Ch. 1: The Sociological Perspective Flashcards
What is sociology?
A scientific way of thinking about society and its influence on human groups; study of human behavior in society
What is debunking?
The ability to look behind things taken for granted; looking behind facades of everyday life
Why is diversity central to the study of sociology?
Because it is necessary to analyze social institutions; diversity shapes most of our social and cultural institutions.
When and how did sociology emerge as a field of study?
It emerged during the Enlightenment in western Europe, in which reason became valued. Early sociologists begin insightful analyses of American culture.
What are some of the basic insights of classical sociological theory?
Society is something that has essence in itself outside the individual. Society also has cultural, political, and economic factors.
What are the major theoretical frameworks in sociology?
Functionalism, conflict theory, symbolic interaction theory, and feminist theory
Define the Sociological Perspective (or societal imagiation)
The ability to see the societal patterns that influence the individual as well as groups of individuals
What is a social structure?
The organized pattern of social relationships and social institutions that together contribute to society.
What are social institutions?
The established and organized systems of social behavior with a particular and recognized purpose. (Ex. family)
Define troubles
Privately felt problems that spring from events or feelings in a person’s life
Define issues
Problems that effect large numbers of people and have their origins in the instiutional arrangements and history of a society
What’s the difference between troubles and issues?
Troubles are privately felt for an individual, while issues effect larger groups of people
In which big way is the world of sociology different from the past?
The world is no longer separated by geographic boundaries due to modern technology
Describe functionalism.
It interprets each part of society in terms of how it contributes to the stability of the whole.
Describe conflict theory.
Society is organized around the unequal distribution of resources and held together through power and coercion.
Describe symbolic interaction theory.
Emphasizes the role of individuals in giving meaning to social behavior, thereby creating society
What did Alexis de Touqueville believe?
They believed that Americans had little independence of mind
What did Auguste Comte believe?
He believed that society could be studied scientifically; created positivism
What did Harriet Martineau write about?
How to observe behavior as a participant
What did Emile Durkheim focus on?
He focuses on the forces that held society together in moral cohesion
What did Karl Marx believe?
He saw social class as a fundamental dimension of society that shapes social behavior
What was Max Weber concerned about?
How ideas shaped society
What was Jane Addams known for?
For developing housing projects for immigrants, slum dwellers, and other dispossessed groups
What was W.E.B. Dubois troubled by?
The racial divisiveness in society
