Sociology is
the systematic or scientific study of human society and social behavior, from large scale institutions and mass culture to small groups and individual interactions
Culture Shock
Anyone who feels disoriented, uncertain, out of place, even fearful when immersed in an unfamiliar culture
Microsociology
the level of analysis that examines SMALL group interactions to see how they impact larger institutions in society
Macrosociology
the level of analysis that examines LARGE scale social structures to determine how they impact groups and individuals
C. Wright Mills coined the term
The Sociological Imagination
Who was Seung-Hui Cho?
The student who killed 32 others & himself at Virginia Tech in 2007. He also left a manifesto, loved gaming and was bullied.
Who was Steven Kazmierczak?
The shooting that took place on the campus of Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois, killing five people and injuring another twenty-one, before committing suicide was committed by him. He did not leave a note.
Who was James Holmes?
James Holmes is the suspected perpetrator of a mass shooting that occurred at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, which killed 12 people and injured 58 others. He had no known criminal record prior to the shooting. Holmes was hospitalized after making se
Percentage of female gamers?
40%
How many hours per week do extreme gamers spend?
48.5 hours
How many hours per week does the average gamer spend?
13 hours
The age of the average gamer is?
34
Society is
a group of people who shape their lives in aggregated and patterned ways that distinguish their group from other groups.
Social Sciences are
the disciplines that use the scientific method to examine the social world; in contrast to the natural sciences, which examine the physical world
Quantitative research is
research that translates the social world into NUMBERS that can be treated MATHEMATICALLY; this type of research often tries to find cause and effect relationships
Qualitative research is
research that works with NON-NUMERICAL data such as texts, field notes, interview transcripts, photographs and tape recordings; this type of research more often tries to understand how people make sense of their world
C. Wright Mills Sociological imagination is
a quality of the mind that allows us to understand the relationship between our particular situation in life and what is happening at a social level
Beginner's mind is
approaching the world without preconceptions in order to see things in a new way
Everyday Actor is
one who has the practical knowledge needed to get through daily life but not necessarily the scientific or technical knowledge of how things work
Theories are
in sociology, abstract propositions that explain the social world and make predictions about future events aka approaches, schools of thought, paradigms or perspectives
Positivism is
the theory, developed by August Comte, that sense perceptions are the only valid source of knowledge
Scientific Method is
a procedure for acquiring knowledge that emphasizes collecting concrete data through observation and experiment
Eurocentrism
the tendency to favor European or western history, culture and values over other histories, cultures and values
Empirical is
based on scientific experimentation or observation
Herbert Spencer "survival of the fittest" is
a sociologist who believed in evolution and his philosophy is often referred to as Social Darwinism. Hitler studied him. Didn't believe in encouraging them to live, them being: poor, disabled, etc.
Emile Durkheim authored "suicide" and
worked to establish sociology as an important academic discipline and that religion bonds and holds people together and considered Anomie an issue. He demonstrated the effectiveness of using scientific (empirical) methods to study "social reality
Karl Marx German Philosopher, "forebear of communism" and
contributed significantly to the "CONFLICT THEORY" whoever has the money has the power- capitalism was creating social inequality and that leads to class conflict - Das Kapital principles of socialism - he never had a real job - was exiled from many count
Max Weber modern life was like an "Iron Cage" and
the first to look at modern life and was concerned with the process of "rationalization," applying economic logic to all human activity
August Comte "Father of Sociology
founded "positivism" which is applying the laws of math and science to social affairs
Harriet Martineau the "First Feminist" who
wrote "Society in America" about Americans being hypocrites. She also was a social activist and lobbied for labor unions, women's suffrage and the abolition of slavery
George Herbert Mead "Symbolic Interactionism" a modern school of thought and
that meanings are not inherent but are created through interaction
W.E.B. DuBois the first African American to earn a PhD from Harvard
a forerunner in the civil rights, black nationalism and pan-African movements. He was also a founding member of the NAACP
Symbolic Interactionism
a paradigm that sees interaction and meaning as central to society and assumes that meanings are not inherent but are created through interaction
Conflict Theory is (Karl Marx)
a paradigm that sees social conflict as the basis of society and social change and emphasizes a materialistic view of society, a critical view of the status quo and a dynamic model of historical change
Feminist Theory is
a theoretical approach that looks at gender inequalities in society and the way that gender structures the social world
Post Modernism is
a paradigm that suggests that social reality is diverse, pluralistic and constantly in flux
Modernism is
a paradigm that places trust in the power of science and technology to create progress, solve problems and improve life
Structural Functionalism is
a paradigm that begins with the assumption that society is a unified whole that functions because of the contributions of its separate structures
Queer Theory is
a paradigm that proposes that categories of sexual identity are social constructs and that no sexual category is fundamentally either deviant or normal
Pragmatism is
a theoretical perspective that assumes organisms, including humans, make practical adaptations to their environments. Humans do this through cognition, interpretation and interaction
Paradigm
a set of assumptions, theories and perspectives that make up a way of understanding social reality
Anomie
The "Loss of Direction" felt in a society when social control of individual behavior has become ineffective.
