sociology exam 1- applying functions

covers chapter 1 of sociology. Definitions and how to apply them, as well as known figures.

sociological perspectives

A way of looking at the world through the sociological lens.

How to apply sociological perspective:

Looking at the world in a unique way & seeing it in a whole new light.

consider the following social structure, culture, institutions, inequality. To gain a deeper understanding of how society operates and how individual experiences and influenced by social contexts.

Beginners mind

approaches the world without knowing in advance what it will find; it is open & receptive to experience. 

how the beginners mind is applied: 

creates a sense of culture shock in the attempt to see the familiar through an outsider’s eye. 

ex.) conduct experiments, practice open-mindedness, engage with inner feelings, be receptive to new experiences. 

• fresh unbiased perspective challenges common sense, embrace diverse perspective. 

theories

abstract propositions about how things are, as well how they should be. also referred as “approaches,” “school of thought,” “paradigms,” or “perspectives.” That explains the social world and make predictions about the future.

• explain events, forces, materials, ideas or behaviors in a comprehensive manner, and effective theories should explain and predict.

sociological theories

are guiding principles or abstract models that attempt to explain and predict the social the social world. 

seeks to explain problems, actions, or behavior. “Both explanatory and predictive power.” helping us see relationships among seemingly isolated phenomena as well as how one types of change in an environment leads to other changes. 

ex.) specifically —> how technology leads to change, and how it affects students studying. 

paradigm

a set of assumptions that makes up a way of undertanding social reality.

(Functionalism, conflict theory, symbolic, interactionism.)

• they can shift overtime, reflecting changes in understanding and approach within the field. Essential for grasping the diverse perspectives.

sociological imagination

(C. Wright Mills) a quality of the mind that allows us to understand the relationship between our individual circumstances and longer social forces. 

• looking beyond individuals to see cultural and historical context. Brings light into how larger social forces influence individuals lives. 

How to sociological imagination:

understand/observe social problems to individuals struggles. Connect personal challenges to broader social issues.

micro-level

concentrates on the interactions between individuals and the way in which those interactions construct larger patterns. (learned behavior)

How to apply micro-level

studies face to face and small group interactions in order to understand how they affect the larger patterns/ structure of society. (interactionalist) 

Macro-level

approaches the study of society from the opposite direction, by looking at larger-scale social structure to determine how it affects the lives of groups and individuals. (functionalist, conflict)

how to apply macro-level

large-scale social structures in order to determine how they affect the lives of group and individuals.

ex.) professor to students, roles.

functionalist perspective

parts of society structured to maintain stability (work together to function as a whole) meets the needs to of a society by performing functions necessary to maintain social order/stability.

How to apply functionalist perspective

Maintain harmony, consensus, stability, and order. what function does this serve society.

• people are socialized to preform societal functions.

• constantly changing, as what society want/ defines it.

conflict perspective

macro-level approach to understand social life. positions that social inequality is the basic characteristic of society. (power struggle) Society is an area of conflict and change motivated by struggle over resources and power. 

• “Tension between groups over or the allocation of resources.” 

applied conflict perspective

who benefits, who suffers, dominates at the expenses of other. Questions established social order. Competing groups, maintain privileges of some groups and keep others in subservient (below) positions.

Interactionist perspective

(symbolic) helps explain both individual personalities and the ways in which we are all linked together; it allows us to understand the processes by which social order and social change are constructed.

• through interactions, in which social order and change are constructed.

interactionalist perspective applied

everyday forms of social interactions in order to understand society as a whole. What they mean to each/ individual society. 

• symbols, nonverbal communication, and face to face interactions. 

sociology

the systematic or scientific study of human society and social behavior, from large-scale institutions and mass culture to small groups and individual interactions. 

Manifest function

The obvious, intended functions of a social structure. 

“What they want you do to or say.” 

manifest function applied

ex.) functions of education are to prepare future members of society by teaching them how to read and write by instructing them on society systems, norms, values, and laws.

