Week 1 Flashcards
(22 cards)
How is our behavior affected by being in a group?
Group behavior is more than the individual decisions of each separate person. Group dynamics and the setting change the decision-making process for the individuals involved.
How did the Industrial Revolution and growth of cities influence the development of sociology?
As people moved to cities they became more dependent on one another, since workers specialized in different tasks and could no longer produce all the items they needed to survive.
Mark Granovetter
Sociologist who studied:
- how organizations work
- drawing on “friends-of-friends” for jobs
- how our actions can be influenced by those around us (riot dynamics)
Sociology
The study of human social life, groups, and societies
C. Wright Mills
Sociologist who introduced the idea of “sociological imagination”
Sociological Imagination
The ability to evaluate some part of your life and recognize how social forces played a role in how it came to be the way it is
Division of Labor
Economic arrangement in which workers, and even entire communities, specialize in particular tasks or products, rather than producing everything they need themselves
How did early thinkers view the role of conflict and cohesion in societies?
In a capitalist society, social conflict was primarily between capitalists and workers; these two groups were always in conflict because of their differing economic interests (Marx)
Integration and regulation are essential for any society to function (Durkheim)
What did Karl Marx see as the driving force in society?
Saw economic relationships as the key factor that determined how a society works. He argued that all societies were based on social conflict between different classes.
What did Émile Durkheim see as the driving force in society?
Emphasized the importance of solidarity. As societies became larger and more complex, they moved from mechanical solidarity to organic solidarity
What did Max Weber see as the driving force in society?
Argued that instead of looking at larger structures, we should focus on individual behaviors and their interpretations of their actions (interpretive understanding)
Relational Sociology
Sociological perspective that sees individuals as defined by their relationships to others and to institutions such as the economy
Mechanical Solidarity
Present in simple societies, where everyone is connected and the society is highly cohesive
Organic Solidarity
Present in complex societies, where many members are not connected to each other personally but depend on others due to the division of labor
Anomie
A lack of morals or social expectations to guide behavior
Jane Addams
Engaged residents of Hull House in research; focused on studying cities and the neighborhoods within them.
Addams was one of the first researchers to focus on the lives of women and children
W. E. B. Du Bois
Emphasized that it was impossible to understand the development of American society without taking the role of slavery and race into account. He was the first sociologist to seriously consider the role of race relations
Hull House
Founded by Jane Addams as a center for social reform to house, educate, and support poor women and their families
Socially-engaged Scholarship
Research that includes community members as researchers and data-gatherers and that focuses on their experiences
Psychological Wage
Symbolic rewards Whites receive from a system that values Whiteness
Social Institutions
complex group of interdependent positions that collectively perform a social role in society
Social Structure
The idea that we do not behave randomly; our lives are structured and patterned in ways that can be studied