Which early Sociological Thinker introduced the concept of the sociological imagination?
C. Wright Mills
Emile Durkheim's research on suicide suggested that...
suicide rates seemed higher in times of peace than in times of war/revolution.
Which sociologist made a major contribution to society through his in-depth studies of urban life (including both blacks and whites)?
W.E.B. DuBois
Karl Marx's view of the struggle between social classes inspired what contemporary perspective?
The Conflict Perspective
In _______ ________'s heirarchy of the sciences, Sociology was the "queen," and it's practitioners were "science-priests.
Auguste Comte
In the book "Society in America," originally published in 1837, English scholar ______ ______ examined religion, politics, child rearing, and immigration, in the young nation.
Harriet Martineau
adapted Charles Darwin's evolutionary view of the "Survival of the Fittest" by arguing that it is "natural" that some people are rich while others are poor.
Herbert Spencer
Sociologist Max Weber coined the term ______ ______ in referring to a construct or model that serves as a measuring rod against which actual cases can be evaluated.
Ideal Type
In "The Communist Manifesto," _____ _____ and ____ _____ argued that the masses of people who have no resources other than their labor (the proletariat) should unite to fight for the overthrow of capitalist societies.
Karl Marx, Freidrich Engels
______ ______, an early female sociologist, cofounded the famous Chicago settlement house called Hull House and also tried to establish a juvenile court system.
Jane Addams
The _____ ______ draws on the work of Karl Marx and Freidrich Engels in that it often views women's subordination as inherent in capitalist societies.
Feminist View
Within sociology, a _______ is a set of statements that seeks to explain problems, actions, and behavior.
theory
While the findings of sociologists may at times seem like common sense, they differ because they rest on _______ analysis of facts.
Systematic
The Seven Steps of The Scientific Method
I C-ant H-elp C-onner C-ameron A-nd D-addy = I-dentify problem, C-onduct review, H-ypothesis formed, C-hoose research method, C-ollect data, A-nalyze data, D-isseminate findings
Ethnography
a naturalistic method based on studying people in their own environment in order to understand the meanings they attribute to their activities; also the written work (field notes) that results from the study - ADVANTAGE is offers a means of studying group
Participant Observation
a methodology associated with ethnography whereby the researcher both observes and becomes a member in a social setting
Interviews
face-to-face information seeking conversation; sometimes defined as a conversation with a purpose - ADVANTAGE is it allows respondents to speak in their own words -DISADVANTAGE - respondents are not always forthcoming or truthful
Surveys
a method based on questionnaires that are administered to a sample of respondents selected from a target population - ADVANTAGE is it is quick , economical and can provide a vast amount of data - DISADVANTAGE is since not all respondents are honest in sel
Existing Sources
any data that have already been collected and are available for future research - ADVANTAGE is that researchers drawing on existing sources often seek to answer questions that the original authors did not have in mind - DISADVANTAGE is digital media provi
Experiments
formal tests of specific variables and effects; performed in a controlled setting where all aspects of the situation can be controlled - ADVANTAGE is they give sociologists a way to manipulate and control the social environment -DISADVANTAGE is by screeni
Hawthorne Effect
is a specific example of reactivity in which the desired effect is the result not of the independent variable but of the research itself
Code of Ethics
ethical guidelines for researchers to consult as they design a project
Hypothesis
A testable prediction, often implied by a theory
Reliability
the consistency of a question or measurement tool; the degree to which the same questions will produce similar answers
Validity
the accuracy of a question or measurement tool; the degree to which a researcher is measuring what he thinks he is measuring
Correlational
bring into a mutual, complementary, or reciprocal relation
Causation
A cause and effect relationship in which one variable controls the changes in another variable - A leads to B
Likert Scale
A 5pt or 7pt rank order scale used in survey research: strongly agree . . . agree and so on.
