soci midterm

Paradigm

Model that organizes the view of something

3 Major Paradigms

structural functionalism, conflict theory, symbolic interactionism

Global Perspective

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

Changes that began sociology

Industrial Revolution, Growth of Cities, Political Change

Auguste Comte

coined the term sociology

sociological perspective

to find the general in the particular

How sociology helps personal growth

common sense, see opportunities, helps give a diverse world

The sociological advantage

A background in sociology is also good preparation for the working world. An increasing # of sociologists work in all sorts of applied fields.

Social Function

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

social dysfunction

any social pattern that may disrupt the operation of society

Social-Conflict Approach

Sees society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and change

gender conflict theory

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

race-conflict theory

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

symbolic interaction theory

a theoretical perspective claiming that people act toward things because of the meaning things have for them

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

structural-functional approach

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

Structural Functional: Micro or Macro?

Macro

Social Conflict Approach: Micro or Macro?

Macro

Symbolic Interaction: Micro or Macro?

Micro

3 ways to do sociology

positivist, interpretive, critical

spurious correlation

an apparent but false relationship between two (or more) variables that is caused by some other variable

Positivist Reality

Reality is "out there"

Positivist Sociology Theory

Structural Functional

Interpretive Sociology Reality

Subjective meanings of reality

Interpretive Sociology Theory

Symbolic Interaction

Critical Sociology Reality

Reality is changeable

Critical Sociology Theory

Social Conflict

social organization

Production, distribution, consumption

means of production

technology, materials, property

relations of production

how things are organized around production

Capitalist Social System

commodities based on exchange for profit

division of labor (Marx)

Division of work into a number of separate tasks to be performed by separate workers

division of labour (Durkheim)

functional interdependence

Rationalization (Weber)

every human interaction becomes subject to calculation

Bureaucracy (Weber)

A large, complex organization with hierarchal positions

Authority (Weber)

power that people perceive as legitimate rather than coercive

Sociological Imagination (C. Wright Mills)

the ability to connect the most basic, intimate aspects of an individual's life to seemingly impersonal and remote historical forces

C Wright Mill's Promise

How does history and biography shape you in society

Who was FOR critical sociology?

Karl Marx

What does critical sociology say about research?

Research is political, and should be done to bring social change

What does positivist sociology say about research?

Should have no bias, and should be scientific

Positive Sociology's Theory

Structural Functional (scientific goal)

Interpretive Sociology's Theory

Symbolic Interaction (meaning)

Critical Sociology's Theory

Social Conflict (reducing inequality)

What affects sociological research?

gender, male perspective, double standards, overgeneralization

experimental method

cause and effect,

survey method

response to questions

existing sources

already used data being used

stereotype

A generalized belief about a group of people

How does the sociological perspective shape lives?

Personal troubles to public issues

What is Sociology

Human behavior/ social phenomenon and the way we think are shaped by social structures that place limits on human behavior
Study of social structures and how they influence human behavior and social outcomes
Set of methods for determining whether or not explanations are valid

How does society meet it's needs

What societies need to survive (structure) - trade, language, rules, people(reproduction), religion or a lack thereof, education, etc...
The way that society meets its needs is not natural → there isn't just one way
Social structure - shapes opportunities and creates barriers
Shapes individual behavior
Shapes social outcome
Social structure places limits on free choice and provides some kind of opportunities but not others

What are the effects of social structure on individual behavior and social outcomes?

Different social groups are located in a different place in social structure, meaning they face different barriers and limits → social structure affects groups differently → different groups within a social structure behave differently
Some groups have greater opportunity and fewer barriers, this creates inequality
Different social structures provide people in different societies, with different opportunities and barriers, which leads to different behaviors and social outcomes in different societies
Social structures can be thought of all the statuses and roles in a society and how they are related
Example - in the classroom → instructors behave differently than the students, structures may include: classroom setup, expectations of the students from the instructor (and vice versa), etc...

What does the Stanford Prison Experiment video tell us about statuses, roles, and social structure?

Demonstrates the power of statuses and roles in shaping human behavior, and that not everyone reacts in the same way to a social structure
Suggests that we are all capable of behaving immorally and inhumanely
Prisoner abuse in iraq/afghanistan can somewhat be compared

How did Durkheim study social structure and suicide? What did he find and what factors were important in his finding?

