Welcome and

Introduction

Introduction to
Sociology
SOCS0024
Dr Sonya Sharma

For BSc Social Science; BSc

Social Science with Data
Science; and BSc Sociology
 Sociologist of religion
Me • Gender
• Healthcare
• Families
 Teaching team
Module Dr Morag Henderson
Leader
Dr Sonya Sharma (Weeks 1-3)

Module Blair Carter

Tutors
Hadiqa Khan
Mingdan Wu
Pair and share
About the course
Module expectations
• Paying attention
• Attendance
• Respecting alternative views
• Participation in lectures
• What are lectures for?
• When will the slides be made
available?
• Breaks; UCL time; questions
• Seminar preparation and
workload…(more to come)
 Attendance
• At the IOE attendance is an expectation.
Students are expected to attend at least
70% of each module.
• Attendance is taken through the SEATs
app. The download page addresses
important information about Attendance
at UCL including wellbeing, Visa
responsibilities, why we record
attendance and FAQs.
• You can tap in 20 minutes before or after
the start of class.
• Tapping in for others is a form of
Academic Misconduct. The use of a
student ID card is personal to the
individual to whom it is issued, and you
must not allow your card to be used by
any other individual. If you are found to
be fraudulently using the system, either
by tapping in on others' behalf or
allowing others to tap in on your behalf,
you may be subject to the procedures in
UCL’s Academic Manual.
 Learning to • introduce you to sociological thought and to encourage you
see the social to use your sociological imagination
• highlight the interplay between the individual and society
world • develop your critical thinking by revealing the social
differently structures and processes that shape diverse forms of human
life
 Weekly preparation

• Workload around 2-3 hours per week

on average in addition to contact time
of 3 hours per week
• Prepare for seminars
– key readings
– Take notes
– Essay outline and essay practice
• Attend seminars, engage in discussion
and follow the weekly activities
 Assessment
Formative assessments
(before seminar – seminar leads to coordinate)
• Practice essay plan for feedback due Week 3 (select a weekly
discussion question to practice planning and writing)
• Practice essay for feedback due Week 6

Summative assessments
• COURSEWORK DEADLINE: 1500word essay (50%) to be uploaded
to Moodle, Wednesday 22 January 2025.
• IN PERSON EXAM: 3 x 500word essays (50%). Due in the summer
term (Term 3) 2025, date TBC.
• All information is in the Module Handbook – more will be said in
upcoming weeks.
Module Handbook
Moodle
 Seminars
• In person weekly seminar
sessions
• Your timetable will show the
group you belong to
• NB. You only need to attend
one seminar per week
 Seminar Preparation
• Preparation: do the key readings, bring notes
to the seminar, seminar tutor may allocate a
specific question to think about
– “Providing examples, how do norms emerge,
persist, change and decline?” (week 2 topic)
– “What explains the levels and patterns of crime?”
(week 8 topic)
 Summary: learning how to learn
• Read key readings (always) and additional readings
(sometimes)
• Prepare a discussion response for the seminar sessions
• Submit essay plan, week 3
• Write a practice essay, week 6
• Skills classes – work at your own pace – see
Assessment skills and Help Section on Moodle
• Morag’s Student Hours for Q&A Mondays 10am-12pm
GMT, please make an appointment in advance by
emailing me at [email protected]
• Sonya’s are 3-5pm Wednesday.
• Collaborative spaces, supporting each other and
belonging, study groups
Questions so far?
Part 1
Introduction to
Introduction to Sociology
 Discussion Point

With your neighbour

discuss:
➢ What is sociology?
➢ And why you decided
to study it at UCL.
 What is sociology?

The systematic study of human

society, culture, and relationships on
a group level.

The word ‘sociology’ derived from

the Latin word socius (companion)
and the Greek word logos (study),
meaning the ‘study of
companionship’
 Society and culture
• A society is a group of people whose
members interact, reside in a
definable area, and share a culture.
• A culture includes the group’s shared
practices, values, and beliefs.
• Many aspects of society to study:
– Everyday conversations
– How has texting has changed the
way people communicate?
– How has migration determined
the way in which language
spread and changed over time?
– Developing signs
What does sociology
do?

• A key insight of sociology is that

the simple fact of being in a group
or society changes your behaviour
• The group is a phenomenon that is
more than the sum of its parts
– Why do we feel and act
differently in different types of
social situations?
– Why might people acting
similarly or in the same place
not feel connected to others
around them?
 Theories and
theoretical
perspectives

• We observe
• Then we construct theories,
abstract interpretations, to
explain the empirical or factual
situations.
• Sociology is rooted in questions
about social change, social
conflict, and social problems
brought on by industrialisation
and urbanisation
• Early sociologists continue to
influence contemporary sociology
Theoretical
Perspectives

