Sociology chapters 1-4

Sociology

systemic study of human society

enclosure movement

fenced farmland off to create area for sheep to graze for the textile mills

society

people who interact in a defined territory share culture

sociological perspective

seeing the general in the particular

durkheims theory

categories of people with low social integration are at higher risk of suicide

marginality

living in a way that separates one from dominant culture being able to see how race class and gender create advantages and disadvantages for some

outsiders

not part of the dominant group

sociological imagination

helps people understand their society and how it affects their own lives

global perspective

study of the larger world and our society’s place in it

high income countries

nations with the highest overall standards of living

middle income countries

nations with a standard of living about average for the world as a whole

low income countries

nations with a low standard of living in which most people are poor

theological stage

the first of Comtes stages of historical development in which a medieval European society was dominated by the church

metaphysical stage

the second of Comtes stages of historical development in which society during the enlightenment period was shaped by the ideas of Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau

Scientific stage

the third of Comtes stages of historical development in which modern society was guided by physics, chemistry, and sociology

positivism

scientific approach to knowledge based on positive facts as opposed to mere speculation

theory

a statement of how and why specific facts are realated

sociological theory

explains social behavior in the real world. turns observations into understanding

theoretical approach

a basic image of society that guides thinking and research

structural-functional approach

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

Macro-level orientation

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

Social structure

any relatively stable pattern of social behavior 

Social functions

the consequences of a social pattern for the operation of society as a whole 

Manifest functions

the recognized and intended consequences of any social pattern 

Latent functions

the unrecognized and unintended consequences of any social pattern 

Social dysfunction

a consequence of any social pattern that disrupts the operation of society or is harmful to some category of the population 

Social-conflict approach

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

Macro-level orientation

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

Gender-conflict theory

study of society that focuses on inequality and conflict between women and men.

Feminism

support of social equality for women and men, in opposition to patriarchy and sexism 

Race-conflict theory

study of society that focuses on inequality and conflict between people of different racial and ethnic categories 

Symbolic-interaction approach

framework for building theory that sees society as the product of the everyday interactions of individuals

Micro-level orientation

a close-up focus on social interaction in specific situations 

Positivist sociology

study of society based on scientific observation of social behavior. 

Science

a logical system that bases knowledge on direct, systematic observation. 

Concept

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

Variable

a concept whose value changes from case to case 

Measurement

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

Reliability

consistency in measurement 

Validity

actually measuring what you intended to measure

Spurious correlation

an apparent but false relationship between 2 or more variables that is the result of some other variable 

Operationalize a variable

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

Objectivity

personal neutrality in conducting research 

empirical evidence

information we can verify with our senses.

Interpretive sociology

study of society that focuses on the meanings people attach to their social world 

Interpretation

understanding the meaning that people create in their everyday lives 

Verstehen

understanding why people do things 

Critical sociology

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

Gender

the personal traits and social positions that members of a society attach to being female or male—shapes research

Androcentricity

approaching an issue from a male perspective.

Gynocentricity

seeing the world from a female perspective 

Overgeneralizing

using data drawn from people of only one sex to support conclusions about all of society

Gender blindness

failing to consider gender at all is known as gender blindness 

Double standards

judging men and women differently 

Interference

a subject reacts to the gender of the researcher. 

Research methods

systematic plan for doing research 

Experiment

investigating cause and effect under highly controlled conditions

hypothesis

statement of a possible relationship between 2 or more variables. 

Survey

subjects respond to a series of statements or questions on a questionnaire or in an interview