Thinking Sociologically Flashcards
module 2
Who is Ibn Khaldun?
the first person to systematically study sociological topics and he developed an evolutionary theory of history, politics and society
when was Ibn Khaldun alive?
1332-1406
what was the origins of sociology as a science associated with in Europe?
the rise of modernity in the 19th century
where were the first sociology departments in Canada?
McGill and U of T
who are some Canadian sociologists?
John Porter and Dorothy Smith
Who is John Porter?
he studied social class and ethnicity
what is John Porters pivotal book called and what year did it come out?
The Vertical Mosaic: An Analysis of Social Class and Power in Canada. (1965)
what is Dorothy Smith known for?
feminist standpoint theory and the method of institutional ethnography
what does thinking sociologically entail?
looking for patterns in how people do things in relation to others
what do sociologists want to be able to explain?
events in the social world in terms of factors aside from any one individual
what is sociology different from?
other social sciences and journalistic ways of documenting things that happen in the world
what is one of the most interesting and challenging things about learning to think like a sociologist?
the sociological paradox
what is the sociological paradox?
things that we want to observe, explain and understand can’t normally be directly observed
what is sociological theory used for?
-to help identify the historical and societal forces influencing our daily lives
-to offer the kinds of questions to ask in a study of social behavior and provides specialized language
who coined the term sociological imagination?
C. Wright Mills
what is the primary focus of the sociological imagination?
society not the individual
what does the sociological imagination allow us to understand?
individuals circumstances as shaped by social forces
what does the sociological imagination help us understand?
the connection between the political and the personal
what do sociological theories relate to?
the question of “why” in relation to social life
where do research questions flow from?
theoretical positions
what are some elements of sociological theory?
-definitions and concepts
-descriptions
-relationships
why do we need theories?
-help to make sense of patterns and suggest possibilities for change/action
-shapes and directs future research
Researchers tend to use theories associated with what?
particular paradigms
what is a paradigm?
a foundational frame of reference
Paradigms are often what?
implicit, assumed or taken for granted
what is social scientific paradigms?
different ways of looking at human social life
what does each social scientific paradigm have?
fundamental assumptions about the nature of social reality
are paradigms true or false?
neither they are more or less useful
what are the 4 c’s? (the conflict-oriented paradigms)
-Contestation
-Conflict
-Classification
-Change
what is other foci for conflict paradigms?
gender, ethnicity, nations, organizations, departments
what did Karl Marx say about social behavior?
it can be best understood as a process of conflict between economic classes
what do social groups have?
conflict interest
what is a multi-factor approach to social research?
intersectionality
what is intersectionality?
the analytic position that recognizes forms of inequality operating layer upon layer to differentially distribute advantages for and discrimination against a group
simplified version - ways social conflicts overlap or become exaggerated as they interact
what is an example of intersectionality
gender inequalities in income in a workplace are intersected by racial classifications
-women make less then men already but racialized women make even less in relation to other women
what do interpretivist paradigms aim to incorporate?
both explanations and understanding of social phenomenon
why did interpretivism arise?
as a critique of positivist paradigms
what does interpretivism focus on?
the interpretation of human actions based on the subjective meaning that people give to their actions
what did George Herbert Mead develop?
Symbolic interactionism
what is symbolic interactionism?
individuals create common understanding through the use of language and other symbolic systems
-we are socialized to take on the role of the “generalized other”
what was Georg Simmel interested in?
the social interaction between individuals in smaller groups (interactionist paradigm)
what did Emile Durkheim suggest?
that crime and punishment reaffirms societal values
what can social organizations or institutions be understood as in structural functionalism?
as organisms or systems with various components serving different functions
who are the feminist researchers that began to look at the social world from the standpoint of women?
Nancy Hartsock, Dorothy Smith, Patricia Hill-Collins
what becomes important considerations in social science research when think about a critical paradigm?
-subjectivity
-context
-history
what is postmodern?
focus on language and the discursive structuring of society
what is postpositivism?
empirical observations are influenced by subjectivity
modernity of a positivist paradigms
philosophical paradigms shifts towards paradigms based on empirical observation
enlightenment of positivist paradigms
religious paradigm was shifted by philosophical paradigm (belief was replaced by metaphysics)
what can sociology as a discipline be categorized based on?
the audience for whom the work is intended
what are different audiences in sociology
-professional sociology
-critical sociology
-policy sociology
-public sociology
what is professional sociology research designed to do?
generate highly specific information, often with the aim of applying it to a particular problem or intellectual question
what is professional sociology research written in
highly technical and specialized language
what is the audience of professional sociology
-academic and professional readers
-sociology departments
-scholarly journals
-professional association
-conferences
what does critical sociology aim to make sure?
that professional sociologists do not become so lost in esoteric debates that they lose sight of the goals of sociological inquiry
-bring about meaningful social change
what is the audience of critical sociology?
academic and professional readers
what is critical sociology?
The “conscience of professional
sociology”
what does policy sociology generate?
sociological data to be used in the development of social polices, laws, rules or plans
what are the 3 main areas served by policy sociology?
-education
-health
-social welfare
however these are not the only ones
what is the audience of policy sociology?
governments and corporations
what is the role of public sociology?
to make sociology accessible to the public through the use of jargon-free language
what is the audience for public sociology?
those outside of the discipline and the political establishment