Mechanical Solidarity
Emile Durkheim's term for the social cohesion in preindustrial societies, in which there is minimal division of labor and people feel united by shared values and common social bonds.
Organic Solidarity
Durkheim's term for social bonds, based on specialization and interdependence, that are strong among members of industrial societies
Solidarity
the degree of integration or unity within a particular society; the extent to which individuals feel connected to other members of their group
Communism
A political system in which the government owns all property and dominates all aspects of life in a country.
Social Inequality
A condition in which members of society have differing amounts of wealth, prestige, or power.
Capitalism
An economic system based on private ownership of capital
Means of Production
Anything that can create wealth, money, property, etc.
Proletariat
Marx's term for the exploited class, the mass of workers who do not own the means of production
Bourgeoisie
owners; the class of modern capitalist who are the employers of wage labor
Alienation
the sense of dissatisfaction the modern worker feels as a result of producing goods that are owned and controlled by someone else; according to Marx
Socialism
a political system based on state ownership or control of principal elements of the economy in order to reduce levels of social inequality
Bureaucracies
Secondary groups designed to perform tasks efficiently, characterized by specialization, technical competence, hierarchy, written rules, impersonality, and formal written communication.
Iron Cage
Max Weber's pessimistic description of modern life, in which the
Verstehen
an approach to the study of social life developed by Max Weber in which sociologists mentally attempt to place themselves in the shoes of other people and identify what they think and how they feel; translates roughly as
Psychoanalysis
A type of psychotherapy originated by Sigmund Freud in which free association, dream interpretation, and analysis of resistance and transference are used to explore repressed or unconscious impulses, anxieties, and internal conflicts.
Rationalization
A defense mechanism in which one supplies a logical, rational, or socially acceptable reason rather then the real reason for an action or event.
Eros
in Freudian psychology, the drive or instinct that desires productivity and construction
Thanatos
According to Freud, an instinctual drive toward death, leading to aggressive actions
Repression
In psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes anxiety-arousing thoughts, feelings, and memories from consciousness
Sublimation
(psychology) modifying the natural expression of an impulse or instinct (especially a sexual one) to one that is socially acceptable
Structure
a sociological theory based on the premise that society comes before individuals
Dysfunction
a disturbance to or undesirable consequence of some aspect of the social system
Manifest Functions
the obvious intended functions of a social structure for the social system
Latent Functions
the less obvious, perhaps unintended functions of a social structure
Ideology
a system of beliefs, attitudes, and values that directs a society and reproduces the status quo of the bourgeoisie
False Consciousness
a denial of the truth on the part of the oppressed when they fail to recognize the interests of the ruling class in their ideology
Class Consciousness
the recognition of social inequality on the part of the oppressed leading to revolutionary action
Dialectical Model
Marx's model of historical change, whereby two extreme positions come into conflict and create some new third thing between them
Thesis
the existing social arrangements in a dialectical model
Antithesis
the opposition to the existing social arrangements in a dialectical model
Synthesis
the new social system created out of the conflict between thesis and antithesis in a dialectical model
Double Consciousness
W.E.B. DuBois's term for the conflict felt by and about African Americans, who were both American (and hence entitled to rights and freedoms) and African (and hence subject to prejudices and discrimination) at the same time.
Elites
those in power in a society
Critical Theory
A contemporary form of conflict theory that criticizes many different systems and ideologies of domination and oppression.
