Perspectives In Sociology Flashcards
(35 cards)
The Three Sociological Theoretical Paradigms
Structural Functionalism, Social Conflict, Symbolic Interactionism
Functionalism
A sociological theory that explains social organization and change in terms of the role performed by different social structures, phenomena and institutions
Manifest functions
functions of an object or a phenomenon that are obvious or intended
Latentent functions
functions of an object, or a phenomenon, that are not expected.
Social Conflict:
Proletariat: working class, wage workers
Bourgeois: capitalist (property owning class)
theory that seeks to explain social organization and change in terms of conflict that is built into social relations.
Social Conflict:
theory that seeks to explain social organization and change in terms of conflict that is built into social relations.
Proletariat:
working class, wage workers
Bourgeois:
capitalist (property owning class)
Sociology
The scientific study of human social relations groups and societies.
Social Embeddedness,
the idea that economic, political, and other forms of human behavior are fundamentally shaped by social relations.
Sociological Imagination
the ability to grasp the relationship between individual lives and the larger social forces that help to shape them.
Agency –
The ability of individuals and groups to exercise free will and to influence social change.
Structure –
Patterned social arrangements that have an effect of agency. (anything that keeps you from doing what you want)
Critical Thinking
The ability to evaluate claims by using reason and evidence. Think about your actions and how they influence others.
Scientific Inquiry (evidence):
A way of learning about the world that systematically examines logically constructed theories through testable methods.
Positivists:
Science that is based on facts alone. The idea is to be as systematic and unbiased as possible.
Early proclamation of sociology.
Macro-level:
theories of the world that are concerned with large-scale patterns and institutions.
Micro-level:
Theories of the world that are concerned with small group- social relations and interactions.
Norms:
Acceptable social behaviours and beliefs.
Collective Consciousness:
The common beliefs and values that bind the society together.
Symbolic Interactionism:
Individual self and society as a whole are the products of social interactions based on symbols.
Symbols:
Representations of things that are not immediately present to our senses.
words, gestures, reactions, invitations, exclusions.
Auguste Comte:
Founded sociology
Societies evolve their understanding of the world
theological → metaphysical → scientific reasoning
Two key pillars of Comte theories…
Social statics:
the way society is held together.
Study things that keep us together so that we can manipulate it into something we want.