Soc Midterm 1 Flashcards
what is sociology?
the study of human beings in relation to one another (study of society)
what do sociologists study?
interconnections between society
macro-level
border social forces
idea that nothing is in your control
micro-level
individual experiences/choices
looking for ways that society shapes people’s choices instead of their actions being shaped solely by personal choices
strange in the familiar
broader social patterns reflected in the actions of individuals
general in the particular
society’s expectations of how we are supposed to be
norms
people’s capacity to make choices, which then have an impact on people around them and the society they live in
agency
the opportunities someone has based on various factors, including ethnicity and gender
life chances
3 approaches to theorizing:
positivist
interpretive
critical
ability to perceive interconnections between individual experiences and larger sociocultural forces
sociological imagination
-person who defined the definition of sociology on the basis of the sociological imagination
-looked at difference between micro (biography) and macro (history)
-goal was a better, more equal society
C. Wright Mills (1916-1962)
-signifiant forerunner to sociology
-looked at power dynamics within society and how certain hierarchies emerge
Khaldun (1332-1406)
-time in which there was a change in the order and thinking of the universe
-power of religion declined, power of science grew (turning to more evidence-based thinking)
French Revolution (1789-1799) and the accompanying Enlightenment
-coined the term sociology
-suggested that scientific method/empirical research could be applied to social phenomenon
Auguste Comte (1798-1857)
basic orientation of sociology
“society is greater than the sum of all its parts”
sociological toolkit
-empirical research methods
-sociological theorizing
-critical thinking
data collection that produces verifiable findings; carried out using systematic procedures
empirical methods
propositions intended to explain facts/phenomenon
theory
approach to theorizing that emphasizes explanation and prediction; quantitative, related to science
excludes information/context»_space; flawed
Emile Durkheim
positive approach
approach to theorizing that focuses on the ways people come to understand themselves, others, and the world around them
Max Weber
interpretive approach
approach to theorizing that explores that explains the role power plays in social processes and emphasizes the importance of knowledge being tied to emancipation; power dynamic that needs to be examined
Michel Foucault and Karl Marx
critical approach
time period:
distinct disciplinary boundaries (between Social, psych, anthropology, history, etc.)
20th century
time period:
post-disciplinary and interdisciplinarity (boundaries between disciplines are being erased)
21st century
-one of the founders of the functionalist view
-said science could be explained by society
-thought there were laws governing society and that’s how it’s able to operate outside of individuals
-did studies on suicide, discovered that catholics were less likely to commit suicide than protistans
-took positivist approach
Emile Durkheim (1858-1917)
-worked toward empathetic understanding (looked at context to understand self/others)
-interpretive approach
Max Weber (1864-1920)
-had the idea that power cannot be overcome, it just shifts location
-repressive hypothesis - you are deluded if you are moving toward a utopian ideal
-critical approach
Michel Foucault
-criticized capitalism and how it was unfair
-created a utopian end ideal
-idea that power can be overcome by dismantling it
-thought the way we organize society is why some people succeed and some don’t
Karl Marx (1813-1883)
an intended function of one of society’s structures
manifest functions
an unintended function of one of society’s structures
latent functions
collectively shared criteria by which we determine whether something is right or wrong
values
one of society’s structures no longer fulfills its function effectively
dysfunctional
a feeling of normlessness
anomie
-doesn’t acknowledge hierarchy in society
-how different aspects of society interact with each other
-everyone pays a functional role in society
-society is like a living organism working toward homeostasis
functionalist perspective
traditional institutions in a society:
economy
family
politics
education
religion
newer institutions in society:
science and technology
mass media
sport
military
medicine
