Sociology: Key Concepts and Theories (Vocabulary Flashcards)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, people, concepts, and theories from the lecture notes.

Sociology

The systematic study of the relationship between individuals and society.

Sociological perspective

A view that emphasizes connections between individuals and the broader social contexts in which they live.

Sociological imagination

Mills's idea that personal biography is shaped by larger historical forces; the link between private troubles and public issues.

Biography (Mills)

The individual's life story as it is shaped by historical and social forces.

History (Mills)

The larger social forces and historical context that influence individual lives.

Common sense

Popular folk wisdom that can yield contradictory claims and is not a substitute for systematic analysis.

Positivism

The belief that accurate knowledge must be based on the scientific method.

Auguste Comte

Founder of sociology; proposed stages of societal development and the scientific study of society.

Theological stage

Comte's first stage of societal development, explanations grounded in religion.

Metaphysical stage

Comte's second stage, explanations grounded in abstract reasoning.

Positivist stage

Comte's third stage, where science explains social life.

Karl Marx

Revolutionary thinker who analyzed capitalism, wealth, poverty, and power; advocated radical change for workers.

Capitalism

An economic system characterized by private ownership of production and pursuit of profit, often associated with wealth disparities.

Power (sociology)

The ability to achieve outcomes even against opposition; operates at all levels and is linked to resource distribution and inequality.

Emile Durkheim

Founding figure in sociology who studied social solidarity, division of labor, crime, and the collective conscience.

Social solidarity

The bonds that connect individuals in a society.

Division of labor

Increasing specialization of tasks within a society, leading to interdependence.

Crime and punishment (Durkheim)

Crimes offend the collective conscience; punishment reinforces social solidarity and morality.

Collective conscience

Shared norms, beliefs, and values that bind a community.

Anomie

A state of normlessness or a lack of moral guidance in a society.

Max Weber

Sociologist who linked culture and economics; introduced rationalization and rational action.

The Protestant Ethic

Cultural beliefs that helped promote the development of capitalism in parts of Europe.

Rationalization

Long-term process by which rationality replaces tradition as the basis for organizing social life.

Rational action

Action guided by reason and calculated means to achieve goals.

W. E. B. Du Bois

Pioneer on racial inequality; wrote The Philadelphia Negro and Souls of Black Folk; introduced double-consciousness and the veil.

The Philadelphia Negro

1899 study by Du Bois, one of the first sociological studies of a Black community.

Double-consciousness

Du Bois’s idea of divided or dual identities experienced by Black Americans.

The veil

Du Bois’s metaphor for the barrier separating Black experiences from white societal perception.

Souls of Black Folk

Du Bois’s 1903 work addressing race, identity, and inequality.

Harriet Martineau

Early female sociologist who studied gender discrimination and slavery; translated Comte.

Jane Addams

Social reformer; founder of Hull House; Nobel Peace Prize recipient; influential to urban sociology.

Hull House

Settlement house in Chicago offering social services to immigrants.

Hull House Maps and Papers

Addams’s work investigating urban social life.”

Democracy and Social Ethics

Addams’s influential work on ethics and social reform.

Theories

Explanations of observations; not mere opinions; theories can evolve and be revised.

Functionalist theories

Theoretical approaches emphasizing consensus and the contribution of each part to social stability.

Manifest functions

Recognized and intended consequences of social phenomena.

Latent functions

Unrecognized or unintended consequences of social phenomena.

Dysfunctional functions

Consequences that disrupt or undermine a system’s operation.

Conflict theories

Theoretical approaches focusing on power, inequality, and competition for scarce resources.

Power (conflict theory)

Power as a core element of social life, often linked to oppression and struggle.

Symbolic Interactionist theories

Theories that explain how society emerges from everyday use of shared symbols in interactions.

Feminist theories

Theories focused on gender inequality; diverse and not monolithic; often linked to conflict perspectives.

Culture

Shared values, beliefs, knowledge, norms, language, behaviors, and material objects transmitted through socialization.

Structure

Recurring patterns of social behavior and relations that organize society and both enable and constrain action.

Micro-level

Analysis of small-scale, face-to-face social interactions.

Macro-level

Analysis of large-scale social processes such as economies and politics.

Meso-level

Intermediate level—relationships and processes within organizations and institutions.

Consensus

Solidarity and cooperative interaction that support social stability.

Conflict (dimension)

Tensions and disputes that arise from inequality and resource competition; a driver of social change.

Objective reality

Material and external aspects of social life, existing independently of individuals.

Subjective reality

The world of ideas, values, beliefs, and perceptions held in people’s minds.