What is sociology?
the systematic/scientific study of human society
What is the Sociological perspective?
seeing the general in the particular
Emile Durkheim's study of Suicide
Who is more likely to commit suicide?
MEN or Women
PROTESTANTS or Catholics or Jews
WEALTHY or Poor
UNMARRIED or Married
WHITES or African Americans
What is "The sociological Imagination" according to C. Wright Mills?
understanding how society affects our lives
What is a Sociological Theory?
a theory is a statement of how and why specific facts are related
What is the Structural-Functional Approach
a theoretical framework that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability (each part is important) *functionalists = all should be treated equal
What is the Social-Conflict approach
a theoretical approach that sees society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and change
What is the Symbolic-Interaction approach
a theoretical framework that sees society as the product of the everyday interactions of individuals
What are Research Methods?
systematic/scientific plan for doing research
What are the methods of Sociological Investigation?
Experiments
Surveys
Participant Observation
Use of Existing Data
*sociologists may use 1 or more at a time
What is an Experiment?
a research method for investigating cause and effect under highly controlled conditions (very rare/difficult - hard to put people in controlled situations)
ex: Stanford Prison Experiment (sociology measures how the circumstances affect people as a whole)
What is Survey Research?
a research method in which subjects respond to a series of statements or questions on a questionnaire or in an interview (most popular/widely used method)
What is Participant Observation?
investigators systematically observe people while joining them in their routine activities (more reliable/know more info. than just numbers; useful to discover natural behaviors) *used more for anthropological studies
ex: Whyte Street Corner Society
What is the use of Existing Data for research?
makes use of data collected by others such as that collected by the U.S. Census Bureau, the United Nations, or the World Bank (very time efficient/convenient; however, this info might be out of date due to time changes and may not meet needs)
What is Culture?
the ways of thinking, acting, and material objects that together form a people's way of life
-culture is something that is learned, not natural (it is not possible for a human being to not have culture)
-behavior or animals is usually based on instinct wh
What is Nonmaterial culture?
ideas created by members of a society (you cannot see or touch - exists in mind)
ex: religion, family, marriage, politics
What is material culture?
the physical things that are created by members of society
ex: bible/cross, house, car, wedding ring/dress, constitution, food, birth certificate
Difference between society and culture
SOCIETY - people who interact in a defined territory & shared culture
CULTURE - shared way of life or social heritage (what binds you)
ex: society = U.S., culture = constitution/citizenship
ex: society = being a Christian, culture = Christianity
(can have
What is Culture shock?
personal disorientation when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life (the only way to learn about your culture is to experience other cultures and realize how unnatural it is)
What are the elements of culture?
-symbols
-language
-values
-norms
*all nonmaterial
What are Symbols?
anything that carries a particular meaning recognized by people who share a culture (not natural or inherent)
What is language?
a system of symbols that allows people to communicate with one another
What is Socialization?
the lifelong social experience by which people develop their human potential and learn culture
What are the agents of socialization?
-The Family (primary & most important)
-The School (how to read/write, interact w/ peers)
-Your Peer Group/Friends
-Mass Media (what is right/wrong)
What is Resocialization?
radically changing an inmate's personality by carefully controlling the environment (takes place in a total institution)
What is a Total institution?
a setting in which people are isolated from the rest of the society and controlled by an administrative staff
ex: prison/psychiatric ward
What are the characteristics of Total Institutions according to Erving Goffman?
-staff members supervise all aspects of daily life
-life is controlled and standardized
-formal rules dictate daily routines (dictated)
What is the Biological theory of Socialization according to Charles Darwin?
human behavior is instinctive, simply our nature
What is the Psychological theory of Socialization according to Sigmund Freud?
the human personality has 3 parts:
1) Id: the human being's basic drives which are unconscious and demands immediate satisfaction (I want it now)
2) Ego: a person's conscious efforts to balance innate pleasure-seeking drive with the demands of society (I
What is the Sociological theory of Socialization according to George Herbert Mead?
self is that part of an individual's personality which develops only with social experience by taking the role of the other
What is a status?
a social position that a person holds
What is a status set?
all the statuses a person holds at a given time
What is ascribed status?
a social position a person receives at birth or takes on involuntarily later in life (no control)
ex: gender, being a daughter or son
What is achieved status?
a social position a person takes on voluntarily that reflects personal ability and effort
ex: job, being a parent, marital status
What is a master status?
a status that has special importance for social identity, often shaping a person's entire life
ex: illness, studious
What is a role?
behavior executed of someone who holds a particular status
What is a role set?
a number of roles attached to a single status
ex: being a mother
What is role conflict?
conflict among the roles connected to 2 or more statuses
ex: mother and teacher
What is role strain?
tension among the roles connected to a single status
What is the social construction of reality?
the process by which people creatively shape reality through social interaction
What is the Thomas Theorem?
situations that are defined as real are real in their consequences ex: if you think it's a good day, it's a good day! (vise versa)
What is the dramaturgical analysis?
the study of social interaction in terms of theatrical performance (we are all actors playing out a reality)
What is nonverbal communication?
communication using body movement, gestures, and facial expressions rather than words/speech
What is a social group?
two or more people who identity with and interact with one another
- 2 or more people
-common identity
-some kind of interaction
ex: church small group, major, work place
What is a social category?
large group of people with a status in common but have no continuous interaction between them
ex: people in universe, military, Americans, graduates
What is a crowd?
loosely formed collection of people in one place - no connection between them
ex: waiting for bus at same stop, people watching a concert
What is a primary group (according to Charles H. Cooley)?
a very small social group whose members share personal and long-lasting relationships
ex: family and friends
What is a secondary group (according to Charles H. Cooley)?
large and impersonal social group whose members pursue a specific goal or activity
ex: classroom, church as a whole, professional group working for a company
What is group conformity?
groups influence the behavior of their members
What is an in-group?
A social group toward which a member feels respect and loyalty (a group in which you think you belong)
What is an out-group?
a social group toward which a person feels a sense of competition or opposition (anything outside of your in-group)
What is a social network?
a web of weak social ties
What is the "McDonaldization of society"?
the organizational principles that underlie McDonald's dominate our entire society (our society is becoming like a McDonald's)
What are the basic organizational principles of the McDonaldization of society (according to George Ritzer)?
Efficiency (highly - fast return for money), Predictability (same everywhere), Uniformity (also same everywhere), Control (everything is done by machines)
Authoritarian Leadership
focuses on instrumental concerns, takes personal charge of decision-making, and demands that group members obey orders (actions and work only; no opinions; only the leader can make decisions)
Democratic Leadership
more expressive, making a point of including everyone in the decision-making process
Laissez-Faire Leadership
allows the group to function more or less on it's own
*What makes a discipline scientific?
-theories
-supported by scientific audience
*Opinion vs. Fact
opinion (generalization)
fact (supports statements w/ evidence and studies)
*Social Theories are nothing but....
lenses