Sociology Final

The first goal of each scientific discipline:

(to protect the subjects)Is to explain why something happens. So that you have a yardstick for comparing the results of your research.

Steps of the research process

1. Selecting a Topic 2. Defining the Problem 3. Reviewing the Literature 4. Formulating a Hypothesis 5.Choosing a Research Method 6. Collecting the Data 7. Analyzing the Results 8. Sharing the Results.

Characteristics needed to be considered a society.

1. Social Structure 2. Stable Food Supply 3. Religion 4. Government 5. Writing/Communication 6. Culture 7. Technology

Horatio Alger

19th century writer; crafted stories which promoted honesty, hard work, and altruism would lead to success; the self-made man. The belief that due to limitless possibilities anyone can get ahead if he or she tries hard enough.

Verstehen

A German word used by Weber that is perhaps best understood as "to have insight into someones situation.", understanding social behavior by putting yourself in the place of others

Minority Group

A group of people who, on the basis of physical or cultural characteristics, are singled out for unequal treatment and who regard themselves as objects of collective discrimination.

Functionalism

A school of psychology that focused on how our mental and behavioral processes function and how they enable/allow us to adapt, survive, and flourish in an environment.

Neocolonialism

A situation wherein the less developed countries of the world are still economically dependent upon the more developed countries.

conflict theory

A theoretical framework in which society is viewed as composed of groups that are competing for scarce resources.

symbolic interactionist

A theoretical perspective in which society is viewed as composed of symbols that people use to establish meaning, develop their views of the world, and communicate with one another.

According to symbolic interactionists, the deciding factor that determines if change in society is good or bad requires ________.

A value framework in which to view the change.

Sociological Perspective

A view that looks at behavior of groups, not individuals. , Belief that our social backgrounds influence our attitudes, behaviors, & life chances

Culture

A way of life, Beliefs, customs, and traditions of a specific group of people.

Antagonism

Active hostility or opposition

First person to suggest Sociology use the scientific method.

Aguste Compte, the father of Sociology believed that the scientific method could answer the worlds social problems. He did not conduct research, but he advocated that we should observe and classify human activities to uncover societies fundamental laws. First person to coin: Sociology.

What is Capitalism?

An economic system based on open competition in a free market, in which individuals and companies own the means of production and operate for profit

Society

An large group of individuals who share some common characteristic such as geographical location, same cultural background, historical time frame, religious perspective, value system, and so on.

The first person to propose that the scientific method could be applied to the study of social life was ________.

Auguste Comte.

Of the following, which discipline is most appropriately classified as a natural science?

Biology.

The sociologist responsible for suggesting the connection between history and biography to explain the sociological imagination was ________.

C Wright Mills

Sociological Imagination

C Wright Mills. Understand the relationship between individuals and the society in which they live. The ability to see the societal patterns that influence the individual as well as groups of individuals.

The sociologist who developed the concept of the power elite was ________.

C. Wright Mills.

The Power Elite

C.Wright Mills' term for the top people in U.S. corporations, military, and politics who make the nations major decisions in our country.

Social Facts

Durkheim's term for a groups patterns of behavior. , Durkheim. "Forces and structures that are external to, and coercive of, the individual... Two types: Material and Non-material."

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

Edward Sapir & Bejamin Whorf's hypothesis that language creates ways of thinking & perceiving. , Describes the role of language in shaping our interpretation of reality.

The two anthropologists who studied the Hopi Indians and concluded that language has embedded within it ways of looking at the world were ________.

Edward Sapir and Benjamin Whorf

The early sociologist who argued that deviance might be functional for society was ________.

Emile Durkheim

Norms

Expectations of "Right" behavior. , Behaviors that are accepted as a part of the environment and culture of a group. They usually are established by custom and popular exceptance rather than law, although the 2 may not be mutually exclusive

Triad

Groups of three or more people.

