Introduction to Sociology Edition 1.0 6th March 2006 From Wikibooks, the open-content textbooks collection Note: current version of this book can be found at http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Introduction_to_Sociology Contents INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY .................................................................................................................................1 AUTHORS...................................................................................................................................................................6 INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................................................7 Introduction..........................................................................................................................................................7 What is Sociology?...............................................................................................................................................7 History..................................................................................................................................................................8 Sociology and Other Social Sciences.................................................................................................................11 Sociology Today.................................................................................................................................................13 Technology and the Social Sciences...................................................................................................................13 References..........................................................................................................................................................13 External links .....................................................................................................................................................14 SOCIOLOGICAL METHODS ........................................................................................................................................15 Introduction........................................................................................................................................................15 The Development of Social Science ...................................................................................................................16 The Scientific Method.........................................................................................................................................17 Correlation and Causation ................................................................................................................................21 Quantitative and Qualitative..............................................................................................................................23 Objective vs. Critical..........................................................................................................................................24 Ethics..................................................................................................................................................................24 What Can Sociology Tell Us? ............................................................................................................................25 Notes ..................................................................................................................................................................26 References..........................................................................................................................................................26 External Links ....................................................................................................................................................26 GENERAL SOCIOLOGICAL THEORY...........................................................................................................................27 Introduction........................................................................................................................................................27 Structural-Functionalism ...................................................................................................................................28 Conflict Theory ..................................................................................................................................................30 Symbolic Interactionism.....................................................................................................................................31 Role Theory........................................................................................................................................................32 Social Constructionism ......................................................................................................................................34 Integration Theory .............................................................................................................................................34 Notes ..................................................................................................................................................................35 References..........................................................................................................................................................35 External Links ....................................................................................................................................................36 SOCIETY ..................................................................................................................................................................38 Introduction........................................................................................................................................................38 Societal Development.........................................................................................................................................38 Classical Views on Social Change.....................................................................................................................44 Notes ..................................................................................................................................................................47 References..........................................................................................................................................................47 External Links ....................................................................................................................................................48 CULTURE .................................................................................................................................................................50 Introduction........................................................................................................................................................50 Subcultures & Countercultures..........................................................................................................................53 Ethnocentrism & Cultural Relativism................................................................................................................54 Theories of Culture ............................................................................................................................................55 Cultural Change.................................................................................................................................................56 Cultural Sociology: Researching Culture..........................................................................................................57 Notes ..................................................................................................................................................................58 References..........................................................................................................................................................58 External links .....................................................................................................................................................59 2 SOCIALIZATION .......................................................................................................................................................60 What is Socialization?........................................................................................................................................60 Elements of Socialization ...................................................................................................................................60 Theoretical Understandings of Socialization.....................................................................................................64 Research Examples ............................................................................................................................................65 Notes ..................................................................................................................................................................67 References..........................................................................................................................................................67