WK: 1 Intro to Social Theory Flashcards
What is Sociology?
Sociology is a science guided by the basic
understanding that the social matters: our
lives are affected not only by our individual
characteristics, but by our place in the social
world.
What is Agency?
self-determination, volition, or free will; it is the power of individuals to act independently
of the determining constraints of
social structure.
What is structure?
Any relatively enduring pattern of social arrangements within a particular society,
organisation, or group.
What is Structuralism?
A structuralist perspective takes the view that individual and collective behaviour is ultimately determined by underlying social structures such as:
The legal system
The education system
Political systems
The family
Religion
The economy
Our health systems
Criticisms of Structuralism?
- Structuralism implies that human beings lack
free will and the ability to make choices - If humans do not control their own lives or what
surrounds them, then how is social structure
created in the first place? - Social movements occur due to the act of
people seeking change
Who is Anthony Giddens?
Anthony Giddens’ (1938-) – renowned
British Sociologist. Came up with the Theory of Structuration.
What is the Theory of
Structuration?
Attempts to overcome the dualism of structure and agency by proposing that while we create meaning and impose meaning upon the world, we are also constrained by it.
In other words, we create and are created by the social world that surrounds and inhabits us.
What is Culture?
Definition: The symbolic, learned
and socially constructed aspects of
society that include language, morals,
values, meanings, norms, rules,
behaviour pattens, beliefs, lifestyles,
as well as scientific knowledge and
technology.
Culture can be seen as the
sociological alternative to biology or
psychology in explaining the social
world and its encompassing social
phenomena.
Culture emphasises a
community’s shared meanings,
values and way of life and which
distinguish it from other
communities
What are values?
represent cultural
standards by which we
determine what is good,
bad, right or wrong. They
identify what we ought and
ought not to aspire to (for
e.g., a well-paid job and
having children)
What are norms?
which are the
translation of values into
rules of behavior about
how people should behave.
Norms vary between
places, social groups and
cultural groups.
What are symbols?
represent, suggest or stand
for something else. They can be
words, gestures or even objects, and
they often represent abstract or
complex concepts. We often
unconsciously give meaning to the
symbols in our lives.
What is language?
is a system of spoken and/
or written symbols used to convey
meaning and to communicate. It is an
arbitrary system (de Saussure, 1991).
What is socialisation?
the process
by which individuals
acquire and internalise
socially patterned
behaviors and norms
throughout their lives,
starting from birth until
their death
In sociology, we focus on
the broader social forces
operating at the level of
institutions and systems.
For example:
The education system
The economy
The media
The health system
What is identity?
The characteristics
that we regard as part of our
self but are derived from the
social environment.
What is Modernity?
The 17th century onwards
saw society shift from
agricultural to industrial
and feudal to capitalist.
The historical processes
that embody these shifts is
known as modernity.
