midterm review

Question 1

what is the sociological imagination?

Answer 1

an ability to connect personal challenges to larger social issues

Question 2

what is the sociological imaginations task and promise?

Answer 2

it enables us to grasp history and biography and the relations between the two within society

Question 3

what is transvaluation?

Answer 3

to re-estimate the value of something

Question 4

what is sociology?

Answer 4

systematic study of human groups and their interactions

Question 5

what is an informed opinion?

Answer 5

the evidence of what you read, not just what you believe

Question 6

what three revolutions lead to the rise of sociology?

Answer 6

1. scientific revolution
2. political revolution
3. industrial revolution

Question 7

who is Auguste Compte?

Answer 7

• the founder of sociology and positivism (scientific method)
• he believed society could be studied the same way we study science

Question 8

what is the law of three stages?

Answer 8

1. theological
2. metaphysical
3. positive

Question 9

what is the theological stage?

Answer 9

religious outlook - the world is an expression of God

Question 10

what is the metaphysical stage?

Answer 10

period of questioning/challenging (teachings of the church)

Question 11

what is the positive stage?

Answer 11

rules of observation/experimentation

Question 12

who is Emile Durkheim?

Answer 12

• father of sociology
• sociological study of suicide

Question 13

what are the 4 types of suicide according to Emile Durkheim?

Answer 13

1. egoistic
2. altruistic
3. anomic
4. fatalistic

Question 14

according to Emile Durkheim, what explains the patterns he found during his study of suicide?

Answer 14

social integration

Question 15

what is integration?

Answer 15

the process by which separate groups are combined into a unified society

Question 16

what is egoistic suicide?

Answer 16

due to a feeling of isolation (lack of social integration)

Question 17

what is altruistic suicide?

Answer 17

due to a feeling of too much integration

Question 18

what is anomic suicide?

Answer 18

due to a feeling of a lack of regulation

Question 19

what is fatalistic suicide?

Answer 19

due to a feeling of too much regulation

Question 20

what is positivism/scientific method?

Answer 20

• considers all understanding to be based on science
• singular explanation

Question 21

what is antipositivism?

Answer 21

considers knowledge and understanding to be the result of human subjectivity

Question 22

what is quantitative sociology?

Answer 22

• measurable behaviour
• tends to be positivist in nature

Question 23

what is qualitative sociology?

Answer 23

• non-measurable behaviours
• anti-positivist in nature

Question 24

what is enlightenment?

Answer 24

power by which humans understand the universe and improve their own condition

Question 25

why was the political revolution important?

Answer 25

for the promotion of individual rights and social responsibility

Question 26

why was the industrial revolution important?

Answer 26

- rise of factories - profound social changes (resulting in new social problems)

Question 27

what is macrosociology?

Answer 27

understanding society as a whole

Question 28

what is microsociology?

Answer 28

looks at small interactions between individual/small group dynamics

Question 29

what is the global perspective?

Answer 29

- societies increasingly interconnected - where we live shapes the lives we live - problems we face are worse elsewhere - thinking globally helps us learn more about ourselves

Question 30

what is the modern state?

Answer 30

a political unit with a defined border, population, government and soverignty

Question 31

how did industrialization change working lives?

Answer 31

- new sources of power (non-animal) - centralization of work - mass production - specialization - wage labour (exchange work for labour)

Question 32

what is anomie?

Answer 32

a state of normlessness that results from the lack of clear goals and creates feelings of confusion that may result in higher suicide rates

Question 33

what are the four ideal types of social actions?

Answer 33

1. traditional social action 2. affective social action 3. value rational social action 4. instrumental-rational social action

Question 34

what is the social action theory?

Answer 34

- an act which takes into account the actions and reactions of individuals - founded by Max Weber

Question 35

what is structural functionalism?

Answer 35

sociological theory that attempts to explain why society functions the way it does by focusing on the relationships various social institutions that make up society

Question 36

what is the conflict theory?

Answer 36

argues that human behaviour in social context results from conflicts between competing groups

Question 37

what is symbolic interactionalism?

Answer 37

focuses on social behaviour that uses linguistic or gestural communication and its subjective information

Question 38

what is the 1st wave of feminism?

Answer 38

focused on issues affecting women, mainly concerns of privileged white women

Question 39

what is the 2nd wave of feminism?

Answer 39

era of social change issues and fought for equality

Question 40

what is the 3rd wave of feminism?

Answer 40

emphasis on difference among women (intersectionality)

Question 41

what is post-modernism?

Answer 41

questioning of ideas/values associated with the form of modernism that believes in progress and innovation

Question 42

what is post-structural theory?

Answer 42

- reject structuralism - critical of the enlightenment view that scientific thinking is key to human freedom - scientific knowledge is connected to power

Question 43

what is structuralism?

Answer 43

- there is a single truth or meaning - there is objective reality - they search for universal truths and rules that govern meaning

Question 44

what is post-colonial theory?

Answer 44

focuses on the political and cultural effects of colonialism, imperialism and orientalism

Question 45

what is imperialism?

Answer 45

policy of extending a country's power/influence through diplomacy or military force

Question 46

what is orientalism?

Answer 46

scholarship, learning or study in Asian subjects or languages

Question 47

what is ahistoricism?

Answer 47

lack of concern for history, historical development or traditions

Question 48

what is globalization?

Answer 48

growing interdependence of the world's economies, cultures and populations brought by cross-border trade in goods/services

Question 49

why is globalization important in sociology?

Answer 49

people or societies are tolerant of other people/societies, ways of life, values, etc.