Essentials in Studying Culture, Society, and Politics

A set of vocabulary-style flashcards covering key terms, figures, concepts, and areas from the lecture notes on culture, society, and politics.

Anthropology

Branch of social science that studies humans, including biological evolution and social/cultural features that distinguish humans from other animals.

Participant Observation

A research method involving long-term, immersive living among a community to understand local knowledge, values, and practices from the native perspective.

Franz Boas

Father of American Anthropology; rejected biological racism and advocated historical particularism.

Historical Particularism

Boas’s idea that each culture has its own unique development and should be studied in its own context.

Culture (Tylor's Definition)

The complex whole including knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, law, custom, and other capabilities and habits acquired by humans as members of society.

Cultural Anthropology

Study of peoples’ variations and similarities in culture, describing and analyzing social life across past and present.

Linguistic Anthropology

Study of language origins, structure, history, and variation within human societies.

Archaeology

Study of past cultures through material remains and artifacts.

Biological Anthropology

Study of humans as biological organisms, including evolution and contemporary variation.

Applied Anthropology

Uses anthropological knowledge to analyze social, political, and economic problems and to develop solutions.

Sociology

Systematic study of human relationships, society, and social behavior; from Latin socius (companion) and Greek logos (to study).

Auguste Comte

Coined the term sociology (1838) and introduced Positivism, promoting scientific study of society.

Positivism

Philosophy that social phenomena should be studied scientifically through evidence, experiments, and statistics.

Karl Marx

Philosopher/economist who argued that societies develop through class struggles over the means of production; co-author of the Communist Manifesto.

Emile Durkheim

Sociologist known for The Division of Labor in Society and Suicide; studied social cohesion and differences among communities.

Max Weber

Sociologist who emphasized rationalization and the disenchantment of the world; stressed the role of rational, scientific thinking in society.

Social Organization

Structured patterns of relationships and interactions within a society that enable collective action.

Social Psychology

Study of how individuals’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by others’ presence.

Human Ecology

Study of the relationship between humans and their natural, social, and built environments and its influence on culture and health.

Applied Sociology

Using sociological theory and methods to address real-world social issues and problems.

Population Studies

Interdisciplinary field analyzing population trends using statistics and modeling.

Social Change

Transformation of norms, structures, and institutions over time.

Sociological Theory and Research

Frameworks for understanding social phenomena and the systematic gathering of data to test theories.

Political Theory

Principles and concepts identifying the basis, structure, conduct, and operations of the state.

Public Law

Laws and regulations that govern public governance and state relations.

Public Administration

Academic discipline studying civil service and governance processes.

Political Dynamics

Relations among social forces that shape political opportunities and actions.

Government and Business

Relationship between the state and corporate entities in regulating the economy.

Legislatures and Legislation

Process, organization, and enactment of laws and the functioning of legislative bodies.

International Relations

Study of foreign policy and interactions among nation-states and shaping forces.

International Law

System of agreements and treaties outlining state responsibilities toward one another.

Comparative Government

Study of how different countries structure their governments, including branches, laws, and processes.

Culture

Learned and shared beliefs, practices, arts, morals, and customs of a people.

Society

A group of people organized through social relationships and institutions.

Politics

Activities and power relations involved in governance and public affairs.

Etymology: Anthropology

From Greek anthropos (man) and logos (to study); origin of the word Anthropology.

Branches of Anthropology

Cultural, Linguistic, Archaeology, Biological, and Applied Anthropology.

Natural Science vs Social Science

Natural science studies the physical world; social science studies human behavior and societies, both evolving with changing human conduct.