Studied by 0 peoplesociology
the study of human society
sociological imagination
the ability to see connections between our own personal experiences and the larger forces of history
scientific method
procedure involving the formulation, testing, and modifications of hypotheses based on systematic observations, measurements, and/or experiments
Does the independent variable cause the dependent variable and vice versa?
No, there’s correlation but no causation. There’s usually a third variable involved.
qualitative method
collecting information about the social world that has no numerical data
quantitative method
collecting information about the social world that can be measured numerically
social institution
a complex group of interdependent positions that, together, perform a social role and reproduce themselves over time
any institution in a society that works to shape the behavior of the groups or people within it
positivism
sociological approach that emphasizes the scientific method as an approach to studying the objectively observable behavior of individuals without taking into account the meanings those actions have for the subjects themselves
verstehen
German “understanding”, the basis of interpretive sociology
comes from Max Weber
interpretive sociology
a type of scholarship in which researchers imagine themselves experiencing the life positions of the social actors they want to understand rather than treating those people as objects to be examined
anomie
a sense of aimlessness or despair that arises when we can no longer reasonably expect life to be predictable
too little social regulation
normlessness
double conciousness
describes the behavioral scripts, one for moving through the world, the other incorporating the external opinions of prejudiced onlookers which are constantly maintained by African Americans
W. E. B. Du Bois
functionalism
theory that various social institutions and processes in society exist to serve some important (or necessary) function to keep society running
conflict theory
the idea that conflict between competing interests is the basic animating force of social change and society in general
symbolic interactionism
a micro-level theory in which shared meanings, orientations, and assumptions form the basic motivations behind people’s action
postmodernism
a condition characterized by the questioning of the notion of progress and history, the replacement of narrative with pastiche
imitation of other work in the service of satire or subversion
multiple conflicting identities resulting from unconnected affiliations
social construction
an entity that exists because people behave as if it exists and whose existence is perpetuated as people and social institutions act in accordance with widely agreed-on formal rules or informal norms of behavior associated with the entity
midrange theory
a theory that attempts to predict how certain social institutions tend to function
microsociology
a branch of sociology that seeks to understand local interactional contexts
ethnographies and interviews
macrosociology
a branch of sociology generally concerned with social dynamics at a higher level of analysis
ethnography
a qualitative method of studying people or a social setting that uses observation, interaction, and sometimes formal interviewing to document behaviors, customs, experiences, social ties, etc.
theory
an abstracted, systematic model of how some aspect of the world works
research methods
approaches that social scientists use for investigating the answers to question
casual relationship
the idea that one factor influences another through a chain of events
deductive approach
a research approach that starts with a theory, forms a hypothesis, makes empirical observations, and then analyzes the data to confirm, reject, or modify the original theory
inductive approach
a research approach that starts with empirical observations and then works to form a theory
natural experiment
something that takes place in the world that affects people in a way that is unrelated to any other preexisting factors or their characteristics
approximating random assignment to treatment or control groups
causality
the notion that a change in one factor results in a corresponding change in another
reverse causality
a situation in which the researcher believes that A results in a change in B, but B is in fact causing A
dependent variable
the outcome the researcher is trying to explain
independent variable
a measured factor that the researcher believes has a casual impact on the dependent variable
hypothesis
a proposed relationship between two variables, usually with a state direction
operationalization
how a concept gets defined and measured in a given study
validity
the extent to which an instrument measures what it is intended to measure
reliability
analyzing and critically considering our own role in, and effect on, our research
generalizability
the extent to which we can claim our findings inform us about a group larger than the one we studied
feminist methodology
a set of systems or methods that treat women’s experiences as legitimate empirical and theoretical resources that promote social science for women and take into account the researcher as much as the overt subject matter
participation observation
a qualitative research method that seeks to uncover the meanings people give their social actions by observing their behavior in practice
survey
an ordered series of questions intended to elicit information from respondents
representative sample
the idea that a particular slice of social observation captures in an accurate way the larger set (or universe) of those henomena that it is meant to stand in for
historical methods
research that collects data written from reports, newspaper articles, journals, transcripts, television programs, diaries, artwork, and other artifacts that date back to the period under study
comparative research
