Introduction to Sociology - Unit One Exam Review

Doesn't include terms on the study guide that won't be on the exam

Sociological Imagination

the ability to see how individual lives are connected to larger social and historical forces (ex. generational trauma, economic turmoil, lasting impacts of educational level)

Social Institutions

established systems of rules, roles, and relationships that organizes social life and meets basic human needs

Examples of Social Institutions

Family, education (schools), religion (churches), government

Functionalist Theory

the theory that various social institutions and processes in society exist to serve some important (or necessary) function to keep society running (ex. inequality allows us to give the best roles to the most talented people)

Conflict Theory

the idea that conflict between competing interests is the basic, animating force of social change and society in general (ex. inequality is unfair and exists as a result of political struggles among different groups/classes)

Independent Variable

a measured factor that the researcher believes has a causal impact on the dependent variable

Dependent Variable

the outcome the researcher is trying to explain

Ethical Guidelines in Research

a. Do no harm

b. Obtain informed consent

c. Ensure voluntary participation

d.* Maintain the subject(s) anonymity and confidentiality

Material Culture

aspects of culture that we can see and touch; this includes everything that is a part of our constructed, physical environment (ex. technology, artwork, food, clothes)

Nonmaterial Culture

aspects of culture that we cannot see but are manifested in our activities (ex. values, beliefs, social norms, ideologies)

Ethnocentrism

the belief that one’s own culture or group is superior to others, and the tendency to view all other cultures from the perspective of one’s own

Gender Stereotypes

belief or overgeneralization about the characteristics, abilities, behaviors, or roles that are supposedly appropriate for men or women

Sexism

discrimination or unequal treatment based on sex or gender

Socialization

the process by which individuals learn the values, beliefs, and norms of a given society and learn to function as a member of that society

Agents of Socialization

Family (ex. parents, grandparents, siblings), school, peers

Status

a recognizable social position that an individual occupies (ex. professor, doctor, mother)

Role

the duties and behaviors expected of someone who holds a particular status (ex. a professor is expected to understand course materials and teach)

Generalizability

the extent to which we can claim our findings inform us about a group beyond the one we studied

Culture Shock

the doubt, confusion, or anxiety arising from immersion in an unfamiliar culture