Basics- Themes Flashcards
What is sociology?
The study of human society
Including development, functions and organisation
Who are considered to be the 3 founding fathers of sociology?
Marx, Durkheim and Weber
What did Marx believe?
Capitalism oppresses the working class and there needs to be a revolution to make all people equal
What did Durkheim believe?
- Functionalist
- Society is made up of different institutions that each have their own function
- Institutions work in harmony to create a stable society
What did Weber believe?
- Sociologists should study both structures and actions to understand society
- An individual’s behaviour is shaped by structural factors (eg, law) and subjective factors (eg. emotion)
What are norms?
Behaviours and views that society sees as normal
What are values?
Beliefs and ideas about what is right and wrong
What is culture?
The way people live
What does culture include?
Language, beliefs, norms, values, knowledge and skills
Why is culture important?
It reinforces a sense of community in a society
How does culture vary?
From place to place and with time
What is socialisation?
The way in which culture is passed on from generation to generation
What does socialisation do?
Teaches you how to behave and what to believe
Where does primary socialisation happen?
In families
Where does secondary socialisation happen?
School, friends, religion, media and work
What is identity? (Basic)
Made up of simple facts such as name, age and appearence
What is identity? (Deeper)
Way you see yourself and way you are viewed by others- influenced by class, ethnicity, gender, age, sexuality and roles in society
What is social differentiation?
The way society can be divided up into different groups- can be based on biological features, cultural features or more personal characteristics
What is stratification?
- Also splits society into different groups but groups are ordered in layers with a definite hierarchy
- Groups can be based on things like status, income, religion, ethnicity, gender and age but usually based on social class
- Top layer made up of the richest and most powerful people
- Bottom layer made up of poorest people who have the least power
What can power be viewed as?
The ability to get someone to do something they wouldn’t normally do
Why does a person have power?
Usually because of wealth, job or social class but can be because of gender or religion
What research methods can sociologists use?
- Interviews
- Questionnaires
- Observations
- Documents
- Government statistics
- Experiments
How do sociologists draw conclusions from collecting data?
Data is analysed and interpreted, and sociologists look for patterns and correlations
