Ch1 + Ch3 Test Flashcards
Macro
Large scale, history behind it, long term, country
Micro
Small scale, immediate, individual
Culture shock
a sense of disorientation from entering a very different social or culture environment
Sociological imagination
an understanding of our individual life experiences and larger social forces
theories
abstract ideas that explain the social world and make predictions
paradigms
a group of assumptions, theories and perspectives that form a way of understanding social reality
Functionalism
views society as a system of interrelated parts (macro)
Conflict theory
views society as being in a struggle over limited resources (macro)
symbolic interaction
how individual interactions influence them and their impact on society (micro)
social institutions
schools, hospitals, religious buildings. allow society to operate
Auguste Comte
Apply scientific method to sociology. “father of sociology”. coined term sociology. static + dynamic societies. positivism. social laws; voting
Herbert Spencer
applied Darwinism to sociology, social Darwinism, survival of the fittest, strong societies strive, weak societies perish
Harriet Martineau
naturalistic sociologist. all men equal but slaves. one of the first women sociologist
Emile Durkheim
Solidarity; mechanical and organic (gun control). anomie
anomie
not knowing what to do
Mechanical solidarity
people know what they do, less tech advanced, church, family
Organic solidarity
complex economy, different backgrounds, diverse
Robert Merton
manifest and latent functions in social institutions
Manifest functions
public education is for education, and to gain independence
Latent functions
public education ALSO provides social interactions and food for children
Functionalist
-Society is fairly stable
-Specific functions of things
-Functions help maintain stability
-Social institutions critical for proper functioning of society
-Each institution impacts others
-Values and norms provide foundation for society’s rules and laws
-Norms regulate relationships between social institutions
-Supporting the status quo
-Societies naturally find balance
-Change occurs slowly, this is a positive (sometimes)
-Society works for the benefits of the greatest number
-Change occurs when problems become great
Conflict Theory~
-Struggle for scarce resources
-Focus on economic wealth and power
-Macro issues
-Society’s structure contribution to conflict
-Inherent inequality of capitalism
*you get what you pay
*rich will get richer
*living wage won’t improve
Karl Marx
conflict theorist, social inequality, means of production, proletariat, bourgeoisie, alienation, false consciousness, class consciousness, power corrupts
Critical Race Theory
Study of the relationship among race, racism, and power. Slavery, controversial
Max Weber
rationalization - economic logic to all areas of human activity - bureaucracies, iron cage. Focus almost always turned to middle, working class
George Herbert
Symbolic Interactionist, Mead and the Chicago School
Herbert Blummer
Symbolic Interactionist, group identity, race overpowers other groups
W.E.B. Dubois
Symbolic Interactionist, racial minorities need sense of self and around race there is a dominant group
Jane Addams
Symbolic Interactionist, NAACP, get public assistance to help poor people
Symbolic Interactionist theory
-Focus on how communication influences interactions and creates our social world
-Symbols are important to identify
-Society is fluid and norms change over time
-Context influences behavior
Culture
Language, beliefs, values, norms and material objects that are passed on to future generations
Ethnocentrism
uses own culture to judge other cultures
Cultural relativism
effort to appreciate different groups or cultures without prejudice
communications
signs, gestures, language
Cultural Transmission
passing of culture to the next generation through language
Values
cultural standards that help in determining what is good, bad, desirable, right or wrong, and what the group cherishes and honors
Value conflict
when two or more values are at odds
Norms
rules for appropriate behavior based on specific values, vary from place to place
Sanctions
positive and negative, formal and informal
laws
norms that are formally codified, express explicitly what is allowed and what is forbidden
foldways
informal norms
mores
represents a community’s most important values
taboo
an act that is socially unacceptable
social control
formal and informal ways used to elicit conformity to values and norms
cultural lag
technological changes occur faster than cultural and social changes
dominant culture
values, norms and practices of the group in a society that is most powerful or influential in terms of wealth, prestige and status
Culture wars
clashes in a society over the values and norms that should be uphelp
Subculture
subset of the dominant culture- has distinct beliefs, values, and norms
counter culture
groups with value systems that are in opposition to the dominant group’s value
multiculturalism
policy that supports the inherit values of different cultures within a society, and encourages the retention of cultural difference
assimilation
process by which minority groups adopt patterns of the dominant culture