The term "survival of the fittest" which is a principle part of the concept of social Darwinism, was coined by ________.

Herbert Spencer

What is the underlying principle of symbolic interactionism?

It explains how one's behavior depends on the way they define themselves and others.

The social thinker of the 19th century who predicted that there would be a classless society once the working class united and began a revolution was ________.

Karl Marx.

What term did Louis Wirth use to define groups of people who are singled out for unequal treatment and who regard themselves as objects of collective discrimination?

Minority Group

According to Max Weber, the Protestant ethic was a central factor in the birth of ________.

Protestant Work Ethic.

Max Weber referred to the self-denying approach to life characterized by people living frugal lives and saving their money as the ________.

Protestant ethic

Primary Groups

Provide face to face interaction. Are small intimate groups. e.g. families, friends. Their values and attitudes become fused into our identity. face to face interaction.

What is a group of people with inherited physical characteristics that distinguish it from another group?

Race

The group in society made up of the unemployed who can be put to work during times of high production and then laid off when they are no longer needed is called ________.

Reserve Labor Force

What is White Privilege

Rights or immunities granted to people as a particular benefit or favor simply because they are white.

Iron Law of Oligarchy

Robert Michael's term for the tendency of formal organizations to be dominated by a small self-perpetuating elite. , Tendency of organizations to become increasingly dominated by small groups of people

Which of the following represents a correct sequence of steps in the research process?

Select a topic, review the literature, collect the data, share the results

Primary Group Functions

Socialization, provide setting that meets most of our personal needs, social control, emotional support, socialization, encourage conformity.

Democratic Facade

Sociologists Daniel Hellinger and Dennis Judd call the false impression American voters have that they influence national and foreign policy because they vote. They really dont have any vote at all.

What is the use of objective and systematic observation to test theories, one that is often employed by sociologists?

The Scientific Method.

Pluralism

The diffusion of power among many interest groups that prevents any single group from gaining control of the government.

Dominant Group

The group with the most power, greatest privileges, and highest social status.

Conflict theorists would contend that changes in ________ explain the high divorce rates in the United States.

The male-female power relationship

Based on the theories formulated by Karl Marx, what was the ultimate goal of the proletariat?

The proletariat sought to develop a classless society free of exploitation.

Frank is examining the broad stream of events that have occurred over the past 50 years, along with the specific experiences of his own life. By doing so, what sociological process has Frank undertaken?

The sociological imagination

iron law of oligarchy

The tendency of formal organizations to be dominated by small self perpetuating elite. (Soviet Union, being under the rule of a queen)

Wealth

The total value of everything someone owns, minus the debt. , An inclusive term encompassing all a person's material assets, including land, stocks, and other types of property.

At the steel plant, all minorities hired are assigned to work the battery pits, one of the dirtiest jobs in the mill. Even so, the battery pit workers wear this assignment as a badge of honor and have developed a close social bond that transcends the time they spend at the mill. How would Karl Marx describe their solidarity?

The workers share class consciousness.

Sociologically, what is a family?

Two or more people related by blood, marriage, or adoption.

Which American sociologist described the years of American colonial slavery when he said that "gradually the entire white South became an armed camp to keep Negroes in slavery and to kill the black rebel"?

W.E.B. Dubois

Protestant Work Ethic

Weber's term to describe the idea of a self-denying highly moral life accompanied by thrift and hard work. , Hard work, wealth creation, and frugality is the driving force of capitalism. (Max Weber, 1804)

Thomas Theorem

William & Dorothy Thomas classic formulation of the definition of the situation: "If people define situations as real, they are real in their consequences.",

What did Karl Marx predict after workers were exploited year after year by the capitalist class?

Workers would revolt against the bourgeoisie and assume control.

Race

a group of people whose inherited physical characteristics distinguish it from other groups.

