Chapter 2

Auguste Comte

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