SOCI 102 - Intro/the Sociological Imagination (Chapter 1)
High Culture
The culture of society's elite, which may generally be difficult to appreciate without having cultivated a palate for it. High culture is often juxtaposed with popular culture, the culture of the majority.
Popular (low) Culture
The culture of the majority/the masses. Often juxtaposed with high culture, the culture of society's elite
Dominant Culture
The culture that, through its economic and political power, is able to impose its values, beliefs, and behaviors on a given society
Secularization
A process whereby society as a whole moves away from religious explanations, institutions, and values to secular ones.
Visible Minority
A Canadian term used to designate a person or group that is visibly not of the majority race in a given population
Counterculture
A group (ex. an Anti-consumerist org) that rejects certain elements of the dominant culture
Subculture
A group that differs from the dominant culture in some way, but is not necessarily critical of it. This would include differences in interest, behaviors or beliefs, like religion, ethnicity, and social or economic status.
Religiosity
A measure of how religious a person is. Sometimes based on attendance at religious services or intensity of belief.
Experiment
A process that allows researchers to examine a specific factor's effect on individual behavior by comparing two groups: the experimental (which is exposed to the factor) and the control (which is not exposed to it)
Qualitative Research
A set of research techniques (Interviews, ethnography) in which the researcher intensely studies a smaller number of cases. This research tends to focus on process questions (how and why certain things happen) and to look at how actions affect individuals and groups
Quantitative Research
A set of research techniques that focus on things that can be counted and examine how variables relate to one another and test relationships with statistical models. Explores what, where, when, how often, and how long social phenomena occur.
Culture
A system of behavior, beliefs, knowledge, practices, values, and materials that shape how we act and the physical elements of our society
Sociological Imagination
A worldview that sees the connections between our individual lives (personal troubles) and the larger society (public issues) in which we live.
Types of Suicide
According to Durkheim, suicide has four variations, which differ based on the level of integration or regulation in society as a whole. The types are egoistic (low integration), altruistic (high integration), anomic (low regulation), and fatalistic (high regulation)
What is the sociological imagination?
C Wright Mills developed the concept of the Sociological imagination, an OBJECTIVE LENS one can use to identify the CONNECTIONS between people's individual lives (PERSONAL TROUBLES) and the larger society (PUBLIC ISSUES). He posited that we can only really understand our own biographies by understanding the larger history of society (history creates context; people create history while history influences people)
Explain and analyze the concept of culture
Culture is the shared system of beliefs, values, norms, traditions, and materials of a particular society. The dominant culture of a society has political and economic power and can therefore impose its values and beliefs on the rest of society. Countercultures are groups within society that consciously and actively reject notions of the dominant culture. Subcultures are groups within society that differ from the dominant culture in certain ways, but do not necessarily oppose it. High culture is the culture of society's elite and may be difficult to appreciate or enjoy if the individual has not developed a palate for it. This is juxtaposed with popular culture (or low culture) which is the accessible culture of the majority.
Breaching Experiments
Experiments that intentionally break a social rule or norm in order to reveal the common work done by individuals to maintain social order in daily life
Describe and assess the main theoretical frameworks used in sociology.
FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS- (macro) By looking at how SOCIETAL STRUCTURES or INSTITUTIONS work together to create consensus and social cohesion, focuses on explaining how SOCIETY RUNS EFFECTIVELY. The theory also posits that if a structure or institution is not serving to benefit society, it will eventually fade out. CONFLICT THEORY- (macro) idea that human behavior and social relations result from underlying conflicts that arise from the POWER DIFFERENCES between competing groups in society. SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM- (micro) Argues that meanings do not naturally attach to things-- we derive meaning from and come to understand our society and our role in it through interacting with others.
How are individual biography and history connected in Mills's sociological imagination? Why is this connection important in the sociological imagination?
