Conley ch 1 + 2 Flashcards
(20 cards)
What is our sociological imagination?
The ability to see the connections between our personal experience and the larger forces of history;
What are social institutions?
Networks of structures in society that work to socialize the groups of people within them; mechanisms or patterns of social orders focused on meeting social needs
Who was Harriet Martineau?
English social theorist, first to translate Comte to English
What is functionalism?
the theory that various social institutions and processes in society exist to serve some important (or necessary) function to keep society running
Who is the father of functionalism?
Emile Durkheim
What is conflict theory?
the idea that conflict between competing interests is the basic, animating force of social change and society in general (Marx)
What is symbolic interactionalism?
perspective that sees society as the product of shared symbols, such as language; these symbols form the basic motivations behind people’s actions (Mead and Weber)
What is postmodernism?
an analysis of the social and cultural features of late capitalism (post-modernity)
What types of questions do sociologists attempt to answer?
micro-level questions and macro-level questions
What are micro-level questions?
examine face-to-face encounters and the types of interactions between individuals. These questions are generally answered using Qualitative methods
What are macro-level questions?
examine social dynamics at a higher level of analysis, for example this may be a policy analysis of an organization’s internal dynamics. These questions are
generally answered using Quantitative analysis but Qualitative methods are not excluded.
What are the steps of the deductive approach?
Theory -> hypothesis -> empirical observation -> analysis
What are the steps of the inductive approach?
Empirical observation -> analysis -> theory -> hypothesis
Why is the sociological imagination important?
helps us understand changes happening in community, shifts our viewpoint from personal to societal issues, helps us question society, shows hows there’s multiple paths society can take
Give an example of a social institution
TCNJ is one because educates people for jobs and therefore fits a social need
What is historical materialism?
Marx’s theory that a society’s economic organization fundamentally determines its social institutions
Describe Georg Simmel’s theory
different sized groups function in different ways
What is positivism?
Theory of Comte that emphasizes scientific method as an approach to studying society
Give an example of symbolic interactionism
There’s no intrinsic reason for the color red to mean stop, but through our interactions we come to associate these two symbols together
What are the general ethics rules?
1) do no harm
2) get informed consent
3) ensure voluntary participation
