ch.1 introduction to sociology Flashcards
What is sociology?
Its a scientific study of social behavior and human groups
What does sociology focus on?
- How relationships/ groups/ communities influence peoples attitudes and behaviors
- How people influence other people/ groups
- How people are placed in groups that have unequal soci-political and economic opportunities
- How societies develop and change
What’s Sociological imagination?
Its an awareness of the relationship between an individual and the wider society
What’s the ability of the sociological imagination?
Its the ability to view society as an outsider would
The sociological imagination looks beyond what?
It looks beyond limited understanding of human behavior
What does the sociological imagination allow us to do?
It allows us to understand broader public issues beyond personal experiences
What is science?
Its a body of knowledge obtained by methods based on systematic observation
What is natural science?
Its the study of physical features of nature and the ways they interact and change
What is social science?
Its the study of social features of humans and the ways they interact and change
What is a theory?
Its a set of statements that seek to explain problems, actions, or behaviors
What does Durkheims suicide study suggest?
It suggested that suicide is related to societal reasons, society’s cohesiveness or lack of cohesiveness
Are theories final statements about behavior?
No they are not final statements of behavior
Who were the early thinkers?
- Auguste Comte
- Harriet Martineau
- Herbert Spencer
How did Auguste Comte contribute to society?
- He made a systematic observation of behavior
- Improved society
- Coined the term “sociology”
- Sociology- queen of all sciences
How did Harriet Martineau contribute to society?
- Studied social behavior
- Emphasized the impact of economy, law, trade, health, and population on social problems
- First book on sociological methods
- Spoke out on rights of women, emancipation of slaves and religious tolerance
How did Herbert Spencer contribute to sociology?
- Understood society instead of improving it or changing it
- Applied Darwins evolutionary theory to human societies
- Studied evolutionary change in society
- No need to change the society because society is evolving or gradually changing on its own
Who are modern contributors to society?
- Emile durkheim
- Max weber
- Karl marx
What did Emil Durkheim suggest?
That behavior must be understood within larger social context and not in individualistic terms
What did Emil Durkheim develop?
Developed a fundamental thesis to help explain all forms of society
What is anomie?
Its the loss of direction felt in a society when social control of individual behavior becomes ineffective
What did Max Weber suggest?
That to comprehend behavior one must learn subjective meaning people attach to actions
What is Verstehen?
Understanding, insight
What is Ideal Type?
Its a construct (an important conceptual tool) for evaluating specific cases (Bureaucracy is an ideal type)
What did Max Weber value?
He values free sociology in opposition to Marx
What did Karl Marx suggest?
- That society is divided between two classes that clash in pursuit of interests
- Emphasized group identification and associations that influences ones place in society (one membership of an economic class affects her attitudes)
What were the two classes that clashed in Karl Marxs theory?
The exploiters and the exploited
Who are the exploiters?
They are factory owners/ owners of means of production
Who are the exploited?
Factory workers
What did W.E.B Du Bois focus on?
He focused on religion at community level
What did W.E.B Bois suggest?
He suggested that knowledge (and not opinion) is essential in combating prejudice
What did W.E.B Bois found?
He founded the National Association for the Advancement of Colored people
What term did DuBois coin?
Dubois coined the term “double consciousness”
What is double consciousness?
Its the division of an individuals identity into two or more social realities like the experience of being black in white america
What did Charles Horton Cooley examine?
He examined face-to-face groups (families, gangs, friendship networks)
For Cooley what did these face-to-face groups shape?
They shaped peoples values, beliefs and ideals
How did Jane Addams see herself?
She saw herself as a social reformer
What did Jane Addams study?
She studied the society to improve it
What type of work did Jane Addams combine?
She combined intellectual inquiry, social service work, and political activism a quest for creating a more egalitarian society
What was Jane Addams concerned about?
She was concerned about the lives of immigrants, the poor, blacks, women and other underprivileged groups
What kind of work did Robert Merton combine?
Combined theory and research
What did Robert Merton develop?
He developed an explanation of deviant behavior where sociology should bring together macro and micro level approaches
What is macrosociology?
It concentrates on a large-scale a phenomena or entire civilizations
What is microsociology?
It stresses the study of small groups, often through experimental means
What did Pierre Bourdieu suggest?
That capital sustains individuals and families from one generation to the next
Two types of capital?
- Cultural capital
- Social capital
What is cultural capital?
They are noneconomic goods reflected in knowledge of language and arts
What is social capital?
They are collective benefits of social networks (family and friendship networks)
What are major theoretical approaches?
- Functionalist perspective
- Conflict perspective
- The Marxist View
- Feminist perspective
- Interactionist perspective
What is the Functionalist perspective?
It emphasizes the way parts of a society are structured to maintain its stability
What was Talcott Parsons view?
He viewed society as a vast network of connected parts where each helps maintain the system as a whole
What are the type of functions that maintain the stability of society?
- Manifest function
- Latent function
- Dysfunction
What are the manifest functions?
They are open, stated, conscious functions intended and recognized consequences of an aspect of society
What are the latent functions?
They are unconscious or unintended functions that may reflect hidden purposes
What are dysfunctions?
They are elements or processes of society that may disrupt a social system or reduce its stability
What is the conflict perspective?
It assumes that social behavior is best understood in terms of conflict or tension between competing groups
What is The Marxist View?
Where conflict is part of everyday life in all societies
What are conflict theorists interested in?
They are interested in how institutions may help maintain privileges of some groups and keep others subservient
What is the feminist view?
It sees inequality in gender as central to all behavior and organization
The feminist view is often allied with which theory?
Its often allied with the conflict theory
The proponents of the feminist view tend to focus on
Proponents tend to focus on macro level
How did the feminist view broaden social behavior?
By extending analysis beyond male point of view
What is the interactionist perspective?
It generalizes about everyday forms of social interaction to explain society as a whole
What is nonverbal communication?
Includes gestures, facial expressions, and postures
Who was the founder of the interactionist approach?
George Herbert Mead
Erving goffman suggested which approach?
The dramaturgical approach
Whats the dramaturgical approach?
Where people are seen as theatrical performers
Whats the sociological approach?
Where you gain broadest understanding of society by drawing on all major perspectives, noting where they overlap or diverge