Social Control

a group's formal & informal means of enforcing its norms. , Attempts by society to regulate people's thoughts and behavior

What does Weber's term "Prestige" mean?

a high standing achieved through success or influence or wealth etc.(3rd Element)People tend to admire the wealthy and powerful. Prestige can be based on other factors. Olympic gold medalists might not own property or be powerful, yet they have HIGH prestige. Some are even able to exchange their prestige for property, such as those who are paid a small fortune for endorsing a certain brand of sportswear or claiming they start their day with the breakfast for champions. In other words property, and prestige are not one way streets: Although property can bring prestige, prestige can also bring property.

Hunting & Gathering Society

a human group that depends on hunting & gathering for its survival. , depends on hunting & gathering for its survival; highly mobile; little dramaturgy; woman are important

Discrimination

an ACT of unfair treatment directed against an individual or a group. , Behaving differently, usually unfairly, toward the members of a group.

Prejudice

an ATTITUDE or prejudging, usually in a negative way. , A negative attitude toward an entire category of people, often an ethnic or racial minority.

Dramaturgy

an approach pioneered by Erving Goffman, in which social life is analyzed in terms of drama or the stage. , Approach that depicts human interaction as theatrical performances, A theory in which all life is like acting.

Prejudice describes ________ while discrimination describes ________.

attitudes, actions.

The titles Karl Marx used to describe the two classes in society were the ________ and ________.

bourgeoisie; proletariat

In the three world model, First World nations usually have a ________ economy while Second World nations have a ________ economy.

capitalist; socialist

Karl Marx suggested that the force that drives human history and is at the core of human society is ________.

class conflict.

Which group of social theorists would focus most on macro-level analysis when examining patterns of society?

conflict theorists and structural functionalists

Viewing society as composed of groups that engage in fierce competition for scarce resources is the underlying premise in ________.

conflict theory.

Theorists who suggest that the purpose of the welfare system is to maintain a "reserve labor force" is most aligned with the ________ perspective.

conflict.

The power elite consists of:

consists of the top leaders in the economy (corporate executives), military (senior officers), and politics (President and top officials)

Language, beliefs, values, norms, behavior, material objects, and technology that are passed from one generation to the next by members of society describe ________.

culture

functionlisim

deviance serves a function in our society according to Emile Durke

According to Georg Simmel, which of the following groups is the most unstable?

dyad.

The refusal of Christians to accept Islam as a valid religion is a form of ________, while the sincere effort to understand the practice of having multiple wives in some societies is a form of ________.

ethnocentrism; cultural relativism

The notion that the mass media represents the varied interests of many groups would reflect a position consistent with ________ theory.

functionalist theory.

Mark views society as a system of interrelated parts, while John views society as composed of groups competing for scarce resources. Mark would be considered a ________ theorist and John would be seen as a ________ theorist.

functionalist, conflict

Which type of sociologists would consider deviance to be a natural part of society?

functionalist.

Out-Group

groups toward which on feels antagonism.

In-Group

groups toward which one feels loyalty.

Ethnicity

having distinctive cultural characteristics. , A classification of people based on combinations of shared characteristics such as nationality, geographic origin, language, religion , ancestral customs and tradition

In the "nature v. nurture" controversy, which of the following terms least applies to nurture?

heredity

George Herbert Mead theorized that learning to take the role of the other entails three stages - the ________ stage, ________stage, and ________ stage.

imitation; play; team games

What are the three primary variables in determining one's social class?

income, education, occupational prestige.

What term refers to the way in which a country's dominant group exploits the minority groups within the same country for its economic advantage?

internal colonialism

What does Weber's term "Property" means?

is significant in determining a person's standing in society. Ownership is not the only significant aspect of property. Some powerful people, such as managers of corporations, control the means of production even though they do not own them. If managers can control property for their own benefit, awarding themselves huge bonuses and magnificent perks, it makes no practical difference that they do not own the property that they generously benefit from.