For Mills, you cannot understand the history of a society or the life of an individual without understanding both. Mills argues that individuals are shaped by the society in which they live. As a result, you could not understand the life of an individual without understanding their society as a whole. At the same time, individuals create society, so you could not understand a society without understanding the lives of the people who live within it. Seeing the connection between the life of an individual and the history of society is a fundamental part of the sociological imagination—a "quality of mind" or a "way of thinking" that enables people to comprehend their place within the context of history
Society
Human groupings that are based in a defined geographic area, share common institutions, and a common culture.
Social Fact
Larger structures of society and norms that shape individuals' actions.
Personal Troubles
Problems that individuals face in their personal lives
What are the differences between quantitative and qualitative research methods?
QUANTITATIVE methods focus on things that can be COUNTED AND QUANTIFIED and tend to rely on a LARGE NUMBER OF CASES. These sociologists look at HOW ONE VARIABLE RELATES TO ANOTHER and test these relationships with statistical models. Survey and experiments are two examples of specific quantitative methods used by sociologists. QUALITATIVE methods tend to use a SMALLER NUMBER OF CASES and look at these cases IN MORE DETAIL, EMPHASIZING SOCIAL PROCESSES. Interviewing and participant observation are two qualitative methods used by sociologists. These methods FOCUS ON THE MEANINGS OF ACTIONS for individuals and groups.
Interview
Qualitative research technique- a researcher asks subjects questions, records their answers, and then analyzes their responses. Interviews allow the researcher to ask questions that require longer answers and to follow up by asking more detail
Participant Observation (Ethnography)
Qualitative research technique- a researcher attempts to deeply understand a given group of individuals and their practices by becoming intensely involved in their cultural environment, usually over an extended period of time
Survey Research
Quantitative research technique- involves learning about people's characteristics, attitudes, or behaviors by having a large group complete a questionnaire
Identify and describe the three core foci of sociology
SOCIAL INEQUALITY- Inequality is THE RESULT OF DIFFERENCES THAT HAVE CONSEQUENCES FOR THE INDIVIDUAL. These consequences shape the RIGHTS individuals enjoy, their OPPORTUNITIES, and the PRIVILEGES that they can exercise in society. SOCIAL CLASS, GENDER, RACE, and ETHNICITY are important differences that have been the basis for sociology. More recent differences of interest include SEXUAL ORIENTATION, AGE, DISABILITY, IMMIGRATION STATUS. SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS- institutions are the set systems of norms, values, and rules of conduct that structure how people interact with one another. Institutions are not just physical places or buildings but also the SOCIAL ARRANGEMENTS for how things are. Institutions ENFORCE A STANDARDIZED WAY OF DOING THINGS— actions become regularized, patterned, and reproduced. The 5 core institutions are: the FAMILY, EDUCATION, RELIGION, THE ECONOMY, THE GOVERNMENT. Other important institutions include the MASS MEDIA, MEDICINE, SCIENCE< THE MILITARY. Institutions generally help society run smoothly - they SOCIALIZE US AND TEACH US THE RULES OF SOCIETY. However, institutions can also serve a negative function by MAINTAINING AND REINFORCING INEQUALITY— Standardized methods become routine, and can reinforce some differences between people. Institutions can also be an avenue for social change - programs instituted to help a group succeed SOCIAL CHANGE- Social change refers to ANY SIGNIFICANT ALTERATION OVER TIME IN BEHAVIOR PATTERNS, CULTURAL VALUES AND NORMS. By "significant" alteration, sociologists mean changes yielding profound social consequences. Examples of significant social changes having long‐term effects include the industrial revolution, the abolition of slavery, the feminist movement, and secularization. Today's sociologists readily acknowledge the vital role that social movements play in inspiring discontented members of a society to bring about social change. All theories of social change also admit the likelihood of resistance to change, especially when people with vested interests feel unsettled and threatened by potential changes.
Public Issues
Social problems that affect society as a whole.
