｡･ﾟﾟ･ Socstudies: Sociology 101 ･ﾟﾟ･｡
101: What do sociologists study?
Hello! Welcome to my first sociology class! Read along and answer the questions to earn Luke's coffee cups, which you can exchange at the store for rewards!
.⋆｡⋆☂˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆..⋆｡⋆☂˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆..⋆｡⋆☂˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆..⋆｡⋆☂˚｡
To start of with, we need to answer the question:
｡･ﾟﾟ･What is sociology?･ﾟﾟ･｡
Sociology is the study of social structures and relationships - to put it simply, sociologists study how people interact with each other and how this changes such as in groups of families, colleagues, etc.
1x Luke's coffee cup earnt for making it this far!
｡･ﾟﾟ･Okay, so what do sociologists actually do?･ﾟﾟ･｡
In order to study social relations, sociologists will focus on a specific area such as families, education, or work. From this, they will then zoom in on a specific subject. For example, my area of interest is globalisation, and how the internet has changed the way in which people interact.
Once they have an area that they are interested in, they may conduct primary or secondary research - or both. Primary research involves going out (or going online) and using methods such as surveys, participant observation, interviews, and lab or field experiments. Secondary research involves the analysis of results or data that already exists - such as ordinance or census data.
1x Luke's coffee cup earnt for making it this far!
｡･ﾟﾟ･What do they do with this data?･ﾟﾟ･｡
After data is collected, it is analysed and written up. There are many different theoretical lenses through which the data is analysed, and I will discuss these in more detail in future lessons (see the syllabus).
1x Luke's coffee cup earnt for making it this far!
｡･ﾟﾟ･is sociology important?･ﾟﾟ･｡
Sociology is important because the research is often carried out in a way that puts the attention on previously underepresented groups that are ignored or belittled. For example, Alice Goffman's ethnography 'On the Run' involved her living with the group she was observing (young Black men and their families in an over-policed Philadelphia neighbourhood) for six years. From this, she was able to relate their lives through theological lenses to draw attention to the issues that they were facing.
1x Luke's coffee cup earnt for making it this far!
.⋆｡⋆☂˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆..⋆｡⋆☂˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆..⋆｡⋆☂˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆..⋆｡⋆☂˚｡
｡･ﾟﾟ･Review Questions!･ﾟﾟ･｡
1x cup for each answered correctly!
What is the definition of sociology?
What are the two types of research methods that sociolgists can use? Name one of each type.
Outline one reason why sociology is important.
Congratulations for finishing your first lesson at Chilton! Head back to Stars Hollow and trade your coffee cups here!