College provides a haven for several million potential workers who are classified as "students" rather than "unemployed," which helps stabilize the job market. This situation represents what Merton would describe as a

latent function.

According to Robert Merton, ________ are the intended beneficial consequences of people's actions.

manifest functions

According to Durkheim, the shared consciousness that people experience as a result of performing the same or similar tasks is called ________.

mechanical solidarity

The expectations, or rules of behavior, that develop out of values are referred to by sociologists as ________.

norms.

What are the three qualities on which research ethics are based?

openness, honesty, truth

According to Durkheim, when a society increases in size, its division of labor becomes more specialized. People begin to depend on one another and become interdependent. This form of social cohesion he termed ________.

organic solidarity

Which of the following conditions would conflict theorists suggest as being the result of a declining standard of living in a given society?

political instability

What does Weber's term "Power" mean?

possession of controlling influence possession of controlling influence. (2nd element of Social Class) is the ability to control others, even over their objections. Max Weber agreed with Marx that property is a major source of power, but that is not the only source. Prestige can be turned into power. Two well-known examples: Actors Arnold Schwarzenegger, who became governor of California and Ronald Reagan, who was elected governor of California and then president of the United States.

Although it is the most egalitarian, what was the one social division common to all hunting and gathering societies?

prestige based on male labor

Of the following groups, the one that plays the most significant role in the development of self is the ________.

primary group.

If a person were living during Karl Marx's lifetime and worked at the Smittertown ironworks, Marx would consider that person a member of the ________.

proletariat

What did Marx believe was the primary factor that distinguished between the different classes under industrial capitalism?

relationship to the means of production

Durkheim referred to patterns of behavior that characterize a social group as ________.

social facts.

The degree to which members of a society feel united by shared values and other social bonds is what Durkheim referred to as ________.

social integration

The early European sociologist Emile Durkheim is most identified with which of the following areas of study?

social integration

Which sociological perspective is most closely linked to microsociology?

symbolic interactionism

Which sociological perspective is most linked to microsociology?

symbolic interactionism

The relativity of deviance is best explained by the ________ perspective.

symbolic interactionist

Sociologists who analyze how behavior depends on the ways that people define themselves and others are most likely ________.

symbolic interactionists

Culture Components

symbols, language, values &beliefs, norms, material culture.

In society, what is the group called with the greatest power, privileges, and social status?

the dominant group

Which society is characterized as being the most egalitarian and nomadic, consisting of 25 to 40 members?

the hunting gathering society.

Conflict theorists would contend that changes in ________ explain the high divorce rates in the United States.

the male-female power relationship.

What are the two characteristics a people must share to qualify as a society?

the same culture and the same territory

What is the use of objective, systematic observation to test theories often employed by sociologists?

the scientific method

Dyad

the smallest possible group, consisting of two persons. The most unstable group.

In the "nature versus nurture" argument regarding socialization, the "nurture" component refers to ________.

the social environment.

The concept used to describe opening a window into unfamiliar worlds that allows us to understanding human behavior by placing it within its broader social context is called ________.

the sociological imagination

Ethnomethodology

the study of how people use background assumptions to make sense out of life. A set of methods that are employed to reveal and make individuals realize that rules and expectancies. (for example explaining how to ride in an elevator- like stand their and stare at the door)

iron law of oligarchy

the tendency of a bureaucracy to become increasingly dominated by a small group of people

Max Weber used the term Verstehen to mean ________.

to grasp by insight.(put yourself in someone elses shoes)

Based on the Marxist orientation of conflict sociologists, how many distinct social classes exist?

two

What quality did Max Weber stress as being the hallmark of social research?

value neutrality.

Double Standard in regard to in-group & out-group.

we view traits of our in-group as virtues, while we perceive those same traits as vices in out-groups

What are the three variables Max Weber identified as defining social class?

wealth, power, prestige

Politically, the class of people who are more likely to feel that the government should intervene in the economy to make citizens financially secure are the ________.

working class.