The Big Picture: A Sociology Primer

by Witt, Jon

• ISBN13: 9780072990539
• ISBN10: 0072990538
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-07-27
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Education

Summary

This primer is a brief introduction to a rich and complex discipline of sociology in which the author cuts to the core of the sociological perspective. Jon Witt supplies answers to two main questions: "Why do we think the way we think?" and "Why do we act the way we act?" By providing students with a glimpse of the the "Big Picture," the author gives the student a top-down look at the structure of society that allows us to see the many ways we are linked together.First, sociology should enable students to better understand their own individual experience. In "personal sociology" students come to appreciate the impact of their social pposition and social interactions on the choices they make. Then sociology should also provide students with information to make more informed decisions about their collective futures, whether at work or in local, national, or global politics, through "public sociology."The book is based on the theme that four basic parts to sociology: the individual, society, the relationship between the two, and the consequences of differences. Although the author presents some basic sociological facts about the individual and about society, the overarching concern of the book is the relationship between individual and society, how our actions shape the world around us and how we are shaped by the worlds we live in.

Table of Contents

BRIEF TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface

Part I. The Sociological Perspective

Chapter 1. The Significance of Place

Chapter 2. The Sociological Imagination

Chapter 3. The Search for Answers to Sociological Questions

Part II. Big Ideas in Sociology

Chapter 4. A Hamburger Is a Miracle: Social Structure and Organization:

