Chapter 1 Flashcards
What is Sociology?
the study of human behaviour in social context.
What was Emile Durkheim’s theory of suicide?
Argued that suicide rates varied because of differences in degree of social solidarity in different categories of the population.
Social Solidarity is…
a) the degree to which members of a group share beliefs and values.
b) the intensity and frequency of their interaction
What are the 3 levels of social structure?
Microstructures: Face to face interactions
Macrostructures: Outside and above one’s acquaintances (education system)
Global Structures: International Organizations
Values
What is good and bad, right and wrong.
Theory
an explanation of some aspects social life that states how and why certain facts are related.
Who’s theory of suicide is an early example of what sociologist now call Functionalism?
Emile Durkheim
What is Functionalism?
stresses that human behaviour is governed by relatively stable social structures. Underlines how social structures maintain or undermine social stability.
What is the conflict theory and who created it?
Karl Marx
Conflict theory focuses on large macro level structures. Shows how patterns of inequality produce social stability in some circumstances, social change in others, and often destablization.
