1. Sociology Flashcards
As a very general definition then we might say that ____ studies the ways in which social relationships (e.g. between women and men, different ethnic groups, doctors and patients, nurses and doctors, adults and children etc) are shaped through the interactions we have with others, and the larger social structures (such as the family, the state, economic arrangements and so on) that shape these interactions.
sociology
Sociology attempts to debunk common sense beliefs that ____ what is really going on.
obscure
____ ____ are those things that happen to individuals and that are part of an individuals character and their immediate circle of friends, relations, work colleagues, everyday practices and so on. (The sociological imagination)
Personal troubles
____ ____ on the other hand are matters that transcend these local environments of the individual - they are connected the to social organisation of society. (The sociological imagination)
Public issues
By adding the ____ ____ to the sociological imagination we are encouraged to examine how aspects of social life have changed over time and what this can tell us about contemporary social life.
historical dimension
So instead of seeing culture as a special elevated practice, it is seen as an everyday practice. From this perspective we all participate in culture rather than culture being confined to a few talented practitioners or privileged elites who, for example, enjoy ballet. Moreover culture does not refer to only those exotic practices of ethnic others but includes the things that we do.
Cultural dimension
The ____ ____ directs us to examine in more depth how culture operates to shape our lives. and perhaps to question things that we often take for granted.
sociological imagination
One of the key elements of sociological analysis is an attention to the ____ dimension of social life.
structural
By looking at the level of ____ ____ we can examine both how the organisation of society as whole a explains social phenomena that we are interested in, as well as allowing us to explore the relationship between the social structure and individual behaviour.
social structures
This kind of structural explanation raises the question of what kind of relationship exists between the individual and society. This is sometimes expressed as a question about the relative importance of ____ and ____. Are we to pay more attention to the actions of individuals or to the social constraints that shape such actions?
structure and agency
From a sociological point of view being critical involves offering other positive alternatives.
Critical perspective
This critique is built through a ‘____’ attitude in which all forms of knowledge are examined closely to identify possible ‘ambiguities, misrepresentations, distortions and even falsehoods’. Sociologists want to know how people come to the conclusions they do about the world.
sceptical
The critical dimension of sociology also demands that we be reflexive about our ___ ____. We should place them as much under the sociological microscope as the beliefs and practices of others.
own views
