General Sociology Chapter 1

The Aim of Sociology

" The aim of sociology is to develop a body of scientific knowledge that can explain and, in some cases, predict social events. "

Herbert Spencer

"survival of the fittest",Natural selection.

Scientific Method

''A systematic, organized series of steps that ensures maximum objectivity and consistency in researching a problem''

statuses

''A term used by sociologists to refer to any of the full range of socially defined positions within a large group or society''

Compare and contrast the following major theoretical perspectives: functionalist perspective, conflict perspective, interactionist perspective, and feminist perspective.

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Differentiate between manifest and latent functions.

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Discuss why the works of W.E.B. DuBois and Ida Wells-Barnett made important contributions to our understanding of society.

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Explain how sociological thinking differs from common sense.

2.Knowledge that relies on "common sense" is not always reliable. Sociologists must test and analyze each piece of information that they use.

Social Inequality

A condition in which members of society have differing amounts of wealth, prestige, or power.(20)

Theory

A set of ideas formulated to explain problems or behaviors.

Feminist View

A sociological approach that views inequality in gender as central to ALL behavior and organization.

Dysfunction

An element or process of a society that may disrupt the social system or reduce its stability.

Auguste Comte

Auguste Comte was one of the founders of sociology and coined the term sociology. was a positivist who argued that sociology must have a scientific base and be objective.

Nineteenth-century thinkers who contributed sociological insights

Auguste Comte, a French philosopher; Harriet Martineau, an English sociologist; Herbert Spencer, an English scholar.

Contributions development of sociology by early thinkers: Comte, Martineau, Spencer, Durkheim, Weber, and Marx.

Auguste Comte: a French philosopher, Believed theoretical science of society and a systematic investigation of behavior were needed to improve society. *He coined the term sociology to apply to the science of human behavior. Harriet Matrineau: an English Sociologist. Insightful observation of customs and social practices of bother her native Britain and the United states. She examined religion, politics, child rearing, immigration, and social class distinctions. Herbert Spencer: An English scholar, applied Darwin's "On the origin of species" to explain how societies change, or evolve, over time. Emile Durkheim: who pioneered work on suicide. Behavior must be understood within a larger social context, not just in individualistic terms. Weber: Verstehen" Understanding" To fully comprehend behavior, we must learn to subjective meaning people attach to their actions- how they themselves view and explain their behavior. IDEAL TYPE: a construct or model for evaluation specific cases. Marx: introduced the idea of class conflict into sociology. society evolves through different modes of production in which the upper class controls the means of production and the lower class is forced to provide labor.

Emile Durkheim's investigation of suicide rates and how his research contributed to the development of theory.

Behavior must be understood within a larger social context, not just in individualistic terms. EX. He focused on the functions that religion performed and underscored the role of group life in defining what we consider to be religion. Durkheim concluded that like other forms of group behavior, religion reinforces a group's solidarity. (pg.10).

Predestination

Belief that no matter what a person does, the outcome of life is already determine by God

Explain how the insights of the following people helped them to better understand the workings of society: Cooley, Addams, and Merton (pg.12)

Cooley: Used sociological perspective to view small group relationships to gain a sense of how ideas, behavior, and beliefs was shaped. Jane Addams: Social reformer dedicated to systematically studying and improving a corrupt society. She combined intellectual inquiry, social service work, and political activism to underprivileged creating a more egalitarian society. Merton: Produced a theory of deviant behavior, ma was people attempt to achieve success in life;+ innovators: are people who gain wealth illegally.

organic solidarity

Durkheim: It is social cohesion based upon the dependence individuals have on each other in more advanced societies.

Durkheim's Typology of Suicide

Egoistic suicide: those who have very loose or no ties to society. These are the loners, those with no friends, no family. totally isolated from society. Altruistic Suicide: those who are too integrated or attached to the group that they will give up their lives for the group. Anomic suicide: those who feel totally disconnected from society's values. Teenage suicide likely among those who have been sexually abused or parents are alcoholics. Fatalistic Suicide: those who feel over-regulated. trapped in a world with rules that they had no say in making. They see no future for themselves. Their hopes and dreams and passions are stifled by an overly disciplined existence.

Anomie

Emile Durkheim:The loss of direction felt in a society when social control of individual behavior has become ineffective.

Dramaturgical approach

Erving Goffman; compares everyday life to the setting of the theater and stage. A view of social interaction in which people are seen as theatrical performers.

Applied Science

George Herbert Mead: Discovering ways to use scientific findings to accomplish practical goals. (pg. 17) *Applied sociologist reach out to others and join then in their efforts to better society.

Verstehen

German for understanding. Max Weber and Wilhelm Dilthey introduced the less predicting and more understanding.

