midterm 1 Flashcards
microsociology
the study of human behavior in contexts of face-to-face interaction
ethnography
firsthand studies of people using interviews, observations, or both
public issues
difficulties or problems that are linked to the institutional & historical possibilities of social structure
cultural relativism
the practice of judging a society by its own standards
pastoral
societies whose subsistence derives from the rearing of domesticated animals
organic solidarity
the social cohesion that results from the various parts of a society functioning as an intergrated whole
counterculture
cultural groups within a wider society that largely reject the values & norms of the majority
postmodern theory
idea that there are no longer any “grand narratives” or meta-narratives; overall conceptions of history that make any sense
functionalism
a theoretical perspective based on the notion that social events can best be explained in terms of the functions they perform- that is the contributions they make to the continuity of a society
macrosociology
the study of large-scale groups, organizations, or social systems
ethnocentrism
the tendency to look at other cultures through the eyes of ones own culture, and thereby misrepresent them
sociological imagination
the application of imaginative thought to the asking & answering of sociological questions
assimilation
The acceptance of a minority group by a majority population, in which the new group takes on the values and norms of the dominant culture.
sociobiology
An approach that attempts to explain the behavior of both animals & human beings in terms of biological principles.
Emile Durkheim
A French scholar. Believed that sociologist must study social facts, aspects of social life that shape our actions as individuals, such as economy or religion.
Karl Marx
German philosopher. Believed in “materialist conception of history”, the idea that it is not the ideas or values that humans hold that are the main sources of social change, but rather social change is prompted primarily through economic influences.
Herbert Spencer
A British philosopher, biologist, anthropologist, and political theorist. Argues in The Study of Sociology (1873) that society can change and improve the quality of life for all people only when everyone changes their behavior to maximize their individual potential
Harriet Martineau
(1802-1876) British woman, author of more than 50 books and numerous essays. Conducted a firsthand systematic study of American society, the subject of her book Society in America
W. E. B. Du Bois
First African American to earn a doctorate at Harvard. Founder of the concept of “ double consciousness”, a way of talking about identity through the lens of African Americans.