a methodology by which two or more entities which are similar in many dimensions but differ on the one in question are compared to learn the dimension that differs between them
content analysis
a systematic analysis of the content rather than the structure of a communication
population
an entire group of individual persons, objects, or items from which samples may be drawn
sample
the subset of the population from which you are actually collecting data
case study
an intensive investigation of one particular unit of analysis in order to describe it or uncover its mechanisms
nonmaterial culture
values, beliefs, behaviors, and social norms
material culture
everything that is a part of our constructed, physical environment (including technology)
culture lag
the time gap between the appearance of a new technology and the words and practices that give it meaning
culture shock
doubt, confusion, or anxiety arising from immersion in an unfamiliar culture
code switch
to flip fluidly between two or more languages and sets of cultural norms to fit different cultural contexts
ideology
a system of concepts and relationships
an understanding of cause and effect
cultural relativism
taking into account the differences across cultures without passing judgement or assigning value
cultural scripts
modes of behavior and understanding that are not universal or natural
subculture
the distinct cultural values and behavioral patterns of a particular group in society
a group united by sets of concepts, values, symbols, and shared meaning specific to the members of that group and distinctive enough to distinguish it from others within the same culture or society
values
moral beliefs
how we think things should be done
norms
how values tell us to behave
how things are actually done
socialization
the process by which individuals internalize the values, beliefs and norms of a given society and learn to function as members of that society
reflection theory
the idea that culture is a projection of social structures and relationships into the public sphere
a screen onto which the film of underlying reality of social structures of a society is projected
media
any formats, platforms, or vehicles that carry, present, or communicate information
hegemony
a condition by which a dominant group uses its power to elicit the voluntary “consent” of the masses
consumerism
the steady acquisition of material possessions
the belief that happiness and fulfillment can thus be achieved
culture jamming
the act of turning media against themselves
socialization
the process by which individuals internalize the values, beliefs, and norms of a given society and learn to function as members of that society
self
the individual identity of a person as perceived by the same person
I
one’s subjective sense of having consciousness, agency, action or power
Looking Glass Self or “me”
the self as one imagines others perceive one
other
someone or something outside of oneself
generalized other
an internalized sense of the total expectations of others in a variety of settings regardless of whether we know those people or not
resocialization
the process by which one’s sense of social values, beliefs, and norms are reengineered through intense social process
total institution
an institution in which one is totally immersed and that controls all the basics of day-to-day life
status
a recognizable social position that an individual occupies
role
the duties and behaviors expected of someone who holds a particular status
role strain
the incompatibility among roles corresponding to a single status
role conflict
the tension caused by competing demands between two or more roles pertaining to different statuses
status set
all the statuses one holds simuatenously
ascribed status
a status into which one is born
involuntary
master status
one status within a set that stands out or overrides all others
gender roles
sets of behavioral norms assumed to accompany one’s status as masculine, feminine, or other
dramaturgical theory
the view of social life as essentially a theatrical performance
advanced by Erving Goffman
face
the esteem in which an individual is held by others
ethnomethology
the methods of people
studying human interaction by focusing on the ways in which we make sense of our world, convey this understanding to others and produce a shared social order
dyad
a group of two
triad
a group of three
mediator
the member of a triad who attempts to resolve conflict between the two other actors in the group
tertius gaudens
the member of a triad who benefits from conflict between the other two members of the group
divide et impera
the role of a member of a triad who intentionally drives a wedge between the other two actors in the group
small group
a group characterized by face-to-face interaction, unifocal perspective, lack of formal arrangements or roles, and a level of equality
party
a group that is similar to a small group but is multifocal
large group
a group characterized by the presence of a formal structure that mediates interaction and status differentiation
primary groups
social groups composed of intimate face-to-face relationships that strongly influence the attitudes and ideals of those involved
secondary groups
groups marked by impersonal instrumental relationships
in-group
the powerful group, the majority
out-group
the stigmatized or less power group, the minority
reference group
a group that helps us understand or make sense of our position in society relative to other groups
social network
a set of relations held together by ties between individuals
tie
the connection between two people in a relationship that varies in strength from one relationship to the next
narrative
the sum of stories contained in a set of ties
embeddedness
the degree to which social relationships are reinforced through indirect ties
structural hole
a gap between network clusters if those individuals have complementary resources
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