Sociology Quiz Review

sociological imagination

an awareness of the relationship between an individual & the wider society both today and in the past

(gives the ability to view ones own society as an outsider rather than only from the perspective of personal experiences and cultural bias)

theory

a set of statements that seek to explain problems, actions or behaviors

(both explanatory & predictive)

paradigm (theoretical perspective)

a model/framework within which to view & understand some phenomenon (never right or wrong)

verstehen

insight in intellectual work

double consciousness

the division of an individuals identity into two or more social realities

manifest functions

known, open, expected circumstances or consequences

latent functions

unknown, unintended or unconscious functions that may reflect hidden purposes

social fact

manners of acting, thinking, and \n feeling, external to the individual that is invested \n with a coercive power over the individual.

(the economy, group size, marital status)

cultural capital

refers to the noneconomic goods such as family background and education

social capital

refers to the collective benefit of social networks built on reciprocal trust

dysfunction

an element/process of a society that may actually disrupt the social system or reduce its stability

(depends on ones own value)

functionalist perspective

sees society as a living organism in which each part of the living organism contributes to its survival

(how the way that parts of society are structured to maintain its stability)

\-macro level

\-proponents: Durkheim, Robert Merton

example: public punishments reinforce the social order

conflict perspective

assume that social behavior is best understood in terms of tension between groups over the power of the allocation of resources including housing, money, access to services & political representation

(of race, class, gender)

\-macro level

\-proponents: Karl Marx, W.E.B DuBois, Ida Wells-Barnett

example: laws reinforce the positions of those in power

(symbolic) interactionist perspective

generalize about everyday forms of social interaction in order to understand society as a whole

(centers on the analysis of socially created symbols that enable us to think abstractly & hypothetically)

\-micro level

\-proponents: Charles Cooley, Erving Goffman

example: people respect laws or disobey them based on their own past experience

personal issues/problems

things that are a source of worry to the individual, and are the primary result of their own inaction/action

social issues/problems

problems (situations) that are experienced as personal, but have roots are found in things that extend beyond the individual

(e.g., their family background, neighborhood, identity characteristics, historical time period, and national economic conditions).

variable

a measurable trait or characteristic that is subject to change under different conditions

hypothesis

a speculative statement about the relationship between 2 or more factors known as variables

independent variable

variable hypothesized to cause/influence another

dependent variable

its action depends on the influence of the independent variable

sample

a selection from a larger pop. that is statistically representative of that population

random sample

every member of an entire population being studied has the same chance of being selected

research design (research method)

a detailed plan or method for obtaining data scientifically

(selecting requires creativity & inequity)

experiment

an artificially created situation that allows the researcher to manipulate variables

survey

a study, generally in the form of an interview or questionnaire that provides the researcher w/information about how people think & act

focus group

a formal group meeting guided by a trained leader of facilitator w/a specified group of individuals designed to solicit opinions, anecdotes, perceptions, experiences & impressions on designated issues

ethnography/field study

study of an entire social setting through extended systematic fieldwork

C. Wright Mills

termed sociological imagination which allows going beyond personal experience and observations to understand broader public issues

Mills said, for example, to view divorce not as simply an individual’s personal problem but rather as a social concern (the family)

Emilee Durkheim

argued that sociology enhanced our understanding of behavior with its ability to “understand within a larger context” and not just in individual terms

\-founder of functionalism

\-coined the “social facts” and said we must study them as things

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August Comte

coined the term “sociology” to apply to the science of human nature; believed that a theoretical science of society & a systematic investigation of behavior was needed to improve French society

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Max Weber

told his students that they should employ verstehen (understanding or insight); he said we must learn subjective meanings people attach to their actions to fully comprehend the behavior

\-interested in “social action”

ex: middle finger from a toddler

Karl Marx

(In native Germany); in his analysis, society was fundamentally divided between classes that clash in pursuit of their own class interests

\-founder of the conflict perspective

(ex: factory as the center of conflict between exploiters & exploited)

Charles Cooley

used the sociological perspective to look first at smaller units-intimate, face-to-face groups such as families, gangs, and friendship networks

\-he saw these groups as the seedbeds of society, in the sense that they shape people’s ideals, beliefs, values, and social nature

\-his work increased our understanding of groups of relatively small size)

W.E.B Dubois

he believed that knowledge was essential in combating prejudice & achieving tolerance & justice

\-he challenged the status quo;

\-coined the term double consciousness: the division of an individuals identity into two or more social realities

(used it to describe being black in America)

Jane Addams

studying & improving corrupt society

\-coined social ethic; individual action based on the welfare of the community

\-privileged personal experiences & observations over pure theory

combined intellectual inquiry, social service work & political activism to assist the underprivileged

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Robert Merton

he noted different ways in which people attempt to achieve success in life

\-theory of deviance: views forms deviance & conformity linked to society’s opportunity structure

\-emphasized that sociologists should strive to bring together the macro-level & micro-level approaches to studying society

Pierre Bourdieu

interested in the many forms of capital & how capital sustains individuals & families

\-cultural & social capital

\-habitus: the way that individuals perceive the social world around them & react to it

What is sociology?

is the scientific study of social behavior & human groups

(focuses primarily on the influence of social relationships on peoples attitudes & behavior & how societies are established & change

social theory vs. sociological paradigms

paradigms are grounded in general assumptions of the world, while theories describe more specific phenomena

\-paradigms come first which help formulate theories

What was the nature of Durkheim’s study of suicide rates in Europe?

developed a highly original theory about the relationship between suicide & social factors

\-he was primarily concerned not with the personalities of individual suicide victims but rather with suicide rates and how they varied from country to country

\-concluded that the suicide rate of society reflected the extent to which people were or not integrated into the group life of society

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According to Mills, what sort of ‘thinking’ or ‘awareness’ is involved with a ‘sociological imagination'?’

creative thinking; the ability to view one’s own society as an outsider world

example: view divorce not only as an individual personal problem but rather as a societal concern; how it redefines the family

(adding step-siblings & stepparents)

Understanding the new face of America

\-the survey is distributed yearly, conducted by the US Census Bureau

\-includes about 3.5 million households every year

\-today there are short questions with fewer questions (survey)

\-covers characteristics over a time span of 5 years (5-year estimates)

\-includes young men & women who were ages 25 to 34 between 2013 & 2017 (millennial generation)

(oldest’s were born in 1979 & youngest in 1992)

\-focus on those not currently in school

\-the native-born consist of those who were born in the United States

\-those foreign-born, migrated to the U.S. at age 13 or younger

\-in their sample about 66% were white, 17% Hispanic, 14% black, and 3% Asian

\-the foreign-born make up 70% of Asian pop., 44% of Hispanic pop., 12% of black pop., and 5% of white pop.

survey

examples: questionnaires & interviews

\-advantages: yields information about specific issues

\-limitations: can be expensive & time-consuming

ethnography

example: observation

\-advantages: yields detailed info. about specific groups/organizations

\-limitations: involves months if not years of labor-intensive data

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experiment

examples: deliberate manipulation of people’s social behavior

\-advantages: yields direct measures of people’s behavior

\-limitations: ethical limitations on the degree to which subjects’ behavior can be manipulated

existing sources/secondary analysis

examples: analysis of census or health data

\-advantages: cost-efficiency

\-limitations: limited to data collected for some other purpose