Sociology Exam

What approach does sociology take? And how is this done?

It takes a systemic approach. This means it does it in a certain way by analysing and investigating society.

Who are the three founding fathers of sociology?

Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim and Max Weber

What did Weber believe? (2 points)

* Social action and ideas are the central force for change in society
* Link between religion and economic and political systems (capitalism)

What was Durkheim famous for?

His theory on suicide

What did Marx believe? (2)

* The history of mankind is the history of class conflict
* capitalists are locked in conflict with exploited workers

How does society get along?

By having well developed, highly ethical social norms

What is personal agency? (2)

* Our role in the creation of the social world
* Our own ability to influence our own life and society

What is the social structure?

* The role of the social world in our interaction with society

Who created the sociological imagination?

C Wright Mills

What is the sociological imagination?

The link between society and people, organisations and groups

What is influenced by the government, economy, culture and family? And what is this termed?

Our personal problems. This is called the sociological imagination.

What are the 4 factors to applying the sociological imagination?

* Historical
* Cultural
* Structural
* Critical

What is Durkheim’s perspective on suicide?

That it’s an intensely personal experience but it is also a social phenomena

Name the 4 kinds of suicide?

* Egoistic
* Altruistic
* Anomic
* Fatalistic

What is altruistic suicide?

Committed for the benefit of someone else

What is fatalistic suicide?

Occurs when someone feels they have no control over their life or their future is bleak

What is Anomic suicide?

Lack of direction in life. Could occur from addiction, illness, financial loss

What is Egoistic suicide?

Lack of social connection. Life is meaningless.

Family is the ____ agent of socialisation.

Primary

What is a nuclear family?

Male and woman. One child. Male breadwinner. Female Homemaker.

What do functionalists see as the nuclear family.

They see it as the perfect division of labour.

What does functionalists see as the main function of a family?

The primary socialisation of children and to create a stable society.

What are the 5 functions of marriage?

* Sexual regulation
* Economic cooperation
* Reproduction
* Socialisation
* Emotional support

Who founded functionalist theory?

Talcott Parsons

Who founded conflict perspective?

Fredrich Engels - Colleague of Karl Marx

What is the conflict perspective?

That the traditional family is a sign of gender conflict and perpetuates gender inequality. That family was at odds with the capitalists.

Who believe’s that obedience to one's father is in preparation for obedience to authority of the state?

Conflict theorists

What did feminist theorists argue?

That families reinforce patriarchal gendered division of domestic labour

What social forces influence one to pick a romantic partner? (3)

* Marriage resources
* Third parties
* Demographic factors

Name 4 things the Kinship system determines:

* Suitable marriage partners
* Roles in funerals
* Everyday behavior patterns
* Socialisation agents

Define culture

Whole set of beliefs and guidelines as to how people ought to behave in any society, which people regard as natural and normal

Name the two principles of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis

* Linguistic determinism
* Linguistic relativity

Whats is Linguistic relativity

People who speak different languages think and perceive the world quite differently

What is Linguistic determinism

\
* Our thinking is determined by our language

What is material culture?

We place a certain value (meaning) on something we could touch, taste, feel

What is non-material culture?

\
* Symbols, values, rules, gestures, language, laws of society

What is symbolic value?

* An object symbolises specific cultural meanings

What is sign value?

* An object references qualities unrelated to its function value
* An expensive car signifies class status through symbolising success and wealth

Name 4 kinds of secondary socialisation

* Schools (the hidden curiculum)
* Peer groups
* Workplace
* Government
* Religion
* Mass media
* Virtual and Online
* Sport

What are the subjects we learn at school called?

Manifest function

What are the socialisations at school called?

Latent function

What 3 factors influences a child to play sport?

\
* A person abilities and characteristics
* The influence of significant others
* Parents
* Siblings
* Teachers
* Peers
* The opportunities to play and experience sporting success and competition

Name the types of social structures (6)

\
* Politics - how we are governed
* Nations - belonging to a country
* Economy - employment and material resources
* Religion - systems of meaning
* Culture - ways of living
* Laws - the boundaries of behaviour

What are social patterns?

The impacts of particular social forces so that we can then predict how one’s life may turn out.

Name 5 types of social patterns.

\
* Wealth: the richer the better
* Family: the more stable the better, having two parents mean more advantageous economically and socially
* Ethnicity: some will have greater opportunities than others
* Gender: women worse off
* Occupation: work is an important source of wealth and identity
* Education: more educated the better
* Religion: declining in Aus
* Place: inner city, suburbs, country
* Age

What is it called when sociologists are interested in how social components change in society and its impacts?

Historical sensibilities

What is modernity?

\
* a suite of change that firstly occur in Europe then globally
* Capitalism, urbanisation, industrial tech, electronic tech etc.

What mode of production was the Ancient world?

Agrarian

What mode of production was Mediaeval?

Feudal

What was capitalist mode of production?

\
* Less emphasis on farming and land
* Development of industrial production
* Factories
* Real estate
* Owning shares in companies

What was feudal mode of production?

\
* also based on farming and land
* Expanded your land through conquest
* Didn’t necessarily have slaves
* You had peasants who leased land from you
* Little more of division of labour

What was agrarian mode of production?

