-Social contexts change study human consequences

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summary introduction to sociology culture structure and inequality tubergen 97809915353850 C1. Sociology theories applied to the design of social media Individual perspective: type of explanation of human behavior which focuses on individual causes Sociologists → consider social context (social environment in which people are embedded) → sociological imagination (also sociological perspective) type of explanation of human behavior which focuses on social causes as opposed to individual causes (e.g. country) -Social contexts change → study human consequences -Social perspective differs from individual (1)focus on social causes (2)considers collective outcomes → social phenomenon (collective human behavior) → The Sociological Perspective Sociology is the scientific study of social phenomena. This means that, if you want to give a sociological explanation of human behavior, you need to consider the influence of social contexts and study the resulting collective human behavior Relations individual and sociological perspective -Supplements (provide a more comprehensive explanation of human behavior together) -Alternative (one matters and the other does not) -Proximate (factors that are close to the phenomena to be explained, individual) and ultimate causes (factors that underlie proximate causes, social contexts) 3 / 4

summary introduction to sociology culture structure and inequality tubergen 97809915353850 Scales/levels of social contexts

1.Micro level: the level at which individuals operate (not a social context)

2.Meso level: social contexts at the intermediate level (e.g. families, neighborhoods, schools, organizations) 3.Macro level: social contexts that are broader than meso level units (e.g. nations, groups of nations, continents)

Social problem (also public issue) is one that:

1.goes beyond the personal troubles of the individual (it affects many people); 2.is an issue about which many people are concerned (it is in conflict with certain values) → what is considered a social problem changes over time → can involve large segments of society or more locally concentrated

Personal trouble: problem related to the personal life of an individual

Core aims of sociology 1.Describe social phenomena scientifically 2.Explain social phenomena theoretically 3.Apply their knowledge → returns to normative domain 1.Coming up with predictions 2.Develop and evaluate social interventions (social policy measure) → subject to scientific insights and empirical work and targeted towards reducing social problems Social problems vs social phenomena -Social problems: normative → desirable goals or values are threatened, people want to solve this problem and politicians, policy makers and organizations offer various measures and interventions to do so -Social phenomena: scientific phenomenon of interest → understanding contributes to understanding and solving social problems Societal relevance: relevance of sociological work for the understanding of social problems → does not imply sociologists should pursue normative statements or engage in social activism, sociology is a science

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