Intro to Intro 2 Macrosociology Examples of Macrosociology

Intro to Intro 2: Macrosociology

Examples of Macrosociology (1) • Macrosociology is concerned with societies and parts of societies • Important question: How do societies change? – One way is through technological change • Consider the introduction of the automobile Q: What changed with the introduction of the automobile?

Examples of Macrosociology (2) The Automobile • For starters: – Most people today afraid to be on a horse – Not many songs about blue-tail flies • Not so many flies – Geography of supermarket products • On average travel about 1000 miles • Harms local producers – Road construction now big business • Good for immigrants

Examples of Macrosociology (3) • Riches and destitution: why are there rich people and poor people? – Are the rich really different? – How much of success is inherited, how much earned?

Examples of Macrosociology (4) • Racial and ethnic relations – Where do race and ethnicity come from? – Why and how do they make a difference?

Examples of Macrosociology (5 a) • Interactions between parts of society – Example: after-school daycare programs illustrate interactions between • economy and family – two earners needed • education and family – school hours affect possible working hours • education and government – govt determines public school hours

Globalization n n Economy Popular culture • Hollywood n CDs of recent US movie releases cheap in China • • Bollywood n • Companies try to export US property rights law, too Even the nickname reflects globalization Hip- hop n Jamaica + Bronx worldwide tunes • Gangnam style

Globalization: Early Theory n One of the early analyses of globalization was The Communist Manifesto • • 1848 By Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels

Micro vs Macro: The Sociological Imagination • The Sociological Imagination (Mills) – Key: ability to see connection between the life of the individual (microsociology) and the larger social context (macrosociology) • Involves ability to see connections between … – Biography and history – Personal troubles and public issues