edX M1.3 Sociological Thinking
Summary
TLDRThis script discusses the importance of thinking sociologically, especially in the context of COVID-19. It emphasizes understanding societal patterns and how external factors like the economy and pandemics affect individuals and groups. The script uses examples like depression rates during COVID, highlighting disparities in mental health outcomes based on social status, gender, and race. It also touches on the importance of intersectionality and the need for a holistic analysis of events like COVID-19 to address broader social issues.
Takeaways
- 🔍 To think sociologically is to shift the perspective from individual to societal patterns and behaviors.
- 🌐 Sociology uses the scientific method to study human society and its external factors like economy, culture, and global events like pandemics.
- 🌟 The ability to self-isolate during Covid-19 has become a significant social status affecting mental health outcomes.
- 👩👧👦 A gender gap in mental health challenges has emerged among parents during Covid-19, with women reporting more challenges.
- 🏡 The labor of homeschooling and lockdown impacts have played out in gendered ways, with women taking on more unpaid domestic work.
- 📊 Sociologists look for patterns among individuals who might be acting differently to the general population during the pandemic.
- 🌱 Sociological thinking involves looking for general patterns in the behavior of particular people and how society shapes individuals into groups.
- 👀 The sociological imagination helps to see the relationship between individual experiences and the larger society.
- 🌏 Sociologists study the root causes of differences in Covid-19 experiences related to institutions, culture, and social location.
- 📈 Mental health rates and the impact of Covid-19 are shaped by social and national context, varying greatly between countries.
- 📚 The assignment encourages students to research and assess the likelihood of financial and health impacts of Covid-19 for individuals from different cities and social groups.
Q & A
What does it mean to think sociologically?
-To think sociologically means to shift the focus from an individualistic perspective to considering the experiences and behaviors of groups or populations within society.
How is the sociological perspective critical during a pandemic?
-The sociological perspective is critical during a pandemic because it helps understand how collective actions and societal structures impact individual and group experiences, potentially influencing public health outcomes.
What is the systematic nature of sociology?
-The systematic nature of sociology comes from its adherence to the scientific method, using transparent and scrutinized procedures to build upon previous research and generate new, accurate knowledge.
How do external factors like a global pandemic shape individual and collective experiences?
-External factors like a global pandemic can shape individual and collective experiences by influencing aspects such as mental health, employment, and social interactions, often disproportionately affecting different social groups.
What is an example of how sociologists view depression differently during the COVID-19 pandemic?
-Sociologists view depression during the COVID-19 pandemic as not only an internal issue but also as one organized by social groups, with factors like the ability to self-isolate and gender roles impacting mental health outcomes.
What social status emerged under COVID-19 that affects mental health?
-The ability to self-isolate at home emerged as a significant social status affecting mental health during COVID-19, with different mental health outcomes observed between those who can and cannot shelter in place.
Why is there a gender gap in mental health among parents during the pandemic?
-A gender gap in mental health among parents during the pandemic may be due to the unequal distribution of unpaid domestic work and homeschooling responsibilities, often falling more heavily on women.
How does the intersectionality of race, ethnicity, and colonialism affect mental health during COVID-19?
-The intersectionality of race, ethnicity, and colonialism can exacerbate mental health challenges during COVID-19, as seen with Indigenous people in Canada who were already more likely to report poor mental health and have experienced worsening conditions due to the pandemic.
Why is it important to study COVID-19 sociologically?
-Studying COVID-19 sociologically is important to understand the broader impacts of the pandemic on population health and sociocultural outcomes, such as social inequality and health inequities.
What are the characteristics of sociological thinking?
-Characteristics of sociological thinking include looking for general patterns in individual behavior, understanding how societal categories shape personal experiences, and using the sociological imagination to connect individual experiences with larger societal contexts.
How does the sociological imagination help in understanding individual experiences during a pandemic?
-The sociological imagination helps in understanding individual experiences during a pandemic by connecting personal events, like job loss, to broader social, historical, and cultural contexts, such as national lockdowns and economic recession.
What is the discussion assignment for this module about?
-The discussion assignment for this module involves researching the likelihood of financial and health outcomes for individuals from a chosen city and social group during the pandemic, considering factors like the ability to avoid infection, serious health complications, and financial impacts.
Outlines
🌐 Sociology and COVID-19
The first paragraph introduces the concept of thinking sociologically, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sociology is defined as the study of human society through a systematic and scientific approach, aiming to understand how external factors like the economy, culture, and global events (such as pandemics) shape individual and collective experiences. The paragraph highlights the importance of shifting from an individualistic perspective to a group or population-based one, especially during a crisis where collective action is critical. It uses the example of depression and mental health to illustrate how sociological factors can influence these issues, showing how the ability to self-isolate during COVID-19 has affected mental health outcomes. It also discusses the gender gap in mental health challenges among parents, with women reporting more challenges than men, potentially due to increased unpaid domestic work during lockdowns. The paragraph concludes by emphasizing the value of a sociological perspective in understanding the broader impacts of COVID-19 on health and sociocultural outcomes, such as social inequality and political change.
