Sociology can be described as the study of human interaction. When sociologists research something, they look at the bigger picture behind the event. I learned so much in Professor Vise's SOC100 course this past semester. Many things came from the textbook, but what I will carry with me is what touched me personally. Below is just a glimpse of what I've learned in this course. It does no justice to all that I have gained through this class though.
Chapter 1 - What is Sociology?
Social forces influence much of how we interact with the world around us through human created objects. One example would be the change in interaction amongst Americans due to the invention and increased use of the cell phone. Since its rise in popularity in the '90's, we have observed how the cell phone has changed things such as language, interaction, media, etc. New words such as "selfie," "lol," and "omg" have been added to our dictionary as a result of popular use.
Solidarity can be described as the "glue" that unites a group or society. The picture above is one of my bible study and me. Jesus is the biggest factor that ties us to one another. We share our lives with one another. These girls know things about me that my family doesn't even know.
Chapter 2 - Theories and Theorists
Symbolic-interactionists focus on communication and social interaction. Social interaction is the daily encounters in which a person communicates, deciphers, and reacts to another's words and actions. Symbolic-interactionists also observe self-awareness, symbols, and negotiated order.
Functionalists look at how each piece of the puzzle of society fit to contribute to social order and maintenance and also how such pieces may disrupt said order or maintenance.
Chapter 3 - Culture
Material culture refers to objects to which meaning or significance has been ascribed by people. An example would be the American flag in the United States. If an American flag touches the ground, you are asked to burn it as a sign of respect. It is said that the flag is defamed once it hits the ground.
A subculture is a group that is part of a larger, more dominant culture but has its own distinctive values, norms, beliefs, symbols, language, or material culture. Above is a picture of many of the Young Life leaders from the Buckeye Region. They all have very similar sociological characteristics that differ greatly from those of the larger American culture.
Chapter 4 - Socialization
Play refers to voluntary, spontaneous activity in which very few, if any, rules exist and time nor place is unrestrained. When children play, they often pretend to be significant others, or important, influential individuals in one's life. The picture above is of my sister and me playing when we were younger. I was the prince and she was the princess in one picture. In another, I was the wife and she was the husband. I also liked to pretend to be a dog at times as well...
A collective memory is an occurrence that is shared and recalled by a large number of people. Events such as 9/11 and Pearl Harbor are examples of collective memories in America.
Chapter 5 - Social Interaction
Mechanical solidarity can be described as social order and attachment centered on common morals or parallel thinking and behavior. Organic solidarity is order based on collaboration among individuals with a variety of diverse and exclusive responsibilities. This is a picture of me with many other people who did work crew. Work crew is a voluntary service opportunity at Young Life summer camps. Our Christian faith would be the mechanical solidarity and our assigned tasks and cooperation with one another would be the organic solidarity.
Work that is broken into unique tasks that are performed by separate groups of people trained to do so is referred to as the division of labor. These people and materials used are usually resourced from many different parts of the world. A cup of Starbucks coffee is the perfect example of this.
Chapter 6 - Formal Organizations
Trained incapacity refers to the inability, due to training, to react to unfamiliar affairs or to realize when rules may be doing harm or are outdated. This can be seen in cases of animal abuse within the food industry. Overtime, the workers become callus to the pain being inflicted upon the animals. Eventually, they don't give thought to what they are doing to the animals.
Efficiency is a claim made by products offering consumers the ability to move quickly from one status of being to another, such as hungry to full. The epitome of this concept is displayed in the Christmas Tinner. This new product is Christmas dinner in a can with breakfast on top, a meal through the middle, and dessert on the bottom.
Chapter 7 - Deviance and Conformity
When an individual's behavior and appearance follows the ideals of a group, they are displaying conformity. This is exemplified in the picture of my senior summer camp trip. A group of about 100 or more people, each wearing the same exact shirt.
Deviance is essentially the opposite of conformity. A person displays deviance when their behavior or appearance is socially questioned or condemned because it violates the norms or expectations of a group. An example of deviance would be me picking my nose as a college student.
Chapter 8 - Social Inequality
An achieved status is gained through a mix of personal choice, option, and ability. Demi Lovato has an achieved status of famous singer because she has incredible talent and she was discovered.
An ascribed status is attached to someone based on qualities he/she hold through no fault of his/her own. For example, Andrew Garfield has an ascribed status of male because he was, as far as I know, born a male.
Chapter 9 - Race and Ethnicity
Assimilation is the process by which ethnic or racial discrepancies among groups perish because one group is captivated by another group's culture or because the cultures merge to fashion a new culture. Once again, I am using an example from work crew. We each came from completely different backgrounds, we were different races, and had we went to school together, I doubt that we would have been as great of friends as we became. Only because of Jesus and our work together did our lives meld. The people I met through work crew I consider some of my closest friends.
Chapter 10 - Gender and Sexuality
Commercialization of gender ideals alludes to practice of presenting products to the market by applying advertising and sales tactics that assure buyers they will obtain gender ideals if the product is bought and used. I see this most prominently in weight loss and diet products aimed toward women.The diet industry is a multi-billion dollar trade. I think it's sad how our culture has ruined the self esteem of so many women just because they don't fit the mold of "beauty."
Gender polarization is the organizing of social life around gender ideals. As a result, people's sex may influence many areas of his/her life, including what jobs they get, how much they get paid, how they dress, what they think about, the ways in which they express emotions, their favorite color, what car they drive, etc.
Chapter 12 - Family
The family is a social system tying people together through blood, marriage, law, and/or social norms. The members of a family are usually expected to take care of and uphold one another.
Reproductive work involves bearing children, caring for the family, maintaining one's home, and rearing children.
Chapter 16 - Social Change
Planned obsolescence is a profit making strategy that involves marketing goods that are to be disposed of after a single use, have a short period of operation, or go out of style quickly even though they still serve their purpose. One example of this is seen in paper plates and paper towels.
A society in which the use of fossil fuels dominates nearly every aspect of one's life is referred to as a hydrocarbon society.
