Chapter 1 Flashcards
What is sociology?
study of human behavior in society
Sociological imagination
ability to see societal patterns that influence individuals
Things to remember about sociology
it is an empirical discipline, relying on careful observations as the basis for its knowledge
What is Debunking?
ability to look behind things taken for granted, and look at the social behavior
Why is diversity at the center of sociology?
bc social diversity & inequality shapes most of our social and cultural institutions
when did sociology emerge as a field of study
during the enlightenment in Europe
Emile Durkheim
conceptualized society as a social system
& saw social facts as behavior external to the person
Karl Marx
showed how capitalism shaped society
Max Weber
explained society through cultural, political and economic forces
W.E.B. DuBois
saw racial inequality as the greatest US societal challenge
Functionalism
emphasizes stability and integration in society
Conflict Theory
see society as organized around the unequal distribution of resources and held together through power and coercion
Symbolic interaction
emphasize role of person in given meaning to social behavior, creating society
Feminist Theory
analysis of gender in society, intended to improve women’s lives
conflict theory
theoretical perspective that emphasizes the role of power and coercion in producing social order
