Week 1 Sociological approach

Sociology

the systematic study of human society

Sociological perspective

the special point of view of sociology that sees general patterns of society in the lives of particular people

Global perspective

the study of the larger world and our society's place in it

High income countries

nations with the highest overall standards of living

Middle income countries

nations with a standard of living about average for the world as a whole

Low income countries

nations with a low standard of living in which most people are poor

Positivism

"scientific approach to knowledge based on ""positive"" facts as opposed to mere speculation"

Theory

a statement of how and why specific facts are related

Theoretical approach

a basic image of society that guides thinking and research

Structural functional approach

a framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability

Social structure

any relatively stable pattern of social behavior

Social functions

the consequences of a social pattern for the operation of society as a whole

Manifest functions

the recognized and intended consequences of any social pattern

Latent functions

the unrecognized and unintended consequences of any social pattern

Social dysfunction

any social pattern that may disrupt the operation of society

Social conflict approach

a framework for building theory that sees society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and change

Gender conflict approach

a point of view that focuses on inequality and conflict between women and men

Feminism

support of social equality for women and men

Race conflict approach

a point of view that focuses on inequality and conflict between people of different racial and ethnic categories

Macro-level orientation

a broad focus on social structures that shape society as a whole

Micro- level orientation

a close-up focus on social interaction in specific situations

Symbolic interaction approach

a framework for building theory that sees society as the product of the everyday interactions of individuals

Positivist sociology

the study of society based on systematic observation[empirical evidence] of social behavior

Science

a logical system that develops knowledge from direct, systematic observation

Empirical evidence

information we can verify with our senses

Concept

a mental construct that represents some aspect of the world in a simplified form

Variable

a concept whose value changes form case to case

Measurement

a procedure for determining the value of a variable in a specific case

Reliability

consistency in measurement

Validity

actually measuring exactly what you intend to measure

Correlation

a relationship in which two (or more) variables change together

Cause and effect

a relationship in which change in one variable (the independent variable) causes change in another (the dependent variable)

Interpretive sociology

the study of society that focuses on discovering the meanings people attach to their social world

Critical sociology

the study of society that focuses on the need for social change

Gender

the personal traits and social positions that members of a society attach to being female or male

Research method

a systematic plan for doing research

Experiment

a research method for investigating cause and effect under highly controlled conditions

Survey

a research method in which subjects respond to a series of statements or questions on a questionnaire or in an interview

Participant observation

a research method in which investigators systematically observe people while joining them in their routine activities

Stereotype

a simplified description applied to every person in some category