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SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1Slides: Four Early American Sociologists

These four founders of Sociology in America had things in common:

1. All came to sociology later in life after successful careers doing something else

2. All came to sociology after reading Spencer

3. All influenced by Spencer

4. All were Social Darwinists

5. All accepted ideas of Evolution and Progress

6. All came from small town America and all but Ward were sons of Protestant ministers or were Protestant ministers themselves

WILLIAM GRAHAM SUMNER (1840-1910)

$ born in Paterson, NJ

$ was a minister in Episcopal Church

$ Studied at Oxford University in England, but from 1868 was one of Yale University’s greatest professors

$ married in 1873, three sons

$ a definite Social Darwinist

$ one of his early books was

$ What Social Classes Owe to Each Other? sometimes called a neglected classic

$ The answer, basically, is nothing

$ Does one group have the duty of helping another group? should rich help poor, producers help consumers, one race or gender help another – NO

$ he says let people alone – Mind your own business. Let every man be happy in his own way. If your happiness impinges on another person’s we have to make adjustments

$ This is how society progresses

$ called himself champion of ‘forgotten man,’ the clean, virtuous man who works, supports his family, supports his church, minds his own business, pays debts and his taxes but that tax money is used to support other people

$ Greatest book Folkways

$ a book reviewing customs from countries all over the world, today and historically – mostly from anthropologists

$ This introduced concept of NORMS

$ Folkways those norms that are habitual ways of behaving such as Turkey at Thanksgiving, saying “please,” and “thank you,” exchanging gifts at Christmas, etc.

$ Folkways do not develop by conscious effort or awareness, they arrive as we deal with each other

$ Folkways resist change

$ Mores are those norms considered essential for society; basic right and wrong such as “do not murder,” “do not lie,” “respect your parents,” etc.

$ Mores may persist for centuries

$ Laws are mores enacted into rules by government

$ Ethnocentrism is the concept that our culture is the best in the world; we are superior to everyone else

$ In groups are those groups we feel we are apart of; use the term ‘we’

$ Out groups are groups we do not belong to; use the term ‘they’

ALBION W. SMALL (1854-1926)

$ Father a Protestant minister

$ He graduated from Baptist seminary, but was never ordained

$ He studied further in Germany; married a woman there, one child

$ Back to USA he attended Colby College (Maine) later taught History

$ got Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins U in History and Economics

$ Became President of Colby College

$ Began to write about sociology

$ Left Colby in 1890 to go to new University of Chicago

$ as first Prof. of Sociology

$ GREAT ORGANIZER

$ Under his leadership U of Chicago became the major center for sociological research in America; and he was a major figure making sociology a legitimate field of study

$ Wrote first Introduction to Sociology textbook

$ Influenced by Ratzenhofer; individual is the product of struggle of conflict and interests

FRANKLIN HENRY GIDDINGS (1855-1924)

$ Father a minister in Congregational Church

$ Went to Union College in Schenectady, studied engineering

$ Became associate editor of newspaper, and taught school

$ Married in 1876, 3 children

$ Best known as a journalist and writer

$ Began to write scholarly articles that attracted attention of future President Woodrow Wilson who invited Giddings to come to Bryn Mawr College (near Phila.).

$ In 1894 he left there to go to Columbia U as first prof of sociology

$ Built reputation as a leading quantitative sociologist

$ Helped transform soc. into research discipline

$ Wrote many sociology books, too

$ GROUP IDENTIFICATION IMPORTANT

CONSCIOUSNESS OF KIND

$ major concept

$ a universal principle

$ we can fulfill basic human needs (intimacy, attachment, response) only if there is like mindedness among individuals

$ In a group with people similar to ourselves

LESTER FRANK WARD (1841-1913)

$ born in Illinois, youngest of 10, son of Justice Ward and Silence Rolph

$ very poor family

$ he educated himself; taught self Latin, Greek, German; could read Russian, Japanese, and Hebrew.

$ Also studied math and geology

$ worked with brother in wagon wheel shop and by night read everything he could find

$ went to college eventually

$ Married in 1862; one child died in infancy; wife died in 1872 from appendicitis; remarried in 1873

$ Joined Union Army during Civil War, kept diary, was seriously wounded

$ After war, worked for government and went to George Washington University and became an attorney

$ Worked for US Geological Survey and

$ was chief US paleontologist, in charge of national collection of fossil plants

$ In 1905 went to Brown University as Sociology Professor

$ First President of American Sociological Association

$ Sometimes called the ‘American Aristotle’ because of his contributions in many areas. He was: an attorney, a geologist, a botanist, a paleontologist, an economist, and a sociologist. And spoke or read many languages.

$ 600 books and articles published. Dynamic Sociology 2 volumes is best sociological work

$ “My thesis is that the subject matter of sociology is human achievement. It is not what men are but what they do.”

He divided sociology into

1. Pure Sociology – the study of social values, norms, and institutions as they exist in society. It involves theoretical statements about life in society.

Pure sociology is divided into two categories:

Genesis – the origin and development of social structures, it is survival of fittest social structures, not people as Spencer suggested

$ Telesis – is the goal directed, purposeful action of the members of society

2. Applied Sociology – applying the knowledge gained from pure sociology to help eliminate social problems.

Notice Ward is a Social Darwinist but he is a critic of Social Darwinism. Genesis is similar to Spencer and should not be interfered with. But Telesis and Applied Sociology insist people can work to make society better. This is, clearly, critical of Spencer.

Ward also wrote on government, education, family, politics, and biology. He strongly supported equality of women and of all races. He supported universal education as means of achieving this equality.

KEY IDEAS:

SUMNER

1. Norms: Folkways, Mores, Laws

2. Ethnocentrism

3. In-group, Out-group

SMALL:

1. Great Organizer

2. Conflict, Interests

GIDDINGS:

1. Consciousness of Kind

2. Quantitative Methods

WARD:

1. Pure and Applied Sociology

2. Critic of Social Darwinism (who was a Social Darwinist)