a process in which African Americans constantly maintain two behavioural scripts
the theory that various social institutions and processes in society exist to serve some important (or necessary) function to keep society running
the idea that conflict between competing interests is the basic, animating force of social change and society in general
suggests that we interact with others using words and behaviours that have symbolic meanings
attempts to predict how certain social institutions tend to function
conflict theory- he believed that it was primarily the conflicts between social classes that drove social change throughout history
the ability to see connections between our personal experience and the larger forces of history
the approach to sociology that emphasizes the scientific method as an approach to studying the objectively observable behaviour of individuals
German for "understanding". the basis of interpretive sociology
researchers imagine themselves experiencing the life positons of the social actors they want to understading
a sense of aimlessness or despair that arises when we can no longer reasonably expect life to be more or less meaningful
the theological stage- society seemed to be the result of the divine will
the metaphysical stage- thinkers saw humankind's behaviour is governed by natural, biological instincts and to understand the nature of society, we need to strip away the layers of society to better comprehend how our basic drives and natural instincts govern and establish the foundation for the surrounding world
scientific stage- claimed we would develop a social physics of sorts in order to identify the scientific laws that govern human behaviour
Founding father of sociological discipline
Economy and Society (1922)
Founding father of social discipline
anomie
Positivist sociology- a strain within sociology that believes the social world can be described and predicted by certain observable relationships
how society holds together and how modern capitalism and industrialization have transformed the ways people relate to one another
double conciousness
a qualitative method of studying people or social settings that uses observation, interaction and sometimes formal interviewing to document behaviours, customs, experiences, social ties etc. example: anthropologists traveling to an island and living with the society on the island for years
a procedure involving the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses based on systematic observation, measurement and/or experiences
the idea that one factor influences another through a chain of events; such a dynamic is different from two factors being merely associated or correlated, in which case they may appear to vary together but that could be due to the chance or a third factor causing both
the process of assigning a precise definition for measuring the concept being examined in a particular study
starts with a theory, forms a hypothesis, makes empirical observations and then analysis the data to confirm, reject or modify the original theory
starts with empirical observations, and then works to form a theory
when two variables tend to track each other positively or negatively
the notion that change in one factor causes a change in another
the outcome that the research is trying to explain
the measured factor that the researchers believe has a causal impact on the dependant variable
the view of social life is as essentially a theatrical performance; in which we are all actors on metaphorical stages with roles, scripts, costumes, and sets
face to-face interactions
unifocal- there's one center of attention
lack of formal arrangements or roles
no one member can dissolve the group
characterized by face-to-face interaction but differs in that it is multifocal
primary characteristic is the presece of a formal structure that mediates interaction and consequently staus differentiation
refers to the degree to which a social relationship is reinforced through indirect paths
a gap between network clusters or even two individuals, of those individuals, (or clusters) have complementary resources
social connections that display the repeated interactions characteristic of strong ties while maintaining a degree of protective social distance. example: not knowing more than a first name if that
the way people form social bonds, relate to each other and get along on a day-to-day basis.
Durkheim’s thesis is that there are two basic ways society can hold together, or cohere, which he called mechanical organic solidarity
- Cohesion is based on interdependence
- Cohesion stems from the reliable similarity of the parts
suicide that occurs when one is not well integrated in a social group
suicide that occurs when one experiences too much social integration eg. a group dominates the life of that individual to such a degree, that he or she feels meaningless aside from this social recognition
suicide that occurs as a result of insufficient social regulation eg. when the stock market crashed in 1929, many businessmen jumped out of skyscraper windows
suicide that occurs as a result of too much social regulation eg. instead of floundering in a state of anomie with no guiding rules, you find yourself doing the same thing day to day with no variation or surprises
the first act of rule breaking that may be given a label of “deviant” and thus influence how people think about and act towards you
subsequent acts of rule breaking the occur after primary deviance and as a result of your new deviant label and people’s expectations of you
the “reversion of an individual to criminal behavior” after involvement with the criminal justice system
distinguished by “a breakdown of the barriers separating” these “three spheres of life” (sleep, work, play)
explains how social context and social cues impact the way individuals act, specifically, whether local, informal social norms allow such acts
philosophy of criminal justice arising from the notion that crime results from a rational calculation of its cost and benefits eg. if you know you can make a quick buck by selling cocaine, you might be tempted to engage in such illicit activities
the extent to which we can claim that our findings inform us about a group larger than the one we studied
taking into account the differences across contours without passing judgement or assigning value
a condition by which a dominant group uses its power to elicit the voluntary "consent" of the masses