\
* Large slave estates 
* Wasn't much of a financial system
* If you had land, wealth and slaves then you got rich
* Basically went to war and captured people and that’s how the made money

What was Marx’s historical materialism?

The way in which economic life, and therefore social life was conducted in various eras in history

Who saw change as more cultural?

Weber

What was Weber’s view on economic change?

\
* Cultural changes led to economic changes
* Religion was centre

What did Weber find in other countries?

They had what Marx deemed important for society (technology, political institutions etc.) but these regions were socially conservative through their religion and therefore this hindered economic development through cultural norms and rules

What are the defining features of Protestantism? (3)

\
* Different kinds of christians than catholics
* Had to prove your own individual worth to God
* Working hard, being frugal and reliable
* Rather than seeking divine favour from church
* Believed favour from God was through financial success

What is ethnocentrism?

\
*  the tendency to asses other cultures through the lens of our own
* Can lead to prejudice and racism, colonialism, slavery, oppression etc.
* Early anthropology described other cultures as weird etc. 
* Talking about other people as though they are not worthy (they are uncivilised, not cultured like us)

What did Goffman study?

How people interact and communicate

What did the dramaturgical model state?

\
* Almost all interactions between people followed specific scripts (not necessarily to everyone's satisfaction) that showed the importance of specific forms of identity and status
* That is, social roles, norms and values dictated how people interacted with each other

What was the cultural issue with the dramaturgical model?

* Underlying cultural issue of people wanting to give the best performance of themselves in order to secure advantage and status
* You want to hide the worst parts of yourself (speech, habits etc.)

What is the backstage of the dramaturgical model?

Your authentic self - you are no longer acting

What is the structural sensibility?

How society is structured or ordered that might produce various kinds of behaviour in individuals

What are the 2 questions for critical sensibility? What do they mean?

\
* How do you know?
* This is a question about evidence - its crucial
* How could it be otherwise?
* Whether change should occur?

Is every sociological problem a social problem?

No, but every social problem is a sociological problem

What is organic solidarity?

\
* Society is a bit like an organism
* All institutions play a role and have a value

What is rational society?

\
* Held together mostly through coercion or threat of coercion
* rituals
* The laws, contracts etc.
* It has particular functions and ends it wants to achieve

What is functional rationality?

We have a particular aim in mind when we are planning some aspect of society (a policy)

What is substantive rationality?

\
* What are the end results
* Do the means justify the ends
* Does the policy achieve what is wants to achieve

Who believes in non-rational solidarity?

Durkheim

What is non-rational solidarity? And what is it called?

\
* Emotions, sentiments, trust and faith
* How people create a sense of belonging and sense of obligation towards a community (and state)
* He called this reliance on trust and faith ‘pre-contractual solidarity’

What is pre-contractual solidarity?

Based on non-rational aspects

* reliance on trust and faith

The era’s that influenced sociology to lift off.

The political and industrial revolutions. And the enlightenment.

What is Nationalism?

The believe that your country is superior.

How do rationalists see nationalism?

The laws of the country is what they mean about the country

How do non-rationalists see nationalism?

based on expectations society has made up for the country

What makes people trust society, social groups and institutions?

Legitimacy

What forms and reforms society? (2)

* collective effervescence
* collective consciousness

What is the key aspect of rational/contractual society?

the  formation of groups based on feelings of solidarity and similar interests

What is rational behavior for many groups?

furthering their own interests, usually at the expense of other groups

How are groups formed and stay together?

* Moral sentiments (non-rational solidarity / pre-contractual)

What is a ritual?

Emotional events that reinforce your love of the group or member of the group and your hatred of those outside your group

What does religion offer to society?

ways of interpreting the world through emotional and moral conformity

What are the points of rituals?

\
* to promote righteous feelings 
* Bringing you closer to the group 
* To be a better religious (member of the group) person 
* Reinforce the group’s relevance

What did Durkheim believe about religion? (4)

* That it is a form of self worship
* reinforces the legitimacy of society
* the structure of society mirrored the structure of religion
* religion has a powerful history in making up laws and norms

Pascals wager

He was asked if he believed in God and he said that he doesn’t know but he is going to be religious just in case (for the afterlife)

What are expert systems?

Trusting whatever experts say about certain things? (ie. climate change.

What is qualitative data?

\
* Interviews, texts, words, images
* “Meat on the bone” - describes the process, meaning and feelings associated

What is quantitative data?

Statistics, numbers, levels, rates

What is inductively?

We start research with data and develop a theory to explain our patterns

What is deductively?

Take a theory first and test it with data

What is the problem with interpretations?

Most researchers will be middle class observing those in vulnerable positions - typically lower class

What is a theory?

Explain or situate a particular social pattern

What did Weber believe about capitalism?

That it was helped developed by Protestants

in what way is Rule breaking, crime, deviance is a social process?

Sets of norms and rules defined by particular groups

What does deviance highlight?

\
* the forms and contours of society, what’s accepted, rewarded, and sanctioned for individuals and groups

Why is society intrigued about crime and deviance?

\
* Maybe because we all mostly conform to social norms and are deeply fascinated by those who do not
* We romanticise criminals and criminal behaviour

What is deviance?

The ways in which individuals don’t fit in to society through particular kinds of behaviour

What does crime and deviance imply?

That there are boundaries in society

What is ettiquette?

Various acts of social interaction contravene norms