A way of seeing
the world through
a sociological lens
 Conflict theory #1
• Karl Marx – society is in a state of perpetual
conflict because of competition for limited
resources.
– (social, political and material resources,
£, housing and entertainment)
• Some individuals are able to obtain and
keep more resources than others
• These "winners" use their power and
influence to maintain their positions of
power in society and to suppress the
advancement of other individuals and
groups
 Conflict theory #2
• More recently, Max Weber (1864–1920)
speaks of inequalities: economic, social
status, education, race and gender
• As long as these conflicts remain, the
system as a whole is never threatened
• George Simmel (1858–1918) noted that the
nature of the conflict is highly variable;
depends on the goals, the intensity and
violence, and the change among both
parties involved
• Conflict theory tends to focus on conflict to
the exclusion of recognising stability
 Functionalism theory
Sometimes called Structural
Functionalism Theory
• It is the oldest of the main theories of
sociology (even before the discipline
started)
• English Philosopher and biologist Herbert
Spencer (1898)
• This theory views society as a structure
with interrelated parts designed to meet
the needs of individuals who make up that
society
• Emile Durkheim (1893) developed
Spencer’s theory and argued that people
served many different functions in society
• Their ability to carry out their function
depends upon others being able to carry
out theirs
 • Communication—or the exchange of meaning through language and
symbols (e.g. dog, an English flag…)
• People as active in shaping their world, rather than as entities who are
Symbolic •
acted upon by society (Herman and Reynolds 1994)
George Herbert Mead (1863–1931) and his student Herbert Blumer
Interactionist (1900–1987) developed the theory of “symbolic interactionism” and
identified its three basic premises:
Theory #1 – Humans act on the basis of the meanings they ascribe to those things
– The meaning of such things is derived from, or arises out of, the
social interaction that one has with others and the society
– These meanings are handled in, and modified through, an
interpretative process used by the person in dealing with the things
he/she encounters (Blumer 1969)
 • Symbolic-interactionists look for patterns of interaction
between individuals
• their studies often involve observation of one-on-one
Symbolic •
interactions
Erving Goffman (1922-1982): dramaturgical analysis using
the theatre as an analogy for social interaction and
Interactionist recognized that people’s interactions showed patterns of
cultural “scripts”
Theory #2 • Studies that use the symbolic interactionist perspective are
more likely to use qualitative research methods (e.g. in-depth
interviews or participant observation)
• Criticisms : Narrow but deep, difficult to be objective in
interpretation
 Pair and share

With your neighbour

discuss one point of
interest you wrote down
in your notes.
 Summary of Part 1

• In this part we talked about

– what sociology is
– looked at some of the main theories of sociology:
• conflict theory
• functionalism and
• symbolic interactionist theory
• Next, we will look at the grammar and key terms used in
sociology and discuss the sociological imagination.
Part 2
Introduction to
Introduction to Sociology
 Social Construction
An idea or practice that a group of people agree exists and
Basic that could not exist without societies
Sociological – What people think and do are products of culture
and history
Concepts #1 – Maintained over time by people taking its
existence for granted
– Marriage; money; citizenship…
 Socialisation
Basic The social processes through which children develop
an awareness of social norms and values and
Sociological achieve a distinct sense of self
– Provides social order
Concepts #2 – Norms reflect division of power and class
– Maintained over time by people taking its
existence for granted
 Agency or Structure
– Agency: Individuals have the capacity to
Basic deviate from patterns, to go against the
odds. Free will.
Sociological – Structure: recurrent patterned arrangements
Concepts #3 which influence or limit the choices and
opportunities available, takes the form of
institutions such as the economy, politics,
education …
 Social Change
Basic • How are the times in which we are living different
from the times that came before?
Sociological – Social life is dynamic; it is constantly changing –
what explains these changes?
Concepts #4 – Understanding the present relies on
understanding the past
 C. Wright Mills, 1959
• Sociological imagination, sociological lens, perspective
Sociological = how individuals understand their own and others’
pasts in relation to history and social structure
Imagination • Sociologists are able to examine what influences
behaviour, attitudes, and culture
• The challenge is that they need to be systematic and
scientific
 • Mills argues that social phenomenon can also be
purely personal
Sociological • Understood in terms of personal, psychological, or
moral attributes
Imagination • Most people make senses of a problem in an
individualistic way:
–“I can’t get a break in the job market.”
 • If ‘private’ troubles are widely shared
with others, they indicate that there may
Sociological be a common social problem
Imagination • Best addressed as public issues that
require a collective response to resolve.
• For example, obesity.
SOURCE: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/global-obesity-rates-continue-climb
 • Increase the cost of sugary food
• Limit screen time encourage more active behavior
• Healthy food access and education
Societal • Reduce inequality and the number of people in poverty
•
nudges Reduce the number of ‘food deserts’
– More than a million people in the UK live in “food
deserts” – neighbourhoods where poverty, poor public
transport and a dearth of big supermarkets severely
limit access to affordable fresh fruit and vegetables, a
study has claimed.
 Pair and share

With your neighbour

summarise what the
sociological imagination
means and apply it to
this question: Why do
men commit more
crimes than women?
 Summary of Part 2

In this part we have discussed key terms

in sociology and the ‘sociological
imagination’. This means to observe a
social fact and explain it by examining
what influences behaviour, attitudes, and
culture.
 HOT QUESTIONS: practice using your
sociological imagination
Identify a social problem/ask a question.
Pick one of the following examples and explore alternative sociological
explanations or hypothesis to test:

– Why are teenage pregnancy rates are higher in deprived areas?

