Chapter 1 Flashcards
Sociology in a Changing World
Functionalist Theories
focus on consensus and cooperative interaction in social life, emphasizing how the different parts of a society contribute to its overall operations
Objective
Material world
economics, technology
How to operate in a diverse society
we need to understand not only how we make sense of the world, but how other people do so as well
Meso
Medium scale
companies, organizations
Durkheim most responsible for
Establishing sociology as an academic discipline
Mechanical Solidarity
Social cohesion based on shared experience and a common identity with limited individuality (small communities)
Rationallity
The use of reason and logical calculation to achieve a goal as efficiently as possible
Responsible for the formation of bureaucracies within large organizations
Harriet Matineau
First female sociologist — issues of gender discrimination and slavery.
Translated the work of Comte for english speaking audiences
Conflict Theories
focus on issues contention, power, inequality, highlighting the competition for scarce resources
Herbert Spencer
argued society is a “social organism” - society is made up of separate parts, each with a unique function, that work together to sustain the entire organism
Core Concepts of sociological perspective
Culture
Structure
Power
Auguste Comte
Father of sociology
Argued for the empirical study of society
Analyzed social statics and dynamics
Power
the ability to bring about an intended outcome, even when opposed by others
Marx highlighted which core concept in sociology?
Power — Economic power could be used to influence others aspects of social life (Government, School, Media)
Sociology
The systematic study of the relationship between individuals and society
Which belief did Comte believe enabled a deeper understanding of human life and was the key to solving persistent social problems?
Positivism - a belief that accurate knowledge must be based on scientific method
Who helped establish the idea that the social world could be the subject of systematic, scientific investigation?
Comte and Spencer
Social Solidarity
The collective bonds that connect individuals
Sociology Perspective
Is to see and understand the connections between individuals and the broader social contexts in which they live
W.E.B Du Bois
First African American to obtain a PhD from Harvard
Groundbreaking research on race in America. Promoted racial justice.
Latent Functions
unrecognized and unintended consequences
Max Weber
Argued for the importance of ideas, ideologies, and charismatic leaders
Argued for value free sociology
Argued cultural beliefs could influence economic development.
Tried to understand social action (behavior) by viewing it from a perspective of, Verstehen - “understanding”
Contributed through his effort to explain the shift from traditional to rational action
Most prophetic
“You’ve got to play the cards you’re dealt in life”
Metaphor’s point — You don’t get to choose the cards you are dealt, but you do get to decide how you will play them
Anomie
social normlessness, without moral guidance or standards
Macro
Large scale
Politics, major institutions
Dimensions of Theory
Consensus <===> Conflict
Objective <===> Subjective
Micro <== Meso ==> Macro
Subjective
World of ideas
values, beliefs
Heart of Sociological Perspective
Understanding the connections that influence who you are and who you can be — Your identity and your social environment in which you live
Manifest Functions
the recognized and intended consequences of social phenomena
Key founders of sociology
Karl Marx
Emile Durkheim
Max Weber
Feminist Theories
Feminist theories explain the social, economic, and political position of women in society.
They maintain that women suffer injustice because of their sex.
They seek to free women from traditionally oppressive expectations and constraints.
Which dimensions of social life is Symbolic interactionist theories associated with?
Subjective and Micro
Traditional Action
Beliefs and customs often charged with emotional significance that are passed on from generation to generation
The roots of functionalist theories
Spencer and Durkheim
Collective conscience
the shared norms, beliefs, and values in a community
Positivism
A belief that accurate knowledge must be based on scientific method
Symbolic interactionist theories
focus on how society emerges from people’s use of shared symbols in the course of their everyday interactions
Weber - “Verstehen”
Comte’s two fundamental questions about social life
How and why do societies change?
What is the basis of social stability at a specific historical moment?
Division of labor
people specialize in different tasks, each requiring specific skills
Organic Solidarity
form of social cohesion, characteristic of modern industrial societies, that is based on interdependence (larger communities)
“Social Organism”
Rationalization of Society
the long term historical process by which rationality replaced tradition as the basis for organizing social and economic life
Emile Durkheim
Most interested in social solidarity — proposition that society is held together by shared cultural values, promoted through custom and tradition, and spelled out through laws
Analyzed
>social facts (aspects of life external to the individual)
>Social solidarity (cohesion and harmony)
>Division of labor (interdependence of different tasks and occupations)
Conducted study of suicide and social integration
Jane Addams
Social reformer and the founder of Hull House (settlement house) - provided wide range of social services in the poor immigrant communities of Chicago
First American woman to win a Noble Peace Prize
Influence on the development of urban sociology
Consensus
Cooperation, solidarity
Karl Marx
Analyzed Industrial Revolution
Studied
>Capitalism (an economic system in which ownership of the means of production is in private hands)
>Class conflict between capitalists and proletariat
>Alienation (feelings of separation)
Wealth gave few people power, which they used to control governments and cultural institutions
Roots of conflict theories
Marx and Weber
Social Sciences
Political
economics
psychology
anthropology
Micro
Small scale
one on one interaction, small groups
Conflict
Tension, disputes, inequality
C. Wright Mills (Sociological Perspective)
The sociological imagination — the ability to see the connection between individual lives and larger social influences.
>Personal troubles (biography)
>Structural issues (historical)
Characteristics and circumstances influence who we are and the options we have
As social conditions change, so do the lives of individuals
Structure
the recurring patterns of behavior in social life
The common ground is the ________ and the ______ are at its heart
Sociological Perspective
Core Concepts
Dysfunctional
inhibiting or disrupting the working of a system as a whole
Culture
the collection of values, beliefs, knowledge, norms, language, behaviors, and material objects shared by people and socially transmitted from generation to generation
Why do we need Sociology?
it helps us look more objectively at our society and other societies. It explains how the parts of society fit together and change, as well as makes us aware of the consequences of that social change
