SOC. Exam 1 Flashcards
Society
A group of people who shape their lives in aggregated and patterned ways that distinguish their group from others.
Sociology
The systematic or scientific study of human society and social behavior, from large-scale institutions and mass culture to small groups and individual interactions
Beginner’s mind
Approaching the world without preconceptions in order to see things in a new way.
Macrosociology
The level of analysis that studies large-scale social structures in order to determine how they affect the lives of groups and individuals
Culture shock
A sense of disorientation that occurs when entering a radically new social or cultural enviroment
Sociological imagination
A quality of the mind that allows us to understand the relationship between our individual circumstances and larger social forces
Microsociology
The level of analysis that studies face-to-face and small-group interactions in order to understand how they affect the larger patterns and structures of society
Expert’s Mind
Approaching the world with facts, projections, assumptions, opinions, and explanations leading you to not learn anything new
Structural Functionalist Theory
A paradigm based on the assumptions that society is a unified whole and functions bc of the contributions of its separate structures; aka functionalist theory, dominant perspective in mid-twentieth century.
Conflict Theory
a paradigm that sees social conflict as the basis of society and social change and that emphasizes a materialist view of society, a critical view of the status quo, and a dynamic model of historical change
Symbolic Interaction Theory (Interactionist theory)
a paradigm that sees interaction and meaning as central to society and assumes that meanings are not inherent but are created through interaction
Critical Race Theory
The study of the relationship among race, racism, and power
Pragmatism
a perspective that assumes organisms (including humans) make practical adaptations to their environments; humans do this through cognition, interpretation, and interaction
Proletariat
workers; those who have no means of production of their own and so are reduced to selling their labor power in order to live
Bourgeoisie
owners; the class of modern capitalists who own the means of production and employ wage laborers
Karl Marx
German political economist, inspiration of the conflict theory=Marxism; believed most problems of poverty, crime, and disease were a result of capitalism( when industry is controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by state) Proposed a radical alternative to inherent inequalities of the system in the “Manifesto of the Communist Party”
Harriet Martineau
Social activist who travelled around the states and wrote about social changes that were radical for this time period. Translated Compte’s work into English, making his ideas accessible to England and The States
Auguste Comte
Developed a theory of the progress of human thinking that came to be known as positivism(the theory that sense perceptions are the only valid source of knowledge) Laid groundwork for future sociologists and helped to establish the discipline
Emile Durkheim
Central figure of the Functionalist theory-(paradigm based on the assumption that society is a unified whole that functions because of the contributions of its separate structures. He studied the social factors that bond and hold people together.
Erving Goffman
Studied how the self is developed through interactions with others in society. He elaborated on Mead’s ideas by using the theatrical metaphor of dramaturgy to describe the ways in which we engage in a strategic presentation of ourselves to others.
Feminist Theory
A theoretical approach that looks at gender inequalities in society and the way that gender structures the social world. Feminist theory developed along side the 20th century women’s rights movement. Judith Butler, bell hooks and Catherine MacKinnon argue the gender and power or extract of the intertwined in society through other social hierarchies, such as race and ethnicity
,class, and sexual orientation
Capitalists
A wealthy person who uses money to invest in trade and industry for profit in accordance with the principles of capitalism.
Scientific method
Procedure for acquiring knowledge that emphasizes collecting data through observation and experiment. 1.) identify a problem or ask a question. 2.) Conduct a literature review. 3.)Form a hypothesis give, operational definitions to variables. 4.)Choose a research design or method. 5.)Collect data. 6.)Analyze data. 7.)Disseminate findings.
Survey
Questionnaires that are administered to a sample of responding selected from a target population. Sociologists often use probability sampling to obtain a sample that reflects the characteristics of members of the target population. Survey research tends to look at a large scale social patterns and employ statistics and other mathematical means of analysis.
Quantitive research
Translate the social world into numbers that can be studied mathematically.
Qualitative research
Uses nonnumerical data like texts, interviews, photos and recordings to help us understand social life
Literature review
A thorough search through previously published studies relevant to a particular topic.
