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    Heads Up Sociology
    Heads Up Sociology
    Heads Up Sociology
    Ebook356 pages2 hours

    Heads Up Sociology

    By DK

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    About this ebook

    Why does racism exist? Is Big Brother watching us? Why are women paid less than men? Investigate society's hidden truths, from gender and identity politics to consumer culture with this insightful guide.

    Sociology is the study of how societies are organized and what helps them function or go wrong. Heads Up Sociology explores a range of curious social phenomena, including poverty and class status, white-collar crime, religious beliefs, and internet anxieties.

    The book helps readers see themselves and their communities in the context of a larger, globalized world. Fascinating biographies offer insight into the lives and work of key researchers such as Karl Marx, Judith Butler, and Howard Becker, while well-illustrated case studies and real-life scenarios bring their ideas to life. Stunning infographics further explain the ebb and flow of power in society.

    Heads Up Sociology is the ultimate tool to help you get to grips with sociology in time for exams and is an essential read for anyone keen to ask the big questions about the world we live in today.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDK Children
    Release dateJan 16, 2018
    ISBN9781465475367

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      Book preview

      Heads Up Sociology - DK

      Contents

      HOW TO USE THIS eBOOK

      What is SOCIOLOGY?

      What do SOCIOLOGISTS DO?

      RESEARCH methods

      Who AM I?

      What is my IDENTITY?

      GIRLS and BOYS

      WOMEN and work

      Biography: JUDITH BUTLER

      What’s my TRIBE?

      Does RACE matter?

      Biography: ELIJAH ANDERSON

      Who do you LOVE?

      AGE and society

      What does FAMILY mean?

      Are we all MIDDLE CLASS now?

      Biography: KARL MARX

      Identity: IN CONTEXT

      Does society EXIST?

      What do schools TEACH?

      Are INSTITUTIONS a good thing?

      Biography: CHARLES WRIGHT MILLS

      Who holds the POWER?

      What role does RELIGION play in society?

      Does RELIGION still MATTER?

      RURAL life versus URBAN life

      A sense of COMMUNITY

      Biography: MAX WEBER

      WHY do we WORK?

      How is work CHANGING?

      Biography: ARLIE R. HOCHSCHILD

      WATCHING the workers

      Social institutions: IN CONTEXT

      When it all goes WRONG

      Why do people commit CRIMES?

      Biography: ÉMILE DURKHEIM

      BREAKING society’s RULES

      White-collar CRIME

      Are we all on CAMERA?

      WHODUNNIT?

      Biography: HOWARD BECKER

      HEALTH and equality

      Not FITTING in

      Crime and health: IN CONTEXT

      Why is the world so UNFAIR?

      SuperRICH!

      Wealth and STATUS

      The POVERTY trap

      Who’s to BLAME?

      Where did RACISM come from?

      Why haven’t developing countries DEVELOPED yet?

      Biography: BOAVENTURA DE SOUSA SANTOS

      Is GLOBALIZATION a good thing?

      GLOCALIZATION

      Biography: SASKIA SASSEN

      What’s our IMPACT on the PLANET?

      Biography: ANTHONY GIDDENS

      Wealth and development: IN CONTEXT

      Modern CULTURE

      I SHOP therefore I am?

      What is CULTURE?

      Biography: PIERRE BOURDIEU

      LEISURE time

      We are living in UNCERTAIN times

      Biography: ZYGMUNT BAUMAN

      Does the MASS MEDIA affect YOU?

      Who owns the MEDIA?

      Who DECIDES what’s news?

      Where do you get your NEWS from?

      What does the INTERNET DO for us?

      Do you live ONLINE?

      Culture and the media: IN CONTEXT

      Directory of sociologists

      Glossary

      Acknowledgements

      Imprint

      How to use this eBook

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      DK

      Are men and women really that different? Why are some people superrich when others are homeless? Why do some people commit crimes? These are some of the questions at the heart of life as a human being, and if you have asked questions like these, then you are already a budding sociologist. sociology is the study of society, but it is also a fresh way of thinking about the world.

      Sociologists, the people who study sociology, are interested in the ways in which individuals, groups, and societies are shaped and how they interact with one other. They look at how social institutions such as the family, the education system, religions, and governments work, and consider the ways in which the institutions impact people’s lives.

      The branch of social sciences known as sociology emerged at the end of the 18th century, when much of the world was changing rapidly because of increasing industrialization. German philosopher Karl Marx, and other thinkers of the time, were concerned with growing social inequality. They wanted to understand what was happening and the effect it was having on people and societies. Sociology is a social science that uses a range of methods to investigate the social world. Using evidence and logic, it develops and tests theories such as Marxism and feminism, which can help this process. To be a sociologist also requires what US sociologist Charles Wright Mills called the Sociological Imagination—the ability to challenge common sense ideas about the world and to ask new questions. For instance, we might ask Why do we have problems like racism and homophobia? or Is the news truthful?

      Most importantly, sociology offers the possibility of understanding our lives more fully and of making them better. As Polish sociologist Zygmunt Bauman said, the purpose of sociology is to come to the help of the individual.

