Intro Flashcards
Sociology
the study of groups and group interactions, societies and social interactions
group
any collection of at least two people who interact with some frequency and who share some sense of aligned identity
society.
A group of people who live in a defined geographic area, who interact with one another, and who share a common culture is what sociologists call a
micro-level
small groups and individual interactions
macro-level
look at trends among and between large groups and societies.
culture
refers to the group’s shared practices, values, and beliefs
sociological imagination
an awareness of the relationship between a person’s behavior and experience and the wider culture that shaped the person’s choices and perceptions
Who pioneered Sociological imagination?
C, Wright Mills
What is Sociological imagination a way of seeing?
Our own and other people’s behavior in relation to history and social structure.
social facts,
aspects of social life that shape a person’s behavior
What are some examples of social facts that govern social life.
the laws, morals, values, religious beliefs, customs, fashions, rituals, and all of the cultural rules that govern social life
what is a key premise of the Sociological Imagination?
the concept that the individual and society are inseparable
What is Figuration the Process of?
the process of simultaneously analyzing the behavior of individuals and the society that shapes that behavior
who called the process of simultaneously analyzing the behavior of individuals and the society that shapes that behavior Figuration?
German sociologist Norbert Elias
who coined the term Sociology?
Auguste Comte
positivist stage
where society would be governed by reliable knowledge and would be understood in light of the knowledge produced by science, primarily sociology
What is positivism? who named it?
the scientific study of social patterns. Auguste Comte
Who was Harriet Martineau?
A writer who addressed a wide range of social science issues. an early observer of social practices, including economics, social class, religion, suicide, government, and women’s rights.
What did Karl Marx beleive in reguards to how sociietys grow?
that societies grew and changed as a result of the struggles of different social classes as they sought control over the means of production.
what did Émile Durkheim believe and what did he think could be determined though such studies?
Durkheim believed that sociologists could study objective “social facts.” He also believed that through such studies it would be possible to determine if a society was “healthy” or “pathological.”
what does verstehen mean?
German word that means to understand in a deep, empathetic way.
what do outside ovservers of a social world attempt to understand by seeking verstehen?
an entire culture or a small setting from an insider’s point of view.
Who proposed the philosophy of Anti-positivism?
Max Weber and other like minded sociologists
Antipositivism is a proposed philosophy where
social researchers would strive for subjectivity as they worked to represent social processes, cultural norms, and societal values.
What did antipositivism lead reasearch methods to aim for?
ot to generalize or predict (as is traditional in science), but to systematically gain an in-depth understanding of social worlds.
The different approaches to research based on positivism or antipositivism are often considered the foundation for the differences found today between what to types of Sociology?
quantitative sociology and qualitative sociology
what is Quantitative sociology?
A method of studying sociology using statistical methods such as surveys with large numbers of participants. Researchers analyze data using statistical techniques to see if they can uncover patterns of human behavior.
What is Qualitative sociology?
Qualitative sociology seeks to understand human behavior by learning about it through in-depth interviews, focus groups, and analysis of content sources (like books, magazines, journals, and popular media).
The difference between positivism and antipositivism relates to:
whether sociological studies can predict of improve society?
What does Mills’ Sociological imagination allow individuals to do?
allows individuals to see the relationships between events in their personal lives (biography), and events in their society (history)
What are social or public issues?
hose that lie beyond one’s personal control and the range of one’s inner life. These pertain to broader matters of organization and process, which are rooted in society rather than in the individual.
What is a Paradigm?
a broad viewpoint, perspective, or lens that permit social scientists to have a wide range of tools to describe society, and then to build hypotheses and theories. You can also consider paradigms to be guiding principles or belief systems.
what are the three main paragdims?
the functionalist paradigm, the conflict paradigm, and the symbolic interactionist paradigm.
paradigm
a broad viewpoint, perspective, or lens that permit social scientists to have a wide range of tools to describe society, and then to build hypotheses and theories.
What does a socioligical theory aim to explain
social phenomena
Macro-level theories relate to
large-scale issues and large groups of people
micro-level theories look at very specific
relationships between individuals or small groups
Grand theories attempt to explain
large-scale relationships and answer fundamental questions such as why societies form and why they change.
what is the focus of Structural Functionalism, and what level of analysis is it
Macro or mid sees society as a structure with interrelated parts designed to meet the biological and social needs of the individuals in that society.
what is the focus of Conflict Theory and what level of analysis is it
Macro The way inequalities contribute to social differences and perpetuate differences in power or looks at society as a competition for limited resources
what is the focus of Symbolic Interactionism and what level of analysis is it
Micro One-to-one interactions and communications focuses on meanings attached to human interaction, both verbal and non-verbal, and to symbols
Whose writiings did fuctionalism sprout out of?
Herbert Spencer
social institutions,
atterns of beliefs and behaviors focused on meeting social needs, such as government, education, family, healthcare, religion, and the economy.
Social Solidarity
social ties within a group
False consciousness
is Marx’s term for the proletarian’s inability to see her real position within the class system, a mis-recognition that is complicated by the control that the bourgeoisie often exerts ove`r the media outlets that disseminate and normalize information.
class consciousness,
a common group identity as exploited proletarians and potential revolutionaries.
Latent dysfunctions
are unintended outcomes that have undesirable consequences for the operation of society.
Social ties and interdependence between people are an example of
social solidarity.
Max Weber’s theory of rationalization, in which modern societies have increasingly become concerned with efficiency is an example of a ________, which attempts to answer fundamental questions about society.
grand theory
