Defenitions Flashcards
Society
Group of people that live in the same area and participate in a common culture
Class
Group of people within a society who possess the same economic status
Norms
Informal rules telling us what’s appropriate in any given situation violation equals consequences (ex: washing hands, waiting in line)
Institutions
Important social patterns that endure overtime typically organize many norms (ex: marriage-having kids, sharing money, living together, last name)
Sociological perspective
Looking at social life in a scientific way looking beyond commonly held beliefs to the hidden meanings behind human action
Roles
A social position that comes with expectations for how you act (ex: daughter, sister, student, friend)
Ascribed role
A role not subject to a personal choice ( child, gender, race)
Achieved role
A role that is earned or chosen (lawyer, waitress, artist)
Free will
Ability to choose think and act voluntarily
Hierarchies
Organization of roles and groups from high to low status of power (wealth, race, sex, work, family)
Social structure
Enduring patterns of social life, forms unseen structure that we as individuals are shaped by and operate within
Stereotypes
A simplified generalization about a group
Emergent
Emerges naturally as a result of bottom-up forces
Opportunity hoarding
When high status/power groups try to control resources or opportunities and deny them to lower status groups
Power
Obey because of force (Jesus, hitler, mlk)
Authority
Obey because the government is thought to be legitimate (ex: obeying the law)
Legitimacy
Someone who has authority if people think their leadership role is legitimate (appropriate and proper) (ex: obeying fighter fighters in a emergency)
Traditional authority
Legitimacy arises out of tradition
Charismatic authority
Legitimacy based on charisma of the leader, The idea the leader is special or may have supernatural authority
Legal-rational authority
Legitimacy based on rule of law
Socialism
Social and economic doctrine that calls for public rather than private ownership or control of property and natural resources
Capitalism
Bourgeoisie ceases economic surplus, economics organized around market-based exchange, products produced for profit and no personal gain
Bourgeoisie
Class who owned money or other capital that can be used to finance business investments-Employed or exploited the proletariats
Proletariat
The working class, controlled and paid by the bourgeoisie
Forces of production
The societies technological and productive capacity
Mode of production
The dominant economic system in a society
Social relations of production
The relationship between people in the economy
Economic determinism
The economic system determines everything in a society (gov)
Collective consciousness
Shared values, beliefs, ideas, attitudes, and knowledge that gave people roles in a society
Cult of the individual
All members of the society respect the individual, holds modern society together
Interpretive sociology
Study the meaning people give to the world and their actions
Independent variable
The variable that causes the change (cause)
Dependent variable
The variable that changes (effect)
Variable
Concepts whose values change case to case
How is sociology different from other social sciences?
-not focused on one specific area of life
-many concepts and theories apply to society generally
-Interested in how the parts interconnect
How can you tell if something is a norm?
If a norm is broken or violated there will be consequences
The relationship between norms and institutions
Institutions organize together many norms
Social structure
Allows us to cooperate, but it can also be unjust or dysfunctional and can limit our free well (Bad things happen when social structure breaks down)
Negative social structure
When higher status groups try to control resources or opportunities and deny them to lower status groups-Opportunity hoarding
Positive social structure
Provides an order to society, Some order is emergent-how hierarchy’s emerge
In what ways can unjust hierarchies be maintained?
Legal means-laws
Informal means-Discrimination
Stereotypes-Generalization about a group
Free will-Ability to choose, think, or act voluntarily
Marx (father of socialism) (1818-1883)
Determines society-economic system (mode of production)
The future-federalism, capitalism, socialism, communism
Religion-dependent on economy (Religion is the opiate of the masses)-manipulates people
Possession of the economic surplus:
Federalism-lords
Capitalism-Bourgeoisie
Conflict theory-Groups in a society that compete Over limited resources (Oppressors – bourgeoisie, oppressed – proletariat)
Durkheim (father of sociology) (1858-1917)
More frequent suicide-well educated, small families, recently divorced, Protestant
Less frequent suicide-living in war times, large families, married, Catholics
Religion-holds society together
Holds together modern society-cult of the individual
Holds together pre modern society-collective consciousness
Promoted anomie-less embedded in a group
Functionalism-Social facts, religion, division of labor, collective consciousness-To hold together and work properly

Weber (founded first German sociology journal) (1864-1920)
Symbolic interactionalism-The meaning people give to the world and the motivations behind their actions (every situation has meaning)
Protestant ethic and spirit of capitalism-people in capitalist societies are less economically rational
why people obey authority-obey because the government is thought to be legitimate (right thing to do)

Urban areas of the 19th century
High poverty, poor public health, increased crime, opportunity hoarding
4 motives of action (Weber)
Instrumental rationality-to gain or receive an award (lemonade stand)
Value rationality-Belief in an ultimate value, regardless of rewards (pursuit of knowledge and learning) (soldier in war)
Affectual motives-action guided by positive or negative emotions (get in fight when upset)
Traditional motives-Action guided by beliefs and following establish traditions (going to college because your family did)

The society
Functionalism
The situation
Symbolic interactionalism
Line
Way of acting that expresses individuals in view of the situation, including of self and other participants in any situation a participant takes or acts out of “line”
Face
The positive social value that someone claims for her self in the situation
Facework
Action taken by a person to make whatever he is doing consistent with his face
Wrong face
Ashamed and inferior
Saving face
Helping someone else save face
Situation
Circumstances one finds himself and that may include roles and responsibilities that suggest how to behave
Manipulating the shared definition of the situation
Failure results in extreme embarrassment
What is the proper role of values in social scientific research?
Values/morals-should not guide what conclusions one reaches
-Are values can help us choose what subjects we research
-you need to have faith that the truth is worth pursuing
-Research, hypothesis, variables
Functionalism application (Durkheim)
Systems in the society (religion, marriage, doctors)
Conflict theory application (Marx)
Bourgeoisie and Proletariat
Symbolic interactionism application (Weber)
Every situation has meaning and can be symbolically meaningful (family sitting at diner table)