      DK

      Sociology is concerned with people, and sociologists learn a variety of skills that can be used in many different occupations. Sociologists are able to analyze information, they have Inquiring minds, and they like to dig deeper into societal issues than most people. many sociologists will want to bring their skills and knowledge to areas of work that help those who are struggling in society, or they may enjoy working to bring out the best in others.

      academic Sociologists

      Professor

      A professor works in a college or university. He or she gives lectures to large groups of students in a particular area of sociology and discusses it with them in small groups or seminars. A professor also writes books and articles (papers) about sociology.

      dk

      Researcher

      Also working in a college or university, a researcher spends his or her time looking into projects that will reveal more about important social issues.

      dk

      Writer

      Some academic sociologists spend most of their time writing books and papers for publication in journals. The books may serve to introduce readers to the subject or be in-depth discussions and analyses of a particular topic.

      dk

      Sociologists in public service

      Police

      A lot of sociology is about why things go wrong for some individuals. This knowledge can be useful for people working in the police or prison systems. It can help them understand why people break the law and how they can be helped.

      dk

      Social worker

      Sociology highlights why some people struggle in society. Understanding the issues people face and how these issues affect them can help a social worker improve the lives of vulnerable or socially excluded people (people who feel isolated or neglected in society).

      Politician

      Sociology helps people understand how society works and what makes a good society, which is something every politician should know. Sociology can uncover causes of inequality and discrimination.

      Policy analyst

      A policy analyst works to think up government policies that will help society run more smoothly and fairly for everyone.

      Teacher

      Studying sociology can help uncover what motivates and stimulates people—ideal skills for a teacher. Knowing the issues that some families face in society also helps teachers find ways to work with students who are struggling.

      dk

      Sociologists in business

      Recruitment

      Understanding what motivates people and the opportunities that are available to them in society can help anyone who works in recruitment to match the right person to the right job.

      dk

      Human resources

      Working in human resources (HR) in an office or other workplace requires working with people to develop their potential. Sociology can help explain how and why people behave in certain ways in an environment such as an office.

      dk

      Marketing

      Understanding how society works and noticing people’s patterns of behavior are ideal skills for working in marketing. This knowledge can help marketing professionals develop a marketing strategy for a product.

      dkDK

      sociology is a science—or rather a social science—that seeks to find out how society works. like other science subjects, it relies on research to make new discoveries and gain insight. Sociologists do not conduct experiments in the laboratory; they try to engage as much as possible with people to find out how they understand the society in which they live. these are some of the most common ways a sociologist gathers information.

      dk

      Interviews

      An approach called a semi-structured interview, is a sort of guided conversation. The interviewer creates a relaxed atmosphere for the participants to talk freely about how the subject being researched affects their lives. It does not matter whether something is true or false. What matters is what is meaningful for the people being interviewed, and how they interpret and understand the world around them.

      dk

      Focus groups

      Setting up a focus group is a way to find out how a small group of people feel about a particular situation. The sociologist gathers between six and 12 people who typically all have something in common. For example, they could all be members of the same community, workplace, or youth group. As well as gathering information about the subject of the research, the sociologist is also observing how the members of the group interact.

      dk

      Surveys and statistics

      If a researcher wants to gain information from a larger number of participants, he or she may use a survey. This consists of carefully planned questions that have a limited number of responses. The researcher will analyze the results and identify patterns.

      Statistics from governments or organizations (called data sets) provide information based on the responses of thousands of people. Big data gathered from huge amounts of people and processed by computers, brings insights into the attitudes of people around the world.

      dk

      Ethnography

      In some cases, a researcher tries to blend in with a group, such as a community or a workplace, spending a long time, possibly years, observing and noting how the members of the group live and what their values and customs are. The goal of this process, known as ethnography, is to get as close to the experience of the members as possible. It can be a challenging undertaking; to be part of a community and not reveal that you are a researcher requires a lot of planning, although you can also take a more open approach.

      dk

      Our identity is influenced by factors such as our class, ethnicity, age, and gender as well as our tastes in things such as fashion and music. The process of finding out who we are and where we belong takes place within society. Sociologists explore the relationship between individuals and the society they live in.

      What is my identity?

      GIRLS and BOYS

      WOMEN and work

      What’s my TRIBE?

      Does RACE matter?

      WHO do you LOVE?

      AGE and SOCIETY

      What does FAMILY mean?

      Are we all MIDDLE CLASS now?

      DK

      where does our identity come from? SOCIOLOGists DO NOT SEE Our identitY AS A fixed thing that we are born with, but as a mixture of things, some of which we cannot change EASILY, SUCH AS OUR RACE AND GENDER, and others that we can, SUCH AS OUR JOBs OR THE WAY WE DRESS.

      A changing world

      In previous generations, many people had one job for their whole lives and this gave them a sense of security and certainty about who they were. There were also powerful institutions that were deeply embedded in people’s lives, such as religion, which also provided people with a strong sense of how they fit into the world. Today, however, these factors are less fixed in people’s lives and these certainties no longer exist.

      Factors that create identity

      Sociologists study how identity, the sense of who one is, emerges out of a relationship between the individual and various parts and processes of society. British sociologist Richard Jenkins has spent time thinking about how identity is formed. He describes it as a dialectical process with society. What he means by dialectical in this case is that two opposing aspects of identity come together to create something new. The two aspects are personal characteristics, over which the individual may be able to exert some control, and social characteristics including class, gender, sexuality, and ethnicity, over which people have considerably less control.

      The various social characteristics of identity are discussed in greater depth later in this chapter, where we discover that they are social constructions, meaning that something that may seem natural is actually the outcome of social, historical, and cultural developments that have changed over time. This is, in many respects, the key to understanding what sociology is about—it explores how so much of what happens around and to people can be explained by understanding the society in which the person exists.

      dk

      dk We are all different

      Our identity comes from a mixture of factors, some of which are fixed, and others that we can choose. We do not exist in isolation, and the society we live in also helps to create our identity.

      DK

      Managing identity

      For some people, maintaining their identity can be difficult. They can have a lifestyle or perhaps an illness that leads them, in particular circumstances, to be unfairly stigmatized (or marked as being different or bad). US

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