Wednesday, January 27^th, 1999
Announcements:

• Later in the week there will be a project assigned dealing with the three major sociological theories.

1. Ralf Dalherndorf: A German sociologist. Said in an industrialized society conflict arises from Authority and Power differences. People who have authority impose their values, rules, regulations, and ideas on the others. Laid out an Authority Structure:

TOP: People in authority, very happy

MIDDLE: People in the middle who have no say but are in good shape and are basically indifferent

BOTTOM: People who have no say and whose situation is not good; these people are most affected by the people on top

2. The Symbolic Interactionist Theory- on a small (micro) scale

1. Reality of Society through Interaction – All social behavior is done through interaction. Example: Going on a date becomes a reality through interaction. Interaction is needed for anything to exist.
2. Subjective Interpretation of Symbols – Everything is a symbol that shapes people. Example: In football, everything from players, uniforms, fields, footballs, etc. shapes our idea of football.
3. Behavior in Relation to Symbolic Contexts – Reality exists through interaction by individually interpreting symbols (classroom, stop light, father) – Lives are shaped by symbols, symbols shape people’s behavior. Example: A person knowing nothing about football would not understand the game. Example: Someone in a foreign country who sees the McDonald’s golden arches will want to get a hamburger there. Example: If someone who went to Penn State is in Montana and sees someone wearing a Penn State sweatshirt they will start talking.
4. Symbols Must Be Taken in Social Context – Example: The syllabus for Soc 001 means nothing outside of that class. Example: Football players pat each other’s butts, but if they pat some random person’s butt they could get sued for sexual harassment.
5. Symbolic Meanings are a Product of Social Consensus – Example: The "HUB" is a symbol of the Hetzel Union Building by social consensus. What we do is determined by how we individually interpret symbols.
6. Meanings are Learnt through Interaction – Example: In a foreign country, people interact with others to find out what the customs of that country are.
7. Social Changes through New Meaning by New Consensus

1. Functionalist – say changes come slowly over time
2. Social Conflictists – say changes come through conflict
3. Example: Handicapped people are now termed physically challenged.
4. Example: Clinton Sex Scandal is changing the meaning of moral values.

1. Symbolic Interactionist Perspective

1. W.I. Thomas – "If men define situation as real, it becomes real in consequences." Example: Sexual harassment is defined as a real problem in America, so therefore it has real consequences. Example: Students define class as real, so they come to it.
2. Herbert Blumer

1. Response based on meanings. Example: When Catholics walk into church they do the cross.
2. Meaning determined through interaction
3. Interpretation: All depends on individual, specific circumstances. Example: Catholics do the cross when they enter church, not when they enter Wal-Mart.

1. Goffman:

1. Drumaturgical Analysis – Everybody is an actor playing a role, behaving the way society tells him or her to.
2. Impression management – People manage their impressions. Example: At an interview people manage the impressions they give.
3. Presentation of Self – Example: On a date, people present themselves in the way they want the other to perceive them, using things as a restaurant, family, house, etc. as props.
4. Front Stage and Back Stage – The front stage is what we show the outside world; the back stage is what we show our close friends. To impress people we only show the front stage. Example: Bill and Hillary Clinton show the public only the front stage, using such techniques as holding hands, gazing at one another, and hugging.

1. Sociological Research Steps

1. Define the Topic – narrow down the problem, focus on one aspect. Example: Inner-city Asian-American youths.
2. Literature Review – read scholarly journals (Internet articles are often not scholarly)
3. Formulate a Hypothesis: Cause and Consequence. Example: Dysfunctional families cause crime among inner city Asian-American youths.
4. Specify:

1. Independent variable: (CAUSE) Example: Dysfunctional families.
2. Dependant variable: (CONSEQUENCE) Example: Crime
3. NOTE: Correlation – 2 or more variables are related. Spurious correlation – 2 things appear related but actually are not. Example: Cafeteria food may have caused your indigestion, but really it is that pizza you ate at midnight last night.

1. Indicate Operational concepts (a concise statement) and operational indicators (something that can be measured)