Sociology:Chapter 1

What are the type of functions?

-Manifest Functions-The consequences of a social process that are sought or anticipated. -Latent functions-The unsought (but usually positive) consequences of a social process. -Dysfunctions-Social processes that have undesirable consequences for the operation of society.

What are some sociological paradigms?

-Structural Functionalism (Macro or Mid)-The way each part of society functions together to contribute to the whole. -Conflict Theory (Macro)-The way inequalities contribute to social differences and perpetuate differences in power. -Symbolic Interactionism (Micro)-One-to-one interactions and communications.

Coined the term Sociology in 1838.

Auguste Comte

Looks at society as a competition for limited resources. -This perspective is a macro-level approach most identified with the writings of German philosopher and sociologist Karl Marx, who saw society as being made up of individuals in different social classes who must compete for social, material, and political resources such as food and housing, employment, education, and leisure time.

Conflict Theory

An extension of symbolic interaction theory which proposes that reality is what humans cognitively construct it to be. -We develop social constructs based on interactions with others, and those constructs that last over time are those that have meanings which are widely agreed-upon or generally accepted by most within the society.

Constructivism

Erving Goffman used theater as an analogy for social interaction and recognized that people's interactions showed patterns of cultural "scripts."

Dramaturgical Analysis.

Believed that healthy societies as stable, while pathological societies experienced a breakdown in social norms between individuals and society. -Examined suicide statistics in different police districts to research differences between Catholic and Protestant communities. -He attributed the differences to socioreligious forces rather than to individual or psychological causes.

Emile Durkheim

German sociologist Norbert Elias called the process of simultaneously analyzing the behavior of individuals and the society that shapes that behavior this.

Figuration

Structural-Functional Theory -Sees society a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability. -Believe structures play a part in stabilizing people. -Ex-Social Institution (School); Social structure of school (Studying, note taking, project creation).

Functionalism

Studied how the mind and self were developed. -Coined the term "significant others" to describe the impactful people in our everyday lives.

George H. Mead

First female sociologist. -Began career in the 1830s. -She was an early observer of social practices, including economics, social class, religion, suicide, government, and women's rights.

Harriet Martineau

What is a theoretical perspective?

In sociology, a theory is a way to explain different aspects of social interactions and to create a testable proposition, called a hypothesis, about society.

What is one criticism of the structural-functional society?

It can't adequately explain social change. -Also problematic is the somewhat circular nature of this theory which states that repetitive behavior patterns are assumed to have a function, yet we profess to know that they have a function only because they are repeated.

German economist and sociologist. -Wrote Communist Manifesto with Friedrich Engels in 1848. -Marx predicted that inequalities of capitalism would become so extreme that workers would eventually revolt. -This would lead to the collapse of capitalism, which would be replaced by communism.

Karl Marx

Established a sociology department in Germany at the Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich in 1919. -Developed the theories of quantitative vs qualitative sociology.

Max Weber

Philosophical and theoretical frameworks used within a discipline to formulate theories, generalizations, and the experiments performed in support of them.

Paradigms

Seeks to understand human behavior by learning about it through in-depth interviews, focus groups, and analysis of content sources (like books, magazines, journals, and popular media).

Qualitative Sociology

Uses statistical methods such as surveys with large numbers of participants. -Researchers analyze data using statistical techniques to see if they can uncover patterns of human behavior.

Quantitative Sociology

A group of people who live in a defined geographic area, who interact with one another, and who share a common culture.

Society

C. Wright Mills described as an awareness of the relationship between a person's behavior and experience and the wider culture that shaped the person's choices and perceptions.

Sociological Imagination

The concept that the individuals and society are inseparable. -It is impossible to study one without the other.

Sociological Perspective

The study of groups and group interactions, societies and social interactions, from small and personal groups to very large groups. -It is analyzed in a macro-level and micro-level.

Sociology

A micro-level theory that focuses on the relationships among individuals within a society.

Symbolic Interactionism