Allows that suicide isn't purely individualistic, other shaping factors
Suicide rates are not constant
People who have weak social ties are more likely to commit suicide
Overly strong ties - if you cannot contribute, or if your thinking diverges from the group, then your death might help the group
Overly weak ties- no support, lonely, isolated, moral and normative ambiguity

What is the difference between macro and micro perspective of society?

Micro - usually concerned with the conduct of individuals and small groups as it unfolds in relatively small spatial contexts over short durations of time
Macro - focuses on larger entities, institutions, entire societies and even the global systems - and how the entities emerge, maintain themselves and change over time

How do we "see" social structure? How do we "see" social inequalities?

Statuses and roles
Status - a position in society, we all occupy a number of statuses (daughter, son, wife, teacher)
Role - a set of expected behaviors attached to specific statuses in society
Different roles and statuses are associated with different goals, interests, emotions, and levels of deference (yielding to the wishes/opinions of another)
Social status - statuses can be ranked in terms of how desirable they are or how much prestige they have statuses that are more prestigious have a higher social status
Inequality - access to material goods

What are the three implications of the sociological perspective for society and for us individuals?

Social problems cannot/will not be solved by extorting people to change their behavior → it is outside of us the social structures that create these problems
In order to solve social problems we need to alter the social structures that create these problems
If we truly want to understand our society and ourselves we have to take the time to study the social structures and social forces that surround us
Agency vs structure - counters the assumption that most people (americans) make our lives as we please (complete agency) → individuals have some agency, which is strongly limited by social structures around us

What methods do sociologists use? How do sociologists use them for sociological research?

Scientific research methods - approaches used to understand the world and to determine whether or not sociological explanations are valid → (scientific) comparing explanation to evidence/data from the real world

How do sociological explanations differ from opinion and common sense?

Sociological explanations and research are informed by past research
When sociologists conduct research, they typically test several competing explanations at the same time
Sociologists follow strict rules for gathering data to ensure that the data they gather accurately represent the real world
Sociologists turn their explanations into testable research hypothesis

status

a position in society, we all occupy multiple statuses

role

set of expected behaviors attached to specific statuses in society

social status

statuses can be ranked in terms of how desirable they are or how much prestige they have. Statuses that are more prestigious have a higher social status

agency

capacity of individuals to act independently

theory

a logically inner-related set of propositions that attempt to explain a social phenomena

hypothesis

prediction about the relationships you expect to find in a society

decision rule

tells you the conditions under which a hypothesis is supported and the conditions under which it is contradicted. It tells you what your data must look like before you can conclude that your hypothesis is supported or contradicted.

cultural reaffirmation

not only should culture be passed on, but these values, norms, beliefs and meanings must be constantly reaffirmed, if we are not constantly reminded of these things, we will forget them and no longer be able to successfully interact → break down of social order

indicators

variables that measure the concepts that make up your hypotheses, for example - you might hypothesize that people with more education have higher incomes. Before you can test this hypothesis, you must figure out how to measure the concepts 'income' and 'education'. For instance, you can use 'years of schooling' or 'highest degree received' are both indicators.

Three sociological perspectives - what are the main arguments and criticisms?

symbolic interactionism, functionalism, and conflict

symbolic interactionism (micro)

assumes that human beings act in terms of the meanings they assign to objects in their environment and people's conduct is powerfully influenced by their definition of the situation
Social action typically involves making a series of adjustments and readjustments about an individual's interpretation of the situation changes
The meanings computed to an object are socially constructed
In modern, heterogeneous societies, different groups often assign divergent meanings to the same object
Established meanings are always subject to transformation and the emergence of diffusion of novel definitions of reality are a critically important feature of social change
Problems- (SI) suggests that socialization and cultural reaffirmation occur w/ complete spontaneous. (No planning). Interactionists suggest that socialization and cultural reaffirmation occur mostly at the micro level. (Micro) Also planned by groups and organizations. (Macro)

functionalism (macro)

examines the creation, maintenance, and alteration of durable social practices, institutions, and entire societies
Societies can be linked to problem solving entities
During the course of human history societies have developed many different answers to basic needs
The particular practices and institutions that arise in response to one problem have crucial repercussions for the practices/institutions devised to address other problems
In contemporary societies containing scores of specialized institutions and hundreds of heterogeneous sub-groups, societal integration is a recurring but manageable problem
Deviance and conflict arise from social strains, or contradictions within an institution or between them.
Problems - fails to account for social change, assumes we all have common values, justifies inequality, overlooks conflict, devalues change

