Theoretical Perspectives I: Critical Thinking

Question 1

Empirical Discipline

Answer 1

examines objective facts about the outside world based on gathered data.

Question 2

Theoretical Discipline

Answer 2

focused on abstraction, identifying basic principles and deduction,

Question 3

Theory

Answer 3

Conceptual explanation of empirical data, which identifies an underlying principle that governs real outcomes

Question 4

3 facts about theories

Answer 4

• use clearly-defined concepts to categories groups by their shared characteristics
• describe consistent social relations, or persistent interactions between categories of people they identify
• may be falsifiable: could be used to predict things in society in a way that allows testing theories and modify or reject them if even turns out differently

Question 5

what are theories used for ?

Answer 5

Help explain and understand the data : offering frame work to think about social phenomena

Question 6

Empirical

Answer 6

describes the things we can see and measure directly, based on the data

Question 7

theoretical paradigm

Answer 7

general approach that governs what sort of data sociologists use and shapes how they explain it

Question 8

Critical Theory

Answer 8

Society that is shaped by group conflict : looks at power inequities and oppression.

Question 9

Symbolic Interactionism

Answer 9

Society as a product of meaningful individual action, not overall structure.
(focuses on culture, socialization, etc to explain things)

Question 10

Structural Functionalism

Answer 10

Treats society as a coherent single unit; asks about function parts

• assumes things have a positive role for society

Question 11

Critical theorists viewpoints on gender inequalities

Answer 11

always assume that inequality is FORCED.

Question 12

Symbolic interactionist’s viewpoints on gender inequalities

Answer 12

ask how and why individual learn to behave in gender-specific ways

Question 13

Structural functionalists viewpoints on gender inequalities

Answer 13

asumes EVERYTHING is for the good of society

Question 14

great chain of being

Answer 14

mediaeval theory that everything that exists could be ranked, from rocks and stones at the bottom, through plants, animals and humans

Question 15

what claims came from the theory of “divine rights of kings”?

Answer 15

monarchs were on top because God wished it to be thus.

Question 16

State of nature arguments

Answer 16

thought-experimetn of what human society would be like without any government, in a ‘state of nature’

Question 17

Legal Equality

Answer 17

same laws apply to everyone, regardless of class, race and gender

Question 18

Political equality

Answer 18

all citizens have same rights to vote, to due process of law.etc

Question 19

Social equality

Answer 19

similar level of wealth and status for everyone.

Question 20

Karl Marx

Answer 20

founder of critical theory as a rigorous sociological approach,

Question 21

what was Karl Marx’s goal

Answer 21

explain inequality and exploitation within a social system through the use of social-theoretical analysis of capitalism to identify certain contradictions and problems inherent to system.

Question 22

why are critical theories “so-called”?

Answer 22

criticize existing power imbalances in society: they assume that this benefits one particular group at the expense of others.

Question 23

what assumptions are made for conflict theory

Answer 23

there must be groups struggling for positions against one another

Question 24

the proletariat

Answer 24

groups of people who live by selling their labour to earn a wage

Question 25

The bourgeoisie

Answer 25

groups of people who live by paying others for their labour and selling the item they produce

Question 26

Marx’s definition of Class

Answer 26

Position in society, defined by whether you own the means of production required stay alive

Question 27

power

Answer 27

any social resource that allows you to get what you want regardless of the opposition of others

Question 28

Max weber

Answer 28

Known as ‘the bourgeois Marx’ rejected Marx’s structural account of society, but accepted the idea that conflict is integral to modern societies

Question 29

Weber’s definition of class

Answer 29

Raw wealth

Question 30

Weber’s definition of status

Answer 30

honour or social esteem; struggle for respect of others, which gives access to certain privileges

Question 31

Marx’s beliefs on social, power and conflict.

Answer 31

society: a clear system of production; classes are positions within that system

Power: derived solely from position in economic system

Conflict: caused by structure of society, which pits one class against another

Question 32

Weber’s beliefs on social, power and conflict.

Answer 32

Social: a number of separate, self-defined groups struggling to control resources.

Power: comes from combination of class, status, and political power

Conflicts: caused by groups seeking to dominate one another, and to seize control of valuable resources

Question 33

Power Elite or Oligarchy

Answer 33

a small, relatively-homogeneous dominant social group, which controls the main levers of power, often hides its influence, and restricts who can join.

Question 34

C. Wright Mills

Answer 34

the power elite, identifies key demographic groups who control most important positions in US society, including politics, media and economy

Question 35

Vertical Mosaic

Answer 35

Porters term to describe power hierarchy in Canada: a vertical hierarchy f racial or ethical groups

Question 36

John Porter’s vertical mosaic

Answer 36

assessed by Canadian society to teat ideas “ that Canadians are all relatively equal in their possessions, in the amount of money they earn and in the opportunities which they and their children have to get on in the world

Question 37

Achieved Status

Answer 37

Status or social rank that you have earned by your actions in theory anyone could gain or lose this rank or position

Question 38

How are hierarchies described by Marx and Weber?

Answer 38

People have the ability to move around.

eg. a worker might get rich enough to become an employer- its unlikely, but not impossible.

Question 39

Feminist theory

Answer 39

Focuses on society wine advantages of males over females

Question 40

Critical Race Theory

Answer 40

focuses on systematic, structural advantages of one socially-defined racial or ethic group, often rooted in historical exclusion

Question 41

Closure

Answer 41

Strategy used by dominant group to prevent access to reward by others

Question 42

Frank Parkin

Answer 42

Drew the idea of closure from Weber to describe how dominant groups restrict access to certain privileges by arbitrary characteristics

Question 43

ideological Hegemony

Answer 43

ability of a ruling class to set the values, norms and cultural standards for their society

Question 44

Antonio Gramsci

Answer 44

Emphasized the need for ruling class to be accepted by the people it dominates as somehow justified in their position