Ida Wells-Barnett

Ida Wells-Barnett explored what it meant to be female and Black living in the United States. Her works established her as one of the earliest feminist theorists.

Erving Goffman

Interactionist method known as the dramaturgical approach, in which people are seen as theatricl performers. -whose dramaturgical analysis-describes how we resemble actors on a stage as we play out our various roles.

mechanical solidarity

It normally operates in "traditional" and small scale societies. In simpler societies (e.g., tribal), solidarity is usually based on kinship ties of familial networks.

Ideal type

Max Weber: a construct or model for evaluation specific cases.

Sociological Imagination

Mills: An awareness of the relationship between and individual and the wider society, both today and in the past.

Cultural capital

Pierre Bourdieu: Noneconomic goods, such as family background and education, which are reflected in a knowledge of language and the arts.

Social Capitol

Pierre Bourdieu: the collective Benefit of social networks, which are built on reciprocal trust. (pg. 14)

Role theory

Proposes that the ability of an individual to adapt to changing roles over the life course is a predictor of adjustment to personal aging

Basic sociology

Pure sociology: sociological inquiry conducted with the objective of gaining a more profound knowledge of the fundamental aspects of social phenomena.

Manifest function

Robert Merton: An open, stated, and conscious function.(pg 14)

Macrosociology

Robert Merton: large-scale phenomena or entire civilizations,

Microsociology

Robert Merton: stresses study of small groups.

Latent function

Robert Merton:An unconscious or unintended function that may reflect HIDDEN purposes.(pg 14)

Harriet Martineau

She introduced feminist sociological perspectives in her writing and addressed overlooked issues such as marriage, children, domestic life, religious life, and race relations.

FUNCTIONALIST PERSPECIVE

Talcott Parsons: sociology emphasizes the way that parts of a society are structured to MAINTAIN its stability.

Explain how the four different theoretical perspectives analyze sports.

The Functions of Sports The structural-functional paradigm reveals many functional consequences that sports provide for society. For example, sports provide recreation and jobs. They encourage competition and the pursuit of success. Sports and Conflict The social-conflict paradigm provides an analysis of sports focusing on the social inequalities within sports at all levels of competition. Gender, racial, and social class inequalities are addressed and illustrated. Sports as Interaction The symbolic-interaction paradigm views sports as an ongoing process and not merely as some "system." The individual perceptions of specific participants concerning the reality as each experiences it becomes the focus. The sociological perspective is enriched by the controversy and debate brought about through the application in research of these different paradigms.

science

The body of knowledge obtained by An organized way of using evidence to learn about the natural world

Sociology

The scientific study of social behavior and human groups.

Factors that define Construction of Reality

The statuses you hold Previous experiences Values, attitudes and judgments of others

Natural science

The study of the physical features of nature and the ways in which they interact and change.

social sciences

The study of the social features of humans and the ways in which they interact and change.

Globalization

The worldwide integration of government policies, cultures, social movements, and financial markets through trade and the exchange of ideas.

discipline of sociology is indebted to who?

U.S. sociologists Charles Horton Cooley and Robert Merton.

double consciousness

W.E.B. DuBois: The division of an individual's identity into two or more social realities. EX: being black in wht America.

Thinking Globally

Whatever their theoretical perspective or research techniques, sociologists recognize that social behavior must be viewed in a global context.

Social inequality

a condition in which members of society have differing amounts of wealth, prestige, or power.

CONFLICT perspective

assumes that social behavior is best understood in terms of CONFLICT OR TENTION between competing groups.

INTERACTIONIST perspective

everyday forms of INTERACTIONIST, including symbols and other types of nonverbal communication.

Theories

examine the relationships between observations or data that may seem completely unrelated.

Karl Marx, a German philosopher,

introduced the idea of class conflict into sociology. Marx, society evolves through different modes of production in which the upper class controls the means of production and the lower class is forced to provide labor.

Research Today

investigate a variety of issues and social behavior.

Clinical sociology

the discipline of sociology with the specific intent of altering social relationships or restructuring social institutions. Ex. reorganization of medical center.(pg.19)

family of orientation

the family you are born into

Social Construction of Reality

the use of background assumptions and life experiences to define what is real

Globalization

the worldwide integrations of government policies, cultures, social movement and financial markets through trade and exchange of ideas.

Theory in Practice

their research and approaches do tend to draw on one or more theoretical frameworks.

FEMINIST perspective

views INEQUALITY in gender as central to all behavior and organization

the development of sociology

Émile Durkheim, who pioneered work on suicide. Max Weber, who taught the need for "insight" in intellectual work. Karl Marx, who emphasized the importance of the economy and of conflict in society.