Sociology Chapter 1 : the Sociological Perspective

sociological imagination

(C. Wright Mills) the ability to see our private experiences and personal difficulties as entwined with the structural arrangements of our society and the historical times in which we live i.e unemployment d/t poor economy.

Sociology's 4 Theoretical Perspectives

1. Stuctural-Functional Theory 2. Social Conflict Theory 3. Feminism 4. Symbolic Interactionism

3 Stages of Society

1. Theological Stage 2. Metaphysical Stage 3. Scientific Stage

In the United States today, the suicide rate is highest for which of the following? a. white males b. African American males c. white females d. African American females

A

Which discipline defines itself as "the systematic study of human society"? a. sociology b. psychology c. economics d. history

A

Because there is more social isolation in rural areas of the United States than in urban areas, we would expect suicide rates to be a. higher in urban areas. b. higher in rural areas. c. high in both urban and rural areas. d. low in both urban and rural areas.

B

By stating that the sociological perspective shows us "the strange in the familiar," the text argues that sociologists a. focus on the bizarre elements of society. b. reject the familiar idea that people simply decide how to act in favor of the initially strange idea that society shapes our lives. c. believe that people often behave in strange ways. d. believe that even people who are most familiar to us have some very strange habits.

B

If marginality encourages sociological thinking, we would expect people in which category listed below to make the most use of the sociological perspective? a. the wealthy b. disabled persons or people who are a racial minority c. politicians d. the middle class

B

What does the idea that the social world guides our actions and life choices just as the seasons influence activities and choice of clothing describe? a. the basis of what philosophy calls "free will" b. the essential wisdom of the discipline of sociology c. the fact that people everywhere have "common sense" d. the fact that people from countries all around the world make mostly identical choices about how to live

B

According to Emile Durkheim, people with a higher suicide rate typically have a. more clinical depression. b. less money, power, and other resources. c. lower social integration. d. greater self-esteem.

C

Sociologists use the term "social marginality" to refer to a. people who have little understanding of sociology. b. people who have special social skills. c. people who are defined by others as an "outsider." d. people who are especially sensitive about their family background.

C

The chapter's sociological analysis of childbearing around the world suggests that the number of children born to a woman reflects a. only her preference for family size. b. how many children she can afford. c. whether she lives in a poor or a rich society. d. simply the desires of her husband.

C

The pioneering sociologist who studied patterns of suicide in Europe was a. Robert K. Merton. b. Auguste Comte. c. Emile Durkheim. d. Karl Marx.

C

What might a sociologist say about people's selection of marriage partners? a. People marry because they fall in love. b. When it comes to romance, it's all a matter of personal taste. c. Typically, a person marries someone of similar social position. d. When it comes to love, opposites attract.

C

Following the thinking of C. Wright Mills, we would expect the sociological imagination to be more widespread in a population a. during times of peace and prosperity. b. among the very rich. c. among very religious people. d. during times of social crisis.

D

Peter Berger describes using the sociological perspective as seeing the ______ in the _______. a. good; worst tragedies b. new; old c. specific; general d. general; particular

D

Three campus roommates are talking about why they are in college. A sociological view of going to college highlights the effect of a. only age, because college students tend to be young. b. only class, because college students tend to come from families with above-average incomes. c. only our place in history, because a century ago going to college was not an option for most people. d. age, class, and our place in history, because of these are all ways in which society guides college attendance.

D

A global perspective has little in common with a sociological perspective.

False

A symbolic-interaction analysis focuses on how social interaction in any everyday life setting involves social inequality

False

According to Robert K. Merton, social patterns are always good and have the same effect on all members of a society.

False

According to sociologists, human behavior reflects our personal "free will." T or F

False

Based on the work of Barbara Ehrenreich, who tried to live by working at low-wage jobs, we should expect most people in such jobs to be able to move ahead to better paying work.

False

Both Jane Addams and Harriet Martineau are remembered today because they were married to important sociologists.

False

Both Karl Marx and W.E.B. Du Bois carried out their work following the structural-functional approach.

False

C. Wright Mills claimed that, most of the time, people must learn to take responsibility for their own problems.

False

Durkheim documented that categories of people with weaker social ties have lower suicide rates.

False

In the United States, African Americans have a higher suicide rate than whites.

False

Sociological generalizations are the same as simple stereotypes.

False

Sociological research may be interesting, but it is of little use in shaping public policy, including legislation.

False

Sociological research shows that all categories of people have had the same opportunities to participate in sports.

False

Sociologists focus only on unusual patterns of behavior.

False

The English philosopher Thomas Hobbes believed that society reflected the basic goodness of human nature.

False

The focus of the symbolic-interaction approach is how society is divided by class, race, and gender.

False

The goal of the structural-functional approach is not simply to understand how society operates, but to reduce social inequality.

False

The last of Comte's three stages is the metaphysical stage, in which people know the world in terms of God's will.

False

The term "sociology" was coined by Emile Durkheim in 1898.

