Chapter One Flashcards
Development of Sociology
Define Sociology
The scientific study of society and human behavior
Define Society
The people who share a culture and a territory
Define Social Location
The group memberships that people have because of their location in history and society
aka social demographic/your identity
Sociological Imagination/Perspective
Sociologist?
Definition?
C. Wright Mills
Understanding human behavior by placing it within a broader social context
Taking personal troubles and reevaluating them within public issues/society
Define Personal Troubles
Private problems in an individual’s life
Define Public Issues
Affect large numbers of people; shape the context within which troubles arise
Auguste Comte
“Father of Sociology”
Coined sociology as the scientific study of society
Believed sociology could discover laws of human social behavior to solve society’s problems
Suggested applying the scientific method to the social world (positivism)
Herbert Spencer
Disagreed with Comte
Social reform would interfere with ‘survival of the fittest’
Karl Marx
Very radical
Believed the engine of human history is class conflict
Critiqued capitalism
Society is made of 2 classes: Bourgeoisie and Proletariat
Believed in Social Change/Revolution from the workers/proletariat
Emile Durkheim
Worked for sociology to be recognized as a discipline
Believed social forces affect people’s behavior and conducted research studies on suicide
‘Social integration’ played a significant role in suicide rates
Max Weber
Believed society had 3 dimensions: political, economic, and cultural
Unlike Karl Marx, he believed religion was the central force in social change
Most early female sociologists viewed sociology as a path to…
Social Reform
Define Social Reform
Changing laws, norms, and practices to address social issues
W.E.B DuBois
Believed knowledge was essential to combating prejudice and achieving tolerance and justice
Coined the term double consciousness
Define double consciousness
The division of an individual’s identity into two or more social realities
DuBois, Jane Adams, Ida B Wells worked towards … , but in the 1940s the focus shifted to …
Social reform, social theory
Define Basic Sociology
Sociological research for the purpose of making discoveries about life in human groups, not for making changes in those groups
ONLY gathering information
Define Applied Sociology
The use of sociology to solve problems
Introduce solutions
Define Public Sociology
Applying sociology for the public good; especially the sociological perspective (things relations)
To guide political leaders and policy makers
Define Theory
A general statement about how some parts of the world fit together and how they work
An explanation of how two or more facts are related to one another
Define theoretical perspectives
The basic assumptions about how society functions, the role of sociology, and the application of a specific set of theories in studying social life
Define Symbolic Interactionism
Scientists?
Social Change? - Y/N
Micro/Macro?
Symbols or the things to which we attach meaning are the key to understanding how we view the world and communicate with one another
Est. Charles Cooley and George Mead
Doesn’t believe in social change; micro level theory
Define Functional Analysis
Society is viewed as composed of various parts, each with a function that, when fulfilled, contributes to society’s equilibrium
Parts must work in harmony
Can be manifest (intended/widely recognized) or latent (unintended/unknown)
Followers: Comte, Spencer, Durkheim, Merton
Doesn’t believe in social change; macro level theory
Define Conflict Theory
Society is composed of groups that are competing for scarce resources
Followers: Karl Marx
Believe in social change; macro level theory
