Sociology Chapters 1 - 3 Flashcards

culture

the ways of thinking, acting, and the material objects that together form a people’s way of life

nonmaterial culture

the ideas created by the members of a society

material culture

the physical things created by members of a society

nation

a political entity and a territory with designated borders

multicultural

our people follow various ways of life that blend

high culture

cultural patterns that distinguish society’s elite

popular culture

cultural patterns that are widespread among a society’s population

subculture

cultural patterns that set apart some segment of a society’s population

counterculture

cultural patterns that strongly oppose those widely accepted within

symbols

anything that carries a particular meaning recognized by people who share a culture

language

a system of symbols that allow people

cultural transmission

the process by which one generation passes down culture to the next

Sapir-Whorf Thesis

the idea that people see and understand the world through the cultural lens of language

values

culturally defined standards that people use to decide what is desirable, good, and beautiful, and that serves as broad guidelines for social living

beliefs

specific thoughts or ideas that people hold to be true

artifacts

physical human creations

technology

knowledge that people use to make a way of life in their surroundings

norms

rules and expectations by which a society guides the behaviors of its members

mores

norms that are widely observed and have great moral significance

folkways

norms for routines or casual interaction

social control

attempts by society to regulate people’s thoughts and behavior

social control

attempts by society to regulate people’s thoughts and behavior

multiculturalism

a perspective that recognizes the cultural diversity of the United States and promotes equal standing for all cultural traditions

ethnocentrism

the practice of judging another culture by the standards of one’s own culture

cultural relativism

the practice of judging a culture by its own standards

eurocentrism

the dominance of European (especially English) cultural patterns

afrocentrism

emphasizing and promoting African (and diasporic) cultural patterns

cultural integration

is the close relationships among various elements of a cultural system

cultural lag

the fact that some cultural elements change more quickly than others, disrupting the cultural system

1. invention 2. discovery 3. diffusion

Why does culture change?

cultural universals

are traits that are part of every known culture

sociobiology

is a theoretical approach that explores way in which human biology affects how we create culture

science

a logical system that bases knowledge on direct, systematic observation

empirical evidence

information we can verify with our senses

belief or faith, recognized expertise, agreement among people, and science

what are four types of knowing?

concepts

a mental construct that represents part of the world in a simplified form

variable

a concept where value changes from case to case

measurement

a procedure for determining the value of a variable in a specific case

operationalizing a variable

means specifying exactly what is to be measured before assigning a value to a variable

reliability

consistency in measurement

validity

measuring exactly what you intended to measure

cause & effect

a relationship in which change in one variable causes change in another

correlation

a relationship in which two or more variables change together

objectivity

personal neutrality in conducting research

spurious correlation

an apparent but false relationship that is the result of some other variable

replication

repetition of research by investigators

hypothesis

a statement of a possible relationship between two or more variables

population

the people who are the focus of research

sample

a part of a population that represents the whole

hawthorne effect

a change in a subject’s behavior caused simply by the awareness of being studied

research method

a systematic plan for doing research

quantitative research

numerical measurements of people’s behavior

qualitative research

researchers’ perceptions of how people understand their world

inductive logical reasoning

reasoning that transforms specific observations into general theory

deductive logical reasoning

reasoning that transforms general theory into specific hypothesis suitable for testing

positivist sociology

the study of society based on systematic observation of social behavior

interpretive sociology

THE STUDY OF SOCIETY THAT FOCUSES ON THE MEANINGS PEOPLE ATTACH TO THEIR SOCIAL WORLD

critical sociology

the study of society that focuses on inequality and the need for social change

gender

the personal traits and social patterns that members of society attach to being male or female

sociology

the systemic study of human society

society

people who interact in a defined territory

social identity

an individual’s knowledge of belonging to certain social groups

social integration

the process during which newcomers or minorities are incorporated into the social structure of the host socie

living in the margins of society and living through a social crisis

what are two situations that help to see the power of society?

in 1905

When was the American Sociological Association founded?

John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland

Where was the American Sociological Association founded?

society’ s special point of view that sees general patterns of society in the lives of particular people

What is the sociological perspective?

United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Western Europe, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and Australia

What are the high income countries?

eastern europe, parts of africa and latin america, majority of asia

What are the middle income countries?

majority of africa and parts of Asia

What are the low income countries?

19

Sociology emerged in the __th century in Europe

Industrial revolution - factory-based work - growth of cities - and emergence of new democratic and political ideas

Why did sociology emerge?

positivism

Auguste Comte was a French philosopher, mathematician, and writer. He created the doctrine of ____.

positivism

______ is a scientific approach to knowledge based on “positive” facts as opposed to more speculation

theory

statements as to how/why specific facts are related

theological, metaphysical, scientific

What are Comte’s 3 Stages of Society?

the basic image of society that guides thinking and research

theoretical approach

structural functional approach, social conflict approach, and symbolic interaction approach

what are the 3 theoretical approaches in sociology?

social structure

any relatively stable pattern of social behavior

social functions

_______ are the consequences of any social pattern for the operation of society as a whole

manifest functions

recognized and intended consequences

latent functions

unrecognized and unintended consequences

social dysfunctions

______ are a consequence of any social patterns that disrupt the operations of society or is harmful to some category of the population

gender-conflict theory and race-conflict theory

what are some subset frameworks within social-conflict?

symbolic interaction approach

This is a framework for building theory that sees society as the product of the everyday interactions of individuals.

macro-level orientation

a broad focus on social structures that shape society as a whole

micro level orientation

a close-up focus on social interaction in specific situations

macro

What level is structural functional approach?

macro

What level is social conflict approach?

micro

What level is symbolic interaction approach?

social conflict approach

This is a framework for building theory that sees society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and change

structural functional approach

framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability