interaction—what people think and do, what social influences are present, and how perceptions of those social influences shape behavior.
Manifest functions are intended, recognized consequences of a social pattern.
Social structure refers to the hierarchically organized set of social relationships.
Dysfunction refers to the consequences that lead to breakdown of the social order.
Table 1.1
Comparison of Sociology's Three
Major Theoretical
The Sociological Imagination: An Introduction
(August 19-25)
Sociology is the study of human society, and there is the sociology of sports, of religion, of music, of medicine, even a sociology of sociologists.
“Thinking like a sociologist” means applying analytical tools to something you have always done without much conscious thought—like opening this book or taking this class. It requires you to reconsider your assumptions about society and question what you have taken for granted in order to better understand the world around you. In other words, thinking like a sociologist means making the familiar strange.
The Sociological Imagination
Sociological imagination is the ability to see the connections between our …show more content…
gives us an objective view of the parts we play in the world and empowers us to see our personal actions in a larger context; and
4. helps us to see how some individuals and groups are disadvantaged through no fault of their own and to appreciate the challenges we face living in a world characterized by inequality, struggles for power, and social change.
II. Thinking Sociologically
The Construction of Social Knowledge
Social facts are those realities or institutionalized patterns (e.g., taxes, posted speed limits, registration for draft) that constrain both personal and group behavior.
Sociology’s Three Major Theoretical Perspectives
Macro-level analyses are research focused on large-scale patterns of society. Micro-level analyses focus on social interaction—what people think and do, what social influences are present, and how perceptions of those social influences shape behavior.
Manifest functions are intended, recognized consequences of a social pattern.
Social structure refers to the hierarchically organized set of social relationships.
Dysfunction refers to the consequences that lead to breakdown of the social order.
Table 1.1
Comparison of Sociology's Three
Major Theoretical