Chapter 1: An Introduction to Sociology

SOC-1910

Sociology

The study of interactions and relations between humans.

Crime

An act that violates a law and is punishable by the state.

Theory

A logical statement about relationships and interactions between variables.

Dependant variable

The variable you’re seeking to explain.

Deductive research

Theory —→ Hypothesis —→ Observations

Inductive research

Specific observations —→ general theories

Ontology

The study of being — it asks what exists and what kinds of things make up reality. ( WHAT)

Axiology

The study of value — meaning it asks what things are good, worthy, or valuable, and why. (VALUE)

Epistemology

The study of the nature, origin, and limits of human knowledge. —- what it is, how we get it, and how we know we’re right (HOW)

Teleology

The study of explaining things in terms of the purpose or goal they serve. (WHY)

Antipositivism

The view that social researchers should study people from the inside, not studied like objects.

Conflict theory

The theory that looks at society as a competition for limited resources.

Constructivism

Proposes that reality is what humans construct it to be.

Figuration

To simultaneously analyze the behavior of an individual and the society that shapes the behavior.

Function

A recurring activity that plays a role in social life and contributes to maintaining structural continuity.

Functionalism

The theoretical view views society as a structure with connected parts that work together to meet the biological and social needs of society.

Generalized others

The shared expectations from the larger society that we learn and use to guide our behavior.

Grand theories

An attempt to explain large-scale relationships and big core questions.

Hypothesis

A testable proposition.

Positivism

The scientific study of social patterns.

Latent functions

An unorganized or unintended event that was not supposed to occur but did atnd now society is facingh consequences of the social process.

Macro - level

A big/huge scale view of the role social structures play within a society.

Manifest functions

An intended/sought event that was supposed to happen because of a social process.

Micro - level theories

The study of specific relationships between individuals or small groups of people.

Paradigms

Are philosophical and theoretical frameworks used to formulate theories, generalizations, and the experiments performed to support them.

Qualitative sociology

In-depth interviews, focus groups, and 1 to 1 interviews were used as the source of the data.

Quantitative sociology

Statistial methos such as surveys with large numbers as a source for its data.

Reification

An error of treating an abstract concept ( you cant see but you can understand it in your mind) as if iy has a real material existence.

Symbolic interactionism

Is a micro-level theory that focuses on the ability to understand the theoretical perspective through which scholars examine the relationship of individuals within their society by studying their communications.

Significant others

Specific individuals who impact a person’s life.

Social facts

The laws, morals, values, religious beliefs, customs, fasions, rituals, and all the cultrual rules that govern social life.

Social institutions

Patterns of beliefs and behaviors focused on meeting social needs.

Social solidarity

The social ties that bind a group of people together (kinship), shared location, and religion.

Society

A group of people who live in a defined geographical area who interact with one another and who share a common culture.

Sociological imagination

The ability to nuderstand how your own past reltates people, history, and societal strucutes in praticular.

Theory

A proposed explanation about social interavtions or society.

Verstehen

A German word that means “to understand in a deep way”.

Culture

When a group shares practices, values, and beliefs.

Dramaturgical analysis

A technique sociologist uses in which they view society through a theatrical performance.

Dynamic equilibrium

A stable state of society where all parts of a healthy society do their part.

Dysfunctions

Social patterns that have undesirable consqueperationnces for the o of society.