Conley ch 1 + 2

Question 1

What is our sociological imagination?

Answer 1

The ability to see the connections between our personal experience and the larger forces of history;

Question 2

What are social institutions?

Answer 2

Networks of structures in society that work to socialize the groups of people within them; mechanisms or patterns of social orders focused on meeting social needs

Question 3

Who was Harriet Martineau?

Answer 3

English social theorist, first to translate Comte to English

Question 4

What is functionalism?

Answer 4

the theory that various social institutions and processes in society exist to serve some important (or necessary) function to keep society running

Question 5

Who is the father of functionalism?

Answer 5

Emile Durkheim

Question 6

What is conflict theory?

Answer 6

the idea that conflict between competing interests is the basic, animating force of social change and society in general (Marx)

Question 7

What is symbolic interactionalism?

Answer 7

perspective that sees society as the product of shared symbols, such as language; these symbols form the basic motivations behind people’s actions (Mead and Weber)

Question 8

What is postmodernism?

Answer 8

an analysis of the social and cultural features of late capitalism (post-modernity)

Question 9

What types of questions do sociologists attempt to answer?

Answer 9

micro-level questions and macro-level questions

Question 10

What are micro-level questions?

Answer 10

examine face-to-face encounters and the types of interactions between individuals. These questions are generally answered using Qualitative methods

Question 11

What are macro-level questions?

Answer 11

examine social dynamics at a higher level of analysis, for example this may be a policy analysis of an organization’s internal dynamics. These questions are
generally answered using Quantitative analysis but Qualitative methods are not excluded.

Question 12

What are the steps of the deductive approach?

Answer 12

Theory -> hypothesis -> empirical observation -> analysis

Question 13

What are the steps of the inductive approach?

Answer 13

Empirical observation -> analysis -> theory -> hypothesis

Question 14

Why is the sociological imagination important?

Answer 14

helps us understand changes happening in community, shifts our viewpoint from personal to societal issues, helps us question society, shows hows there’s multiple paths society can take

Question 15

Give an example of a social institution

Answer 15

TCNJ is one because educates people for jobs and therefore fits a social need

Question 16

What is historical materialism?

Answer 16

Marx’s theory that a society’s economic organization fundamentally determines its social institutions

Question 17

Describe Georg Simmel’s theory

Answer 17

different sized groups function in different ways

Question 18

What is positivism?

Answer 18

Theory of Comte that emphasizes scientific method as an approach to studying society

Question 19

Give an example of symbolic interactionism

Answer 19

There’s no intrinsic reason for the color red to mean stop, but through our interactions we come to associate these two symbols together

Question 20

What are the general ethics rules?

Answer 20

1) do no harm
2) get informed consent
3) ensure voluntary participation