Introduction section Flashcards
what is sociology
the systematic study of human society
do sociologists focus on individuals or general patterns
general patterns
who affects who: individuals and societies
they affect each other
Emile Durkheim found who was most likely to commit suicide?
Males, Protestants, the wealthy, the unmarried
Emile Durkheim found who was less likely to commit suicide?
females, Jews and Catholics, the poor, the married.
Why is it important to study sociology with a global perspective? (4)
- We are shaped by where we live
- societies are interconnected through tech/economy
- Problems in Canada can be more serious elsewhere
- good way to learn more about ourselves
Benefits of the sociological perspective (5)
- helps assess the truth of “common sense”
- Helps to see opportunities/constraints we face
- Empowers us to be active participants in society.
- Helps us live in a diverse world.
- Jobs: work as researchers for government agencies, private foundations and businesses.
What social changes sparked the start of sociology? (4)
- Industrial tech
- Growth of cities
- New democratic ideas
- Political awareness
What science promoted the start of sociology?
- Comte’s stages: theoretical, metaphysical, scientific
- Positivism: a way of understanding based on science.
what are the three theoretical approaches of sociology?
- Structural-functional
- Social-conflict
- Symbolic-Interaction
which theoretical approach to soci views society as a complex system whose parts work together
structural-functional approach
what is a social structure
a relatively stable pattern of social behaviour in society
what is a social function
the consequences of a social pattern for the operation of society
What are the 3 types of social functions:
- Manifest function: intentional
- Latent function: unintentional
- Dysfunction: disruptive
Which theoretical approach to soci views society as an arena of inequality
social-conflict approach
what factors are often linked to social inequality
- gender
- ethnicity/race
- sexuality
- class
- age
What theory studies society while focusing on inequality between men and women
gender-conflic theory
what theory studies society while focusing on inequality between people of different racial groups
race-conflict theory
Which theoretical approach sees society as the product of everyday interactions of individuals
social-interaction approach
which soci theoretical appreaches are macro and which are micro
macro: structural-functional, social-conflict
micro: social-interaction
what does structural-functional approach ignore
-inequality
what does social-conflict approach ignore
-shared values and mutual interdependence
what does symbolic-interaction approach ignore
larger social structures, effects of culture, large-scale inequalities.
What are the three ways to do sociology?
- Positivist
- Interpretive
- Critical
What is positivist sociology
based on scientific observations of behaviour
what is interpretive sociology
based on meanings people attach to their social world
what is critical sociology
based on the need for change
what makes a statistic reliable
is it consistent
what makes a valid statistic
is it precisely measuring what it means to measure.
what is a spurious correlation
apparent but false relationship between multiple variables, caused by another variable
what is an independent variable
causes the change
what is a dependent variable
changes, depending on independent variable
Why does Max Weber say that it is difficult to be objective in research
people usually choose to research topics they naturally care about
androcentricity
approach topic from male-only perspective
gynocentricity
approach topic from a female-only perspective
overgeneralizing
using data from one sub-category of subjects and applying it to the whole category
double standard
judging men and women with different standards
what is gender interference in a study
the subject under study reacts to the gender of the researcher
what are the points of research ethics (6)
- technically competent/fair
- disclose full findings
- protect safety, rights, privacy of subjects.
- Obtain informed consent
- disclose all sources of funding, avoid conflicts of interest
- cultural sensitivity.
what are the 10 steps in sociological research
- select/define topic
- review the literature
- develop key questions
- assess requirements
- consider ethical issues
- select a research methodology
- collect the data
- interpret findings.
- state conclusions.
- publish the findings.
what is a social group
2+ people who identify/interact with one another
what is a category of people
those with a status in common (ethnicity, occupation, etc.)
what is a crowd of people
non-interacting group, such as an audience
what is a primary group of people
a small group whose members share personal and lasting relationships
what is a secondary group of people
large and impersonal group whose members pursue a goal/activity
what are the two types of group leadership roles
- instrumental
- expressive
what is an instrumental leader
focused on task completion
what is an expressive leader
focused on group well-being
3 decision-making styles
- Authoritarian
- Democratic
- Laissez-faire
Authoritarian decision-making
- instrumental
- leader makes decisions, members obey
democratic decision-making
- expressive
- inclusive member involvement
laissez-faire decision-making
leader lets group function on its own.
what was Asch’s line experiment and what did it prove
- subject was asked which line was bigger after hearing others say the wrong answer
- proved willingness to compromise own judgement to avoid being different.
what was the Milgram shock experiment and what did it prove
- participants were told to shock people who gave wrong answers
- showed people follow orders to the point of harming others.
what is Janis’s concept of “groupthink”
tendency for group members to conform to one value or decision.
what is a social reference group
social group that serves as a point of reference in making decisions (Stouffer)
What is an in-group
social group toward which a member feels respect and loyalty
what is an out-group
social group toward which a person feels a sense of competition or opposition.
dyad
- social group with two members
- intimate but unstable
triad
- social group with three members
- more stable, more types of interaction.
what happens when a large group turns inward
- members have realtionships among themselves
- promotes separatism
what happens when a heterogreneous group turns outward
- diversity
- interaction with outsiders
why do physical boundaries create social boundaries
-if segregation of groups take place, the chances for contact are limited.
what is a network of people
web of weak social ties
what are some characteristics of a network
- weak social ties
- occasional contact
- no sense of boundary/belonging
what is a formal organization
large secondary groups, organized to achieve efficiency
utilitarian organization
- Jobs
- Pays people for effort
normative organization
- Join to pursue a goal
- Volunteering
coercive organization
- join as a form of punishment
- prison
what is a bureaucracy (Max Weber)
organizational model rationally designed to perform tasks efficiently
what are the key elements of a bureaucracy (Max Weber) (6)
- Specialization
- Heirarchy
- Rules
- Technical competence
- Impersonality
- Formal, written communications
What outside factors affect an organization? (5)
- Technology
- Economic/political trends
- Population patterns
- Current events
- Other organizations
What are the informal traits of bureaucracy (3)
- leaders seek personal benefit through abuse of power
- grapevines spread info
- flattened communication, people on bottom communicate with those on top
What are the problems with. bureaucracy
- alienation/dehumanize individuals
- inefficiency/ritualism (focus on regulations over goals)
- inertia: organizations perpetuate themselves
- oligarchy: rule of the many by the few
what are the building blocks of a social structure
status and role
what is status
social position a person holds
what is a status set
all the statuses someone holds at a given time
What are the 3 types of status
- ascribed
- achieved
- master
ascribed status
received at birth/involuntarily
achieved status
voluntary/reflects ability and effort
master status
specially important for social identity, shapes life
what is a role
behaviour expected of someone who holds a status
what is a role set
a number of roles attached to a single status
Ex: a professor is a teacher, researcher, administrator
role conflict
a conflict between statuses of a person
ex: worker and partner
role strain
tention between roles connected to a single status
ex: forman being your supervisor and friend
role exit
disengaging from a role, voluntarily or not
what is the Thomas Theorem
Situations that are definedas real become real in their consequences
what is ethnomethodology
study of the way people make sense of their everyday surroundings
what is reality building
social background affects our perceptions
ex: scientist and lovers respond to the night sky
