Lesson 2: Theories and Theorists

The theory of positivism is the idea that sense perception is the only valid source of information. Here I have conveniently circled the person in the picture's senses. This theory was created by Auguste Comte.

Theories are ideas that explain the social world and make predictions about the future. Theories are a much more valid way of predicting the future than this fortune teller kit.

Ancient Egypt would have been a group connected by mechanical solidarity because they shared the same traditions and beliefs.

America is an example of an organic solidarity society because we have many different beliefs and ideas. This is created by the division of labor that creates independence and individual rights.

Families are part of the functionalism theory that separate structures create the unified whole that is society. This picture of a family is one of those structures.

Lesson 12: Popular Culture



The mass media shows us an unrealistic amount of "perfect" people and so we normalize the idea that this is how we are supposed to look. The magazine from where this picture is from is full of pictures of very fit and attractive women.




Advertisements are meant to make the consumers think that they can't live without that product. This ad for oatmeal says that "For once, everyone can get their own way." Getting our way is a a very appealing thing to consumers.



Heinz is a very well known brand and so people will automatically purchase Heinz ketchup even if the competitiors is better. This is known as brand recognition and as a society we do it constantly.



The average houselhold amount of credit card debt has gone up 15% since 2000. This represents the idea that everyone wants to live like a celebrity and they accomplish this by using credit.

Brand recognition is very important to consumers. An unbiased study showed that people preferred the taste of McDonalds coffee over Starbucks.

This picture shows a good example of popular culture. His shirt has a character from the popular television show Phineas and Ferb. Even if there is no context, most people will know what show the character is from.

Lesson 11: Life at Home

This is a picture of an endogamical couple. They both grew up in the same area and are of the same race and ethnicity.

This relationship could be considered an exogamical relationship because the two people are different races.

This is a picture of a monogamous relationship. Monogamy is when two people get married and can only marry each other. This differs from polygamy where someone can marry multiple people.

This picture includes my brother and sister who are part of my nuclear family. These types of families are becoming much less common nowadays.

In this picture we see domestic physical abuse. Abuse among families is the most common form of abuse. However, men are abused at a much lower rate than women.

Lesson 10: Sex and Gender

Sex is the biological category that we are divided into. Predominalty male and female.

Using makeup is gender trait. The idea that girls are the only ones that should wear makeup is a socially constructed one. Gender refers to the set of traits that a group considers normal for the male and female members.

The mass media shows sex-roles in a very stereotypical manner. For example, the movie Cinderella shows Cinderella as a helpless girl who needs to be saved. She is also shown doing passive activities such as cleaning and cooking.

The medias influence on what is expected of women can be seen in this magazine picture. Women are expected to do passive exercising such as yoga and running, and look amazing while doing them.

Gender inequality was very strong in past and peasant societies. In one of these societies it would have been abnormal for a male to be taking care of the home and cooking.

The couple in this picture is a heterosexual couple. Heterosexual is when a someone is attracted to someone of the opposite sex. Sociologists usually look at sexuality as a broad spectrum rather than just a few different categories.

Typically women are expected to do most of the child bearing and rearing. In this picture I am watching my little niece and acting in a role that society expects.

Gender can be assigned to anything, including things that aren't even alive. For example, mustangs are considered a mans car. While a Beetle or a Mini Cooper would be considered a females car.

Lesson 9: Race and Ethnicity

The races between the two people in this picture are clearly different. However, race is a socially constructed idea that does not exist in nature.

The people in this picture are racially different yet they share the same ethnicity. They are all Americans because they share the same language and values.

Black people are an example of a minority group. This is a group that is denied the same access to power and resources as the dominant group. The minority group is not always fewer in numbers than the dominant group but in this case they are.

Formal segregation is very rare in America nowadays but it used to be very common. Segregation is the formal separation of groups by race or ethnicity.

Let's look into my invisible knapsack! The invisible knapsack is the privileges and resources that the dominant group gets because of the fact that they are part of the dominant group. This can include seeing ones race widely represented and knowing that you weren't pulled over because of your race.

Lesson 7: Deviance and Conformity

Pitbulls are sometimes bred to fight. This is usually considered a deviant thing to do because most people do not approve of this.

Police are part of the criminal justice system because they help enforce the laws that try to keep deviance to a minimum.

Even little things can sometimes be seen as deviant. Gauging ones ears used to be considered more deviant than it is today. This is a picture of earrings for someone with gauged ears. This also shows that what is considered deviant can often changes over time.

Grafitti is usually considred a deviant act. Peopple who grafitti would also fall under the catagory of a sub-culture.

Instead of conforming, some people decide they want to shun societies values and expectations. These people are known as retreatists as they don't have the same goals or means as the rest of society.

Most people conform most of the time. This picture shows people graduating from high school. They are conforming to what society expects of them and going to school.

Lesson 8: Social Class and Inequality

Social inequality in America is very high. About 1% of the population owns almost 60% of the nations income. The disparity of wealth between the classes is even greater than this.

Peoples possessions and homes usually indicate what social class the people are. This picture of a living room looks like the living room of working class people. They make up about 30% of the population.

Social class can often be determined by things like the kind of car someone drives. The top picture car is most likely owned by someone from the working class or lower class. The bottom picture is most likely someone from the middle class or perhaps upper middle class.

Income is the amount of money that someone has coming in. The income disparity in America is very large.

Wealth is much different than income because it includes all the assets that someone has such as property and stocks. The wealth disparity between the upper and lower class is even higher than the differences in income.