Chapter 1: Intro to Sociology Flashcards
Micro-level
1.1
Study of small groups/individuals
1.1
Macro-level
1.1
Study of big groups
1.1
Sociological Imagination
1.1
Awareness of how society affects people
1.1
Reification
1.1
Fallacy of treating abstract as real
1.1
Social facts
1.1
Rules that govern social life
1.1
Figuration
1.1
Norbert Elias: Analyzing individual and societal behavior together.
Society needs to be “figured” into the analysis
Role of catholic church in early sociology?
1.2
Hoarded power and bent social life to their will. After bubonic plague… ruined Catholic church reputation and science became prevelant.
1.2
Ma Tuan-Lin (1200s)
1.2
Chinese historian: recorded social dyanmics in the “General Study of Literary Remains”
1.2
Ibn Khaldun (1300s)
1.2
Tunisian historian: foundations for modern sociology & economics… proposed social conflict existed… challenged authority
1.2
Mary Wollstonecraft (1700s)
1.2
First feminist
1.2
August Comte (1800s)
1.2
Coined “sociology” (2nd but most popular). Believed social issues could be studied through sociology. Father of positivism
1.2
Positivism
1.2
Study of social patterns. Belief society can be predicted & addressed
1.2
Harriet Martineau (1700s)
1.2
Compared social institutions and taught economics
Found flaws with U.S. capitalism
1.2
Karl Marx
1.2
German philosopher & economist
Co-authored Communist Manifesto
Anti-positivism
Believed conflict between classes created change
1.2
Herbert Spencer (1800s)
1.2
English
Founder of functionalism
Loved social institutions
Anti-positivism
Anti-communism
Big capitalism guy
Made a book w/ “Sociology” in title
1.2
Georg Simmel (Late 1800s)
1.2
German art critic
Analyzed micro-level theories
Pro-conflict theory
Anti-positivism
1.2
Émile Durkheim (Late 1800s)
1.2
Helped create first Sociology department in Europe
Believed in “healthy” or “pathological” societies (stable vs. breakdown)
Pro-positivism
Made a book about suicide. Attributed differences based on socio-religious factors
1.2
Max Weber (Late 1800s)
1.2
Sociologist
Anti-positivism
Pro-Conflict theory
Coined “Verstehen” (understanding through other’s lens)
1.2
Verstehen
1.2
Understanding through someone’s lens. Seeks to understand society, not to predict
1.2
Quantitative Sociology
1.2
Science to uncover patterns
Positivism roots
1.2
Qualitative Sociology
1.2
Seek to understand human behavior
Anti-positivism roots
1.2
W.E.B. Du Bois (1900s)
1.2
Harvard historian
Used empirical methods for sociology and to challenge racism
Helped found NAACP
1.2
Thorstein Veblen (Late 1800s)
1.2
Co foundner of institutional economics
Connected society to economics
1.2
Jane Addams (Late 1800s)
1.2
Father of symbolic interactionism
“The looking-glass self”
Feared individualism & competitiveness (for sociology future)
1.2
The looking-glass self
1.2
We see ourselves through people’s reactions
1.2
George Herbert Mead (Late 1800s)
1.2
Father of symbolic interactionism
Expanded on looking-glass self… Significant other vs. generalized other
1.2
Robert E. Park (Late 1800s)
1.2
Founder of social ecology (how individuals live within environment)
1.2
Social ecology
1.2
How individuals live within environment
1.2
Social Solidarity
1.3
Social connections in a group
1.3
Grand theories
1.3
Theories that explain why societies change and start
1.3
Functionalism
1.3
The way each part of society comes to work as a whole
EX: Organs in a body
Function
1.3
Repeating activity that contributes to social stability (functionalism)
1.3
Dynamic Equilibrium
1.3
Perfectly stable society state (functionalism)
1.3
Manifest Functions
1.3
Delibrate consequences of an action (functionalism)
EX: Watch TV for entertainment –> gets entertained
Latent Function
1.3
Unsought consequences of an action (functionalism)
Watch TV for entertainment –> gets relaxed
Dysfunctions
1.3
Bad consequences for an action (functionalism)
Watch TV for entertainment –> gets back pain
What are the criticisms of functionalism?
1.3
- Dysfunctions exist despite not being good for society
- Can’t explain social change
- Repeated behavior can be seen as a function despite having unknown purposes
1.3
Conflict theory
1.3
Competition for limited resources
Macro-level
EX: grrr my toys. U can’t have the toys because I make the rules now.
Critical theory
1.3
Addresses social issues causing inequality
Expands on conflict theory
1.3
Feminism theory
1.3
Explains inequalities between gender (conflict theory)
1.3
Critical race theory
1.3
Explains structural inequality based on white privilege
1.3
What is the main criticism of conflict theory?
1.3
- Disregards stability
1.3
Symbolic interactionism
1.3
- Says communication is the way people understand society.
- Studies patterns of interactions between inviduals
- Micro-level
1.3
Erving Goffman (1900s)
1.3
Symbolic interactionist
Created dramaturgical analysis (people play different roles all of the time)
1.3
Dramaturgical analysis
1.3
People play different roles all of the time
EX: Roles change from student –> daughter –> dog-walker everyday
Constructivism
1.3
Reality is what we construct it to be (symbolic interactionism)
1.3
What is the main criticism of symbolic interactionism?
1.3
It’s hard to stay unbias when you’re doing case studies all of the time.
1.3
