SOC Term 1
Double consiousness
a process in which African Americans constantly maintain two behavioural scripts
Functionalism
the theory that various social institutions and processes in society exist to serve some important (or necessary) function to keep society running
Conflict theory
the idea that conflict between competing interests is the basic, animating force of social change and society in general
symbolic interactionalism
suggests that we interact with others using words and behaviours that have symbolic meanings
midrange theory
attempts to predict how certain social institutions tend to function
What is Karl Marx's main theory
conflict theory- he believed that it was primarily the conflicts between social classes that drove social change throughout history
the social imagination
the ability to see connections between our personal experience and the larger forces of history
Positivism (Auguste Comte)
the approach to sociology that emphasizes the scientific method as an approach to studying the objectively observable behaviour of individuals
Verstehen (Max Weber)
German for "understanding". the basis of interpretive sociology
interpretive sociology
researchers imagine themselves experiencing the life positons of the social actors they want to understading
anomie
a sense of aimlessness or despair that arises when we can no longer reasonably expect life to be more or less meaningful
August Comte's three historical stages that human society has gone through
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
What is Max Weber considered the founding father of
Founding father of sociological discipline
What "book" is Max Weber known for
Economy and Society (1922)
What is Emile Durkheim considered the founding father of
Founding father of social discipline
What word did Emile Durkheim coin
anomie
Durkheim is considered the founding practitioner of what
Positivist sociology- a strain within sociology that believes the social world can be described and predicted by certain observable relationships
What did Emile Durkheim wish to understand
how society holds together and how modern capitalism and industrialization have transformed the ways people relate to one another
What theory did W. E. B. Du Bois develope
double conciousness
Ethnography
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
scientific method
a procedure involving the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses based on systematic observation, measurement and/or experiences
casual relationship
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
operationalization
the process of assigning a precise definition for measuring the concept being examined in a particular study
deductive approach
starts with a theory, forms a hypothesis, makes empirical observations and then analysis the data to confirm, reject or modify the original theory
inductive approach
starts with empirical observations, and then works to form a theory
correlation
when two variables tend to track each other positively or negatively
causality
the notion that change in one factor causes a change in another
dependant variables
the outcome that the research is trying to explain
independent variables
the measured factor that the researchers believe has a causal impact on the dependant variable
dramaturgical theory
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
a small group
face to-face interactions
unifocal- there's one center of attention
lack of formal arrangements or roles
no one member can dissolve the group
party
characterized by face-to-face interaction but differs in that it is multifocal
large group
primary characteristic is the presece of a formal structure that mediates interaction and consequently staus differentiation
embeddedness
refers to the degree to which a social relationship is reinforced through indirect paths
structural holes
a gap between network clusters or even two individuals, of those individuals, (or clusters) have complementary resources
elastic ties
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
social cohesion
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
Egoistic suicide
suicide that occurs when one is not well integrated in a social group
Altruistic suicide
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
anomic suicide
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
fatalistic suicide
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
primary deviance
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
secondary deviance
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
recidivism
the “reversion of an individual to criminal behavior” after involvement with the criminal justice system
total institution
distinguished by “a breakdown of the barriers separating” these “three spheres of life” (sleep, work, play)
Broken window theory of deviance
explains how social context and social cues impact the way individuals act, specifically, whether local, informal social norms allow such acts
Deterrence theory
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
Generalizability
the extent to which we can claim that our findings inform us about a group larger than the one we studied
cultural relativism
taking into account the differences across contours without passing judgement or assigning value
Hegemony
a condition by which a dominant group uses its power to elicit the voluntary "consent" of the masses