Chapter 1 - Perspective, Theory, & Methodology

Question 1

What is sociology?

Answer 1

Systematic study of human society

Question 2

What are sociology’s points of view?

Answer 2

1) seeing the general in the particular - (general social patterns in behaviour of particular individuals)
2) seeing the strange in the familiar (society shapes our lives)
3) seeing individuality within a social context

Question 3

What are benefits of a sociological perspective?

Answer 3

1) helps us understand common sense
2) helps us see opportunities and constraints in our lives (assess world around us)
3) empowers us to work with new knowledge and provides a language for us to discuss what’s around us
4) helps us live in a diverse world (see outside ourselves or our nation)

Question 4

What 3 areas of society did sociology emerge across during the Industrial and French Revolutions?

Answer 4

1) social change
2) science
3) marginalized voices

Question 5

Who is considered the “Father of Sociology”?

Answer 5

August Comte

Question 6

What were some of August Comte’s beliefs?

Answer 6

Knowledge developed through sociology would help people gain power over social change

Question 7

What were August Comte’s stages?

Answer 7

Theological, Metaphysical and Scientific

Question 8

What is positivism?

Answer 8

Way of understanding based on science (repeated until you’ve proven it, you’re positive)
Positivism is early science

Question 9

What was Emile Durkheim’s view of society?

Answer 9

Totality of different, interrelated parts, and each part performs functions that support the whole

Question 10

What is Anomy?

Answer 10

Disconnected individuals living in uncertainty with no shared moral compass

Question 11

What was Marx’s approach to society?

Answer 11

Society is determined by its economic system. He identified unequal division between capitalist class and proletariat. He inspired anti-capitalist movement.

Question 12

What was Max Weber’s perspective of society?

Answer 12

Society is shaped by political, social, and cultural factors, not only the economic system. (More religious - God made some rich and some poor)

Question 13

What is rationality?

Answer 13

Use of reason and logic to achieve a goal as efficiently as possible

Question 14

What is formal rationality?

Answer 14

It emphasizes calculation and efficiency

Question 15

What is McDonalization?

Answer 15

Modern, global expansion of principles of formal rationality (Americanization)

Question 16

What is structural functionalism?

Answer 16

Theoretical paradigm that emphasizes the way each part of a society functions to fulfill the needs of society as a whole

Question 17

What is the difference between manifest and latent functions?

Answer 17

Manifest function - intended outcome

Latent function - unintended outcome

Question 18

What is social constructionism?

Answer 18

Sociological theory that argues that social problems and issues are less objective conditions than they are collective social definitions based on how they’re framed and interpreted

Question 19

What is Microsociology?

Answer 19

• Derived from Weber’s social theory.
• Focuses on individuals and small groups.
• Considers how social life is constituted through everyday interactions and communication

Question 20

What is symbolic interactionism?

Answer 20

Emphasizes that we base our actions on how we think others perceive us

Question 21

What is microsociology’s view of society?

Answer 21

Shared reality that people construct as they interact with one another and it is dynamic

Question 22

What is the social conflict theory?

Answer 22

• derived from Karl Marx’s social theory
• Views society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and social change
• society is structured in a way to benefit a few at the expense of the majority

Question 23

Feminism

Answer 23

Key perspective within conflict theory

Question 24

Name 2 branches of second-wave feminism and their views

Answer 24

Liberal feminism - sought to achieve equality with men within existing social stuctures
Radial feminism - identified patriarchy - system of male power - as source of inequality

Question 25

What is the third wave of feminism?

Answer 25

- Critiques second-wave feminism for overlooking differences among women - concerned with matrix of domination (inequality shaped by gender, race, class, sexuality, etc) - intersecting forms of oppression need to be challenged simultaneously

Question 26

What is post-modernism?

Answer 26

Questions ideas of a single reality or truth | Leads to relativism

Question 27

What is post-structuralism?

Answer 27

Emerged along with disillusionment with conflict theory and lack of social change and was influenced by post-modernism - emphasis on cultural diversity and the role of media - denies notion of unitary self - identities are multiple, fluid, fragmented

Question 28

What is a theoretical paradigm?

Answer 28

Set of fundamental assumptions that guides thinking

Question 29

What are theories?

Answer 29

Abstract ideas about the world | Offer explanations of aspects of social life

Question 30

What is operationalization?

Answer 30

Process of translating theories and concepts into hypotheses and variables

Question 31

What is a hypotheses?

Answer 31

Explanation for how variables are related to one another

Question 32

What are variables?

Answer 32

Observable elements equivalent to a concept

Question 33

What are Independent and Dependent variables?

Answer 33

Independent - causes (independently test each one) | Dependent - effects (depends on the results)

Question 34

What is the primary research method?

Answer 34

Experiment

Question 35

What is quasi-experimental research?

Answer 35

Observes naturally-occurring phenomenon (no manipulation) | Controlled environment constructed after data is gathered

Question 36

What is the most popular research method, especially used to study large populations?

Answer 36

Surveys

Question 37

What are goals of survey research?

Answer 37

1) Describe characteristics of study group 2) test theories about the group 3) generalize results to a broader population

Question 38

What is a sample?

Answer 38

Population in a study

Question 39

What is random sampling?

Answer 39

Each person in a population has an equal chance to be selected for the study (represent each subgroup in a population for most accurate results)

Question 40

What are procedures for random sampling?

Answer 40

Simple random sampling, stratified sampling, cluster sampling

Question 41

What is the goal of field research?

Answer 41

Collect rich, nuanced data by observing and interviewing people in the field Requires that researchers gain an understanding of the lives of research subjects “from the inside” in order to grasp their worldview

Question 42

What is ethnographic or participant observation research?

Answer 42

Emersion in the daily lives of participants, usually for extended period of time

Question 43

What are in-depth interviews?

Answer 43

Popular method involving extensive interviews with participants. Interviews are recorded and later transcribed and may be highly structured or unstructured (more like a conversation). Everyone is asked the same questions

Question 44

What is the purpose of documentation?

Answer 44

Analyzed to develop understanding of study group

Question 45

What is the purpose of conducting research with existing data?

Answer 45

Looking at what else the data may tell

Question 46

What is secondary data analysis?

Answer 46

Analysis of official statistics and existing surveys. There is an advantage because the survey work is already done but disadvantage because the data set may not address the researcher’s questions

Question 47

What is historical research?

Answer 47

Historical sociology draws on historical documents in the research process. Limited by kinds of data recorded and made available

Question 48

What is content analysis?

Answer 48

Applied to documents to reveal patterns. Requires careful sampling and analysis procedures

Question 49

What is the Androcentricity vs. Gynocentricity?

Answer 49

Approaching the topic from a male-only perspective vs. female-only perspective

Question 50

What is overgeneralizing?

Answer 50

Using data collected from one sex and applying the findings to both sexes

Question 51

What is gender blindness?

Answer 51

Failure to consider impact of gender at all

Question 52

What are double standards?

Answer 52

Using different standards to judge males and females (inequality)

Question 53

What is interference?

Answer 53

A subject under study reacts to the sex of the researcher

Question 54

What is a correlation?

Answer 54

Relationship by which two or more variables change together

Question 55

Making use of the sociological perspective encourages:

Answer 55

Challenging commonly held beliefs

Question 56

Sociologists try to:

Answer 56

Analyze and predict human behaviour

Question 57

Which sets of societies did sociology arise in?

Answer 57

France, Germany, and England

Question 58

Where was the sociological perspective developed?

Answer 58

Areas where greatest changes were taking place

Question 59

What is the term for a basic image of society that guides thinking and research?

Answer 59

Theory