Describe the core aims of sociology
Sociology aims to: SEE GENERAL THEMES IN EVERYDAY LIFE (finding the unfamiliar in the obvious), ASSESS CRITICALLY WHAT SEEMS FAMILIAR AND COMMON SENSE (patterns), and UNDERSTAND HOW INDIVIDUALS SHAPE SOCIETY AND HOW SOCIETY SHAPES INDIVIDUALS
When did sociology emerge as a discipline and what factors contributed to its emergence?
Sociology emerged as a separate discipline in the mid-1800s in Western Europe, during the onset of the Industrial Revolution. Industrialization brought social changes so sweeping that they affected all aspects of human existence- Industry was replacing agriculture, democracies were emerging from monarchies, and populations were migrating from the countryside to the cities. The term Sociology was originally coined by Auguste Comte, who believed that this new discipline had the potential to bring together all the sciences and improve society. Early sociologists who focused on these social changes include Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber. Three factors that contributed to Sociology's emergence were: the industrial revolution, imperialism, and the success of the natural sciences.
Durkheim argues that suicide is not solely an individual decision, but is socially structured. What are the two main features of a society that lead to higher suicide rates?
Suicide rates are related to the levels of integration and regulation in a society. In societies that are too heavily regulated, individuals might commit suicide because they feel they have little control over their lives (fatalistic suicide). In societies with too little regulation, they might commit suicide because they do not understand the rules and norms of behaviour (anomic suicide). In societies with too high a level of integration, individuals might commit suicide for the group (altruistic suicide), and, finally, when there is too low a level of integration, individuals might commit suicide because they have no meaning in their lives (egoistic suicide).
Social Institutions
The norms, values, and rules of conduct that structure human interactions.
Homophily
The propensity for individuals to make friendships and other social ties with people who share their characteristics (race, class, religious beliefs)
Social Inequality
The result of social differences that have consequences for the individuals. This inequality shapes the rights individuals enjoy, their opportunities, and the privileges they can exercise in society.
Sociology
The systematic study of human society
How does the Horace Miner article about the Nacirema illustrate the sociological concept of being able to see the strange in the familiar?
This article attempts to illustrate the fact that, WHEN WE LOOK AT OTHER SOCIETIES, WE OFTEN SEE THE THINGS THAT THEY DO THROUGH A LENS THAT HIGHLIGHTS THE STRANGE ELEMENTS OF THEIR CUSTOMS AND CULTURE. But, in fact, many things that we do in our society are quite strange and we just do not see this because we are used to these practices. Miner is pushing us to SEE THE STRANGE IN THE FAMILIAR, as Peter Berger suggests. Examples of shared cultural practices listed in the article include the variety of health and dental practices in which we engage and the negative views that many people have of the human body.
How can we understand unemployment as a personal trouble or a public issue? How would we deal with it differently if we saw it in each of these ways?
Unemployment is a personal trouble if it is just the result of features of the individual—for example, the individual is lazy and does not want to work. It is a public issue if it is related to larger social trends—such as a poor economy or increasing educational requirements for jobs. If the problem is strictly individual, solutions also have to be individual. We can encourage a lazy person not to be lazy. But, if we see that the root cause is social, we need social solutions. For example, if more education is required for jobs today than in the past, we need programs to help individuals get training and access to education.
Explain and analyze the concept of society
a. Society is a large-scale human group THAT SHARES A GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION AND A COMMON CULTURE. The basis of society relies on and requires SOCIAL INTERACTION BETWEEN ITS MEMBERS. These interactions create shared understandings, are the basis of continued cooperation between members of society, and socialize newcomers to teach them the WRITTEN AND UNWRITTEN RULES and values of society. Interactions within society happen in PREDICTABLE, PATTERNED ways—these routines, expectations, and behaviors are established over time so that ongoing cooperation between people is possible and so that there is a communal understanding of how society works and how we are supposed to behave within it.