Autoethnography
A form of participant observation in which the feelings and actions of the researcher become a focal point of the ethnographic study.
Interviews
Interviews are person-to-person conversations for the purpose of gathering information by means of questions posed to respondents. Can be open ended meaning let’s respondents talk as much as they like about the question. Close ended questions give respondents choices of answers
Ethnography
1 )A naturalistic method based on studying people in their own environment in order to understand the meanings they attribute to their activities; also,2) the written work that results from the study. Deductive approach meaning form hypothesis first test later for accuracy. Inductive approach begin with specific observations then form generalizations
Sample
The members of the target population who will actually be studied
Population
All the inhabitants of a particular town, area, or a country. Target population is The entire group about which a researcher would like to be able to generalize.
Field Notes
An item in a systematic record of the measurements made by a surveyor or the observations of a researcher in the field
Open ended questions
Let’s respondent talk as much as they’d like about the question you asked
Close ended questions
Gives respondents a choice of answers
Existing sources
Refers to any data that has already been collected by early researchers and is available for future research. An example is unobtrusive measure, that does not disturb the sitting or subjects under study. And another existing source is a comparative historical research which involves analysis of different regions and time periods
Culture
The entire way of life of a group of people. This can include language, beauty standards, hand gestures, styles of dresses food and music. Culture is learned and paste on generation to generation through communication not genetics. Material and nonmaterial. Act as a lens through which one views the world
Ethnocentrism
Occurs when people use their own culture as a standard to evaluate another group or individual, leading to the view that cultures other than their own are abnormal
Culture shock
A sense of disorientation that occurs when entering a radically new or social environment. Normal behaviors in one society or culture may seem very strange in another and putting a judgment aside allows us to truly perceive what we experience.
Cultural relativism
The principle of understanding other cultures on their own terms, rather than judging or evaluating according to one’s own culture
Cultural lag
The time between changes in material culture or technology and the resulting changes in the broader cultures relevant norms, values, meanings, and laws
Material culture
The objects associated with a cultural group, such as tools, machines, utensils, buildings, and artwork; any physical object to which we give social meaning
Values
Ideas about what is right or wrong, good or bad, desirable or worthy, in a particular group; they express what the group cherishes and honors
Counterculture
A group within society that openly rejects or actively opposes society’s values and norms
Gestures
the ways in which people use their bodies to communicate without words; actions that have symbolic meaning
Norms
rules or guidelines regarding what kinds of behavior are acceptable and appropriate within a particular culture; these typically emanate from the group’s values
Law
types of norms that are formally codified to provide an explicit statement about what is permissible or forbidden, legal or illegal in a given society
Folkways
loosely enforced norms involving common customs, practices, or procedures that ensure smooth social interaction and acceptance
Dominant Culture
the values, norms, and practices of the group within society that is most powerful (in terms of wealth, prestige, status, influence, etc.)
Cultural leveling
the process by which cultures that were once unique and distinct become increasingly similar
Multiculturalism
a policy that values diverse racial, ethnic, national, and linguistic backgrounds and so encourages the retention of cultural differences within the larger society
Subculture
a group within society that is differentiated by its distinctive values, norms, and lifestyle
Mores
norms that carry great moral significance, are closely related to the core values of a cultural group, and often involve severe repercussions for violators
Taboos
a norm ingrained so deeply that even thinking about violating it evokes strong feelings of disgust, horror, or revulsion
Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
the idea that language structures thought and that ways of looking at the world are embedded in language
Sanctions
positive or negative reactions to the ways that people follow or disobey norms, including rewards for conformity and punishments for violations
Symbolic culture
Includes ways of thinking(beliefs, values, and assumptions) and ways of behaving (norms, interactions, and communication
Cultural Essentials
Language, standards of beauty, hand gestures, style of dress, food, and music.
Minority Culture
a culturally, ethnically, or racially distinct group that coexists with but is subordinate to a more dominant group.
Stereotyping
judging others based on preconceived generalizations about groups or categories of people
Cultural universals
concepts, social constructs, or patterns of behavior that are common to ALL human cultures; meaning every society in existence exhibits some form of the universal.
