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35 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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A systematic study of human society |
Sociology |
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Individuals sharing geographic area and culture. |
Society |
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Knowledge, values, customs, material objects passed person to person. |
Culture |
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Foundational Terminology of Chapter 1 |
Sociology, society, and culture |
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A social problem is: |
A social condition; a behavioral pattern |
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A social problem harms: |
Certain individuals; all people in a society. |
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A social problem causes: |
Public concern; collective action for change. |
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Changing Perceptions of What Constitutes a Social Problem (1950-2011) Chart |
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Sociological imagination |
- Developed by C. Wright Mills (1959)
- Allows us to: • Connect private problems to public issues • Shift focus to a larger social context (Shows how the macrolevel affects the microlevel or individuals)
Example - Personal problem such as job loss are caused by economic trends •Downsizing, new technology |
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Theory is: |
- A set of logically related statements - Attempt to describe, explain, or predict social events. |
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Theory gives us a framework for viewing society called a sociological perspective. |
Note |
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Functionalist Perspective |
Created by Auguste Comte (founder of sociology)
- Views society as: • Stable and orderly • Made up of smaller interrelated parts (When a social order is disrupted, it creates a social problem) |
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Manifest Function |
- Intended and recongized activity of a social process - Recognized as the purpose of the process. |
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Example of Manifest Function |
In elementary, parents expect their children to learn new information but also along with children and begin to understand how society works. |
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Latent Function |
- Unintended consequences of a social process. - Not usually overtly recognized by society. |
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Example of Latent Function |
School typically lasts 6 to 8 hours, with opportunities of after school activities. This keeps kids off the street. It also allows many people to meet their future spouses in school, resulting in matchmaking. |
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Dysfunction |
- Undesirable consequences of a social process. - Can lead to social disorganization |
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Example of Dysfunction |
School can fail in the educational aspect for some students, resulting in them not getting degrees. No degrees could stifle a person's attempt at a higher paying job. This can ultimately lead to poverty. |
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Applying the Functionalist Perspective Problems of Violence |
- Violence increases when social institutions are weakened - Solution: Strengthen social institutions |
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Conflict Perspective |
- Macrolevel analysis - Assumes inherent power struggle Constant between those in power and privilege trying to maintain power vs. those who lack power and privilege constantly struggling to gain it. - Different groups working to control scares recourses - Critical-Conflict Perspective |
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Applying the Conflict Perspective to Problems of Violence |
- Violence is a response to inequalities in society - Solution: reform political and economic institutions to change inequality |
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Symbolic Interactionist Perspective |
- Focuses on microlevel analysis/individual level - Society is sum of interactions between groups and individuals. - Evaluates how something in society impacts our relationship and interaction with each other. - Must have shared set of symbols for interaction to be meaningful - Labeling Theory and the Social Construction of Reality |
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Applying Symbolic Interactionist Perspective to Problems of Violence |
- Violence is learned behavior - Solution: Change societal values which encourage violence. |
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Research Methods of Sociology |
Strategies or techniques used to collect data about society and social phenomena. Uses a systematic approach Produces results that are: Quantitative and Qualitative |
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Quantitative Data |
Explanations using numbers Collecting data through things like surveys and anaylizing data. Drawing conclusions from the numbers. |
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Qualitative Data |
Explanations using interpretive descriptions (words) Observations, or things we interpret in order to draw conclusions. |
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Field Research |
-Observe behavior in a natural setting - Can be an outsider or observer as a participant *Participant observation: joining the group you are observing -Gaining a complete understanding by seeing all aspects on the interaction taking place. |
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Survey Research |
- Respondents asked a series of questions. - Data collected through questionnaires or interviews - Most frequently used method - Target smaller samples of people who are representative of the larger population |
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Secondary Analysis |
- Use of already existing data - Unobtrusive: Researcher has no contact with subjects Examples: public records, U.S. Census Bureau data |
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Secondary (Content Analysis) |
- Systematic examination of artifacts or documents - Extraction of thematic data to explain social life Examples: television programming, lyrics to songs, politics speeches |
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Sociological Perspectives on Social Problems
Chart |
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Functionalist/Conservative Solutions |
Maintain and preserve traditional moral and social values. |
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Conflict/Liberal Solutions |
Pass legislation that requires that workers be paid a wage high enough that they can: • Adequately support their families |
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Solutions |
Improving public schools so young people will receive better education - Be able to find decent jobs Have a community, state, and national economic development programs that: -Create good jobs and benefit all people, not just a small percentage of the world's wealthiest people |
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Symbolic Interactionist Solutions |
-Teach people all ages to engane in nonviolent conflict resolution - Critique of Our Efforts to Find Solutions |
