Chapter 1 The Sociological Perspective

Auguste Comte

He is considered to be the "father" of Sociology and advocated for the use of the scientific method.

Herbert Spencer

British biologist considered to be the second founder of Sociology; believed that society is like an organism with interconnected parts.

Emile Durkheim

Frenchman who got Sociology recognized as a separate discipline as a result of his study on suicide rates.

Karl Marx

German who predicted that capitalism would fail as a result of the "Haves" being overthrown by the "Have Nots;" he used the economy to explain society.

Max Weber

German who argued that religion was the basis for human behavior; religion gives us our values and they determine our understanding of social situations.

Harriet Martineau

Sociologist who wrote "Society in America" and translated the book of the "father" of Sociology.

Jane Addams

The founder of the settlement house called Hull House in Chicago which provided English lessons for immigrants, daycare, child care classes etc.

W.E.B. DuBois

American sociologist who was one of the founders of the NAACP and did many studies on race relations.

C. Wright Mills

Coined the term the sociological imagination.

Positivism

The application of the scientific approach to the social world.

Social integration

The degree to which members of a group or a society feel united by shared values and other social bonds; also known as social cohesion.

Verstehen

To "grab by insight' and to have an understanding of someone's feelings.

Social Statics

The study of social stability and order.

Social Dynamics

The study of social change.

Basic Sociology

Sociological research for the purpose of making discoveries about life in human groups, not for making changes in those groups.

Applied Sociology

The use of the discipline of sociology with the specific intent of solving problems.

Social Darwinism

The belief that only the fittest survive in human political and economic struggle.

Bourgeoisie

Those individuals who own the means of production in a society.

Proletariat

Those individuals who are the exploited class, the mass of workers who do not own the means of production.

Sociology

The scientific study of society and human behavior.

Anthropology

The science dealing with the origin, races, customs, and beliefs of humankind.

Values

The standards by which people define what is desirable or undesirable, good or bad, beautiful or ugly.

Society

People who share a culture and a territory

Social Location

The group memberships that people have because of their location in history and society

Scientific Method

Using objective, systematic observations to test theories

Class Conflict

Marx's term for the struggle between capitalists and workers

Symbolic Interactionism

A theory where society is viewed as composed of symbols that people use to establish meaning, develop their views of the world, and communicate with one another.

Functionalism

A theory where society is viewed as composed of various parts that, when fulfilled, contributes to society's stability.

Symbol

Anything that stands for or represents something else

Psychology

The study of human mind and brain.

History

The study of past events.

Political Science

The systematic study of government and politics

Economics

The study of how products are produced, distributed and consumed.

Georgraphy

The study of the Earth and how humans adjust to the national environment.

Generalization

A conclusion drawn from specific information that is used to make a broad statement about a topic or person.

Ida B. Wells

African American journalist. published statistics about lynching, urged African Americans to protest by refusing to ride streetcars or shop in white owned stores.

Natural Sciences

Sciences that study the physical and biological events that occur in nature

Social Sciences

Disciplines that study human social behavior or institutions and functions of human society in a scientific manner.