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Sociology > Chapter 1 Sociology: Theory and Method > Flashcards

Chapter 1 Sociology: Theory and Method Flashcards

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Sociology 101 flashcards
1
Q

sociology

A

the study of human groups and societies, giving particular emphasis to analysis of the industrialized world

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2
Q

personal troubles

A

difficulties that are located in individual biographies and their immediate milieu, a seemingly private experience

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3
Q

public issues

A

difficulties of problems that are linked to the institutional and historical possibilities of social structure

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4
Q

sociological imagination

A

the application of imaginative thought to the asking and answering of sociological questions;

someone using the sociological imagination “thinks himself away” from the familiar routines of daily life

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5
Q

structuration

A

the two-way process by which we shape our social world through our individual actions and by which we are reshaped by society

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6
Q

globalization

A

the economic, political, and social interconnectedness of individuals throughout the world

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7
Q

Auguste Comte:
What did he contribute?

What did he believe?

A

He invented the word sociology.

He believed sociology could produce a knowledge of society based on scientific evidence

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8
Q

Herbert Spencer:

What did he believe?

A

He held that development is a natural outcome of individual achievement;

He argued that society can change and improve the quality of life for all people only when everyone changes his or her behavior to maximize individual potential

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9
Q

Emile Durkheim:
What did he believe?

What did he think the key task of the sociologist was?

A

He thought that to become a science, sociology must study social facts. He believed that the continuation of a society depended on cooperation.

The key task of the sociologist was to search for correlations among social facts to reveal laws of social structure.

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10
Q

social facts

A

the aspects of social life that shape our actions as individuals

–Emile Durkeim

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11
Q

organic solidarity

A

the social cohesion that results from the various parts of a society functioning as an integrated whole

–Emile Durkeim

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12
Q

social constraint

A

the conditioning influence on our behavior by the groups and societies of which we are members

–Emile Durkheim

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13
Q

anomie

A

refers to a situation in which social norms lose their hold over individual behavior

–Emile Durkheim

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14
Q

Karl Marx:

What did he believe?

A

It is not the ideas or values human beings hold that are the main sources of social change (Durkheim believed it was), but rather social change is prompted primarily by economic influences

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15
Q

materialist conception of history

A

the view to which material, or economic, factors have a prime role in determining historical change

–Karl Marx

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16
Q

capitalism

A

an economic system based on the private ownership of wealth, which is invested and reinvested to produce profit

–Karl Marx

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17
Q

Max Weber:

What was his view?

A

He believed that economic factors are important, but ideas and values have just as much effect on social change. Cultural ideas and values help shape society and affect our individual actions

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18
Q

Harriet Martineau:

Why is she significant to sociology?

A

She argued that when one studies a society, one must focus on all its aspects, including the lives of women (as well as married life, children, domestic and religious life, race relations), and that sociologists shouldn’t just observe but should act in ways that benefit society

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19
Q

W.E.B. Du Bois:
What did he contribute to sociology?

What did he believe?

A

double consciousness: measuring one’s identity through the lens of another

He claimed that one’s sense of self and one’s identity are greatly influenced by historical experiences and social circumstances

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20
Q

What are 4 (6) theoretical approaches?

A

Symbolic Interactionism,
Functionalism,
Conflict Theories (Marxism & Feminism ad Feminist Theory),
Postmodern Theory

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21
Q

Symbolic Interactionism

A

A theoretical approach that emphasizes the role of symbols and language as core elements of all human interaction

–George Herbert Mead

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22
Q

symbol

A

one item used to stand for or represent another (flag symbolizes a nation)

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23
Q

Functionalism

A

A theoretical perspective based on the notion that social events can best be explained in terms of the functions they perform, that is, the contributions they make to the continuity of a society

(–Comte and Spencer)

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24
Q

manifest functions

A

the functions of a particular social activity that are known to and intended by the individuals involved in that activity

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25
Q

latent functions

A

functional consequences that are not intended or recognized by the members of a social system in which they occur

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26
Q

Conflict Theories

A

A sociological perspective that emphasizes the role of political and economic power and oppression as contributing to the existing social order

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27
Q

Marxism

A

A body of thought deriving its main elements from Karl Marx’s ideas (intended to generate a program of radical political change; places emphasis on conflict, class divisions, power, and ideology)

28
Q

power

A

the ability of individuals or the members of a group to achieve aims or further the interests they hold

29
Q

ideology

A

shared ideas or beliefs that serve to justify the interests of dominant groups

30
Q

feminism

A

advocacy of the rights of women to be equal with men in all spheres of life

31
Q

Feminist Theory

A

A sociological perspective that emphasizes the centrality of gender in analyzing the social world and particularly the experiences of women

32
Q

Postmodernism

A

The belief that society is no longer governed by history of progress.