🔍 Sociological Imagination and COVID-19
The second paragraph delves into the characteristics of sociological thinking, starting with the search for general patterns in individual behavior. It discusses how societal structures categorize people into groups that influence their life experiences, such as education, food, and social power. The concept of 'sociological imagination' is introduced, a term coined by C. Wright Mills, which refers to the ability to connect individual experiences with broader societal forces. Mills' work is particularly relevant in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, as it encourages individuals to understand their personal experiences within a historical and institutional framework. The paragraph uses the example of job loss during the pandemic to illustrate how the sociological imagination can help comprehend the interconnectedness of individual troubles and larger societal issues, such as lockdown measures, social distancing laws, and global recession. The paragraph concludes with a discussion assignment that asks students to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on different social groups in various cities, considering factors like financial security, infection risk, health complications, and the social safety net.
📊 Comparative Analysis of Societal Factors in COVID-19
The third paragraph outlines a task for students to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on different social groups in a chosen city, focusing on the likelihood of financial and health outcomes. Students are asked to consider various socially significant statuses such as gender, age, migration status, and socioeconomic status. They must research and assess the likelihood of four outcomes: avoiding financial hardship due to lockdown measures, avoiding COVID-19 infection, avoiding serious health complications if infected, and avoiding negative financial impacts if infected. The task also involves reviewing the posts of two other students and comparing findings to identify similarities and differences, as well as brainstorming the societal factors that might be causing these patterns. This exercise aims to deepen the understanding of how societal structures and individual social locations influence the experiences and outcomes of people during the pandemic.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Sociology
💡Sociological Perspective
💡Collective Action
💡Mental Health
💡Self-Isolation
💡Gender Gap
💡Intersectionality
💡Social Location
💡Sociological Imagination
💡Intergenerational
💡Social Inequality
Highlights
Sociology is the practice of looking for general patterns in society and individual lives.
Thinking sociologically involves shifting from an individualistic perspective to a group or population perspective.
Sociology is systematic and follows the scientific method to build upon previous research.
External factors like the economy, culture, and global pandemics shape individual and collective experiences.
Depression and mental health are influenced by social groups and status.
The ability to self-isolate during COVID-19 affects mental health outcomes.
A gender gap in mental health challenges has emerged among parents during the pandemic.
The labor of homeschooling during lockdown has played out in gendered ways.
In Canada, women are less likely to return to paid work as lockdown eases.
Mental health has been worsened by COVID-19 for a significant percentage of Indigenous people.
The pandemic has exacerbated existing mental health disparities due to historical factors.
Depression rates are shaped by social and national context, such as stigma and available language.
Sociologists provide a holistic analysis of events like COVID-19 and their impact on everyday experiences.
Sociological thinking involves looking for general patterns in the behavior of particular people.
Sociologists use the sociological imagination to see the relationship between individual experiences and larger society.
The sociological imagination helps understand how personal experiences are shaped by social, historical, and cultural context.
Sociologists analyze the root causes of differences in COVID-19 experiences related to institutions, culture, and social location.
Students are tasked with researching the likelihood of financial and health impacts of COVID-19 for different social groups.
The assignment encourages students to compare societal factors affecting COVID-19 outcomes across different cities and social groups.
Transcripts
What does it mean to think sociologically and to think
sociologically about covid specifically.
So sociology is the practice of looking for general patterns in society and the
lives of particular people. To think sociologically is to shift the
lens away from an individualistic perspective
and toward an entire group or population. This perspective is particularly
critical in a time like the one we're living in now
where collective action can save lives.
So put simply, sociology is the systematic study
of human society. But what makes it systematic?
This is because it follows the scientific method, it uses procedures
that are transparent and subject to scrutiny, and its goal is
to build previous research to generate new
knowledge that is as accurate as it can be. Sociology looks at
how external factors like the economy culture and even
global pandemics in our case shape both individual
and collective experiences. So let's look at an example:
the example of depression and mental health: so we often think of
depression and mental health challenges as an issue that might be internal or
personal that requires a response that's
individual or sometimes medical in nature
but sociologists find that depression is also organized by social groups.
So one significant social status that's emerging under covid
is whether you have the ability to self-isolate
at home. We can see that mental health outcomes differ whether you are
sheltering in place or not sheltering in place. So some groups have more
control over this than others as we will discuss
this term. There's also a gender gap emerging in mental health
among parents. A greater percentage of women
than men reported covid related mental health challenges
both in early and late march as the pandemic
ramped up but we see a greater gap between men and women's mental health
when they are parents of children under 18
s shown on the right side here. So we might think about
how impacts of lockdown and the labor of homeschooling can end up
playing out in gendered ways with women taking on more of this
unpaid domestic work. And data published by ubc sociology
two days ago shows that in Canada, at least, women are less likely than men
to go back to paid work, even as this lockdown is easing
up. We can also think of this intersectionally in terms of race and
ethnicity and colonialism. Sixty percent of Indigenous people say
their mental health has been worsened due to covid
and Indigenous people in Canada were already more likely to report
fair or poor mental health prior to the pandemic due to intergenerational trauma,
discrimination, colonialism and so on. And so what we're seeing here is an
exhaustive exacerbation of this pattern
and rates of depression are also shaped by
social and national context. In some societies
like India for example, depression is more stigmatized and there is less
language and social protocols around it so people are less likely to self-report
so we have less data to even begin measuring
mental health rates let alone to provide support and the necessary infrastructure.
