SOC 100-MCGINN EXAM 1

Textbook Definition of Sociology

Sociology is the study of human groups: their origin, development, structure, function, and significance for social life

Historical Perspective of Sociology

Sociology is the "physics" of society - laws describing cause and effect

Social Science Location of Sociology

Psychology is based on the individual and Anthropology is based on the human race while Sociology is based on the group

Peter Berger Definition of Sociology

Sociology is a passionate curiosity disciplined by scientific methodology and is about interactions of people

C. Write Mills Definition of Sociology

Sociology studies the intersection of biography and history (troubles/issues) to provide insight into both, especially how those social structures over which people have no control influence their lives

Terry McGinn Definition of Sociology

Sociology is a disciplined conversation about the power of groups over their members and over each other in society

Benefit/Purpose of Sociology - Durkheim's View

The study of the group is more powerful in understanding human behavior than either biology or psychology

Max Weber's "Ideal Types" + Risk

Groups whose members share characteristic and can be studied as a single unit
Risk of stereotyping

ideology

beliefs, attitudes, opinions created by social groups

critical thinking

step outside ideologies to create reflective, logic-based judgement

dominant discourse

way most people think/speak or way people in power think and speak abt particular issue

Privilege

A special favor, right, or advantage given to a person or group

Individualism

Explains the worlds only in terms of what goes on inside individuals

Social System

a collection of roles in relationship to one another, forming a coherent whole

Durkheim

Saw that suicide varied across different systems/groups of people
Individualism cannot explain suicide in a larger sense when we look at all the suicides for a particular group in a given year
To explain systematic patterns, we have to look at how people feel and behave in relation to systems and how those systems work

Individual Action vs. Systems Action

People make systems happen— consciously or not— and systems contain paths of least resistance that shape how people participate.

Agency vs. Structure

The ability of individuals to exercise free will vs. patterned social arrangements that affect agency

Culture

The way we "construct" reality within a social system, using ideas and symbols (esp. language) to assign meaning and it's the way we habitually behave in relationship to the meaning we have constructed

Beliefs

A way to know what to consider true and what to consider false, what exists and what doesn't
Truth, fiction are social constructs

Values

Beliefs that designate what is good/bad, better/worse
Guide choices
Guide how we treat others

Norms

Values that are reinforced with social consequences (rewards/punishments)

Attitudes

Reactions - often with emotional content - based on beliefs, values, norms

Material Culture

The physical expression of our beliefs, values, norms, and attitudes
Can be used in problematic ways

High Culture

Classical music, opera, ballet, live theater, and other activities usually patronized by elite audiences

Ethnocentrism

Belief in the superiority of one's nation or ethnic group.

Cultural Relativity

Different cultures are equally good; no "best"

Johnson's Definition of Status

Social job title

Weber's Definition of Status

Degree of honor/prestige that a position or group receives within a social system

Role

The collection of beliefs, values, attitudes, and norms that apply to a position holder
creates paths of least resistance for the position holder
This shapes/influences how we behave

Role conflict

multiple positions in overlapping social systems

Distribution

Who gets what in terms of rewards, resources, power, ect

Merton's Theory of Deviance

Deviant behavior results from the conflict between "shared values" and "unequal distributions"

culture shapes structure

culture shapes roles associated with statuses or positions in social structure,
culture shapes unequal distributions within a structure

structure shapes culture

unequal distribution within social structures can shape culture

William James on socialization

SOCIAL SELF "An individual's self is the sum total of all they can call theirs."

Mead on socialization

REFLEXIVITY the ability to get outside of ourselves and see ourselves as other do
GENERALIZED OTHER As we mature we are able to infer how we are seen by the larger community - people we don't know personally; the generalized other

Cooley on socialization

PRIMARY GROUPS At first we incorporate how others see us from feedback from those we know in our "primary groups": family, playmates, neighborhood, etc

Park on socialization

SOCIAL ROLES Another way that the larger society socializes us: the statuses we occupy come with existing roles. We adopt or adapt parts of those roles to become parts of our self

Mead on interaction between individual and system

Our actions are socially conditioned. We preform actions, called "social gestures," in response to others' actions, after considering the (socially determined) symbolic meaning of their actions and ours.

Goffman on interaction between individual and system

DRAMATURGY Self is the product of dramatic interaction between actor and audience. We are all actor and audience to each other

Johnson on interaction between individual and system

JAZZ Individual players have freedom to improvise, but they play within existing musical forms. And the music happens among the players as well as within each player

The Mechanics of Social Inequality

composed of patterns of behavior that contribute to privileging some groups over others. These behaviors generally represent socially created "paths of least resistance"

Individualistic Approach to "I love you"

It is a unique thing for that specific relationship

Systematic Approach to "I love you"

The words are "performative" and can alter reality, its like an action
The meaning of "I love you" varies with the role of those who are saying it - the meanings are socially constructed

Individualistic Approach to Not Voting

Not voting is a result of a lazy person

Systematic Approach to Not Voting

Paths of least resistance that encourage not voting in the US
-The challenges in registering
-Winner-take all results
-The two-party system
-Gerrymandering

Individualistic Approach to Poverty

Poverty is a result of individual action

Systematic Approach to Poverty

Distribution issues (taxes)
Competition/efficiency: minimize labor force

Individualistic Approach to Men's Violence

Men's violence is a result of a few bad seeds, mental health issues, not a societal issue

Systematic Approach to Men's Violence

In patriarchy, the ideals defined for manhood become the ideals defined for society as an entity
Manhood = domination, which may include violence
America needs to be dominant; violence is permissible
Men are in power of media, so it violence being men's issue is not seen

How Racism in America Originated

England created the idea of "race" in relation to the Irish, created the idea that one race is superior over another
These beliefs about race were exported to America and used to justify the creation of an African American slave class, thus meeting capitalist labor needs

Johnson's View of How Social Change Occurs

You must tackle the system for change, not just trying to fix one person

Social structure

The organization of relationships at all levels of society

chapter one monopoly game theory

people playing are greedy bc system encourages that path of least resistance

thunderstorm theory chapter 2

systems shape how we act/feel like how storm dictates behavior

chapter 3 time zone change in Mexico theory

johnson lost track of time on Mexico vacay
time=social construct
when disconnected from social systems, (schedules) people can feel "lost"

chapter 7 Greensboro lunch counter sit in

sit in by black students at segregated Woolworths lunch counter in Greensboro NC
stepped off path of least resistance
power of individual participation in changing social systems