Basics of sociology Flashcards
What is marxism and who thought of the theory?
Karl Marx is the theorist and believes that capitalism oppresses the working class and that there needs to be a revolution to make everyone equal.
What is the functionalism and who is the theorist?
Emile Durkheim theory was that society was made from different institutions each with its own function to work in harmony to create stable society.
What did Max Weber believe?
Max believed that sociologists should study both structures and action to fully understand society.
What is Interactionism?
Also known as interpretivists that think functionalists don’t focus enough on the individual.
What are Norms?
Norms are behaviours and views that society sees as normal. (E.g. Cleaning yourself daily)
What are Values?
Values are beliefs and ideas about what is right and wrong. (To not steal, and to be caring)
What is a culture?
Culture is a way people live, their language, beliefs and values. Which vary place to place E.g. British culture is very different to Chinese culture.
What is a Sub-culture?
A sub-culture is a culture within a larger culture E.g. hippies, Goths, Emo’s etc.
How is culture passed on?
Culture is passed on via socialisation from school and family who teach you about your culture and its past.
What is globalisation?
Globalisation is the idea that the world is becoming more connected. This happens because of new technology that helps communication and increases transnational corporations.
What is Social differentiation?
When society is divided into different groups. Based off age, gender, culture, class etc.
What is social Stratification
When society is split into groups where the rich and powerful are at the top and the powerless and poor are at the bottom.
What is power?
Power is the ability to do something you wouldn’t normally do. It can either be a balance or imbalance of power.
What are the different types of research sociologists do?
They do:
- Interviews
- Questionnaires
- Observations
- Documents
- Government Statistics
- Experiments
What are the main theories in sociology?
The main theories are: Functionalism, Marxism, interactionism, feminism and postmodernism. There are subcategories such as neo-marxism and radical feminism.
what is a functionalist structural theory examples?
The Family - has the function of socialising children.
Education - has the function of preparing the young people for adult society.
Religion - has the function of uniting society through shared beliefs.
What were societies two split groups that Marxists believe in?
The Bourgeoisie were the ruling class - they where the minority but had all the money and power.
The proletariat were the working class - they formed majority of society but had little money or no power.
Who didn’t agree with Marx?
The people who didn’t agree with Karl Marx included functionalists, interactionists and postmodernists.
What are feminist beliefs?
Feminist beliefs are that society is patriarchal and that it is run by men, and that things are done in mens best interest.
What is Liberal Feminism?
Liberal Feminists want equal rights and opportunities for women as they believe men have more rights than them.
What is Radical Feminism?
Radical Feminists believe that society is structured to oppress women and that it needs a change for women to be in control.
What is Marxist Feminism?
Marxist Feminists combine the belief of Marxism and feminism - they believe women are exploited by the capitalist society.
Why do Radical Feminists not agree with Liberal Feminists?
Radical Feminists criticise Liberal Feminists for not acknowledging that its more than institutions that are patriarchal - its all relationships for example families have a Male-dominated structure.
What is the New Right?
The New Right is similar to functionalism and is a from of consensus structuralism. They also view that society needs its values and institutions to maintain social order.
Why Do feminists Disagree with the New Right theory?
Feminists disagree with the New Right as it has views of traditional families which are seen as oppressive to women and enforcing the patriarchal society.
How did Postmodernism come around?
It came about from the reaction to modernism.
What is Modernism?
Modernism is a period of industrialisation and urbanisation which began with the Industrial Revolution when rational, scientific thoughts where valued.
Who disagrees with Postmodernists?
1) Functionalists disagree as it ignores the role of institutions.
2) Interactionists disagree as it ignores how individuals interact
3) Marxists disagree as it ignores inequalities