Postmodern society is highly pluralistic and diverse, with no “grand narrative” guiding its development.

33
Q

microsociology

A

the study of human behavior in contexts of face-to-face interaction

34
Q

macrosociology

A

the study of large-scale groups, organizations, or social systems

35
Q

science

A

the disciplined marshaling of empirical data, combined with theoretical approaches and theories that illuminate or explain those data

36
Q

empirical investigation

A

factual inquiry carried out in any area of sociological study

37
Q

factual questions

A

questions that raise issues concerning matters of fact (rather than theoretical or moral issues)

38
Q

comparative questions

A

questions concerned with drawing comparisons among different human societies

39
Q

developmental questions

A

questions that sociologists pose when looking at the origins and path of development of social institutions

40
Q

theoretical questions

A

questions posed by sociologists when seeking to explain a particular range of observed events (allows us to generalize about the nature of social life)

41
Q

What are 4 types of questions sociologists ask?

A

Factual Questions,
Comparative Questions,
Developmental Questions,
Theoretical Questions

42
Q

What are the 7 steps of the research process?

A
  1. Define the research problem (select a topic for research)
  2. Review the evidence (familiarize yourself with existing research on the topic)
  3. Make the problem precise (formulate a hypothesis)
  4. Work out a research design (choose one or more research methods)
  5. Carry out the research (collect data and record information)
  6. Interpret the results (work out the implications of the data collected)
  7. Report the findings (define the significance)
43
Q

hypothesis

A

an idea or a guess about a given state of affairs, put forward as a basis for empirical testing

44
Q

data

A

factual information used as a basis for reasoning, discussion, or calculation (social science data often refer to individuals’ responses to survey questions)

45
Q

What are the 4 methods used in sociological resarch?

A

Ethnography,
Surveys,
Experiments,
Comparative and Historical Research

46
Q

qualitative methods

A

approaches to sociological research that often rely on personal and/or collective interviews, accounts, or observations of a person or situation

47
Q

quantitative methods

A

approaches to sociological research that draw on objective and statistical data and often focus on documenting trends, comparing subgroups, or exploring correlations

48
Q

ethnography

A

the firsthand study of people using observation, in-depth interviewing, or both (“fieldwork”)

49
Q

participant observation

A

a method of research widely used in sociology and anthropology in which the researcher takes part in the activities of the group or community being studied

50
Q

survey

A

a method of sociological research in which questionnaires are administered to the population being studied

51
Q

pilot study

A

a trial run in survey research

52
Q

sampling

A

studying a proportion of individuals or cases from a larger population as representative of that population as a whole

53
Q

sample

A

a small proportion of a larger population

54
Q

representative sample

A

a sample from a larger population that is statistically typical of that population

55
Q

random sampling

A

sampling method in which a sample is chosen so that every member of the population has the same probability of being included

56
Q

experiment

A

a research method in which variables can be analyzed in a controlled and systematic way, either in an artificial situation constructed by the researcher or in naturally occurring settings

57
Q

comparative research

A

research that compares one set of findings on one society with the same types of findings on other societies

58
Q

oral history

A

interviews with people about events they witnessed earlier in their lives

59
Q

triangulation

A

the use of multiple research methods as a way of producing more reliable empirical data than are available from any single method

60
Q

~measures of central tendency

A

the ways of calculating averages

61
Q

~correlation coefficient

A

a measure of the degree of correlation between variables

62
Q

~mean

mode

median

A

the average, based on dividing a total by the number of individual cases

the number that appears most often in a data set

the number that falls halfway in a range of numbers

63
Q

~standard deviation

A

a way of calculating the spread of a group of figures

64
Q

informed consent

A

the process whereby the investigator informs potential participants about the risks and benefits involved in the study

65
Q

debriefing

A

following a study, informing participants about the true purpose of the study and revealing any deception that happened during the study

Sociology (5 decks)

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