Brooks Liz oct 11 2011 WEEK 3 Q: What were the primary concerns and views of U.S. sociologists before the Chicago School of So ciology? I. Late 19th early 20th century Race concept A. Before the turn of the century many sociologists and scientists had various racial theories. Many of their arguments claimed that race was based on physical characteristics. Natural causes explained the racial hierarchal concept of race. Biological racial theory was still a present racial concept/ B. Social Darwinism & Eugenics shot up, supporting these claims 1. Darwin's theory of evolution and natural selection 2. led people to believe that blacks would eventually assimilate to the dominant race. 3. a racist ideology was still upheld because very few believed blacks could rise to equal ity. 4. People thought that those of a superior race had more developed brains than that of those of an inferior race. 5. White race was dominant because of natural selection; traits of the dominant race were inherited. C. Problem with these claims: 1. Failed to see reasoning behind why certain races were seen as inferior opposed to those seen superior. 2. African Americans not always given same opportunities due to negative social implica tions.Often coming from negative social backgrounds: lack of education, poor neigh borhood, etc. II.20th Century Theories A. Eugenics 1. science of encouraging dominant/superior offspring. 2. Aimed to take Darwin's ideas and apply them to human society in attempt to obtain welfare of population. 3. Progression of white race and a gradual diminishment of african or mixed race. Domin ant traits would be inherited increasing the superior race. Immigrants would eventually die off. 4. Discredited by a better understanding of genetics. Also discredited due to Adolf Hitler's eugenic arguments of a "master race" B. Franz Boas: (Mckee pg. 55) 1. shifted the emphasis of race away from biological concepts and onto culture; undermin ing social Darwinism biological foundation. 2. rejected socialevolutionary theory
C. Lamarckian (Mckee. pg 50) 1. The idea that characteristics acquired during a lifetime can be passed on to offspring 2. Darwins theory of natural selection discredited this theory. III. Race: central topic after WWI, rise of civil rights movement, surge in migration A. During 20th century there were significant changes and race moved toward a more egalitari an awareness, the concept of race was challenged more than ever 1. Labor demands increased, spreading of democratic demands of "uncivilized" countries, migration/urbanization of exslaves a) This led to the press for social/political rights and the pattern of white supremacy was challenged. B. A more sophisticated scientific approach to race was developing while the biological racial theories were diminishing 1. Chicago school presented 1st notable challenges to the fields of race assumptions. IV. Chicago School of sociology A. Sociologists focused on human behavior as determined by social structures and physical en vironment factors rather than personal characteristics. B. Sociologists focused on problems that were depicted racially such as crime, poverty etc. 1. The environment of a community is a major factor in shaping behavior 2. Chicago sociologists confirmed from their study that race was socially constructed. a) Biological race concept no longer applied b) established new social scientific consensus V. Beliefs of sociologists A. Franz Boas. Anthropologist 1. firmly opposed the racial ideologies that were both, a motive force and an idiom in which were cast the evolutionary explanation of human behavioral and mental variabil ity. 2. "History of human development over the ages convinced him that differences in cultural development were the consequence favorable of circumstances, not racial qualities" (Mckee 32) 3. He believed that cultural stage is dependent on historical causes regardless of what your race is. B. Lester Ward. Pres. of the American Sociological Association 1. argued that civilization was not governed by natural selection 2. Supported Darwin/Lamarckian theories. Shared Marx/Comte conflict was inevitable 3. He argued that the superiority of race and class was as much a matter of social as of biological heredity and equal opportunity for all classes and races would eventually re move differences in achievement" (Mckee 60.) C. Francis Glaton: Eugenicist
Argued that intelligence is hereditary, and backed his argument up by conducting stud ies on geniuses. 2. Lester ward attacked his argument, showing that "opportunity and education were present in all cases Galton analyzed" (Mckee 60.) Therefore Glaton's studies did not in clude people with even opportunities. D. Herbert Spencer 1. Supported social Darwinism 2. Objective social laws operate in every society and culture, but various people react to these objective laws differently, the nature of the response determined by the racial makeup of any given people a) The different actions within society stemmed from how we perceived race through out the years E. W.I Thomas 1. "The formation of artificial or historic races.. among a heterogeneous population brought by hap and change into the same geographical zone, is taking place before our eyes at the present moment, and is a matter of history; and we are safe in assum ing that in this process the formation of true races is repeating itself" (McKee 62.) VI. Conclusion A. The concept of Race started progressively moving toward a more critical and egalitarian awareness, focusing on overcoming prejudice and discrimination during the late 19th early 20th century. whites labeled as the "superior race" was deeply embedded in societies ideo logy, which made it hard to make progress towards solving the "race problem." Before an unalloyed sociology of race relations could derive, several changes had to occur. Scientific justification for existing racial beliefs had to end, race could no long be interwoven with bio logy and culture, and eugenics had to run its course. The global and domestic politics entered a new period of uncertainty just as the field of sociology did. Sociologists struggled to get through to society by discrediting many obscene theories based on race. Having the society patterned in white supremacy, it would take the changing of the the ideology of the dominant race, in order to see results. The Race problem would be defined as social rela tions, not biological.
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PAPER EVALUATION SHEET STUDENT'S NAME (Last Name, First Name)_____________________________________________ PAPER TITLE _______________________________________________________________________ CONTENT
Topic clarity and focus adequate Substance and treatment of topic equate____inadequate Depth of research equate____inadequate Accuracy of information equate____inadequate Critical analysis and thought equate____inadequate Sensitivity to historical difference equate____inadequate
____excellent____good____adequate____in ____excellent____good____ad ____excellent____good____ad ____excellent____good____ad ____excellent____good____ad ____excellent____good____ad
PRESENTATION Grammatical construction, spelling, and punctuation ____excellent____good____ad equate____inadequate Rhetorical structure ____excellent____good____ad equate____inadequate Style and expression ____excellent____good____adequate____in adequate Documentation (notes, bibliography, references, etc.) ____excellent____good____ad equate____inadequate GRADE____________________ General Comments: