Ch.1 Notes and Video notes

Question 1

Define paradigms

Answer 1

Fundamental assumptions that sociologist have about the social world- the ones that guide their thinking and research.

Question 2

What are the three main theoretical paradigms of sociology?

Answer 2

Structural functionalism
Conflict theory
Symbolic interactionism

Question 3

Who initially came up with structural functionalism?

Answer 3

Emile Durkheim

Question 4

How did Durkheim imagine society?

Answer 4

As a kind of organism that functioned together to keep it alive and in good health. People working together for the good of society.

Question 5

Define structural functionalism

Answer 5

A complex system who’s parts work together to promote stability and order.

Question 6

Define social structure

Answer 6

Relatively stable patterns of social behavior

Question 7

Define manisfest functions

Answer 7

Intended or obvious consequences of a particular structure

Question 8

Define latent functions

Answer 8

Unintended or unrecognized consequences of a particular structure.

Question 9

Define social dysfunction

Answer 9

Any social pattern that disrupts the smooth operation of society.

Question 10

Define conflict theory

Answer 10

Humans are bad by nature. Imagines society as being composed of different groups that struggle over scarce resources. This focuses on inequality among groups in society. Society changes when the power relationship between two or more groups changes, or the powerful dictate a change.

Question 11

Define class conflict theory

Answer 11

Imagines society as having different classes based on their relationship to the means of production.

Question 12

Who advanced class theory?

Answer 12

Karl Marx

Question 13

Define Race conflict theory?

Answer 13

Understands society as conflict between different racial and ethnic groups

Question 14

Who suggested race conflict theory?

Answer 14

Debbie Boyds? (don’t know spelling)

Question 15

Define gender conflict theory

Answer 15

Focuses on social inequalities between women and men.

Question 16

Define symbolic interactionism

Answer 16

We are meaning seekers. Suggests that we need to focus on peoples’ individual situations and the meaning we attach to them.- Interested in the shared reality that people create through their interactions. Society changes when old meanings no longer hold or when new actions require a new set of reactions.

Question 17

Who first suggest symbolic interactionism?

Define it

Answer 17

Max Weber
The idea that something stands for something else, and when it does, we are able to think of it without that thing being present.

Question 18

Define sociological imagination

Answer 18

States our world view is limited by the social situations we encounter on a daily basis.

Question 19

Define socialization

Answer 19

The way we learn to internalize societal norms as we grow.

Question 20

define deterministic framework

Answer 20

States that where a person ends up in life is largely if not entirely due to the social situation that he was born into.

Question 21

Who did Max Weber look at?

Answer 21

How the world had been changed as a result of massive large scale organizations. Also looked at the emergence of organized society and large bureaucratic organization and how they impact social life.

Question 22

What did Karl Marx look at?

Answer 22

How industrialization had impacted the world. this changed the relationship of individuals to their work and each other from feudalism to capitalism.

Question 23

Who is August Comte

Answer 23

French scientist who coined the term sociology.

Question 24

What was August Comte’s theory about sociology?

Answer 24

Thought the scientific method could be applied to the study of human behavior and society. He thought it should be used to predict and control human behavior.

Question 25

How did August Compte define sociology?

Answer 25

The scientific study of social life.

Question 26

What did Herbert Spencer believe?

Answer 26

That people who succeeded did so because of their own efforts. Didn’t support government support to help people improve their life station. His beliefs had a strong impact on those interest in encouraging a “laissez-faire” (free market) approach. He had functionalist tendencies.

Question 27

Émile Durkheim thoughts?

Answer 27

Needed to use “social facts” (like the state of the economy or people’s religious beliefs) to help form a methodology with which to study society.

Question 28

What was Émile Durkheim’s famous first principle of sociology?

Answer 28

“Study social facts as thing!”

Question 29

Define organic solidarity

Answer 29

The idea that all parts of society are important for it to function, and that if one part of society fails to function, then all parts of society are threatened. (similar to how the human body needs its organs to survive)

Question 30

Define social constraints

Answer 30

The way that society limits what a person can or can’t do. The bounds of society, for instance, stopped women from voting for a long time.

Question 31

Define division of labor and how it effects organic solidarity.

Answer 31

The division of labor is how people specialize in different fields, and we all need each other to function in society because we rely on each other’s expertise to solve problems that we might not be able to solve on our own. This relates to organic solidarity because as the division of labor increases, we need each other that much more to function because people we increasingly know how to do a less diverse number of things.

Question 32

define anomie

Answer 32

A feeling of aimlessness or despair (supposedly brought on by modern social life.

Question 33

What did “The Elementary Forms of Religions Life” explore? Who wrote this study?

Answer 33

Émile Durkheim wrote it. It explored the importance of religion in maintaining moral order in society.

Question 34

What is the idea behind “material conception of history” and who coined the term?

Answer 34

Karl Marx. He stated that "material conception of history
" or the history of mankind as a whole was riddled with the struggle between classes. The ruling class are those with means and the ruled are those who must seek employment by the ruling class. Thus it is in the interest of the ruling class to exploit those who work for them, and it is in the interest of those ruled to overcome that exploitation. This is the idea behind capitalism. Marx thought that at some point that capitalism would give way to what was basically communism.

Question 35

Define functionalism

Answer 35

Humans are basically good. We work together for the good of society. Society is a machine that works well when all the groups do their respective parts. Society changes when some part of the machine ceases to function, or when people don’t follow normative expectations.