Exam 1 Flashcards
(144 cards)
1
Q
The systematic study of human society, the ways in which people are affected by and affect social structures and processes associated with the world in which they exist
A
Sociology
2
Q
What is sociology’s point of view?
A
General patterns of society in the lives of particular people
3
Q
“Sociology was to be the scientific study of social facts, or those things that transcend or are bigger than ourselves”
A
Emile Durkheim
4
Q
Any way of active, whether fixed or not, capable of exerting over the individual an external constraint, which is general over the whole of a given society
A
Social fact
5
Q
The totality of beliefs and sentiments common to the average members of the same society
A
Collective conscious (Durkheim)
6
Q
The person who asked the question, of how the average person understands their everyday life- sociological imagination
A
C Wright Mills
7
Q
The vivid awareness of the relationship between personal experience and the wider society
A
Sociological imagination (C Wright Mills)
8
Q
Person who suggested that sociologists look for general social patterns in the behavior of particular individuals (social forces)
A
Peter Berger
9
Q
While not erasing our uniqueness as individuals, what impinges on our lives in many unseen, yet significant ways
A
Social forces
10
Q
The study of the larger world and our society’s place in it
A
Global perspective
11
Q
Considered the father of sociology, believed that the scientific method could be applied to the study of human behavior and society, and could produce knowledge of society based on scientific evidence
A
Auguste Comte
12
Q
Using science to predict and control human behavior; society operates according to certain laws
A
Social physics (Comte)
13
Q
What are the three stages of sociology?
A
Theological (expressed by God’s will), Metaphysical (natural rather than supernatural phenomena), Scientific (knowledge is based on science)
14
Q
A scientific approach based on positive facts as opposed to mere speculation
A
Positivism (Comte)
15
Q
A set of interrelated ideas that have a wide range of applications, deal with centrally important issues, and have stood the test of time
A
Theory
16
Q
Approach to the study of society that focuses on the relationships between social structures and institutions rather than between individuals themselves; the study of social systems
A
Macrosociology
17
Q
Approach to the study of society that focuses on the nature of people’s interactions within particular groups; the study of social interactions
A
Microsociology
18
Q
A framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose interrelated parts work together to promote solidarity and stability; addresses society as a whole in terms of the function of its norms
A
Structural-FUnctional perspective
19
Q
A set of ideas about the proper response to an important societal problem; an accepted compilation of statuses, roles, values, and norms that respond to important societal needs
A
Social institution
20
Q
Any relatively stable pattern of social behavior; patterns in how people behave in their relationships with one another
A
Social structure
21
Q
The consequences of a social pattern for the operations of society as a whole
A
Social function
22
Q
The recognized and intended consequences of any social pattern
A
Manifest function (Merton)
23
Q
The unrecognized and unintended consequences of any social pattern
A
Latent function (Merton)
24
Q
Any social pattern that may disrupt the operation of society
A
Social dysfunction
25
A framework for building theory that stresses the root of social problems lies in social inequalities; assumes that society is composed of a group of people who are in competition for scarce resources
Social conflict approach
26
Thesis vs anti-thesis = synthesis
Dialectic
27
Believed that the owners (Bourgeoisie) and working class (Proletariat) struggled from a division of labor that produced labor inequality
Karl Marx conflict approach
28
The study of society that focuses on inequality and conflict between women and men
Feminism
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The study of society that focuses on inequality between people of different racial and ethnic categories
Racism
30
Founded the NAACP and Atlanta Sociological Laboratory; also produced the concepts of double consciousness and The Veil
WEB Dubois
31
Two levels of visions at all times- conscious of how they view themselves and conscious of how other people view them
Double consciousness
32
The literal darker skin of black Americans, the inability of white people to see black Americans as true Americans, and black people's lack of clarity to see themselves outside of what white America prescribes them
The Veil
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A framework for building theory that sees society as the product of everyday interactions of people; society is nothing more than the reality that people construct for themselves as they interact with one another
Symbolic Interaction approach
34
Developed the symbolic interaction approach of the dramaturgical self we have many roles and many stages (but must play the correct role on the correct stage)
Erving Goffman
35
Explain the 7 elements of the performance of the dramaturgical self
1) The actor must believe in the role their playing
2) The actor wears a mask in order to control the manner in which the audience perceives them
3) Dramatic realization is a portrayal of aspects of the performer that they want the audience to know
4) A performance presents an idealized view of the situation
5) Maintenance of expressive control- the need to stay in character
6) Misrepresentation- the danger of conveying the wrong message
7) Deception- concealment of certain information from the audience
36
Groups of individuals who cooperate with each other in order to share the same stage- must share information and have inside knowledge (not be fooled by other's performances)
Teams
37
What are the 3 stages of the dramaturgical self?
