-demons
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Unit 1 Thinking
Sociologically
Text A
Preparatory Work
(1)
Micro-level sociology: a
b e
Macro-level sociology: c d
(2)
Sociology
is
the
study
of
social
behavior
or
society
,
including
its
origins,
development,
organization,
networks,
and
institutions.
Like
sociology,
psychology,
economics,
history, demography are
all related to
the study of society and human
activities
. In this way they
share similarities.
The
differences lie in the follows:
?
Psychology
is the study of
human behavior and mind
,
embracing all aspects of
conscious and
unconscious experience as well as thought of the
human beings.
?
Economics
focuses on
the
behavior and interactions of
economic agents
and
how
economies work, that is the economic activities of
the human kind.
?
History
is
the
study
of
the
past
events
as
well
as
the
memory,
discovery,
collection,
organization,
presentation,
and
interpretation
of
information
about
these events, particularly
how it relates to humans
.
?
Demography
is the
statistical study of populations,
especially human beings
.
As
a very general science, it can analyze any kind of
dynamic living population,
i.e., one
that
changes over time or
space
.
(3)
(open)
Teaching
suggestion
:
You
can refer to the following textbooks:
John J. Macionis & Nijole V
.
Benokraitis ed.,
Seeing Ourselves
7
th
ed.
(Upper
Saddle
River, NJ: Pearson Prentice
Hall, 2007)
James M. Henslin ed.,
Down to Earth Sociology: Introductory
Readings 14
th
ed.
(New
York: Free Press, 2007)
(4) (open)
Teaching
suggestion
:
You
can refer to the last two parts of
the
text: “What Work Do Sociologists Do” and
“How
is
Sociology
Useful
to
Me
and
to
the
World”
(paragraph
19
-26)
for
positive
reasons.
Negative reasons vary (why
not choose a career related to sociology), for
instance, no
interest
(in
social sciences), character reasons
(not
cut
out
for dealing with
people),
and practical reason (no high pay).
Critical Reading
I.
Understanding the text
1.
Part
Para(s).
Main idea
I Introduction
1-2
Key
topics
to
be
covered
in the main parts
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II Defining
sociology
III Contents of
sociology
IV
Necessity
of
studying
sociology
V The job of a sociologist
VII Conclusion
3-6
7-12
13-18
19-23
24-26
Relationship
with
other
social sciences
What
will
I
learn
from
sociology
What
abilities
will
sociology
help
you
develop
Job
potentials
of
a
sociology major
Summary of the usefulness
of sociology to individuals
and the world
2.
(1)
To emphasize the
importance of sociology and arouse readers’
interest in (studying)
sociology.
(2)
The
intended
audience
of
the
essay
are
university
and
college
students.
The
audience
is
young
and
curious
about
everything
but
needs
some
guide
in
choosing
their courses in university study.
(3)
In
Para.
7,
Cargan
and
Ballantine
try
to
demonstrate
that
sociology
is
based
on
systematic and objective study of human
behavior.
(4)
They
illustrate
the
difference
between
individual
explanation
and
group
explanation using
divorce as an example. Individual explanation
considers a divorce
as
a
personal
problem
caused
by
conflict
between
the
husband
and
wife
within
the
family. Sociology can help us move
beyond “individual” explanations to consider the
social
surroundings
that
influence
the
situation:
economic
conditions,
disruptions
caused
by
changing
sex
roles,
and
pressures
on
the
family
to
meet
the
emotional
needs of its members.
(5) We
can see that the first list of skills (sociology
trains us in) is broader and more
general category, and the second list
of skills (employers look for) is the overlapping
or subcategory of the former list.
So we can simply put the skills of the
second list
into its respective
categories in the first list (actually, some of
the skills in the second
list can be
put into two or more general categories in the
first list).
Note: this is only
one way of reorganize the two lists,
and not necessarily the best one.
?
Ability
to
view
the
world
more
objectively:
ability
to
plan
effectively;
self-confidence
about
job
responsibilities;
ability
to
listen
to
others;
self-motivation;
effective leadership skills
?
Tools to solve
problems by designing studies, collecting data,
and analyzing
results: ability to
organize thoughts and information; ability to
conceptualize
problems clearly
?
Ability
to
understand
group
dynamics:
ability
to
work
with
peers;
self-
motivation;
ability
to
interact
effectively
in
group
situations;
ability
to
listen to others
?
Ability to
understand and evaluate problems: effective
problem-solving skills;
effective
leadership skills;
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