(here)
– Why do women take more selfies than men ? (article)
– Why has the number of childless women increased over time ?
(here)
– Why do men commit more crimes than women? (here)
– Why do 1.97m more men than women play sport in England? (here)
Part 3
Introduction to
Introduction to Sociology
 Scientific
method:
Methods in positivist

Sociological
Research
Interpretive
framework
 Scientific method

Provides a clear method of organising a study

Observe relationships between variables e.g. gender and

educational attainment

Apply operational definitions to their terms and to establish

dependent and independent variables

Using the scientific method, a researcher conducts a study in

five phases:
 Scientific Method

Ask a question

Research Existing Sources

Formulate a hypothesis

Design and conduct a study

Report
Draw conclusions
Results
 Scientific Method

Ask a question Why have global rates of obesity more

than doubled over the last 40 years?

Research Existing Sources

Formulate a hypothesis

Design and conduct a study

Report
Draw conclusions
Results
 Scientific Method

Ask a question Why have global rates of obesity more

than doubled over the last 40 years?

WHO, secondary sources, published

Research Existing Sources papers, RCT, NHS reports, scientific
evidence

Formulate a hypothesis

Design and conduct a study

Report
Draw conclusions
Results
 Scientific Method

Why have global rates of obesity more

Ask a question than doubled over the last 40 years?

Research Existing Sources WHO, secondary sources, published

papers, NHS reports, scientific evidence

Formulate a hypothesis H1 The increase in access to sugary drinks

have caused the obesity crisis

Design and conduct a study

Report
Draw conclusions
Results
Hypothesis Independent Dependent
variable (X) Variable (Y)
The greater the availability of Affordable Homeless rate
affordable housing, the lower housing
the homeless rate.
As household income increases,
so too does self-reported
happiness.
Educational attainment varies
by month of birth.
The greater the factory lighting,
the higher the productivity
As people get older, they
become more religious
 Scientific Method

Ask a question Why have global rates of obesity more

than doubled over the last 40 years?

Research Existing Sources WHO, secondary sources, published

papers, NHS reports, scientific evidence

Formulate a hypothesis H1 The increase in access to sugary

drinks have caused the obesity crisis

Design and conduct a study Data

Report
Draw conclusions
Results
 All testable with data

– Surveys
– Interviews
– Experiments
– Participant observations
– Secondary Analysis
– Administrative data

– Quantitative
– Qualitative
 Reliability and Validity
• Reliability increases the likelihood that what
happens to one person will happen to all
people in a group.
• Researchers also strive for validity, which
refers to how well the study measures what it
was designed to measure.
 Interpretive framework
• Seeks to understand social worlds from the point of
view of participants, which builds more in-depth
knowledge
• Doesn’t necessarily follow hypothesis testing
• Not always generalisable results
• More descriptive or narrative in its findings
• Direct observation or interaction with subjects
 Interpretive framework
• Interpretive research is based on the assumption
that social reality is not singular or objective.
• It is shaped by ontology (human experiences and
social contexts).
• Best studied epistemologically (within the socio-
historic context, knowledge based on the subjective
interpretations of its various participants).
• The approach taken depends on the nature of the
phenomenon under consideration and the best way
to study it.
 Example

• Positivist researchers* might study

race and ethnicity matters by tracking
trends over time (political voting,
income and educational gap)
– For example, in higher education,
the gap between the likelihood of
White students and students from
Black, Asian or minority ethnic
(BAME) backgrounds getting a
first- or upper-second-class
degree is among the most stark –
13% among 2017–18 graduates
(Universities UK)
 Example

• In contrast an interpretative approach

is able to highlight more in-depth
subjective experience
– For example, research shows
BAME students on a BSc and MSc
programme speak of not
belonging on the course.
– Feelings of being an outsider,
examining the behaviours by
others that marginalise them and
document that experience of
marginalsiation.
 Criticisms
• Many positivist researchers
view interpretive research as
erroneous and biased given the
subjective nature of the
qualitative data collection and
interpretation process
employed in such research
• But interpretivists suggest that
many of the positivist
techniques do not generate
interesting insights or new
knowledge of the important
mechanisms
 Summary of Part 3

• In this part we talked about:

– The scientific method
• Dependent and independent variables
• Hypotheses testing
– The interpretative framework
• Next week, we look at culture, socialisation
and social norms.
Answers
Hypothesis Independent Dependent
variable Variable
The greater the availability of Affordable Homeless rate
affordable housing, the lower housing
the homeless rate.
As household income increases, Income Self-reported
so too does self-reported happiness
happiness.
Educational attainment varies Month of birth Educational
by month of birth. attainment
The greater the factory lighting, Bright lights Productivity
the higher the productivity
As people get older, they Age Religiosity
become more religious