1) Front stage- where the actor performs and adheres to conventions
2) Backstage- where performers are present but the audience is not (can step out of character)
3) Offstage- Outside, where actors meet the audience independently (can give specific performances
38
Prevent or restrict movement of individuals between various stages (must know when and how to move stages)
Borders
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The function assumed or part played by a person or thing in a particular situation (can have many)
Role
40
What are the 3 ways to do sociology?
Positivist, Interpretive, Critical
41
The study of society based on scientific observation of social behavior
Positivist sociology
42
A logical systems that develops knowledge from direct, systematic observations
Science
43
Information that we can verify with our senses
Empirical evidence
44
Mental construct that represents some part of the world in a simplified form
Concept
45
A concept whose value changes from case to case
Variable
46
A variable that is thought to cause a change in another variable
Independent variable
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A variable that is thought to be influenced by another variable
Dependent variable
48
A procedure for determining the value of a variable in a specific case
Measurement
49
Consistency in measurement
Reliability
50
Actually measuring exactly what you intend to measure
Validity
51
A relationship in which the value of two or more variables change together
Correlation
52
Personal neutrality
Objectivity
53
The study of the society that focuses on discovering the meanings people attach to their social world; social actions can be understood only by interpreting the motives and meaning that guide individual actions
Interpretive sociology
54
Research that relies on numerical or statistical data for calculating findings; measures behaviors with little or no concern for the meaning people attach to those behaviors
Quantitative data
55
Research that is typically used in cases where one is taking an interpretative approach; seeks to gain an understanding of things from the point of view of the people being studied
Qualitative data
56
A research method for investigating cause and effect under highly controlled conditions
Experiment
57
A research method in which subjects respond to a series of statements or questions on a questionnaire or in an interview
Survey method
58
A research method in which investigators systematically observe people while joining them in their routine activities
Participant observation
59
The study of society that focuses on the need for social change
Critical sociology
60
The ways of thinking, acting, and material objects that form a people's way of life (also the languages and symbols they use to construct their understanding of the world)
Culture
61
Intangible elements of culture- ideas
Nonmaterial culture
62
Physical objects created by members of society that influence the ways in which people live
Material culture
63
People who interact in a defined territory and share a culture
Society
64
What is the difference between society and culture?
Culture is part of society
65
Personal disorientation when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life
Culture shock
66
Anything that carries a particular meaning recognized by people who share a culture
Symbols
67
Any vehicle of meaning (marks on a paper, voice inflections)
Signifier
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The analysis of nonverbal cultural meanings
Semiotics
69
A system of symbols that allows people to communicate with one another; the primary vehicle of meaning and communication in a society
Language
70
The process by which one generation passes culture to the next
Cultural transmission
71
Culturally defined standards that people use to decide what is desirable, good, and beautiful and serve as broad guidelines for social living
Values
72
Specific ideas that people hold to be true; statements people make about values
Beliefs/Attitudes
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Rules and expectations by which a society guides the behavior of its members
Norms
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Norms that are widely observed and have great moral significance; important norms whose violation is likely met with severe negative sanctions
Mores
75
Norms for routine or casual interaction; relatively unimportant norms carrying very few if any sanctions
Folkways
76
Society's most important social norms; even the thought of violating a these is deeply repugnant
Taboo
77
The knowledge that people use to make a way of life in their surroundings; the interplay of machines, tools, skills, and procedures for the accomplishment of tasks
Technology
78
Consist of small numbers of people gaining their livelihood from hunting, fishing, and gathering of edible plants; rank is based on age and gender
Hunting and gathering
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Small rural communities without towns or cities (stronger inequalities than hunting/gathering)
Pastoral/Agrarian
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The use of hand tools to raise crops
Horticulture
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The domestication of animals
Pastoralism
82
The production of goods using advanced sources of energy to drive large machinery
Industrialization
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The production of information using computer technology
Post-industrialism
84
Cultural patterns that distinguish a society's elite
High culture
85
Cultural patterns that are widespread among a population
Pop culture
86
Cultural patterns that set apart some segment of society's population; something most people are involved in at least one
Subculture
87
Cultural patterns that strongly oppose those widely accepted within a society
Counterculture
88
A perspective recognizing the cultural diversity of the US and promoting equal standing for all cultural traditions
Multiculturalism
89
The practice of judging another culture by the standards of one's own culture
Ethnocentrism
90
The belief that other people and their ways of doing things can be understood only in terms of the cultural context of those other people (the opposite of ethnocentrism)
Cultural relativism
91
The belief that other people of different cultures borrow elements of material or nonmaterial culture from one another
Cultural diffusion
92
The dominance of European cultural patterns
Eurocentrism
93
Emphasizing and promoting African cultural patterns
Afrocentrism
94
The close relationships among various elements of a cultural system
Cultural integration
95
The fact that some cultural elements change more quickly than others, disrupting a cultural system
Cultural lag (Ogburn)
96
A flow of goods, information, and people around the world
Global culture
97
Traits that are part of every known culture
Cultural universals
98
Occurs when different cultures come to seem alike as a result of a great deal of cultural diffusion
Cultural leveling
99
The theoretical approach that explores ways in which human biology affects how we create culture
Sociobiology
100
The transformation of culture and social institutions over time; can be intentional or unplanned
Social change
101
What are the causes for social change?
