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The Sociology of Communities
An Introduction
ISBN 0-9737437-0-0
Phil Bartle, PhD
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This new text book is not available on line.
Apologies. For copyright and technical reasons, only hard copies
will be available, through the Camosun College Bookstore. Your bookstore
or library can order for you. The introduction and table of contents
are included here so as to describe the book. See: Web
References for the book.
Printed By
Camosun Imaging
3100 Foul Bay Road
Victoria, BC, V8P 572
Canada
GengeC@Camosun.bc.ca...
Tel: 1 250 370 3000
©
Copyright 2004 Phil Bartle
Introduction
The study of sociology gives
us various alternative perspectives on society and culture, life around
us and through the world and, ultimately, about ourselves. This book is
an introductory sociology book with a focus on the social nature of communities.
...
This book can be used as
an accessory along with a core introductory text, for a course such as
Family and Community, Rural Sociology, Urban Sociology or Introductory
Sociology. While it is a survey of selected topics, it does not intend
to include all topics usually found in an introductory survey.
...
Furthermore, it is a sociological
complement to the training material in Community
Empowerment, which is practical training for community workers.
...
The writing style is personal
and informal, aimed at gently introducing new students to the joys and
wonders of the discipline.
Table of Contents
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What is Society? Not the People; It
is their Actions and Thoughts. Community as Institution; Community and
society; Structure and Process. Ethnocentrism. The
Nature of Society. The Sociological Perspective.
Your study of Sociology.
-
Re Viewing Culture:
Symbols
Instead of Genes. Culture and Learning.
Ideal vs. Real Culture. Culture Conflict. Cultural Hegemony. Transcendence
of Culture, Society, Community, Family. Preserving
Culture
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The Eye of the Beholder:
So
how do you see it? Origins of the Major Approaches: Marx,
Durkheim,
Weber.
The
Classical Perspectives: Conflict; Functional; Symbolic Interactionism.
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Becoming Human: Reproducing Culture.
How do Societies and Social Institutions Reproduce Themselves? "Becoming
Human" from the point of view of a society. Sapir-Whorf.
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Six Dimensions:
Dimensions.
Blind
Men and an Elephant. Six Sides of the Same thing: Dimensions
of Culture = Dimensions of Community. Political.
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Community Characteristics:
Warm and Fuzzy: Community Spirit. Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft. The contribution
of Tönnies. Community Spirit can be Mean Spirited. The
Nature of Community & Family. Essentialising. Constructed Communities
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Organisation and Strength:Organisation
and Strength. Rationalisation. Formal Organisations and Bureaucracy.
Does Making a Community Stronger Remove its Essential Characteristics?
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Not Equal: The
Fingers are Five Different Sizes. Social Extrapolations
of Biological Differences (race, sex,
age). Classical Approaches: Production,
Power, Prestige. Inequality.
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Family, Community
Society: Living life and Raising
Children. Reproducing Culture. How do Societies and Social Institutions
Reproduce Themselves? "Becoming Human" from the point of view of
a society. Sapir-Whorf.
The
Family. It Takes a Village. Family Work.
The
Incest Taboo.
Homosexuality. Just a Place
to Sleep; a Home is not a House. Elders. Social Promotion.
The
Dark Side. Family in Community in Society: Two Spectra.
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Religion: Beliefs
and Instututions. Sacred, Profane, Secular. Durkheim's Elementary
Forms. Truth and History.
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Deviates and Control: Keeping us Walking
the Line. Norms. Control: Who has it and How is it Manifested? The Social
Role of Gossip. Defining and Identifying Deviates. Law
and its Enforcement.
Restorative Justice.
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More People; More Strangers: Urbanisation.
Urbanism. Population Density. Social Change. Community Adaptation and Survival.
Mosaic.
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Applying Sociology to Social Problems:Does
it have any use? Practical Applications.
Using
Communities to Intervene in Social Problems.
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Strengthening Communities and Fighting
Poverty: Social Engineering. Poverty
as a Social Problem. Empowering People by Empowering
Community.
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Search and Research: Finding
Out. What is ? not what should be. Epistemology.
Problems
of Prediction and Cause. Various Methods of Obtaining
Information. Sampling.
Ordering
the Information.
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Community
Research: Measuring
Capacity. Community Ethnography.
End: So Where Do We Go From Here?
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Further Studies
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Careers on Community Sociology
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Glossary and Subject
Index
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People Index
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Bibliographic References
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Internet References
(May I introduce?)
"Student, meet Sociology."
"Sociology, meet Student."
"How do you do."
"How do you do."
"Well met."
How it begins:
Up to the end
of secondary school, I lived in a rural community, on a fruit farm, and
went by a yellow school bus, noisy and smelling of orange peels, 10 k.
to a school in a nearby village. The district was characterised by
strong protestant Christian values, especially supporting the idea that
everything depends upon the individual. Voting was strongly conservative,
anti union and anti socialist. Politics could not be discussed in
school. I did not know that I did not know what society was.
When I took my first sociology
class at university, in the big city, I spent about two months wondering
what my sociology professor was talking about. It was incomprehensible,
and I could not understand how he jumped from topic to topic.
Why? Because (and I did not know it at the time) I had a single view
of society, what could be called “atomistic” − the individual is
all.
About two months into
the course, “the penny dropped . . . .
Discussion.
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2008.12.03