CHAPTER 6:

Social Deviance -

• any behavior or appearance that is socially condemned because it departs from social norms and expectations

Approaches of Deviance -

1. Objectively Given

   1. functionalist

   2. criteria made clear who is deviant (who violates social norms)

2. Socially Constructed

   1. interactionist

   2. deviance is matter of social definition

      1. no behavior is inherently deviant

3. Linked to Social Structure

   1. conflict theory

   2. emphasis on power relations

      1. elite of society defines deviance

Definitions of Crime -

• Crime as a Social Harm

  • definition of crime should include behavior

• Crime as a Violation of Human Rights

  • right = essential to life and dignified existence

• Crime as a form of Deviance

  • violates norms defined by criminal law

Anomie -

• sense of aimlessness that happens when society lacks norms

Structural Strain Theory -

• Robert Merton

  • functionalist

1. culturally valued goals are legitimate for all members of society

2. norms are present that specify means of achieving goals

3. actual number of opportunities to achieve goals

Social Control -

• mechanisms used to influences compliance to social norms

Social Control Theory -

• links criminal behavior to weakness to ties of society

• Travis Hirschi

  • functionalist

• more connection to community → more connection to society → less likely to commit criminal activities

Differential Association Theory -

• Edwin Sutherland

  • interactionist

  • compares prisons to universities

• criminality is product of socialization

• criminal behavior is learned

Labeling Theory -

• interactionist

• crime and deviance defined by social audience

• how people view us is internalized and creates deviance

Broken Windows Theory -

• social cues impact whether individuals act deviantly

  • whether social norms allow deviant acts

CHAPTER 17:

Paradigm Shift -

• Paradigm - framework within which scientists operate

• scientific revolutions that completely changes the ways of thinking about science

  • infrequent

Normative View of Science -

• science should not be affected by values of scientists

• science should follow rules of evidence

Risk Society -

• society that produces and is concerned with mitigating risks

  • especially risks that are the result of human actions

Environmental Sociology -

• examines beliefs and behavior towards the environment and the ways in which society influences contributes to abuse on the environment

• Unit of Analysis -

  • ecology

    • formed from people, animals, water, land, and air

Sustainability -

• actions used to reduce effects of actions on environment

• sustainable society must have sustainable factors

Cultural Sources of Environmental Problems -

1. anthropocentrism

   1. human self-interest

2. materialism

   1. measure individual success with objects we use and consume

3. individualism

   1. we place benefits on self about benefits of collective

4. belief that natural world is inexhaustible

   1. planned obsolescence

      1. not meant to last

   2. contributes to overconsumption and waste

Ecological Overshoot -

• species’ consumption surpasses rate at which Earth can replenish

Causes of Civilizational Collapse -

• Jared Diamond

1. failure to anticipate

2. failure to perceive a problem

3. rational bad behavior

   1. short-term gains at expense of long-term survival

4. deeply held anthropocentric belief

   1. human needs and wants > other species

5. disastrous values

   1. need to re-evaluate core values

Demography -

• “description of people”

• field of sociology devoted to change in human populations

  • growth, decline, and migration

• Scope of Demography

  • focuses on fertility, mortality, and migration

Malthusian Argument -

• argues that population increases geometrically while food supply increases arithmetically

CHAPTER 18:

Social Change -

• significant change in structure of society and cultural patterns over time

Study of Social Change -

1. Where to look for causes of change?

   1. What can destabilize society

      1. ex: pandemic, overpopulation, climate change

2. Is there a direction for change?

   1. change characterized as linear and progressive

   2. predictability of change questioned

      1. deevolution of society

         1. capitalism > sustainability

3. Is change a matter of place or the individual?

   1. to what extent are we individual actors

4. Does ideational or material culture drive change?

   1. materialists argue

      1. change is driven by access to and competition over resources

   2. idealists argue

      1. change is driven by ideational culture that shapes material world

         1. values, beliefs, mores

5. Is it possible to be objective or do we fall victims to the trap of ideology?

   1. science reflects cultural attitudes of time period

   2. linked to epistemology

      1. study of knowledge

      2. some argue it is impossible to avoid being ideological when discussing society

6. How do we arrive at satisfactory explanations?

   1. inductive vs. deductive

   2. linked to epistemology

Causes of Social Change -

• technology and innovation

• new ideas and identities

• social change and conflict

Collective Action -

• action that takes place in groups and against social norms

• theories of collective action

  • convergence theory

    • collective action happens when people with similar ideas gather in the same place

  • contagion theory

    • collective action arises from people’s tendency to conform to behaviors of those in close contact with them

  • emergent norm theory

    • emphasizes influence of keynoters in promoting new behavioral norms

  • value-added theory

    • certain conditions required for a social movement to achieve a successful outcome

Social Movements -

• collective behavior that is purposeful and organized and that seeks to challenge or change aspects of society through institutional means

• types of social movements

  • alternative

    • seek the most limited social change and often target narrow group of people

  • redemptive

    • target specify groups but advocate for more radical change in behavior

  • reformative

    • advocate for limited social change across an entire society

  • revolutionary

    • advocates the radical reorganization of society

• models of social movements

  • classical model

    • based on concept of structural weakness in society that results in psychological disruption of individuals

  • resource-mobilization theory

    • emphasizes political context and goals but states that social movements are unlikely to emerge without necessary resources

  • political process theory

    • focuses on structure of political opportunities

      • when favorable, chances are better for success of social movements

• stages of social movements

  1. emergence

     1. occurs when a social problem is first identified

  2. coalescence

     1. resources are mobilized and action is taken around the problems outlined

  3. routinization/institutionalization

     1. formal structure develops to promote the cause

Postmodernity -

• social relations characterized by circles of social affiliation, low degree of division of labor, undeveloped technology, and traditional social norms

“The Promise” & “The Credit Card”

Sociological Imagination -

• idea of one connecting themself to society

• everyone impacts society in some way

• Why important?

  • Important to study of social problems

    • people with similar personal problems can come together to create public issues that can cause change in society and create social movements

Personal troubles vs. Public issues -

• personal troubles

  • related to individual

• public issues

  • affect mass of people and can lead to call for change in society