Lecture - Perspective Flashcards
Week One, lec 1-6
Sociology
scientific study of human society
Sociological Perspective
- seeing the general in the particular
- seeing the strange in the familiar
Fundamental attribution error
assuming other’ behavior is caused by their character rather than social factors
ex. assuming that someone is fired bc they are a bad employee rather than facing the truth that it might’ve been out of their control
Emile Durkheim
remember : suicide
showed that personal decisions are influenced by social forces
Durkheim theorized
people who live independently are more likely to commit suicide than people embedded in a supporting social network (people who have responsibilities to other people)
Durkheim assumed people with more freedom and autonomy would
commit suicide more often
- theory still holds
W.E.B. Debois
- first black phD from harvard
- combined activism w. a scientific approach to studying sociology
Social Stratification
members of society are ranked in a hierarchy
Theoretical paradigm/perspective
Fundamental assumptions about society that guide sociological thinking and research
Thomas Hobbs
wrote Leviathan
- “society is like a giant animal”
ie, if one thing stops they are crumble
Structural - Function Paradigm
assumes society is a complex system whose parts work together to promote stability
Fuctionalism
parts of society function to form a structure analogous to parts of the body that work to keep the structure working. 7
Karl Marx
conflict between social classes molds society
Social - Conflict Paradigm
assumes that society is a complex system characarized by inequality and conflict that continuously generate social change
Feminist Theoretical Perspective
closly related to the social conflict perspective, focusing on patriarchy