Praxis
practical action that is taken on the basis of intellectual or theoretical understanding
Dramaturgy
a theoretical paradigm that uses the metaphor of the theatre to understand how individuals present themselves to others
Ethnomethodology
the study of "folk methods" or everyday interactions that must be uncovered rather than studied directly
Conversation Analysis
A sociological approach that looks at how we create meaning in naturally occurring conversation, often by taping conversations and examining them.
Variables
one of two or more phenomena that a researcher believes are related and hopes to prove are related through research
Operational Definition
a clear and precise definition of a variable that facilitates its measurement
Intervening Variable
a third variable, sometimes overlooked, that explains the relationship between two other variables
Spurious Correlation
The appearance of causation produced by an intervening variable.
Paradigm Shift
the term used to describe a change in basic assumptions of a particular scientific discipline
Participant Observation
a methodology associated with ethnography whereby the researcher both observes and becomes a member in a social setting
Access
the process by which an ethnographer gains entry to a field setting
Rapport
A positive relationship often characterized by mutual trust or sympathy
Fieldnotes
detailed notes taken by an ethnographer describing her activities and interactions, which later become the basis of the ethnographic analysis
Reflexivity
how the identity and activities of the researcher influence what is going on in the field setting
Grounded Theory
An inductive method of generating theory from data by creating categories in which to place data and then looking for relationships between categories.
Replicability
Research that can be repeated, and thus verified, by other researcher later.
Representativeness
the degree to which a particular studied group is similar to or represents any part of the larger society
Bias
an opinion held by the researcher that might affect the research or analysis
Respondent
someone from whom a researcher solicits information
Target Population
The total group to be studied or described and from whom samples may be drawn
Sample
a part of the population that will actually be studied
Informed Consent
an ethical principle requiring that research participants be told enough to enable them to choose whether they wish to participate
Closed-ended Question
a question asked of a respondent that imposes a limit on the possible responses
Open-ended Question
a question asked of a respondent that allows the answer to take whatever form the respondent chooses
Leading Questions
questions that predispose a respondent to answer in a certain way
Double-barreled Questions
questions that attempt to get at multiple issues at once and so tend to receive incomplete answers
Negative Questions
survey questions that ask respondents what they don't think instead of what they do
Representative Sample
a sample taken so that findings from members of the sample group can be generalized to the whole population
Probability Sampling
any sampling scheme in which the probability of selecting any given unit is known
Simple Random Sample
a particular type of probability sample in which every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected
Weighting
techniques for manipulating the sampling procedure so that the sample more closely resembles the larger population
Response Rate
the number or percentage of surveys completed by respondents and returned to researchers
Confidentiality
the assurance that no one other than the researcher will know the identity of a respondent
Pilot Study
a small study carried out to test the feasibility of a larger one
Comparative and Historical Methods
methods that use existing sources to study relationships between elements of society in various regions and time periods
Content Analysis
a method in which researchers identify and study specific variables -- such as words -- in a text or media message
Control
in an experiment, the process of regulating all factors except for the independent variable
Experimental Group
the part of a test group that receives the experimental treatment
Control Group
the part of a test group that is allowed to continue without intervention so that it can be compared with the experimental group
Independent Variable
factor that is predicted to cause change
Dependent Variable
factor that is changed by the independent variable
Value-free Sociology
an ideal whereby researchers
Basic Research
the search for knowledge without any agenda or desire to use that knowledge to effect change
Applied Research
research designed to allow the researcher to use what is learned to create some sort of change
Objectivity
impartiality, the ability to allow the facts to speak for themselves
Reactivity
the tendency of people and events to react to the process of being studied
Deception
the extent to which the participants in a research project are unaware of the project or its goals
Institutional Review Board
a group of scholars within a university who meet regularly to review and approve the research proposals of their colleagues and make recommendations for how to protect human subjects
The Nuremberg Code
developed in response to unethical medical experimentation on people held captive by the German military during World War II. It lists ten ethical principles that should be followed whenever people are used in scientific experiments
C. Wright Mills is
A sociologist who presented the idea of a mostly nongovernmental power elite. Corporate leaders, generals, and politicians
Pop-Culture
commercial culture based on popular taste
Mass Media
media intended for a large audience
Social Sciences
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