first reading Flashcards
(21 cards)
Sociology:
The systematic study of humans.
Society:
People who live in a defined territory and share a culture.
Sociological perspective:
Seeing the general in the particular. The point of view in sociology which sees the genera patterns of society in the lives of particulars.
The best way to see sociologically is:
Living on the margins( the outside)
or during a crisis.
Global perspective:
The study of the larger world and our society place.( Important because sociology is about our place in society so we should know where our society fits in others)
Origins of Sociology:
The result of social forces such as:
- New industrial economy( From family to factories. Weakens traditional communities)
- Growth of cities(People move to cities for jobs, homelessness, crime, and a new impersonal social world)
- Political change(personal liberty and individual rights, aka self interest)
Three stages of sociology:
- Theological(religious views and society expressed gods will)
- Metaphysical(Society is a natural and not religious vibe)
- Scientific( Add some science to it)
Comtes approached positivism:
A scientific approach to knowledge based on positive facts, as opposed to speculation.
Benefit of sociology and personal growth
- Asses truth fo common sense
- See opportunities and constraints in your life
- Empowers to participate in society
- helps us live in a diverse world
Theory:
A statement of how and why specific facts are related
Two big questions for a sociologist on deciding what theory to use:
- What issue should we study
- how should we connect facts
Theoretical approach:
A basic image of society that guides thinking and reason
The three major theoretical approaches:
- Structural function
- Social conflict
- Symbolic interaction
The structural function approach:
See society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability. Involves ‘social structure’ and ‘social functions’
- Like the human body. All the parts work together to keep us going
- Macro
Social structure:
Any relatively stable pattern of societal behavior
Social functions:
The consequences of a social pattern for the operation of society as a whole
Some functions of social structure:
- Manifest function(Recognized and intended consequences of patterns)
- Latent function(Unrecognized and unintended consequences)
- Social disfunction(Patterns that disrupt society)
Down side of structural function and so they created:
- not good at dealing with social class, race, gender, ect- seen as conservative.
- The created the social conflict approach
The social conflict approach:
theory that sees society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and change.
-Macro
Two main branches of the social conflict approach
- Gender
- Race
Symbolic interaction approach:
- Micro/the individual
- theory that sees society as the product of everyday actions of individuals.
- As we define our surrounding we create ‘reality’