Sociology Midterm Flashcards
Sociology
study of social life, social group, social institutions, & society
Sociological Imagination & Perspective
SI- individual experiences shape our perception of the world around us
SP- attempt to question the obvious, looking at society & cultures objectively & critically
Microsociology & Macrosociology
Micro- Small group dynamics and individuals
Macro- large groups and social institutions
Popular Wisdoms
(True or false)
-Polygamy is legal in parts of the US
-Cracking joints causes arthritis
-Sugar makes kids hyper
-Humans use 10% of their brain
Pure Science & Applied Science
PS- goal is to advance a science or discipline through research and publication
AS- occurs when pure science is used in professional occupations (nursing, counseling, business, etc._
Social Science disciplines
economics, political science, anthropology, psychology, history, geography
Structural Functionalism
-Society is viewed as having interconnected social systems
-Studies if social systems, policies, laws, social programs are working in a functional way, which benefits society or dysfunctionally, not working properly
Conflict Theory
-Studies social conflict and social inequality in society based on social class, race, ethnicity, sex, age, religion, sexual orientation, etc. and how it affects people’s lives
Social Movement
Social movements are collective efforts to produce political, economic, and/or cultural change.
Symbolic Interactionism
-Studies how symbols, language, body language is used to convey meaning within a culture
- Evaluates how personal experiences, trauma, perception & feelings shape interactions within small groups, family units, couples & individually in positive and negative ways
Feminist Theory
-Seeks to understand the effects of gender inequality,
patriarchy, sexism, gender roles, sexual assault &
gender stereotypes have on the lives of women
culturally and individually
-Studies Women’s Movements in the US and abroad
Class Consciousness
awareness of one’s own social or economic rank in society. a feeling of identification and solidarity with those belonging to the same social or economic class as oneself.
Collective Conscious
The collective consciousness of society is the shared set of values or beliefs that people have
Methodology
-Process of gathering data and conducting proper
research to discover valid, reliable &
empirical/scientific evidence
Objectivity
believes personal agenda & feelings of researcher must never influence the date reported or interpretation of results
Primary Sources & Secondary Sources
Primary Sources- data from the original author
◦ Academic journals
◦ Original letters, audio, video
◦ Census data, Autobiographies
Secondary Sources- data interpreted by someone
other than the original author
◦ Dictionaries/Encyclopedias
◦ Biographies, Textbooks
Hypothesis
-educated guess; a testable statement about the predicted relationship between 2 or more variables
Directional Hypothesis- direct vs. inverse relationship
Directional hypothesis
-Direct relationship- variables move in same direction
-Inverse/indirect relationship- variables move in the
opposite direction
Null Hypothesis
No relationship between the variables being tested
Secondary analysis
research data conducted by others
◦ US Census
◦ General Social Survey
◦ American Community Survey
◦ Vital statistics
Surveys
Questionnaire or Interviews (Most common)
◦ Population- target audience
◦ Sample- smaller representation of the population
Population
refers to a group of human beings with some predefined criterion in common, such as location, race, ethnicity, nationality, or religion.
Sample
a group of people, objects, or items that are taken from a larger population for measurement.
Observational research
a. Laboratory observations
b. Field observations
c. Participant observations/ethnography
- “Hawthorne Effect”
Lab observations
observing the behavior of subjects that are in a controlled environment. Because of the controlled environment variable factors can be controlled which therefore leads to a limited number of possible responses.
Hawthorne effect
refers to the fact that people will modify their behavior simply because they are being observed. T
Mean, Median, Mode
mean- average
median- middle value of data set ordered from least to greatest
mode- number that occurs most often in data set
Reliability
the extent to which, if you repeated the research, you would get the same results.
Validity
Validity is whether you are measuring what you say you were measuring
Theory
set of ideas that provides an explanation for human society
Exploratory, Descriptive, & Explanatory Research
Exploratory: Research investigating a new social phenomenon yet to be studied. E.g:Will COVID-19 cause any mental health issues for children?
Descriptive: Research describing the social world through data collection. E.g: What male age group has the highest suicide rates?
Explanatory: Research attempting to explain why a social event is occurring; cause and effect relationship. E.g: Why are obesity rates rising in the US?
Society
the people who interact in such a way as to share a common culture. The cultural bond may be ethnic or racial, based on gender, or due to shared beliefs, values, and activities.
Culture
societal norm, values, and beliefs that a group of people ascribe to.
Cultural Universals
concepts, social constructs, or patterns of behavior that are common to ALL human cultures; every society in existence exhibits some form of the universal.
Ethnocentrism & Xenocentrism
Ethnocentrism- belief that one’s own culture is superior and correct in comparison to others
Xenocentrism- belief that other cultures are better than one’s own culture.
Cultural Relativism
the ability to understand a culture on its own terms and not to make judgments using the standards of one’s own culture.
Elements of Culture: symbols, language, values, beliefs, norms, folkways, mores
Norms- rules of conduct/social expectations for behavior in a given situation
Cultural lag
when changes in technology occur more quickly than changes in society’s morales and values
High culture, Subcultures, Countercultures, Pop Culture, Folk Culture
Countercultures- subculture whose norms, values, & lifestyles opposes significant aspects of mainstream society, often viewed by society as deviant
Social Status- Ascribed status, achieved status, master status
Achieved- denoting a social position that a person can acquire on the basis of merit; it is a position that is earned or chosen.reflects personal skills, abilities, and efforts.
Ascribed-social status a person is assigned at birth or assumed involuntarily later in life. It is a position that is neither earned nor chosen but assigned.
