Sociology is considered a what:

• A social science

Sociology is ascientific discipline seeking to:

1. Explain the cause of human behavior 

2. Recognize patterns of human behavior 

3. Predict future behavior of people based on knowledge received 

What is the sociological perspective:

• Invites us to look at our familiar surrpoundunfs in a fresh way. 

Know what macrosociology and microsociology are.

• Mascrosociology: Studies everything as a whole, a whole town, city, population, 

• Mircosociology: Focuses on the nature of a person's human interaction with others  

What is a theoretical perspective?

• A set of assumptions about reality that inform the questions we ask and the kinds of answers we arrive at a result

What are the 3 major theories sociologists use? Know how these 3 theories look at society.

1. Symbolic interactionism

   1. Focuses on how individuals interact with one another

2. Functionalism

   1. Focus is on the the structure of society

3. Conflict theory

   1. Focus on the forces in society that promote competition and change

What are social norms? 

 the unwritten rules of behavior that are considered acceptable in a group or society. 

Auguste Comte - Credited as the founder of sociology. Suggested that we apply the scientific method to the social world, a process known as positivism.

Herbert Spencer - Second founder of sociology. Disagreed with Comte. Though sociologists should not guide social reform. If they did, it would interfere with the natural process that improves societies. Coined the term “survival of the fittest.” Though helping the poor was wrong, this merely helped the “less fit” survive. 

Harriet Martineau - Did extensive analyses of U.S. social customs. Would hide writings beneath her sewing when visitors arrived. Also known for translating Comte’s ideas into English.

Karl Marx - The Wall Street Journal called him one of the three greatest modern thinkers. Believed that the engine of human history is class conflict. Said society is made up of two social classes (bourgeoisie and proletariat), and they are natural enemies of each other. 

Emile Durkheim - Professional goal was to get sociology recognized as a separate academic discipline. The second goal was to show how social forces affect people’s behavior. To accomplish this did rigorous research comparing suicide rates of several Euopean countries.

Max Weber - Disagreed with Marx’s claim that economics is the central force in social change. Thought that role belonged to religion. Theorized that the Roman Catholic belief system encouraged its members to hold on to  their traditional ways of life, while protestants were encouraged to embrace the change. Believed that capitalism was more likely to flourish in protestant countries and religion was the key factor in the rise of capitalism (controversial and continues to be debated today).

Jane Addams - Co-founded Hull-House (open to people who needed refuge). Strove to bridge the gap between the powerful and powerless. Co-founded the American Civil Liberties Union and campaigned for the eight-hour workday and for laws against child labor. Co-winner of the Nobel prize for Peace.

W.E.B. Dubois - Studied relations between African Americans and whites. One of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

C. Wright Mills - Urged sociologists to get back to social reform. Controversial figure because of his analysis of the role of the power of the elite in U.S. society.

Survey

• the collection of data by having people answer a series of questions

Participant Observation

• research in which the researcher participants in a research setting while observing what is happening in that setting

Case Study

• an intensive analysis of a single event, situation, or individual. The purpose is to understand the dynamics of relationships and power or even the thinking that motives people

Secondary Analysis

• analyzing data that someone else had already collected

Analysis of Documents

•  written sources that provide data (photographs, movies, CDs, DVDs and so on (example - spouse abuse/look at police reports)

Experiments

•  allow us to determine cause and effect (experimental group/control group/independent variable/dependent variable)

What is culture?

• the language, beliefs, values, norms, behaviors and even material objects that characterize a group and are passed from one generation to the next.

What is material culture? Know examples

• objects that distinguish a group of people.

  • FOOD

  • CLOTHES

  • HAIRSTYLES

What is non-material culture? Know examples.

• a group’s ways of thinking and doing

  • thinking: beliefs, values, and other assumptions about the world

  • doing: common patterns of behavior; language and other forms of interaction

What is culture shock?

• coming into contact with a culture that is radically different than your own

What are the four distinct stages of culture shock? Know the details of each stage. 

• the honeymoon stage

  • occurs when the individual sees the differences between the old and new culture in a romantic light.

• The negotiation stage

  •  the differences between the old and new culture become apparent and may create anxiety. 

• The adjustment stage

  • the period when the individual grows accustomed to the new culture and develops routines. 

• The adaptation stage

  • The adaptation stage

What is ethnocentrism?

• The use of one’s own culture as a yardstick for judging the ways of other individuals or societies, generally leading to a negative evaluation of their values, norms, and behaviors

What is cultural relativism?

•  not judging a culture but trying to understand it on its own terms.

What is language?

• a system of symbols that can be combined in an infinite number of ways and can represent not only objects but also abstract thought

Why is language the basis of culture?

• It gives us the capacity to share understandings about the past and to develop shared perceptions about the future.