Auguste Comte
Known for developing the term sociology and a general theory of the social world, had an interest in developing the science of sociology
Harriet Martineau
Known for her feminist sociology
Herbert Spencer
Main interest was social change
Karl Marx
Focused mainly on the structure of capitalist society, believing in was marked by exploitation of the proletariat
False Consciousness
In a capitalist society, the workers didnt really understand capitalism and may have believed the system operated fairly and to their benefit
Class consciousness
A mental state in which workers come to truly understand capitalism, their role in it, and their relationship to one another
Max Weber
Best known work was “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism”. His main objective was to analyze the relationship between the economy and religion
_______ led to the rise of capitalism
Protestantism
Rationalization
The process by which social structures are increasingly characterized by the most direct and efficient means to their ends. Weber focused mainly on this process and believed in was becoming more common because capitalism was the most rational economic system.
Eile Durkheim
Focused on social facts. He believed people were slaves to their passions and would seek to satisfy those passions if left to their own devices. Differentiated between 4 types of suicide and also focused on the idea of collective conscience.
Social facts
Macro-level phenomena
Anomie
When a person feels they don’t know what is expected of them in society
Collective conscience
The set of beliefs shared by people through society
Mechanical solidarity
Cohesion among a group of people based on the fact they all do essentially the same things
Organic solidarity
Cohesion among a group of people based on their differences
Georg Simmel
Focused on forms and types of people engaging in social interaction and the nature of the interaction.
W.E.B Du Bois
The color line and double consciousness
Double consciousness
The idea of an individual having two separate and possibly conflicting parts of their identity. For example being African-American means you have a sense of both those identities.
Thorstein Veblen
Focused on the demonstration of wealth by the upper class.
Conspicuous leisure
One way the wealthy demonstrate publicly that they don’t need to do what most people consider work
Conspicuous consumption
The public demonstration of wealth through consumption
Structural/Functionalism
Focus on social structures and functions performed, believes that if structures exist and are functional they should be retained and conserved
Manifest functions
Positive consequences bought about consciously and purposely
Latent functions
Unintended positive consequences
Dysfunctions
Observable consequences that negatively affect the ability of a given system to survive, adapt, or adjust
Structuralism
Focus on the social impacts of hidden structures, not functions
Conflict theory
Inversion of structural-functionalism, believes society is help together by coercion
Critical theory
Focus on culture and believe that culture is more important thats the economy
Culture industry
Rationalized and bureaucratized structures that control modern culture
Mass culture
Cultural elements that are administered by organizations, lack spontaneity and are phony
Two main features of mass culture
Falseness and repressiveness
Critical theories of race and racism
Believe that reach matters globally has the idea of “Colorblindness” thinking that race no longer matters in determining an individuals life chances and experiences
Intersectionality
People are affected by many different aspects of their identities
Postmodern theory
Opposed to the scientific pretensions, explains social phenomena in different ways
Basic principles of Symbolic Interactionism
People have a great capacity for thought, symbolic meanings are not set in stone, people can modify symbols meanings because of their unique ability to think, the pattern of the choices individual action and interaction is the basis of groups and larger structures
Ethnomethodology
Focus on what people do rather than what they think, believe that people use common sense rather than official procedure in structures
Exchange theory
Focus on people who have goals and intend to do certain things and exchange relationships
Exchange relationship
Stable and persistent bongs between individuals who interact generally formed because their interactions are rewarding
Empricism
The gathers of information using the senses
Descriptive statistics
Statistics used to describe a particular era of data based on a phenomenon in the real world
Inferential statistics
Are used to test hypotheses
Ethnography
The reaction of a detailed account of what a group of people do and the way they live
Stratified sample
When a larger group is divided into a series of subgroups then random samples are taken from the subgroups
Convenience sampling
Sampling from the people who are conveniently able to participate
Main concerns of research ethics
Physical and psychological harm, illegal acts, and violation of trust