False

To say that a social pattern is "dysfunctional" means that it has more than one function for the operation of society.

False

Understanding how society operates benefits only the most privileged people.

False

Using the sociological perspective, we would conclude that people's lives are mostly a result of what they decide to do.

False

W.E.B. Du Bois translated the writings of Auguste Comte from French into English.

False

The manifest functions of our society's reliance on personal automobiles include tens of thousands of deaths each year in traffic accidents.

False; not an intended consequence

Sociology

The systematic study of human society, culture and relationships on a group level

Among all academic disciplines, sociology is one of the youngest.

True

Ancient philosophers, including Plato, were primarily interested in imagining the "ideal" society rather than studying society as it really is.

True

As a discipline, sociology first took root in France, Germany, and England.

True

Auguste Comte was a positivist who believed that there were laws of society in the same way that there are laws of physics that describe the operation of the natural world.

True

Both feminism and the gender-conflict approach highlight ways in which women are unequal to men.

True

College students in the U.S. tend to come from families with above-average incomes.

True

In the United States, men have a higher suicide rate than women.

True

In the United States, secondary schools place students in college preparatory tracks that partially reflect the social background of their families.

True

Like the gender-conflict approach, the race-conflict approach is concerned with social inequality.

True

People with lower social standing are usually more likely to see the world from a sociological perspective than people who are well off

True

Rarely are people aware of all the functions of any social structure.

True

Revolutionary changes in European societies sparked the development of sociology

True

Social-exchange analysis is one micro-level approach to understanding social interaction.

True

Societies around the world are more interconnected than ever before.

True

Sociologists test their theories by gathering facts in order to confirm, reject, or modify them.

True

Sociology is defined as the systematic study of human society. T or F

True

Sociology is useful training for any job that involves working with people.

True

Stacking" in sports is the pattern by which people of one racial category disproportionately play in favored positions.

True

Studying other societies is a good way to learn about our own way of life

True

The meaning people find in competitive sports would be one focus of a symbolic-interaction approach.

True

The sociological perspective reveals the truth of the "common sense" beliefs we tend to take for granted.

True

The structural-functional, social-conflict, and symbolic-interaction approaches are three basic theoretical approaches in sociology.

True

The symbolic-interaction approach is a micro-level orientation.

True

U.S. sociologist C. Wright Mills argued that times of social crisis foster widespread sociological thinking.

True

W.E.B. Du Bois wrote a classic study of the African American community in Philadelphia.

True

Keeping young people out of the labor market is one latent function of higher education.

True; an unintended consequence

theoretical approach

a basic image of society that guides thinking and research

macro-level orientation

a broad focus on social structures that shape society as a whole

micro-level orientation

a close-up focus on social interaction on specific situations

social-conflict approach

a framework for building theory that sees society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and change

symbolic-interaction approach

a framework for building theory that sees society as the product of the everyday interactions of individuals *micro-level approach

Social psychologist

a person whose career is directly helping to improve peoples lives using sociological concepts.

race-conflict approach

a point of view that focuses on inequality and conflict between people of different racial and ethnic categories

gender-conflict approach

a point of view that focuses on inequality and conflict between women and men

stereotype

a simplified description applied to every person in some category

Theory

a statement of how and why specific facts are related **theories attempt to explain why groups of people choose to perform certain actions and how societies function or change in a certain way.

Examples of social institutions

a. religious groups b. schools c. families d. political organizations

Careers in sociology

a. work at colleges b. school/hospital (clinical sociologist) c. sociology can benefit almost any career

social structure

any relatively stable pattern of social behavior

social dysfunction

any social pattern that may disrupt operation of society

August Comte

came up with the term - Sociology (1838)

Structural-functional approach

framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability

Social Institutions

major structures made up of groups or ideas that influence peoples daily lives, views of the world or integration into society

low-income countries

nations with a low standard of living in which most people are poor

middle-income countries

nations with a standard of living about average for the world as a whole

high income countries

nations with the highest overall standards of living

Scientific Stage

people view the world and events as explained by scientific principles

Metaphysical Stage

people viewed the world and events as natural reflections of human tendencies i.e. still believed in gods abstractly, but believed problems in the world were d/t defects in humanity (astrology) **considered the transition stage**

Theological Stage

people viewed the world and events in that world as a direct expression of the will of the gods. i.e. bad weather =angry weather gods

Sociological Perspective

seeing the general in the particular **sociologists look for general patterns in the behavior of particular people

social-exchange analysis

social interaction is guided by what each person stands to gain or lose from the interaction

Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)

suggested that society reflected not the perfection of God so much as the failings of a selfish human nature

feminism

support of social equality for women and men

Positivism

the belief that societies have their own scientific principles and laws, just like physics or chemistry.

social functions

the consequences of any social pattern for the operation of society as a whole

manifest functions

the recognized and intended consequences of any social pattern

global perspective

the study of the larger world and our society's place in it

latent functions

the unrecognized and unintended consequences of any social pattern