Master-social position that is the primary identifying characteristic of an individual. It is defined as “a status that has exceptional importance for social identity, often shaping a person’s entire life”
Role ambiguity, role strain, role conflict
Role ambiguity- when a person who doesn’t understand what is expected of them w/ particular social status/position held
Statistical groups, categorical groups, aggregate groups, peer groups, organizational groups
Aggregate- Random, loosely formed social groups encountered throughout one’s daily life
Organizational- Formal social groups, Meet regularly
Peer- Primary groups of a similar ages, create a sense of belonging and emotional support
Primary groups, secondary groups, primary & secondary group dynamic, in & out groups, In-group & out-group dynamic
Primary- Include family & friends, lifelong relationships, provide emotional, social & financial support
Secondary- include coworkers & classmates, Goal-oriented social groups, tend to be temporary, spend most our day in these groups
Primary & secondary group dynamic- Main difference between primary and secondary group: amount of emotional connection. These social groups are fluid, meaning people move into and out of these groups
Out groups- Groups one does NOT feel emotionally or socially connected (diff religion, political party, sports
team, etc.)
In groups- Groups one feels a sense of “we-ness” and unity (similar culture, age range, generation, interests, etc.)
In group and out- group dynamic-
When the in-group is attacked by the out-group…
1. In-group tends to unify against the out-group
2. In-group may start stereotyping the out-group
-Rival gang conflicts
-Abusive relationships
-Pearl Harbor attack
during WWII
Formal organizations
-Large social groups created to provide a service &
may be non-profit or for-profit
-Hospitals
-Prisons
-Universities
-Churches
-Military
-Charity organizations
Bureaucracy
-Purpose is to increase efficiency, provide excellent
service, & to strengthen the organization
1. Clear, objective policies
2. Qualifications
3. Division of labor/Chain of command
4. Professionalism/Loyalty to organization
Contribution of Auguste Comte
-Father of sociology, French philospher
-Law of Human Progress
1. Theological stage (Fictitious)
2. Metaphysical state (Abstract)
3. Scientific Stage (Positivism)
Contribution of Herbert Specer
-Social Darwinism: animals, humans adapt & some are innately stronger than others
-Coined “survival of the fittest”
Policy of non-interference
-opposed public education
-opposed legislation to help solve social problems
-if the weak and poor are not helped and go away, “society is stronger”
-Policy of non-interference is widely rejected by sociologist
Contribution of Karl Marx
Communist Manifesto
-Social conflict- conflict between groups over valued resources
1. Bourgeoisie (Ruling Class)
2. Proletariat (Working Class)
-Class consciousness
-views helped shaped the concepts of oppressed groups coming together in social movements to change society
-founder of conflict theory (macro-sociological theory)
Contribution of Emile Durkheim
*Created first European department of sociology
-collective conscience
-religion is a source of “camaraderie and solidarity”
*“Suicide: A study in Sociology”
1. Egoistic suicide- lack of integration
2. Altruistic suicide- too much integration
3. Anomic suicide- lack of regulation
4. Fatalistic suicide- too much regulation
Contribution of Max Weber
-“Protestant Ethic & Spirit of Capitalism”
*Bureaucracies
-studied the efficiency of large companies over “mom and pop” stores & the negative affect on employees, such as boredom and feeling devalued
*Verstehen- empathetic understanding of individuals, allowing for a deeper understanding of society
-embraced anti-positivism and cultural relativisim
Contribution of Harriet Martineau
-First femal sociologist
-Wrote many books from sociological, religious, domestic, & feminist perspective
-“When one studies a society, one must focus on all its
aspects, including key political, religious, and social
institutions.”
Contribution of President Franklin D. Roosevelt
-Roosevelt promised a “new deal”
-FDR was able to pull the United States away from the brink of economic, social, and perhaps even political, disaster—and lay the foundation for future stability and prosperity.
Contribution of Jane Addams
-Sociologist, advocate for women, the poor
-Founder of Chicago Hull-House
*Provided english/citizenship classes to European immigrants, healthcare, kingergartens, daycares & employment services
-Helped pass child labor laws
-Advocated for peace during WWI
-Recieved Nobel Peace Prize in 1931
Contribution of W.E.B Dubois
-Sociologist, Civil Rights activist, author
-First AA to recieve PhD from Harvard (1895)
-Co-Founder National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
Industrial Revolution
-Mid-1800s in Europe
-Interdisciplinary science
-Social problems influenced sociology’s origins
◦ Migration patterns
◦ Unsanitary conditions
◦ Substance abuse
◦ Crime
◦ Poverty
◦ Child labor
The New Deal
Focused on relief for the unemployed and for the poor, recovery of the economy back to normal levels, and reform of the financial system to prevent a repeat depression.
Social Security Act of 1935
-Created a social insurance program designed to pay retired workers age 65 or older a continuing income after retirement.
-Public Assistance, Unemployment Compensation and Old-Age Insurance
Women’s Suffrage
a decades-long fight to win the right to vote for women in the United States. It took activists and reformers nearly 100 years to win that right,
Equal Pay Act
protects against wage discrimination based on sex.
Title VII of Civil Rights Act
prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin
Title IX of Education Amendments Act
No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.
Abolitionist Movement
an organized effort to end the practice of slavery in the United States
Women’s Movement
an organized effort to end the practice of slavery in the United States
Civil Rights Movement
The civil rights movement was an organized effort by Black Americans to end racial discrimination and gain equal rights under the law.
Labor Movement
The workers wanted more safety regulations, better wages, fewer hours, and freedom of speech and assembly.
LGBTQ+ Movement
social movements that advocate for LGBT people in society. Some focus on equal rights, such as the ongoing movement for same-sex marriage, while others focus on liberation
