Ethics and Review
Lecture 4: Ethics, Application, and Synthesis
- This final lecture covers the ethical obligations of sociologists.
- We will review historical failures in ethics.
- We will apply sociology to the real world (transferable skills).
- We will synthesize the theories learned in Module 1.
Ethics in Sociology
- Research involves real people, so it must be conducted responsibly.
- Value Neutrality (Max Weber): The practice of remaining impartial, without bias or judgment, during a study.
- Sociologists must disclose research findings even if they contradict their personal views or predicted outcomes.
- The American Sociological Association (ASA) maintains a strict Code of Ethics.
Key Ethical Principles
- Do no harm: The most fundamental principle. Protect participants from physical and psychological harm.
- Informed Consent: Subjects must know they are being studied and agree to it (with rare exceptions for public observation).
- Confidentiality: Protecting the privacy of subjects.
- Financial Disclosure: Must reveal funding sources to avoid conflicts of interest.
Historical Ethical Failures
- Tuskegee Experiment (1932): 399 African American men with syphilis were left untreated (even after a cure was found) to study the disease.
- Henrietta Lacks (1951): "HeLa" cells were harvested without her knowledge or consent and used for medical research for decades.
- Milgram Experiment (1961): Participants suffered emotional distress thinking they were administering electric shocks to others.
- Laud Humphreys (1960s): "Tearoom Trade." Misrepresented his identity to study private sexual encounters.
Why Study Sociology?
- "Making the Familiar Strange": Peter Berger (1963) said sociology helps us question "truisms" and see the world in a new way.
- Transferable Skills: Employers value the ability to:
- Understand social systems and bureaucracies.
- Analyze statistical information.
- Recognize important differences in backgrounds.
- Think critically about social issues.
Public Sociology
- Definition: Striving to bring sociological dialogue to public forums to help find solutions.
- Example: Minimum Wage. Sociologists might study:
- Impact on a single mother's ability to pay bills.
- Effect on family relationships (reduced stress).
- Impact on small business owners.
- Goal: To increase understanding of social factors underlying problems.
Applying Theory: Social Stability
- Let's review Functionalism.
- Functionalism views society as a system of parts maintaining stability.
- Scenario: If a major institution (like the family or economy) fails to function, what happens?
- Functionalist View: A breakdown in social institutions would be viewed as a threat to societal stability.
- It causes "anomie" (normlessness) and chaos.
Synthesis: The Three Perspectives
- Functionalism: Sees the breakdown of institutions as a threat to stability. Focuses on order and the "body" of society.
- Conflict Theory: Sees society as a battleground. Focuses on inequality, power, and who benefits.
- Symbolic Interactionism: Sees society as the sum of interactions. Focuses on meaning, symbols, and daily life.
Module 1 Review
- Origins: Industrial Revolution, Comte, Durkheim.
- Theories:
- Functionalism (Body/Stability).
- Conflict (Marx/Inequality).
- Interactionism (Symbols/Mead).
- Methods: Surveys, Experiments, Field Work, Secondary Analysis.
- Ethics: Do no harm, Informed Consent, Value Neutrality.
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