Chapter 2: Sociological Theory Flashcards
Praxis
Process of using knowledge to act in the world, and practical experience to upgrade said knowledge
Conceptual Questions
Questions or statements about how concepts should be defined and used
Empirical Questions
Questions or statements about phenomena that can be physically observed
Conceptualizing
Process of defining which phenomena a concept refers to
Emergent Properties
Properties that exist due to many components working together
Methodological Individualism
Belief that the social world is made of individual actions and the subjective meanings that motivate them
Holism
Belief that the actions of all members of a society combine to form a system
Middle-Range Theories
Views society as a complex tangle of social formations and institutions
Ontology
The study of being, and what does and does not exist (reality)
Epistemology
The study of what counts as valid or true knowledge
Positivist Epistemology
Seeks an objective scientific understanding of the social world
Interpretivism
Focuses on understanding the meaning behind human actions
Critical Theories
Seeks the transformation of social relations toward greater human freedom and equality
Perspectivism
States that there is no single objectively true perspective discoverable through pure reason alone
Universalism
Sates that since existing knowledge is based in social exclusions, achieving universal knowledge requires challenging society to eliminate exclusions
Praxis
The relation of theory and practice
Paradigm
A model
Rational Choice Theory
States that individuals are in charge of their own decisions
Functionalism
Assumes society is a bounded, integrated system of functionally interdependant parts
Analytic Conflict Theory
Explains social order as being the product of conflict among social actors
Social Stratification
The way people are ranked and ordered in society
The Looking-Glass Self
The process by which individuals base their sense of self on how they believe others see them
Phenomenology
Looks at what kinds of social practices make us feel that certain objecs are real and others not
Ethnomethodology
Looks at everyday practices through which the social construction of reality is maintained and sometimes challenged