Socialization
the process of learning and internalizing the values, beliefs, and norms of our social group, by which we become functioning members of society
Agent of Socialization
social groups, institutions, and individuals (especially the family, schools, peers, and the media) that provide structured situations in which socialization takes place
Nature vs. Nurture
the ongoing discussion of the respective roles of genetics and socialization in determining individual behaviors and traits
Charles Cooley
Believed that the sense of self depends on seeing oneself reflected in interactions with others.
Sigmund Freud
Usually associated with psychoanalysis, but his theories have also helped sociologists gain a better understanding of social behavior. He developed the idea of the subconscious mind and the unconscious mind, which he believed control most drives, impulses, thought and behaviors
George Herbert Mead
Expanded Cooley’s ideas. Mead also believed that the self is created through social interaction and that this process starts in childhood as children begin to acquire language skills. Devolved Preparatory, play, and game stage
Erving Goffman
Believed the meaning is constructed through interaction. His approach, dramaturgy, compares social interaction to the theatre, where individuals take on roles and act them out for an audience. Saw social life as a game, we work to control the impressions other have us, called impression management
Looking-glass self
Refers to the notion that the self develops through our perception of others’ evaluation and appraisals of us. Created by Charles Cooney
Role
the set of behaviors expected of someone because of their status
Status
a position in a social hierarchy that carries a particular set of expectations
Ascribe Status
a status that is inborn; usually difficult or impossible to change
Embodied status
A status generated by physician characteristics
Achieved status
A status earned through individual effort or imposed by others
Master status
A status that is always relevant and affects all other statuses we possess
Resocialization
the process of replacing previously learned norms and values with new ones as part of a transition in life
Role conflict
experienced when we occupy two or more roles with contradictory expectations
Role strain
Experienced when there are contradictory expectations within one role.
Role exit
The process of leaving a role that we will no longer occupy
Feral children
in myths and rare real-world cases, children who have had little human contact and may have lived in social isolation from a young age
Saturated self
a postmodern idea that the self is now developed by multiple influences chosen from a wide range of media sources
Self
the individual’s conscious, reflexive experience of a personal identity separate and distinct from others
Goals of socialization
teaching impulse control and developing a conscience, preparing people to perform certain social roles, and cultivating shared sources of meaning and value.
Dysfunction
A disturbance to or undesirable consequence of some aspect of the social system.
Howard Becker Sociology
The study of people “doing things together”
Our survival on how we live in various groups (families, neighborhoods, dorms).
Our sense of self forms w membership in society.
Social science
The disciplines that use the scientific method to examine the social world.
Sociological Perspective
A way of looking at the world through a sociological lens.
Theories
Abstract propositions that explain the social world and make predictions about the future.
Paradigm
A set of assumptions, theories, and perspectives that makes up a way of understanding social reality.
Positivism
The theory that sense perceptions are the only valid source of knowledge.- Auguste Comte
Herbert Spencer
Established sociology in Britain and America- Social Darwinism
Social Darwinism
The application of the theory of evolution and the notion of “survival of the fittest” to the study of society.
Solidarity
The degree of integration or unity within a particular society; the extent to which individuals feel connected to other members of their group.
Mechanical Solidarity
The type of social bonds present in premodern, agrarian societies, in which shared traditions and beliefs created a sense of social cohesion.
Organic Solidarity
The type of social bonds present in modern societies, based on difference, interdependence, and individual rights.
Anomie
“Normlessness”; term used to describe the alienation and loss of purpose that result from weaker social bonds and an increased pace of change.- Durkheim
Sacred
The holy, divine, or supernatural.
Profane
The ordinary, mundane, or everyday.
Empirical
Based on scientific experimentation or observation.
Manifest Structure
The obvious, intended functions of a social structure for the social system.
Latent functions
The less obvious, perhaps unintended functions of a social structure.
Alienation
The sense of dissatisfaction the modern worker feels as a result of producing goods that are owned and controlled by someone else.
False Consciousness
A denial of the truth on the part of the oppressed when they fail to recognize that the interests of the ruling class are embedded in the dominant ideology.
