Ch 1 - Sociology in a Changing World

Question 0

collective conscience

Answer 0

the shared values of society

Question 1

anomie

Answer 1

social normlessness;

without moral guidance or standards

Question 2

conflict theories

Answer 2

social theories that focus on issues of contention, power, and inequality, highlighting the competition for scarce resource

Question 3

culture

Answer 3

the collection of values, beliefs, knowledge, norms, language, behaviors, and material objects shared by a people and socially transmitted from generation to generation

Question 4

division of labor

Answer 4

the way people specialize in different tasks, each requiring specific skills

Question 5

dysfunctional

Answer 5

inhibiting or disrupting the working system as a whole

Question 6

structural-functionalist theories

Answer 6

theories that focus on consensus and cooperative interaction in social life, emphasizing how different elements that make up a society’s structure contribute to its overall operation

Question 7

industrialization

Answer 7

the use of large-scale machinery for the mass manufacture of consumer goods

Question 8

latent function

Answer 8

the largely unintended and unrecognized consequences of social phenomena

Question 9

macro level of analysis

Answer 9

a focus on large-scale social systems and processes such as the economy, politics, and population trends

Question 10

manifest functions

Answer 10

the recognized and intended consequences of social phenomena

Question 11

meso level of analysis

Answer 11

a focus somewhere between very large and very small social phenomena-on organizations or institutions, for example

Question 12

micro level of analysis

Answer 12

a focus on small scale, usually face to face social interaction

Question 13

modernity

Answer 13

a historical era beginning in the 1700s characterized by the growth of democracy and personal freedom, increased reliance on science and reason to explain the natural and social worlds, and a shift to industrialization

Question 14

positivism

Answer 14

a belief that accurate knowledge must be based on the scientific method

Question 15

postmodernity

Answer 15

a historical period beginning in the mid-twentieth century characterized by the rise of information-based economies and the fragmentation of political beliefs and ways of knowing

Question 16

power

Answer 16

the ability to bring about an intended outcome, even when opposed by others

Question 17

rationalization of society

Answer 17

the long-term historical process by which rationality replaced tradition as the basis for organizing social and economic life

Question 18

science

Answer 18

the method of inquiry that uses logic and the systematic collection of evidence to support knowledge claims

Question 19

social solidarity

Answer 19

the collective bonds that connect individuals

Question 20

social theory

Answer 20

a set of principles and propositions that explains the relationships among social phenomena

Question 21

sociological perspective

Answer 21

a view of the social world that focuses on discovering and understanding the connections between individuals and the broader social contexts in which they live

Question 22

sociology

Answer 22

the systematic study of the relationship between individuals and society

Question 23

structure

Answer 23

the recurring patterns of behavior in social life

Question 24

symbolic interactionist theories

Answer 24

social theories that focus on how people use shared symbols and construct society as a result of their everyday actions

Question 25

urbanization

Answer 25

the growth of cities