MIDTERM 1 Sociology 1 UCI

A collection of vocabulary flashcards related to key concepts in sociology to assist students in their study and exam preparation.

Social Fact

Patterns, norms, and values that exist outside individual consciousness but exert control over individuals.
Example: Social expectations about gender roles​

Social Structure

The framework of society, composed of macro-, meso-, and micro-levels, shaping how individuals act and interact​.

Macro-level

Large-scale systems (e.g., institutions, economy)

Meso-level

Groups or communities (e.g., schools, clubs)

Micro-level

Individual or small-group interactions (e.g., conversations)​.

Agency

The ability of individuals to act independently, even within the constraints of structure​.

The Sociological Imagination

The capacity to see how personal experiences are shaped by social and historical forces​.
Example: COVID-19 influencing your schooling experience.

Personal Troubles vs. Public Issues

Troubles: Individual problems

Issues: Structural problems affecting many
Example: Unemployment due to a national recession​.

Falsifiable

Something that can be proven wrong.

Theoretical

Based on ideas.

Empirical

Based on observation.

Objective

Unbiased.

Communal

Open to scrutiny.

The Research Circle

A cyclical process of theory, hypothesis, data collection, and pattern analysis​.

Deductive Research

Start with theory → hypothesis → test (top-down)

Inductive Research

Start with data → patterns → theory (bottom-up)

Quantitative Methods

Numerical (e.g., surveys, experiments)

Qualitative Methods

Descriptive (e.g., interviews, ethnography)

Experiments

Controlled studies that compare variables to find cause-effect relationships​.

Surveys

Standardized questions to gather data from a large population​.

Network Analysis

Mapping social ties or interactions between individuals or groups​.

Interviews

In-depth, qualitative method to explore participants’ experiences​

Ethnography

Participant observation of social settings; data collected through field notes​

Content Analysis

Analyzing media, documents, or texts to understand themes or patterns​.

Informed Consent

Participants must understand and agree to research procedures and risks

Confidentiality

Researchers must protect participant identities and private data​.

Field Notes

Detailed notes taken during ethnographic research to document observations​

Culture

Shared ideas, objects, and practices that vary across groups​

Cultural Objects

Symbolic items (e.g., flags)

Cultural Cognitions

Shared beliefs/values

Cultural Practices

Common routines/rituals

Social Construct

A shared interpretation of reality shaped by social interaction and context​.

Social Construction

The process by which constructs are created and maintained

Culturally Competent

Being able to navigate and participate effectively in a culture​.

Culture Shock

Disorientation when exposed to a new or unfamiliar culture​

Socialization

Lifelong process of learning norms, values, and cultural competencies​.

Interpersonal Socialization

Taught by others

Self-Socialization

Personal effort to learn norms

Media Socialization

Learned through TV, internet, etc.

Agents of Socialization

Groups or institutions that teach cultural norms (e.g., family, school)​.

Cross-Cultural Comparison

Studying how beliefs and practices differ between societies

Subculture

A distinct cultural group within a larger culture (e.g., punk scene)

Hook-Up Culture

A college campus culture that encourages casual sexual relationships​.

Institutions

Enduring systems for meeting societal needs (e.g., education, economy)

Formal Practices

Rules and regulations

Informal Practices

Norms and traditions

Hierarchy

A ranked structure where certain roles have more authority​

Roles

The expected behaviors attached to particular positions

Division of Labor

Splitting tasks among different roles or positions in an institution​

Rationalization

Using logic and efficiency to organize institutions (Weber’s idea)

Organizations

Formal structures coordinating people toward a purpose (e.g., schools)​.

McDonaldization

The spread of rationalization principles: efficiency, predictability, calculability, control​.

Efficiency

Doing things quickly

Predictability

Standardizing experiences

Calculability

Focusing on quantity over quality

Ideology

Shared beliefs about how society should be organized​.

Social Identities

Socially constructed categories we place ourselves in (e.g., race, gender)​

Primary Cultural Frame

The dominant lens through which people interpret their identity​.

Stereotypes

Oversimplified generalizations about groups​.

Controlling Images

Negative stereotypes used to justify inequality​.

Status Beliefs

Shared beliefs about the social status of groups​.

Rewards of Social Identities

Belonging and self-esteem are benefits tied to shared identity groups​.

Social Rules

Folkways, Mores, Taboos, Policies, Laws

Folkways

Loosely enforced norms

Mores

Morally significant norms

Taboos

Strong prohibitions

Policies

Organizational rules

Laws

Government-enforced rules​.

Social Sanctions

Reactions to norm violations that reinforce conformity​.

Symbolic Interactionism

A theory that social meaning is created and negotiated in interaction​.

Dramaturgy

Seeing social life as performance using scripts, props, and settings

Impression Management

Efforts to control how others perceive us​.

Face

The self we present

Face-work

Actions to maintain it

Front Stage

Public performance

Back

Private, where we prepare and relax​

Ethnomethodology

Studying the methods people use to make sense of daily life​.

Ethnomethods

Cultural assumptions used to interpret interactions​

Looking-Glass Self

We develop our self-concept based on how we think others see us​.