1) Invention of new objects, ideas, or patterns
2) Disaster (an event that causes extensive harm)
3) Diffusion- spread of things/ideas from one culture to another
4) Discovery of new, existing elements of the world
5) Inequality and conflict
6) New ideas
7) Demographic issues
102
Activity involving a large number of people that is unplanned, often controversial, and can bring about change
Collective behavior
103
A temporary gathering of people who share common focus of attention and who influence one another
Crowd
104
A highly emotional crowd that pursues violent or destructive goals
Mob
105
A social eruption that is highly emotional, violent, and undirected
Riot
106
Unconfirmed information that people spread informally, by word of mouth
Rumor
107
Social patterns favored by a large number of people
Fashion
108
An unconventional pattern that people embrace briefly but enthusiastically
Fad
109
An organized activity in which people set out to encourage or discourage social change
Social movement
110
Type of social movement to help people alter their lives; limited change in only part of the population
Alterative
111
Type of social movement to help certain people redeem themselves/lives
Redemptive
112
Type of social movement with limited change to target everyone
Reformative
113
Type of social movement with the most extreme change of all; major transformation of an entire society
Revolutionary
114
The process of trying to convince the public and public officials of the importance of joining a social movement to address a particular issue
Claims making
115
The experience of being deprived of something to which one believes to be entitled; discontentment people feel when they compare their positions to others
Deprivation theory
116
Social movements attract socially isolated people who join a movement in order to gain a sense of belonging, identity, and purpose
Mass society theory
117
Links the success of any social movement to the resources that are available to it
Resource mobilization theory
118
Social movements depend not only on money and other material resources but also cultural symbols
Culture theory
119
Points out the distinctive character of recent social movements in postindustrial societies
New social movements theory
120
A Marxist approach that claims that social movements arise in opposition to the capitalist economic system, which fails to meet the needs of the majority of the people
Political economy theory
121
What are the stages in social movements?
1) Coalescence- when a social movement defines itself and develops a strategy for attracting new members
2) Bureucratization- a movement becomes established
3) Decline- Resources dry up, overwhelming opposition, or achieved goals causes a loss of interest and the movement becomes a part of the "system"
122
The process of social change begun by industrialization
Modernization
123
The skill of understanding others as the understand themselves
Sociological sympathy
124
The set of moral principles that guide empirical inquiry
Research ethics
125
The work of using sociological theory to make societies better
Public sociology
126
Points of view grounded in lived reality
Standpoints
127
The process by which we layer objects with ideas, fold concepts into one another, and build connections between them
Social construction
128
An influential and shared interpretation of reality that will vary across time and space
Social construct
129
The idea that we're socialized into culturally specific moralities that guide our feelings about right and wrong
Culture-as-value thesis
130
The idea that we're socialized to know a set of culturally specific arguments with which we can justify why we feel something is right or wrong
Culture-as-rationale thesis
131
The practice of noticing the differences between cultures without passing judgment
Cultural relativism
132
A version of ourselves that we want to project in a specific setting
Face
133
The power of noncooperation; controlled by the masses to halt production
Interdependent power
134
Shared activities widely recognized as expressions of dissatisfaction with social conditions
Repertoire of contention
135
A recognition of a shared grievance that can be addressed through collective action
Insurgent consciousness
136
The authority to speak credibly on a particular topic
Standing
137
A succinct claim as to the nature of a social fact; an assertion that an event or issue is a case of a particular thing and not a case of something else
Frame
138
Frames meant to challenge an existing social movement's frame
Counter-frames
139
Battles over whether a social fact is a social problem and what kind of problem it is
Framing wars
140
The strengths and weaknesses in the existing political system that shape the options available to social movement actors
Political opportunity structure
141
Cultural ideas, objects, practices, or bodies that create or constrain activist strategies
Cultural opportunity structure
142
A sudden and dramatic occurrence that motivates non-activists to become politically active
Critical event
143
The role of money in enabling or limiting a movement's operations and influence
Economic opportunity structure
144
The alignment of the interests of activists and elites
Interest convergence