By understanding covid 19 and its impacts on
our lives through a sociological perspective
we're able to discover and analyze the impact of this crisis
on population level health and sociocultural outcomes
such as social inequality, global and local health and
inequities and social political change. And this is why it's important to study
covid 19 sociologically even though at its root it is a health
issue. So sociologists are able to provide a
holistic analysis of events like covid 19 and address
issues that may seem unrelated but end up contributing to people's everyday
experiences. There are several characteristics of
sociological thinking. So let's start with characteristic one:
sociologists look for general patterns in the behavior of particular people.
Society shapes individuals into groups like children teenagers or adults,
the healthy and the sick, the rich and the poor
and each of these groups impact the life experiences of individuals in society.
This can range from what kind of education is available to people.
to what food they eat, even to whether an experienced life
in positions of power in society or on the margins.
Seeing the world sociologically includes realizing how the general categories we
fit into can shape our experiences so we could
ask how do our parents jobs impact the level
of education that we receive? If i was to poll this class right now or
any university class, data shows that we would find an
over-representation of students whose parents also attended university
because educational patterns are
intergenerational. So in the context of covid 19
what does looking for the general in the particular look like?
When looking at society in the midst of this pandemic crisis
sociologists look for patterns among individuals who might be acting
differently to the general population so we might ask
who isn't wearing masks when they are asked to or
who's deviating from the norm by going against
government regulations.
For example, this could include an analysis of individuals who have
protested lockdown as was done in this vox article
in april 2020 which i i've included a link to here. The
article links anti-lockdown protests to race in
the context of the United States
and this brings us to our second characteristic of sociological thinking
which is seeing society in our everyday lives. Sociologists call this using the
sociological imagination. In 1959 sociologist C Wright
Mills wrote the book the Sociological Imagination
and he defined this imagination as the ability to see the relationship
between individual experiences and the larger society.
Mills writes "nowadays people often feel that their private lives
are a series of traps they sense that within their everyday worlds they cannot
overcome their troubles yet people do not usually define the
troubles they ensure in terms of historical and institutional
change" So Mills wrote that in 1959 but I think
that it's never been more relevant than today
under this global pandemic. Mills is asking us to put our individual
experiences in historical and institutional context
and chapter one is called The Promise. Mills is promising us the relevance of
this form of thought, that we can understand our lives better
if we understand what is happening in the larger
society and if we understand the root causes of the challenges that we face
that can equip us better to act with a broader perspective on what would
actually address the challenges. So today we're going to use the
sociological imagination to understand how our experiences of covid 19 are
being shaped by what is happening in the world.
So for example an individual may have lost their job in mid-March 2020
and while the individual might at first feel that this personal experience of
being laid off is an isolated event, the sociological imagination enables us
to understand how this event was shaped by social,
historical, and cultural context. This personal experience of course has
been shaped by nationally enforced lockdown,
social distancing laws, companies shutting down, and global recession
as well as the type of industry that a person is in and as we'll see this term
their social location related to gender, class,
race and so on. So the discussion for this module
asks you to think about covid experiences.
In context so we can see here that depending on what part of Canada
you are in you have a different likelihood
of contracting the virus and we can also look at this in a global
perspective. This data is from our world, in data
daily news confirmed covid 19 cases globally so we can see that just by
being in a particular country you have a higher or lower risk.
So sociologists are trying to understand the root causes of these differences
related to institutions, related to culture, related to social location and
so on. So i'll introduce our discussion
assignment for this module and it has a few parts so your task is
to pick any city in the world and it just can't be Vancouver and to
pick one or more socially significant statuses
like gender or age or migration status socioeconomic status
and do some research online and assess the likelihood of four things for
someone from this city and social group. What is the likelihood they would be
able to avoid being financially affected by lockdown measures?
This might be something like losing their job or not.
Their likelihood of being able to avoid getting infected with covid,
their likelihood of being able to avoid serious health complications
if they're infected, so there you'll need to think about the healthcare system and
the response for example. And lastly their ability to avoid
negative financial impacts if they were infected, so that might draw
on things like the social safety net and the amount of
wealth inequality in the country. So this is your first task, then you're
going to review the posts of two other students
and compare them to yours to identify the similarities and differences
and to brainstorm the societal factors that might be causing those similarities
and differences.
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