Sociology

Sociology

The scientific study of society and human behavior (people in groups).

Macrosociology

• Interested in society on a larger scale.

• Big numbers, population, immigration, cities.

Microsociology

• Interested in social activity on a small scale.

• Concerned with individuals and everyday interactions.

• Erving Goffman is a famous contributor to microsociological theory.

Social institutions

Established systems and structures in society that fulfill social needs and organize behavior through patterns of norms, rules, and beliefs.

Patters of beliefs and behaviors focused on meeting social needs.

Research Question

What you’re interested in knowing.

Hypothesis

A testable educated guess about predicted outcomes between two or more variables.

A proposed relationship between at least two variables, usually with a “direction.”

Dependent Variable

The outcome that the researcher is trying to explain. A dependent variable is affected by some other variable.

Independent Variable

Something the researcher believes will have an impact on the dependent variable.

(The variable that we think is affecting the change in how people describe themselves.)

Conceptualization

Offering a definition for the concept(s) being studied.

• The process of defining and forming concepts in sociology, which involves creating clear definitions for abstract ideas like “social structure,” “class,” or “culture.”

Operationalization

Assigning a method for measuring that which we wish to examine.

Validity

The extent to which an instrument measures what is intended to measure.

Reliability

The likelihood of obtaining consistent results using the same measurement.

Sample

The subset of a population from which you are collecting data.

• A smaller group that’s representative of the population.

Generalizability

The extent to which we can claim our findings inform us about a group larger than the sample which we have studied.

Functionalism (Emile Durkheim)

Anything that is common in a society or across multiple societies serves a purpose. Functionalism think of society as akin to a body (“the organic metaphor”).

Conflict Theory (Karl Marx)

Asserts that the organization of society is to the advantage of some groups and the disadvantage of others. Conflicts between these two groups spur social change.

Functionalism

Views society as a whole composed of interrelated parts and assumes a tendency toward equilibrium and consensus. (The organization of society works to everyone’s advantage by keeping society itself alive and well).

In short, it is a sociological theory that all aspects in society servers a function and is necessary for the survival of that society.

Social Solidarity

Social bonds or the unity and cohesion of a society.

Mechanical Solidarity

Cohesion based on sameness (traditional societies)

Organic Solidarity

Cohesion based on interdependence (modern societies)

Conflict Theory

Views society as composed of groups that complete for limited resources.

(Claims that the organization of society works to the advantage of the powerful)

Symbolic Interactionism

Emphasizing the socially constructed meanings that humans give to objects, words, and other signs and symbols.

(Symbolic interactionist tend to focus most readily upon person-to-person interactions, but the theory can be applied to larger scale social phenomenon.)

Dramaturgy

Dramaturgy uses metaphorical terminology from theater to describe what happens when two or more people interact with each other.

• People can and often do manipulate the impressions that they give.

• An example of this would be a server at a restaurant who acts politely in the dining room (front stage) but then complains about customers in the kitchen (backstage)

Critical Race Theory (CRT)

A set of ideas holding that racial bias is inherent in many parts of western society, especially in its legal and social institutions.

• Recognizes that race is socially constructed.

• Choices may fuel racism and racial inequity unintentionally. Can be seen when focusing on unequal outcomes rather than intent.

• Argues that law is not “objective” or “apolitical.”

• Acknowledges race is a “normal” feature of society that is embedded in social systems. Racism is not just the outcome of a “few bad apples.”

• The history of racism impacts our modern everyday experiences of race and inequity.

The Veil (DuBois)

A metaphor describing the way in which oppressed peoples must look upon the society in which they live from the role of an included-outsider.

Double-Consciousness (DuBois)

Describes the internal conflicts of subordinated groups in an oppressive society.

Second-Sight (DuBois)

Together, the above provide subjugated people with more knowledge than the dominant group has about the society in which both groups live.

The Social Imagination (C. Wright Mills)

Describes our ability to see the connections between personal experience and larger historical forces.

• Allows us to see the “strangeness” of our society and helps us raise sociological questions.

Intersectionality

A term that describes the ways in which multiple systems of oppression and privilege and multiple identities come together to produce an experience of discrimination and/or advantage.

From this perspective, privilege and oppression/disadvantage are not choices but facts within interlocking social systems.

(Impacted by multiple forces and then abandoned to fend by yourself.)

• Race, Gender, Sexuality, and multiple identities all of these social dynamics come together to create challenges that contribute to intersectionality as stated by Kimberlé Crenshaw.

Correlation

What happens when two variables move together.

Cultural Capital

Cultural knowledge that serves (metaphorically) as currency to help one navigate a culture.

• Knowledge, skills, education, and culture habits that give someone social advantage or status.

Financial Capital

Money and economic resources that people or groups use to invest, produce goods, or gain more wealth.

Social Capital

Relationships, networks, and trust that help people work together and access resources or opportunities.