the scientific study of individuals that includes groups, organizations, cultures, and societies, and the interrelationships of these individuals, groups, organizations, cultures and societies in a social setting.
SOCIOLOGY
the study of the smallest social units, namely, the individuals and their behaviors and activities.
MICROSCOPIC SOCIOLOGY
the study of larger social units, such as groups, organizations, sub-cultures, cultures, and societies.
MACROSCOPIC SOCIOLOGY
focuses attention on women's experiences and on the importance of gender as an element of social structure rather than as a characteristic of individuals.
FEMINIST SOCIOLOGY
suggests that sociologists must become actively involved in social/cultural change and sociologist should be concerned with social justice more than order.
HUMANIST SOCIOLOGY
a set of related ideas that are summarized by a word or two
CONCEPT
a set of related concepts that help us understand, explain, and analyze a broad range of social phenomena.
THEORY
techniques that sociologists utilize to study, investigate, and analyze questions of importance, significance, and interest to them.
RESEARCH METHODS
FOUR TYPES OF SOCIAL NORMS
Folkways, Mores, Laws, Aesthetic
everyday habits to which people give not much thought and consideration.
Folkways
the norms which are considered to be vital and important to individuals' well being and
their most cherished values.
Mores
formalized norms which are enforced by legal and political authorities.
Laws
norms which define standards of taste and beauty in a culture.
Aesthetic
socially imposed rewards and punishments that compel people to follow societal rules and regulations.
SANCTIONS
he tendency of people to regard their own culture as superior to any other and to judge other cultures based on one's own standards.
ETHNOCENTRISM
the doctrine of examining and evaluating a cultural practice in the light of the entire culture within which that practice occurs.
CULTURAL RELATIVITY
a systematic explanation of how two or more phenomena are related
THEORY
study the smallest of social units, namely, the individual.
MICROSCOPIC SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES
focus on larger social units, namely, social groups, organizations, social institutions,
cultures, and societies.
MACROSCOPIC SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES
focuses on how people interact in everyday situations and how they make sense of their social relationship.
INTERACTIONISM (Weber)
individuals interact with one another indirectly, through a filter of symbolic cultural meaning(s).
SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM (G.H. Mead)
individuals are more likely to perform
behaviors that have proven to be rewarding to them in the past, and less likely to take part in activities that have been costly or harmful to them in the past. KEY CONCEPT is the RULE of RECIPROCITY.
SOCIAL EXCHANGE THEORY
this theory is interested in learning how people have come to define their social reality and how based on that definition(s) they develop mental constructions. In order to learn about the source of social reality, these theories break through "THE TAKEN-
PHENOMENOLOGY - ETHNOMETHODOLOGY -
techniques that sociologists utilize to study and analyze questions of importance and significance to them
SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH METHODS
research that depends primarily upon the subjective interpretations by the researcher of the particular event under investigation.
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH -
research that relies upon statistical analysis and technical presentation of data.
QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH -
are utilized to study simple forms of human behavior in organized settings.
LABORATORY EXPERIMENTS
are used to study simple forms of human behavior in natural settings.
FIELD EXPERIMENTS
method is employed to learn about more complex forms of human conduct. The researcher immerses
him/herself in a particular social event and then observes.
PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION
are utilized to obtain information on
individuals and on how they are being influenced
by economic, social political, historical, cultural, and other variables in their environments.
SURVEYS, INTERVIEWS, QUESTIONNAIRES
research method is used to study the social structure
and the cultural system of a society. The researcher takes
concrete historical events and then studies and analyzes their influence on and the changes they have caused in other social institutions.
HISTORICAL COMPARATIVE
The degree to which a scientific study measures what it attempts to measure
Validity
The degree to which a scientific study yields (produces) the same results when repeated by the original or other researchers
Reliability
a limited number of people selected from the population being studied that are representative of that population
sample
The total number of people who share a characteristic that is begin studied
Population
are factors (characteristics) that differ from one person or population group to another that are subject to change over periods of time.
VARIABLES
are specific statements based on a particular theory about relationships among variables.
HYPOTHESES
The seven scientific steps in scientific research:
1.Choose a topic
2.Review
3. theory (hypothesize)
4. Choose a method
5. Collect data
6. Interpret your data
7. Draw conclusions
a cluster of values, norms, statuses, and roles that define an established way of carrying out a vital set of activities in the society.
SOCIAL INSTITUTION
a number of people in a given territory who share an ongoing system of patterned interaction.
SOCIETY
the entire complex of ideas and material objects that the people of a society use in carrying out their collective life.
CULTURAL SYSTEM
a culture's generally accepted standards of desirability that are considered important by that culture.
VALUES
generally accepted rules that govern what should and should not be done in particular situations.
NORMS
a society's set of verbal significant symbols.
LANGUAGE
the behavior that is generally expected of one who acquires a particular position or status.
SOCIAL ROLE
a pattern of interaction among people that has a discernible form and shape.
SOCIAL STRUCTURE
a social position or place within a set of relationships among people.
SOCIAL STATUS
a body of information created by people in a society in order to allow them to live with some orderliness.
KNOWLEDGE AND BELIEFS
the application of beliefs and knowledge to the empirical world, involving the complex interplay of materials, tools, machines, skills, and procedures.
TECHNOLOGY
patterns of behavior and social institutions which are found in all known human societies.
CULTURAL UNIVERSALS
people adopt the view of the world that is portrayed by their language.
LINGUISTIC RELATIVITY HYPOTHESIS
a group of people whose perspectives and lifestyles are significantly different from those of the dominant culture, but not in conflict with the
dominant culture.
SUB-CULTURE
a sub-culture that is characterized by norms, values, beliefs, and lifestyles that clash with those of the dominant culture.
COUNTER-CULTURE
the social position which one is born in
Ascribed Social
the social position that one attains through his/her own personal efforts
Achieved Social
the social position that influences the individual's self-concept and his/her
interactions with others in society.
Master Social
occurs when conflicting behaviors are expected of a person who occupies a given social position.
ROLE CONFLICT
occurs when the individual is confronted with too many role expectations that he/she may find it difficult, if not impossible, to satisfy all of them in a
given time period.
ROLE OVERLOAD
occurs when expectations associated with a role violate a person's values, beliefs, needs, and aspirations.
PERSON-ROLE-CONFLICT
a number of people who have 1) common identity, 2) feelings of belonging, and 3) who interact with one another on the basis of established patterns of
social interactions.
SOCIAL GROUP
any group that individuals use as a standard for evaluating themselves and their own behavior.
REFERENCE GROUP
is a special-purpose group designed and structured in the interests of maximum efficiency.
FORMAL ORGANIZATION
is a component of formal organization in which rules and hierarchical ranking are used to achieve efficiency.
BUREAUCRACY
CHARACTERISTICS OF BUREAUCRACY -
1) labor
2) Hierarchy
3) rules
4) Impartiality
5) Employment based on qualifications
6) Distinction between public and private
sphere
The sociologist who invented the expression of "the sociological imagination" is
C.W mills
Being a male or female is an example of
Status
The first African American sociologist to gain worldwide recognition was
DuBois
primary group is what in size
small