Sociology

Agency-personal ablity to act

Social structure- how society is set up organized

Perspective is framework

A paradigm is a broad perspective that helps to explain many different aspects of social life.

-what is worth paying attention to

- where and how to look for answers

- unprovable/ unfalsifiable

Sociological perspective- broadened view beyond our own individual opinion that sees how each person relates to (or embedded within) society. 

-the value of a theoretical perspective rests on its usefulness, not correctness. 

Macrosociology 

-concerned with large-scale characteristics of social structures and roles

-functionalism and conflict 

Microsociology

-concerned with person-to-person encounters and the details of human interaction and communication 

-symbolic interactionism

Structural functionalism- views society as a complex system with many interdependent parts. 

Notes( memories are on autopilot meaning its functional, if not then it is dysfunctional)

dysfunctional - when an action has a negative impact on society.

-Society is like a human body.

-social structure is normal social relations 

Emile Durkheim-

Interested in social solidarity, or the cohesion of social groups. (known as the founding father of sociology)

-Organic solidarity- due to specialization (the “division of labor”) collective conscious is “weaker and vanguar” 

Anomie- lack of collective norms, increased alienation.

Note(find out what mechanical and organic difference is)

Robert Merton- strain theory- self-fullfilling prophecy.Manifest-intended, dysfunctions– negative, latent-functions

Talcott Parsons

Herbert Spencers

Conflict perspective- two traditions(critical)- (positivistics)

Validity- the extent to which an instrument measures what it is intended to measure

Reliability- the likelihood of obtaining consistent result using the same measure

Generalizability - claim our findings inform us about a group larger than the one we studied. 

Value Neutrality- max Weber brought practice of remaining without bias or judgement during a study and in publishing results 

Ability biased- impression management, like an experiment when someone want to look desirable. Similar to the Hawthorne effect

Research methods- patterned behaviors- looking in on a “community”

Negatives- poverty rates, divorce ratios. 

positives - vacation trends, access to healthy foods and neighborhood support organizations just to name a few.

Independent variable- cause of the change

Dependent variable- the effect, or thing that is changed

Culture is shared

Culture is learned 

Culture is taken for granted

Empirical Evidence: Evidence that comes from direct experience, scientifically gathered data or experimentation

Operational Definition: Sociologists look to define a concept in terms of the Physical or Concrete steps it takes to objectively measure it.

Hawthorne Effect: People who are being observed and are aware of it tend to act differently than those being observed with no knowledge of the observation.

Sample: Population of Interest

 Demographics: A set of criteria for research. Often looks at Age, Ethnicity, Gender, Income, Education within a Sample

 Quantitative and Qualitative Data: Max Weber was the sociologist we talked about whom brought to the surface the importance of Qualitative Data vs. Quantitative Data

• Numbers, Data and Ratios – More so Quantitative Data

• Open-end responses, in-person interviews – More so

Qualitative Data

• Correlation versus Causation : Ice Cream sales go up in the

summer, murder rates in the summer go up. Does that mean ice

cream makes people more murderous?

Field Research: Ethnographic approach can lead to discoveries unplanned, but also has room for ethic violations.

• Experiments: Two types:

• Labs are controlled environments in which you can control outcomes and make evaluation

through highly calculated methods and experiments.

• Field Experiments are done in the general public and being that you are not in a controlled environment you gain the ability for more generic or natural outcomes to occur.

Material culture refers to the objects or belongings of a group of people.

• Bus passes, Plane tickets, Automobiles, stores and even physical structures where people worship.

• Nonmaterial culture refers to the Ideas, Attitudes and Beliefs of a society.

• Think of your example of Mumbai and the shoving and how it would be perceived by Americans if we pushed or shoved our way into a train.

• Buying a book for your classes can be a Material part of culture, but the purchase of the book accepts the idea of payment for your education, and the capitalistic part of having an education connects to the Nonmaterial culture component

Cultural

Particulars are important, and this can be

understood that some specific practices that

distinguish cultures from one another

Values - What is considered Good or “valuable”

• Happiness, individual

freedom, consumption,

security

Beliefs – What is considered True or Real

• Based on blind faith,

experiences, traditions,

science

• What do we believe leads to

happiness or success?

Ideal culture wouldn’t have automobile fatalities or accidents,

murders, racism, gender inequalities or homophobia.

• Real culture roles are held to try to combat this with individuals

such as: Police, social workers, lawmakers and educators attempts

to stop crime, educate the youth, make laws to better the social

standings of others and counsel people who are in crisis.

• Sanctions – Positive or Negative. Used to enforce norms, values and

societal rules

Norms are the shared rules or

guidelines that guide our

behaviors and action

• Types of Norms:

• Mores - highly necessary

• Folkways - less morally

significant

• Taboos – “super mores”