conflict (macro)

societies are arenas in which groups with fundamentally antagonistic interests struggle against one another
Conflicts among classes, status groups, and between those exercising authority and those subject to it supply the energy and motivation for constructing and maintaining practices/institutions
practices/institutions are structures of domination that promote the interests of relatively powerless subordinate groups
Achievement and equal opportunity are more accurately viewed not as widely shared values but as a dominant ideology that operates to preserve existing systems of inequality
Significant social change usually reflects the efforts of groups mobilizing to advance their collective interests, often at the expense of other groups interests
Problems - does not adequately account for long periods of social stability, ignores degree to which we share cultural ideals, focuses too much on conflict, ignores individual roles

What did the showdown in settle video show?

The showdown in seattle video supported the conflict perspective - riots in the streets controlled by police forces are a prime example of groups with antagonistic interests coming in conflict with one another.

What are the two basic views on deviance? What assumptions does each view make? What problems does each have?

Deviance - (1) socially disapproved acts, beliefs, and behavior, (2) acts, beliefs, behavior that violate some agreed upon norm that prevails in a community or society at large

absolutism

see some acts, beliefs, behaviors as inherently good and some as inherently bad

relavatism

deviance is socially constructed, through our interactions with others, and through groups/organizations decisions

According to Durkheim, in what two ways does deviance help maintain social order?

1) Responding to deviance promotes social unity
2) People typically react to deviance with outrage, which emotionally holds together our bonds and our boundaries

What arguments do conflict theorists make about deviance and social order?

Elites use deviance to exert social control over others
Deviance is used to justify and maintain inequality
Marginalize people and groups that want social change
Divide non-elites from each other
Blame subordinate groups for social problems - structure of them and who creates them

Why do people become deviant? List the main deviance theories. Define them, their main arguments, and discuss additional information that distinguishes them from each other.

-Differential association theory- since conformity and deviance are behaviors we learn through social interaction, a person's tendency towards conformity or deviance depends on who they hang out with (hang out with deviant people, you'll act deviant).{Shorten if needed}
-Labeling theory- assumes deviance is socially constructed, there are not good or bad acts of people. (being deviant is determined by having a deviant label)
-Person labeled deviant→ People assume person is bad→ Person is treated differently→ Affects person's self identity/behavior→ New behavior is viewed by others as deviant.
-Stigmatization- Process where a stigma leads a person to follow a deviant career

6 Key premises of science

1. empirical
2. logistical and rational
3.objective
4.information collected is systematic and public
5. science is skeptical
6. knowledge is cumulative

What is the sociological perspective?

2 key concepts: social beings and social patterns. Seeing the general in the particular, uncovering surface reality. Macro and Micro level

Sociology as a way of knowing

Looking at individuals, groups, events, phenomena etc. in broader context to see the big picture. All human life is social. Differs from other ways of knowing by methods and perspectives.

Role expectations general term

how others believe a person should act in a given situation

Roles (structuralist)

patterns of behaviour expected of a person in a given situation by virtue of their position in an interaction. roles are socially defined attributes and expectations associated with social positions.

Roles (interactionalist: role enactment, 4 steps)

1. identification of the role with self
2. behave in a manner appropriate to identification
3. use behaviour of others as cues.
4. evaluation of our performance

What is rationalization?

the process in which every aspect of human action becomes subject to calculation, measurement, and control in the pursuit of efficiency.

what is bureaucracy?

concerns the organization of people into hierarchical positions, each with its own area of jurisdiction, guided by a general set of abstract rules.
*has become the primary form of organizing people in our society.

What is macro level sociology?

understanding that society is based on its underlying system in producing things. Production>distribution>consumption. understands society by understanding how the items we need to survive are produced, distributed, and consumed. each society has a different method. Key players: Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber.

What is a norm?

an established rule or standard that governs our conduct in social situations in which we participate.

What is Micro level sociology

Sociologists in this level of sociology are more interested in how we understand the individual in relation to the social. "role of self" in society.

what is Primary socialization?

the process of learning that begins at birth and occurs in the home and family

what is gender socialization?

the learning of gender roles through social factors such as schooling, the media, and family

what is socialization?

the lifelong social experience by which people develop their human potential and learn culture

what is secondary socialization?

socialization from early childhood through adult life

Define sociology

the systematic study of human society

define society

people who live in a defined territory and share culture.

define global perspective

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

define social structure

any relatively stable pattern of social behaviour