Week 1 : Introduction Flashcards
1
Q
What is Sociology?
A
The scientific study of the social lives of individuals, groups & societies – macro- & micro-level issues
2
Q
Macro- vs Micro-Sociology
A
- macro-sociology = focuses on large-scale social systems such as the political system or the economy
- micro-sociology = focuses on personal concerns & interpersonal interactions such as dr-patient relationship, how spouses negotiate housework/childcare & how one’s peers may encourage behaviour
3
Q
Research is short for ‘scientific research’
A
- produce (new) knowledge
- Answer specific research questions
- Based on systemic methods & high-quality data
- Generalizable & replicable
- Unbiased or value-free
4
Q
Subjectivity & Reflexivity in being value-free
A
- Subjectivity = the way research is influenced by the perspectives, values, social experiences and viewpoint of the researcher
- Reflexivity = (repetition) the process of attending systematically to the context of knowledge construction, especially to the effect of the researcher, at every step of the research process ( the ways researchers explain how their social position affects their work)
5
Q
The Sociological Imagination…
A
- C. Wright Mills
- a viewpoint recognizing that our personal experiences are shaped by macrosocial & historical forces
- it helps us to step back from taken-for-granted assumptions abt everyday life
- ‘personal troubles’ as ‘public issues’
- example = larger % of unmarried people (many public reasons)
6
Q
Quantiative, Qualitative & Mixed Methods
A
- Quantitative = encompasses the collection & analysis of numerical data, surveys, experimental methods, statistical analysis, social network analysis
- Qualitative = data include rich description in words or images, ethnography, interview, textutal analysis
- Mixed-Methods = can provide more nuanced insights than would have been achieved using only one of the two approaches (triangulation)
7
Q
Agency & Structure
A
- Agency = our capacity to make our own choices & act autonomously
- Structure = social structures are the patterned social arrangements that may constrain (or facilitate) our choices & opportunities — influence agency
8
Q
Intersectionality
A
- Emphasizes that our overlapping identities & group memberships are critical to our life experiences
- personal characteristics such as race, ethnicity, class, gender & age expose us to different structural opportunities & constraints
9
Q
Sociology vs Anthropology
A
- A = study of individual & group behaviour digging deep into cultures (some no longer exist) - emphasize culture & cultueral relativism
- S = more basis on Western cultures - emphasize structure
10
Q
Sociology vs Psychology
A
- P = individual behaviour, attitudes, emotion & causes, experimental methods - focus on the individual
- S = social context & group membership
11
Q
Sociology vs History
A
- H = study of past events, material-based approach
- S = approach history through a theoretical lens in an effort to draw broad conclusions abt human behaviour
12
Q
Sociology vs Economics
A
- E = broad field of study focusing on production, distribution & consumption of goods & services - quantitative
- S = humans are not highly rational & their decisions are not always guided by incentives
13
Q
Sociology vs Political Science
A
- P = study the policies, laws, diplomacy & processes of government institutions, etc.
- S = both focus on the ways that social context affect political behaviour
14
Q
Basic vs Applied Research
A
- Basic Research = purely to create new methods, not necessarily have an applued/immediete goal
- Applied Research = solve real life problems
- In the middle = ‘knowledge mobilization’
15
Q
Cross-sectional study design…
A
- data obtained at onepoint in time
- seperate groups of different ages
- cannot ascertain causal ordering & cannot ascertain the presewnce of a cause-and-effect relationship
