Chapter One: The Sociological Perspective

Del’s recommendations: * Watch CNN, Rachael Madeau * Watch CNN, Ferrerd Zakary (Sunday @ 7 and/or 10am) * Listen to 620 AM Radio, Lars Larsen and Rush Limbaugh (@ 6am) * Read Howard Zen’s “People’s history of the United States”, Del stated that this is a fairly accurate description of the U.S. “Howard Zen died in a swimming pool…” * Read Louis Yankolovich’s “New Rules: Living in a world turned upside down.”
When watching or listening to these programs ask myself “are these people are giving me a definition and example?”, and to discover how “stupid” some politicians are Google “Promised Knowledge.”
Q: When do people have a higher propensity to think about sociology?
A: According to C. Wright Mills, people have a higher propensity to think about sociology during social disruptions that are caused by the culture that they live in (i.e. The Depression, WWI, The Korean War, when unemployment rates are high, medical coverage is unattainable, etc.)
Assumptions/Generalizations:
Describe: Female participation in the labor force is on the rise.
Explain: Because they are staying in school longer, they want to be economically independent.
Q: How do we know what the ideological differences are between the political parties?
A: By listening to what they say and asking what their beliefs are (i.e. “is it ok to put vaginal probes up a vagina to determine the sex of a fetus?”)
Q: What is an important sociological insight?
A: Debunking-when people make a statement we fact check it. Sociologists are famous for proving people wrong.
Q: From a sociological perspective, what is the truth? How do we know?
A: Empirical evidence, it can be