Unit A Terms Flashcards
Sociology
the science of society
Social Facts
products of human interaction with persuasive or coercive power that exist externally to any individual
Data
systematically collected sets of empirical observations
Sociological Research Questions
queries about the world that can be answered empirically
Qualitative Research Methods
scientific strategies for collecting empirical data about social facts (non numerical)
Quantitative Research Methods
tools of sociological inquiry that involve examining numerical data with mathematics
Sociological Sympathy
the skill of understanding others as they understand themselves
Research Ethics
the set of moral principles that guide empirical inquiry
Sociological Theory
empirically based explanations and predictions about relationships between social facts
Social Patterns
explainable and foreseeable similarities and differences among people influenced by the social conditions in which they live
Standpoints
points of view grounded in lived reality
Public Sociology
the work of using sociological theory to make societies better
Sociological Imagination
the capacity to consider how people’s lives-including our own-are shaped by the social facts that surround us
Structural Functionalism
Societies are systems of necessary, synchronized parts that work together to create social stability
Conflict Theory
Societies are characterized by competing interests and defined by fights over control of valuable resources like wealth, power, and prestige
