SOC 1101 Exam 1

Beginner's mind

approaching the world without preconceptions in order to see things in a new way

Sociological Imagination

the ability to see the link between society and self -perspective, critical lens, personal troubles vs. public issues, historical and cultural context

social construction

An idea or practice that a group of people agree exists. It is maintained over time by people taking its existence for granted.

social facts

values, norms, or structures that transcend the individual and influence behavior

social institution

complex groups of interdependent positions that together perform a social role and reproduce themselves -has different goals/function -family, religion, education, government

microtheory

concentrates on the interactions between the individuals and the ways in which those interactions construct larger patterns -symbolic interaction

macrotheory

looks at large-scale social structure to determine how they affect the lives of individuals -functionalism and conflict

paradigms

a set of assumptions, theories, and perspectives that makes up a way of understanding social reality

positivism

the application of the scientific approach to the social world

functionalism

the idea that if one doesn't work, another must step up -stability, balance, social order, harmony -compares society to the human body -brain is to think as family is to support

anomie

disconnection brought on by social change -covid

egotistic suicide

feeling of disconnect, lack of strong ties, not integrated

altruistic suicide

too integrated, hero, sacrificing oneself

anomic suicide

times of social change, lack of social regulation

fatalistic suicide

extreme regulation -happens in severely oppressed societies

ecological fallacy

used aggregate data to generalize

structural functionalism

based on the assumption that society is a unified whole that functions because of the contributions of its separate structures

manifest functions

recognized and intended functions

latent functions

unintended functions

dysfunction

disturbance to or undesirable consequence of some aspect of the social system

conflict theory

social inequality is the basic characteristic of life -power, struggle, coercion -Karl Marx -exploitation, alienation

false consciousness

a denial of the truth that allows for the perpetuation of the inequalities in the class structure

class consciousness

when people recognize how society works and challenge those in power

praxis

the idea that individuals should act on what they believe in -practical action

symbolic interaction

the idea that meanings are created through interaction -we act towards things based on their meanings -meanings are not inherent, they are negotiated -meanings can be changed through social interactions -meaning, creation, symbolism

pragmatism

assumes we make practical adaptions to our environment through cognition, interpretation, and interaction

dramaturgy

social life is analyzed in terms of its similarities to theatrical performances

ethnomethodology

study of folk methods and background knowledge that sustain a shared sense of reality in every day interactions

looking glass self

interpretations of ourselves are based on assumptions concerning what others think of us

microaggressions

common, everyday verbal or behavioral indignities and slights that communicate hostile, derogatory, and negative messages about someone's race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion

queer theory

emphasizes importance of differences and sexuality should be viewed as a construct -includes everything that is not heterosexual

critical race theory

examines how racism is embedded within our institutions and polices

social research

researchers use both quantitative and qualitative methods

spurious correlation

variables appear to be related but have separate causes

ethnography

research takes place in a naturally occurring social environment

inductive research

observations lead to theoretical generalizations

autoethnography

researcher gives a detailed account of their own through feelings and experiences in the field as a focal point of the study

rapport

the people that you are studying trust you

reflexivity

how the identity and actives of the researcher influence what is going on in the field setting

grounded theory

generating theory from data by creating categories in which to place data and then looking for relationships among categories

theoretical saturation

the point at which you are getting no new information

netnography

the use of participant observation methods to study online communities

comparative historical research

study relationship among elements of society in various regions and time periods

content analysis

analyzing text and looking for emerging themes

social network analysis

measures and visualizes the structure of social relationships

hawthorne effect

A change in a subject's behavior caused simply by the awareness of being studied -reactivity

Sugar study

higher standard for studies that implicated sugar, ended up suggesting to eat less fat to prevent coronary heart disease

Tuskegee

Study that withheld syphilis treatment from families being studied

Henrietta Lacks

Her cervical cancer cells were harvested without her or her next of kin's permission or consent. Millions of her cells have been used in research today with no financial compensation to her family.

Milgram Study

"teacher" administered what he or she thought were real shocks to a "learner" -pressure from authority figures

Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment

an experiment in which people were assigned to be guards or prisoners- studied how drastically behaviors can change under certain influences

Humphrey's Study

pretended to be a voyeur in a tearoom and recorded license plate numbers of men he observed, then got their names and addresses. Went to their doors pretending to be a health researcher and asked personal questions and wrote a book about it -complete lack of informed consent

culture

the learned and shared behaviors, beliefs, attitudes, values, and material objects that characterize a group or society

cultural relativism

understanding other cultures on their own terms, rather than judging them

Ethnocentrism

using one's own culture as a standard to evaluate other cultures, leading to the view that other cultures are abnormal

sign

symbols that stand for or convey an idea -american flag, cross, emojis

gestures

use of bodies to communicate without words -actions that have symbolic meaning

language

system of communication involving vocal sounds, gestures, or written symbols -universal to all societies

sapir-whorf hypothesis

language structures throught

-ways of looking at the world are embedded in language

-our words shape our belief of the world

values

ideas about what is right or wrong -a shared set of beliefs

norms

rules or guidelines of behaviors, developed from a group's values

laws

type of norm that is formally codified

folkways

loosely enforced norms, ensures smooth interactions

mores

norms that carry great moral significance, related to core values

taboo

type of more, norm so ingrained that it evokes disgust, horror, revulsion

moral holiday

period in which violations to morals are allowed

sanctions

positive or negative reactions to the ways people follow or disobey norms -establishes social control

dominant culture

values, norms, and practices of the group that is the most powerful

hegemonic ideologies

ideas of dominant group are accepted by all -social control

multiculturalism

polices that value diverse racial, ethnic, national, and linguistic backgrounds

subculture

differentiated by its distinctive values, norms, and lifestyle -culture within a culture

counterculture

openly rejects or actively opposes a society's value and norms -proud boys, oath keepers, three percenters, anonymous

cultural wars

clashes within mainstream society over the values and norms that should be upheld

cultural diffusion

dissemination of material and nonmaterial culture -Western to other countries

cultural imperialism

imposition of one's culture beliefs and practices on another

cultural leveling

cultures becoming increasingly similar

consumerism

A preoccupation with the purchasing of material goods.