1 - Intro Flashcards
1
Q
Max Weber
A
- Founder of modern sociology
- Explored set of values embodied in early Protestantism, specifically the Protestant (work) ethic, leading to development of modern capitalism
- No evidence capitalism developed primarily in Protestant countries (or that other religions don’t have work ethic)
- Argued capitalism is rooted in colonialism and colonial exploitation
2
Q
Spread of Sociology
A
- Emerged in North America during late 19th/early 20th century
- North American sociologists sought to understand rapid social changes linked to European immigration
- Uni of Chicago essential in development
3
Q
John Porter
A
- Examined relationship between social class and ethnicity
- Coined term vertical mosaic
4
Q
Vertical mosaic
A
Describes hierarchical stratification of racial, ethnic, and religious groups due to systemic discrimination
5
Q
Sociological hierarchy
A
Anglo Saxon Protestants (top) —> French-Canadians—> Racially marginalised
6
Q
Dorothy Smith
A
Developed standpoint theory
7
Q
Standpoint theory
A
- Challenges objective analysis
- Knowledge is always developed from a particular standpoint or lived experience (e.g. cant see shoes from back of class can form front)
8
Q
Different kinds of sociology
A
- Sociology by approach
- Structural functionalism
- Conflict theory
- Symbolic interaction
- Feminist theory
- Postmodern theory
9
Q
Macrosociology
A
Focuses on the ‘big picture’ of society and its institutions (e.g. structural functionalism)
10
Q
Microsociology
A
Focuses on the plans, motivations, and actions of individuals and small groups (e.g. symbolic interaction)
11
Q
Structural functionalism
A
Identifies the various structures of society (e.g. family) and describes the functions the structure performs
12
Q
Social fact
A
- Patterned ways of acting, thinking and feeling that exist outside of any one individual but exert social control over people (not born speaking eng)
- Allow sociologists to examine larger social forms rather than focusing on individuals
13
Q
Three essential characteristics of social fact
A
- It was developed prior to and separate from you as an individual
- It can be seen as a characteristic of a particular group
- It exerts a constraining or coercing force that pushes individuals into acting in a particular way
14
Q
Three types of functions
A
- Manifest functions
- Latent functions
- Latent dysfunctions
15
Q
Manifest functions
A
- Intended and readily recognised
- E.g. Religion fulfills spiritual and emotional needs
16
Q
Latent functions
A
- Unintended and unrecognised
- e.g. Religion creates a support network
17
Q
Latent dysfunctions
A
- Unintended and produce socially negative consequences
- E,g, Religion provides justification for judging outsiders negatively
18
Q
Conflict theory
A
- Based on idea that conflict exists in
all large societies due to class division and
is the motor of major socio-historical change - Based on the four C’s
19
Q
The four C’s of conflict theory
A
- Conflict (exists in all large societies)
- Class (has existed in every society)
- Contestation (functions can be contested by asking “What group does this function best serve?”
- Change: society either will or should be changed
20
Q
Karl Marx beliefs
A
Society is a hierarchy and each group’s position in the hierarchy is determined by the group’s role in production of wealth
21
Q
George Herbert Mead
A
Examined socialisation, the development of the (social) self, and social roles in the context of human interaction
22
Q
Herbert Blumer
A
- Coined the term symbolic interaction
- Individuals and groups create and maintain social systems through interaction
23
Q
Symbolic interactionism
A
- The symbolic interactionist
approach looks at the
meaning (the symbolic part) of the daily social interactions of individuals - Focuses on individuals and small groups and their everyday practices and interactions rather than larger social structures (macrosociology versus microsociology)
24
Q
Erving Goffman
A
- Canadian sociologist
- Coined term total institution
25
Total institution
(e.g. prisons, boarding schools, concentration camps), which seek to regulate, control, and manipulate its residents
26
Feminist theory
- Rooted in conflict theory
- Addresses issues of systematic discrimination against woman
27
First feminism wave
- Campaign for civil and political rights
- Rights to vote and hold political office
28
Second feminism wave
- Focus on public and private rights
- Fight for equality in the home and in the
workplace
29
Third feminism wave
- INclusion of LGBTI and racialised individuals
30
Postmodern theory
Seeks to include a diversity of voices, especially those that are often drowned out by powerful voice of dominant groups
31
Discourses
Distinct ways of speaking about some elements of reality
32
Totalitarian
Describes a set of beliefs or ideas that dominates (“totally”) all others
33
Totalitarian discourse
Refers to any universal claim about how knowledge or understanding is achieved.
34
Sociology as a discipline can also be categorized based on the audience for whom the work is intended
- Professional sociology
- Critical sociology
- Policy sociology
- Public sociology
35
Professional Sociology
- Research designed to generate highly specific information, often with the aim of applying it to a particular problem or intellectual question
- Written in highly technical and specialized language
- Audience: academic and professional readers
36
Critical sociology
- "Conscience of professional sociology”
- Aims to make sure that professional sociologists do not become so lost in esoteric debates that they lose sight of the goals of sociological inquiry
- (bring about meaningful social change)
- Audience: Academic and professional readers
37
Policy Sociology
- Generates sociological data to be used in the development of social policies, laws, rules or plans
- The three main areas served by this type of sociology are education, health, and social welfare
- Audience: governments and corporations
38
Public Sociology
- The role of public sociologists is to make sociology accessible to the public through the use of jargon-free language
- Audience: those outside of the discipline and the
political establishment
