Sociology Flashcards
What is sociology?
The systematic study of human social life, groups, and societies.
What do sociologists study?
A: How groups and societies shape individuals and how individuals’ actions affect society
What is a society?
A group of people who live in a defined territory and share the same culture, including people, institutions, shared beliefs, and cultural ideas.
Who is considered the father of sociology?
Auguste Comte.
What did Auguste Comte contribute to sociology?
Defined sociology as the systematic study of society, believed in constant social change, and developed theories on social inequality.
What is positivism?
The application of the scientific method to obtain concrete, measurable, and testable data to understand society.
What do sociologists do?
Study interactions, actions, beliefs, and behaviors in societies to understand and compare them, and use research results to solve social problems and promote social change.
What are some areas sociologists study?
Behavior, religion, family interaction, politics, statistics, power hierarchies, crime, media, gender and sex, environment, and social class.
What is the aim of sociology?
To take personal experiences and show their relation to larger social issues.
How do sociologists use their research?
To solve social problems and bring about social change.
What are social institutions?
Organizations or social frameworks that meet the basic needs of society’s members by providing direction and operating principles.
Name the five social institutions found in all cultures.
Family, religion, education, government, and economy
What are the three central purposes of social institutions?
to socialize and teach appropriate behavior, provide order and stability, and ensure safety and security.
What is social structure?
A system of social relations occurring between social institutions or groups, determining social interactions.
What is macro sociology?
The analysis of societies, social systems, and populations on a large scale, focusing on larger social systems rather than individuals.
What is micro sociology?
Focuses on individual social activities, emphasizing social status and roles based on empirical observation.
What is structural functionalism?
A theory that focuses on how social structures function within society, viewing institutions as interdependent parts that work together to meet individual needs.
How does structural functionalism view society?
As stable when social institutions meet the needs of its citizens, with institutions modeling social norms and providing positive reinforcement.
Who is Emile Durkheim and what did he contribute to sociology?
A French sociologist who originated structural functionalism and observed that humans define themselves by social interactions.
How did Durkheim view suicide?
As a result of social disorganization or lack of social integration and solidarity, rather than a purely individual act.
What is the importance of status and roles within society?
They ensure that individuals fill specific positions and demonstrate expected behaviors, making institutions and society function smoothly.
What are norms and values in structural functionalism?
Norms are the most prevalent behaviors and expectations in society, while values are social principles accepted by society or groups within it.
What is role specialization?
The process where individuals in society perform specific roles, increasing efficiency within institutions like families
How do individuals learn the roles they are expected to play in society?
Through the process of socialization, where they are taught the appropriate behaviors for various roles.
What does conflict theory focus on?
Economic and political power, and the competition between different groups due to inequalities in power.
What is role strain?
The stress experienced when a person has multiple roles to play at the same time, such as a teacher juggling teaching, grading, and mentoring.
How does conflict theory view power in society?
As a force that holds society together, but also as a source of conflict between different groups.
Who was Karl Marx and what was his contribution to conflict theory?
A leading conflict sociologist who described capitalism, class divisions, and the concept that “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.”
What is social stratification?
The processes that define certain occupations and goods as socially desirable, leading to unequal resource distribution.
How does conflict theory apply to socioeconomic status?
By examining how education, money, and occupation contribute to social class differences and inequalities.
What is achieved status?
A social position obtained through personal effort and accomplishment.
What is ascribed status?
A social position assigned at birth, such as race, sex, or inherited wealth.
Who are the bourgeoisie according to Marx?
The wealthy owners of businesses and factories who control the means of production and the livelihood of working people.
What is the focus of George Dei’s research?
Racial inequality and anti-racism in schools, examining power imbalances from a conflict theory perspective.
What are some principles of anti-racism according to George Dei?
Holistic education, strong community relationships, fighting oppression and racism, diverse representations in learning materials, and societal transformation.
How does conflict theory explain inequality?
As a result of some people exploiting others for personal gain.
What does feminist theory examine?
Gender inequality and how men control women’s lives in terms of jobs, finances, and bodies.
How would structural functionalists explain social stratification?
As necessary for society to function.
What is social feminism?
A theory that views women’s status and social inequality as rooted in the sexual division of paid and unpaid labor.
What did Dorothy Smith contribute to feminist theory?
She argued that women have been marginalized in a society constructed to favor men, leading to gender inequality.
What is propinquity?
he tendency to marry someone within a five-mile radius of where you live or go to school.
Who are the proletariats?
the workers who work hard to make the bourgeoisie rich
Who are the bourgeoisie?
The top 1 percent who control everyone else, typically the owners of businesses and factories.
What is symbolic interactionism?
A theory that focuses on how individuals learn about their culture and shape their behavior through interaction and the use of symbols.
What are symbols in symbolic interactionism?
Gender, facial expressions, words, sign language, and other forms of communication.
What is interaction in symbolic interactionism?
The action that occurs as two or more objects have an effect upon one another.
How do humans interact according to symbolic interactionism?
Through symbols such as words, gestures, and facial expressions, modifying behavior based on others’ reactions.
What is the “looking glass theory” by Charles Cooley?
The concept that an individual’s self-perception is based on how they believe others perceive them.
What was Phillip Zimbardo’s experiment, and what did it demonstrate?
The mock prison experiment, which showed that individuals put on different “masks” and behave according to their roles in society.
How did George Herbert Mead expand on Cooley’s ideas?
By suggesting that individuals understand their social roles and act according to how they interpret others’ expectations.