chapter 1 Flashcards
the core commitments of sociology
two obligations that come with gaining a sociological perspective
culture
the rules, values, beliefs, and material goods created by members of our society
social constructionism
a sociological perspective that helps us see that individuals assign meaning to the world around them
social constructions
ideas or beliefs on social perceptions that vary from society to society and over time
social problems
social conditions perceived to be problematic by groups of people
- conditions that harm people
- a condition with a negative outcome
Social Scientific Research Process
the steps that all social scientists must take to ensure that their research takes advantage of previous findings, is unbiased as possible, does not cause harm, and can be replicated by other researchers
social structure
the framework of society constructed through social institutions such as government, schools, economy, families, and religion
sociological eye
allows you to see beneath the surface of society and recognize social patterns
sociological imagination
the ability to connect personal experiences with public issues and the broader social and historical context
how are social problems social constructions?
they are based on social perceptions that vary from society to society over time
in sociology what are our perceptions influenced by
- culture
- social structure
the emergence of sociology
- the enlightenment -> changed culture
- the industrial revolution -> changed economics (people lived on small farms and then the new economy exists where people have more freedom
- rise of science -> changed ways of thinking (make a science out of economy and call it soc)
- Comte: sociology is the “queen” of science
= make sense of societies and social change. use empirical research
Jane Addams
(1860-1935)
-rejected gender expectations
- founded Hull House with Starr
- researched and advocated social inequalities
- social policy strides
W.E.B. Du Bois
(1868-1963)
- excellent student in predominately white town
- recognized and focused on racial injustice
- wrote The Philadelphia Negro (one of the earliest of this kind in sociology)
- methodological contributions
why are some conditions, but not others, social problems
elite power
dangerous social problems need not affect many, powerful positions influence belief
people’s power
grassroots social movements, lower-status people gain power through collective action
The two obligations, or core commitments of sociology, include the ability to use a “sociological eye,” and ______.
social activism
which factor indicates that a source is trustworthy
- .edu and .gov
- it includes information about who funded the research (sometimes)
true or false: Social constructionists believe that what we perceive as a social problem is influenced by our culture.
true
true or false: The reason the same-sex marriage movement was successful was due to the support and influential power of high-status individuals within society.
false
You have identified a social problem you are interested in studying. According to the social scientific research process, what is your next step?
conduct a literature review
Early in 2019, New York passed the “Reproductive Health Act,” which reduced restrictions on abortion in the state. A few short months later, Georgia became the first of several states to pass laws imposing strict restrictions on abortion, including in the cases of rape and incest. What sociological concept demonstrates why two states passed such dramatically different laws to address a social problem at roughly the same time?
social constructions of what is – and is not – a social problem vary from state to state
true or false: Social conditions that harm millions of people are the most likely to be considered social problems by a society.
false
true or false:
The same-sex marriage movement was successful because it utilized the power of organized groups working together.
The Enlightenment and ______ were catalysts for the formation of sociology as an academic discipline.
industrial revolution
sociological imagination in context with the core commitments on sociology
the ability to connect personal experiences with public issues and the broader context and historical context
sociologists typically earn more that who?
psychology
anthropology
history
linguistics
communications
journalism
empirical inquiry
a for of investigation that involves looking to the world for evidence
steps of the empirical inquiry
- research questions: queries about the world that can be answered empirically
data: systematically connected sets of empirical observations
data is the analyzed
sociological theory:
research methods
qualitative: tools of sociological inquiry that involve careful consideration and discussion of the earning and non-numerical data
quantitative: tools of sociological inquiry that involve examining numerical data with mathematics
the ten steps of sociological research
1) choose a topic or theory to investigate
2) conduct a review of the existing academic literature
3) write a research question
4) design a methodology
5) operationalize the variables
6) ensure that the research design is ethical
7) collect the data
8) evaluate the data for quality
9) analyze the data
10) write a report for publication
