General Terms

Question 1

Define sociology

Answer 1

Sociology is the systematic study of social behaviour and phenomena in human societies

Question 2

Define Macro Perspective

Answer 2

Focus on wider social systems and structures

Question 2

Define Micro Perspective

Answer 2

Deal with small scale human interactions

Question 3

Conflict theory (Macro) Definition

Answer 3

Society is imbalanced - a struggle for power and resources leads to exploitation and inequality.
Privileged exploit the underprivileged.
Struggle for power, status & resources creates conflicts which lead to social change.

Question 4

Importance of conflict theory

Answer 4

Conflict theory offers a critique of those in power and questions the legitimacy of capital accumulation.

Question 5

Functionalism (Macro)
Definition

Answer 5

Society is balanced - society is made up of several interdependent parts, which function exactly as they should to create and maintain social order

Question 6

Describe crime as a product of function (Functionalism)

Answer 6

crime - proves the collective values of society and ascribes negative value to unwanted behaviour

Question 7

Describe crime as a product of dysfunction (Conflict Theory)

Answer 7

crime - people fight for limited economic resources

Question 8

manifest function

Answer 8

The anticipated and intended goals of an action or social structure; the reason something is done.

Question 9

Latent function

Answer 9

an unintended consequence or outcome of an activity or social system

Question 10

Durkheim - Collective Consciousness

Answer 10

refers to the totality of beliefs and sentiments common to the average members of a society. These form a determinate system with a life of its own.

Question 11

Durkheim - Collective Representations

Answer 11

refers to the ways in which a group thinks of itself in its relationships with the objects which affect it (i.e., symbols a group or society uses to think of and visualize itself).

Question 12

Define anomie

Answer 12

lack of the usual social or ethical standards in an individual or group.
- state of normlessness

Question 13

Interactionism (Micro)
Definition

Answer 13

Society is a network made up of everyday social interactions. Such interactions shape individuals, identities, and shared meanings of the social world.

Question 14

Private troubles vs Public Issues

Answer 14

Private - you and your direct connections

Public - affects the larger structure of social and historical life.

Question 15

what is the structure v agency question

Answer 15

are our behaviours governed by the structure of society or do we have agency in the decisions we make?

Structure - behaviours expected by society
Agency - how much will we have over our behaviour

Question 16

Labelling Theory example

Answer 16

the group viewed as problematic because labelled as such

Question 17

what creates the social world according to symbolic interactionists?

Answer 17

ppl!
People create meaning from the bottom up, acting freely, interacting with each other to create the social world

Question 18

Define ideal types - Weber

Answer 18

A common, distanced, yet meaningful set of concepts through which to interrogate human action and the entities that help shape it
* A methodological model for the perfect version of a given phenomenon

Question 19

Du Bois Colour line -

Answer 19

all aspects of modernity including state and economy are racialized - this color line is at the centre of power struggles and exploitation, not just class divide - race as a tool to further exploit people in lower economic classes

Question 20

Du Bois - veil

Answer 20

term for racial segregation of black people - explains why racial segregation exists - white people wear a veil that is a barrier preventing an equality with black people - blacks folks therefor require double consciousness

Question 21

Du Bois - Double consciousness

Answer 21

people of color must be both conscious of themselves and their unique ideas and of how white people view them - unique to people of color living in white supremecy or dominated societies