Sociology Week 1 Chapter 1
manifest functions
the intended and recognized consequences of social functions
economics
the study of the creation, distribution, and consumption of goods and services
paradigms
models or frameworks for questions that generate and guide research
the group, not the individual
The main focus of sociology is
latent functions
the unintentional or not readily recognized consequences of social functions
The main goal of social work is to help people solve their problems, whereas the main goal of sociology is to understand why the problems exist
How do social work and sociology differ?
What is a sociologists main goal?
To understand social situations and look for repeating patterns in society.
the issue of who benefits from particular social arrangements and how those in power maintain their positions and continue to reap benefits from them.
What is the concern of conflict theorists?
It served as justification for people's control over society and enabled them to oppose reforms or social welfare programs, which they viewed as interfering with nature's plans to do away with the unfit.
Why was Social Darwinism accepted?
collection of data
____________ is an important aspect of the scientific method, but facts alone do not constitute a science.
scientific method
a process by which a body of scientific knowledge is built through observation, experimentation, generalization, and verification.
middle range theories
concerned with explaining specific issues or aspects of society instead of trying to explain how all of society operates
symbolic interactionism
concerned with the meanings that people place on their own and one another's behavior
social sciences
consist of all those disciplines that apply scientific methods to the study of human behavior
interactionist perspective
focuses on how individuals make sense of or interpret the social world in which they participate
theory construction
gives facts meaning; they must be ordered in some way, analyzed, generalized, and related to other facts.
history
involves looking at the past to learn what happened, when it happened, and why it happened
Karl Marx
often thought of as a revolutionary proponent of the political and social system seen in countries once labeled communist
conflict theory
proposes that each individual or group struggles to attain maximum benefit; this causes society to change constantly in response to social inequality and social conflict
Science
refers to a body of systematically arranged knowledge that shows the operation of general laws
sociology
scientific study of human society and social interactions
social darwinism
survival of the fittest; lack of success was viewed as a personal failure which wasn't related to barriers created by society
sociological imagination
the process of looking at all types of human behavior and finding previously unseen connections among them. It focuses on every aspect of society and every relationship among individuals.
social functions
the social processes that contribute to the ongoing cooperation or maintenance of society
psychology
the study of individual behavior and mental processes
political science
the study of three major areas: political theory, the actual operation of government, and political behavior
empiricism
the view that generalizations are valid only if they rely on evidence that can be observed directly or verified through our senses.
sociological perspective
understanding human behavior by placing it within its broader social context
functionalism
views society as a system of highly interrelated structures or parts that function or operate together harmoniously
common sense
what people develop through everyday life experiences; makes sense after the fact; is more useful for describing events rather than predicting them.