Chapter 5. Labor Power + Tree = Desk: Production and Innovation

Chapter 6. I Think, Therefore I Do: Power, Authority, and Social Control

Chapter 7. Self and Society: The Social Construction of Reality

Chapter 8. The Meaning of Is: Postmodern Life

Part III. Worlds We Live In

Chapter 9. The Ties That Bind: Families

Chapter 10. Getting Schooled: Education

Chapter 11. Keeping the Faith: Religion and Its Equivalents

Chapter Part IV. Culture, Structure, and Inequality

Chapter 12. From Gap to Gucci: Social Class and Economic Inequality

Chapter 13. Opening Doors: Sex and Gender

Chapter 14. Color Coded: Race and Ethnicity

Chapter Part V. Sociology: From Theory to Practice

Chapter 15. Sociology Is a Verb

Glossary/Index

DETAILED TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface

Part I. The Sociological Perspective

Chapter 1. The Significance of Place

Where We Are Shapes Who We Are

Generations: Boomers, Xers, Millenials

Age, Gender, and Race: Demographics and TV Preference

Lifestyle Clusters: Demographics and Consumption

The Symbolic Significance of Social Life: Urban Legends as Red Flags

Power, Privilege, and Place

A Look Ahead

Questions to Ponder

Recommended Resources

Chapter 2. The Sociological Imagination

Society and the Individual: History and Biography Life Chances

Social Problems: Private Troubles and Public Issues Sociology Is

Systematic Study

The Individual

Society

The Consequences of Difference

Sociologys Essential Dimensions

Micro Approach and Macro Approach

Scientific Sociology and Reform Sociology

Historical Context: Industrial Revolution

Comtes Contributions to Scientific Sociology

Martineaus Contributions to Reform Sociology

Sociology as a Tool

Questions to Ponder

Recommended Resources

Chapter 3. The Search for Answers to Sociological Questions

Scientific Sociology and Quantitative Research

The Wheel of Science

Theory

Hypothesis

Research

Generalization

A Classic Case of Scientific Sociology: Durkheims Analysis of Suicide

Research and the Sociological Imagination: An Update on Suicide

Reform Sociology and Qualitative Research

Interpretation and Critique as Sources of Knowledge

A Classic Case of Reform Sociology: Du Boiss Analysis of Race

The Color-Line

The Veil

Twoness

The Significance of Social Position

Social Facts and Critical Interpretation

Questions to Ponder

Recommended Resources

Part II. Big Ideas in Sociology

Chapter 4. A Hamburger Is a Miracle: Social Structure and Organization

Durkheims Perspective on Social Integration

A Hamburger Is a Miracle: Interdependence

Social Integration in a Traditional Society: The Amish

Individualism and Interdependence in Contemporary Society

Bowling Alone

Expanding Social Capital

The Good Society

Questions to Ponder

Recommended Resources

Chapter 5. Labor Power + Tree = Desk: Production and Innovation

Labor Power and Technological Innovation

Marxs Five Presuppositions

Humans Must Produce

Production Makes Us Uniquely Human

We Pour Ourselves into Our Products

Economy Determines Society

Scarcity and Distribution Are Obstacles to the Good Society

Scarcity: Capitalism and Technological Innovation

Distribution: Capitalism and Social Relations

Revolution and the Good Society

The Economics of Change

Questions to Ponder

Recommended Resources

Chapter 6. I Think Therefore I Do: Power, Authority, and Social Control

Weber and the Power of Ideas

The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism

Legitimate Power and Authority

Traditional Authority

Charismatic Authority

Rational-Legal Authority and Bureaucracy

Resources of Power

Class

Status

Party

Ideas, Power, and Action

Questions to Ponder

Recommended Resources

Chapter 7. Self and Society: The Social Construction of Reality

Constructing Culture

Material Culture: Human Technology

Cognitive Culture: Language, Ideas, Beliefs, and Knowledge

Normative Culture: Rules of Behavior

Constructing the Self

The Socialization of Gender: Learning to Throw

Self and Society

The Looking Glass Self

I and Me

Constructing Society

Levels of Social Structure

Status and Role

Primary and Secondary Groups

Institutions

Self, Society, and Perception

Mapping Our Worlds

From Society to Self: Scripted Lives

From Self to Society: Dramaturgy

Understanding Our Options: Structure and Choice

Questions to Ponder

Recommended Resources

Chapter 8. The Meaning of Is: Postmodern Life

Stories: Narratives and Metanarratives

Images: Reality, Perception, and Hyperreality

Choices: Consuming Reality

Networks: Its a Small World

Globalization

Cyborgization

Transgression: Crossing Boundaries

Questions to Ponder

Recommended Resources

Part III. Worlds We Live In

Chapter 9. The Ties That Bind: Families

Family Structure and Historical Change

The Institutional Family

The Companionship Family

Postmodern Families

The Functions of Families

Social Networks

Social Status: Inheriting Life Chances

New Families: Balancing Sameness and Difference

Reproduction: Seeking Biological and Social Continuity

Individual Needs

Physical Needs

Emotional and Psychological Needs

Social Structure and Family Choice

Partner Selection

Work/Life Balance

Families and Change

Questions to Ponder

Recommended Resources

Chapter 10. Getting Schooled: Education

Education and Opportunity

A Brief History of the U.S. Education System

The Right to an Education

Education and Social Order

Socialization

Culture Transmission

Official Culture

Unofficial Culture

Training for Jobs

Cultural Innovation

Childcare

Education and Inequality

Social Control

Tracking

Unequal Resource Distribution

Education and Change

Questions to Ponder

Recommended Resources

Chapter 11. Keeping the Faith: Religion and Its Equivalents

The Big Three on Religion: Durkheim, Marx, and Weber

Secularization and Sociological Definitions of Religion

Substance Versus Function

What Religion Does: Durkheims Definition

Religions Functional Equivalents: Football and More

Beliefs and Practices

Sacred Things

Church Community

Long Live Religion: A Postmodern Paradigm

Religion: Past, Present, and Future

Questions to Ponder

Recommended Resources

Part IV. Culture, Structure, and Inequality

Chapter 12. From Gap to Gucci: Social Class

Social Class

Stratification Systems

Social Mobility

Distribution of Resources

Cultural Capital

Class and Culture: The Impact of Position on Preference

Appearance: What We Wear

Home: Where We Live

Leisure: Television, Vacations, Sports, and More

Cognitive Culture: Education and Language

Economic Distribution

Income

Wealth

Poverty

Class Consciousness and Power

Questions to Ponder

Recommended Resources

Chapter 13. Opening Doors: Sex and Gender

The Limits of Biological Definitions of Sex and Gender

Mis-Perceptions of Physical Cues

Unclear Boundaries Between the Sexes

Cross-Cultural Variation in Gender Concepts

Cross-Time Variation in Gender Concepts

Evolving Notions of the Natural and the Artificial

The Social Construction of Gender

The Womens Movement: The First Wave

The Womens Movement: The Second Wave

The Sex/Gender System

The Consequences of Gender Inequality

Gender and the Wage Gap

Pay Inequities

Occupational Segregation

Gender and Political Participation

Male Privilege

An Expanded Vision of the Natural

Questions to Ponder

Recommended Resources

Chapter 14. Color Coded: Race and Ethnicity

Race: Constructed and Real

The Limits of Biological Definitions of Race

Anomalous Physical Cues to Racial Identity

Fuzzy Boundaries of Racial Separation

Cross-Cultural Variation in Racial Categories

Cross-Time Variation in Racial Categories

The Race System

The Consequences of Racial Inequality

Race and the Wage Gap

Race and Wealth

Race and Access to Healthcare and Criminal Justice

Race Matters: Racism and Privilege

Questions to Ponder

Recommended Resources

Part V. Sociology: From Theory to Practice

Chapter 15. Sociology Is a Verb

Sociological Roots Revisited: From Scientific Sociology to Public Sociology

Sociology as Practical Wisdom: Phronesis

Personal Sociology: Tools for Survival

Public Sociology: Tools for Change

Aristocracy and Meritocracy

Principle and Practice

Equality and Competition

Response and Responsibility

A Sociology of Hope

Questions to Ponder

Recommended Resources

Endnotes

Glossary/Index