• recognize and intended consequences of any social pattern.

latent function

the less obvious, perhaps unintended functions of a social structure (subtle). unrecognized consequences of social patterns, reveal subtle dynamics/ underlying that contribute to the complexity of social life.

latent function applied

school develop social networks and culture values, religious institutions—> provide guidance, psychological comfort, etc. 

dysfunction

an element or a process of a society that may actually disrupt social system or reduce its stability (not always seen as negative). Leads to change and a new equilibrium. (functionalism/functionalist)

applied dysfunction

ex.) covid-19. examples of social inequality, inefficient or corrupt institutions, cultural and social norms, conflict and power struggles.

social inequality

the unequal distribution or resources, power, and opportunities, like power, unemployment, and social exclusion. 

means of production

anything that can create wealth: money, property, factories, and other types of businesses and the infrastructure necessary to run them.

Means of production applied

analyze relationships between different social classes and the distribution of wealth within a society.

• bourgeoisie(capitalists0 own the mean of production, while proletariat (workers) provide labor. shape the dynamics of social and economic structure, influence political ideologies/class separations.

Proletariat

workers; those who have no means of production of their own and so are reduced to selling their labor power in order to live

Bourgeoisie

owners; the class of modern capitalists who own the means of production and employ wage laborers

Alienation

(Karl Marx’s theory) the sense of dissatisfaction the modern worker feels as a result of producing goods that are owned and controlled by someone else.

• individuals feel disconnected from their life experiences, dehumanizing effects of capitalist production on individuals, leading to serve of disenchantment, and isolation.

critical theory

a contemporary form of conflict theory that criticizes many different systems and ideologies of domination and oppression.

• “See the importance of mass communications and popular cultures as powerful ideological tools in capitalist societies.”

critical theory applied

by examining/ challenging underlying assumptions that prevent the individuals from understanding how the world works. Aims to uncover assumptions that keep from a true democracy and change the assumptions. 

critical race theory

the study of the relationships among race, racism, and power.

• “Argues that racism is deeply embedded in American institutions, including our laws.”

critical race theory applied

dedicated not just the studying race- and how it intersects with other identities such as sex and class- but also actively working to end racial oppression. (socially constructed category)

Queer theory

social theory about gender and sexual identity; emphasizing the importance of difference and rejects ideas of innate identities or restrictive categories.

queer theory applied

asserts than no sexual category is fundamentally deviant or normal. we create such definitions, so we can change them as well.

Dramaturgy

an approach pioneered by Eruing Goffman in which social life is analyzed in terms of its similarities to theatrical performance.

conversation analysis

a sociological approach that looks at how we create meaning in naturally accruing conversation, often by taping conversations and examining their transcripts, 

August Comte

(positivism) developed a theory of the progress of human thinking that came to be known as positivism.

• “Positivism assumes that society operates under specific laws that can be described objectively using scientific method.”

Harriet Martineau

a journalist and political economist who traveled around the U.S. and wrote about social changes that were radical for this time period.

• translated comet’s work into English, making his ideas accessible to England and America.

Emile Durkheim

cental figure in functionalist theory and studied the social factors that bond people together. 

Karl Marx

(conflict theory) German political economist who inspired conflict theory, “Marxism” in social science. Poverty and crime, and disease were a result of capitalism. “Manifesto of the communist party”

Jane addams

(symbolic interactionism) one of the first proponents of applied sociology- addressing the most pressing problems of her day through hands-on work with the people and places that were the subject of her research. Commitment to serve—> often considered the founder of social works.

W. E.B Du Bois 

(symbolic interactionism) did groundbreaking research on the slave trade, post-civil war reconstruction, the problems of urban ghetto life, and the nature of black American society. Involved in antiracist, anti-poverty, antiwar activism, and helped found the NAACP.

The Chicago school of sociology

sociology practiced at the university of Chicago in the 1920s and 1930s that centered in the urban settings and field research methods. (influenced by pragmatism) famous names like Robert Park, W.I . Thomas, Charles Horton society, George Herbert Mead, Herbert Blumer.