Sociology Ch. 1 & 2

verstehen

"empathetic understanding;" Weber's term to describe good social research, which tries to understand the meanings of that individual social actors attach to various actions and events

Emile Durkheim

"father of sociology" and functionalism

anomie

"normlessness;" term used to describe the alienation and loss of purpose that result from weaker social bonds and an increased pace of change

operational definition

a clear and precise definition of a variable that facilitates its measurement

false consciousness

a denial of the truth on the part of the oppressed when they fail to recognize the interest of the ruling class in their ideology

society

a group of people who shape their lives in aggregated and patterned ways that distinguish their group from other groups

ethnography

a naturalistic method based on studying people in their own environment in order to understand the meanings they attribute to their activities; also the written work that results from the study

structural functionalism

a paradigm that begins with the assumption that society is a unified whole that functions because of the contributions of its separate structures

conflict theory

a paradigm that sees social conflict as the basis of society and social change, and emphasizes a materialist view of society, a critical view of the status quo, and a dynamic model of historical change

scientific method

a procedure for acquiring knowledge that emphasizes collecting concrete data through observation and experiment

sociological imagination

a quality of the mind that allows us to understand the relationship between our individual circumstances and larger social forces

culture shock

a sense of disorientation that occurs when you enter a radically new social or cultural environment

paradigm

a set of assumptions, theories and perspectives that make up a way of understanding social reality

structure

a social institution that is relatively stable over time and that meets the needs of society by performing functions necessary to maintain social order and stability

Chicago School

a type of sociology practiced by researchers at the University of Chicago in the 1920s and 30s which centered on urban sociology and field research methods

sociological perspective

a way of looking at the world through a sociological lens

theories

abstract propositions that explain the social world and make predictions about the future

validity

accuracy of a question or measurement tool; degree to which researcher is measuring what he thinks he is measuring

means of production

anything that can create wealth: money, property, factories, and other retypes of business, and the infrastructure necessary to run them

beginner's mind

approaching the world without preconceptions in order to see things in a new way

empirical

based on scientific experimentation or observation

reliability

consistency of a question or measurement tool; degree to which same questions will produce similar answers

field notes

detailed notes taken by an ethnographer describing her activities and interactions, which later become the basis of the ethnographic analysis

Herbert Spencer

developed idea called "social Darwinism" (survival of fittest)

deception

extent to which the participants in a research project are unaware of the project or its goals

interviews

face-to-face, information-seeking conversation, sometimes defined as a conversation with a purpose

dependent variable

factor that is changed (or not) by the independent variable

independent variable

factor that is predicted to cause change

experimental methods

formal tests of specific variables and effects, performed in a controlled setting where all aspects of the situation can be controlled

Institutional Review Board

group of scholars within university who meet regularly to review and approve research proposals of their colleagues and make recommendations for how to protect human subjects

objectivity

impartiality, the ability to allow the facts to speak for themselves

scientific method

literature review, hypothesis, choose a method, collect data, interpret results, disseminate findings

existing sources

materials that have been produced for some other reason, but that can be used as data for social research

surveys

method based on questionnaires that are administered to sample of respondents selected from target population

content analysis

method in which researchers identify and study specific variables- such as words- in a text, image or media message

participant observation

methodology associated with ethnography whereby the researcher both observes and becomes a member in a social setting

variables

one of tow or more phenomena that a researcher believes are related and hope to prove are related through research

symbolic interactionism

paradigm that sees interaction and meaning as central to society and assumes that meanings are not inherent but are created through interaction

control group

part of test group that is allowed to continue without intervention so that it can be compared with the experimental group

experimental group

part of test group that receive the experimental treatment

simple random sampling

particular type of portability sample in which every member of the population has an equal chance of being selected

rapport

positive relationship often characterized by mutual trust or sympathy

access

process by which an ethnographer gains entry to a field setting

causation

relationship between variables in which a change in one directly produces a change in the other

correlation

relationship between variables in which a change together; may or may not be casual

quantitative research

research that translates the social world into numbers that can be treated mathematically; this type of research often tries to find cause-and-effect relationships; positivist

qualitative research

research that works with no numerical data such s texts, field notes, interview transcripts, photographs and tape recordings; this type of research more often tries to understand how people make sense of their world; interpretive

Jane Addams

researched causes/consequences of poverty in Chicago; active in social justice; ethnography

informed consent

safeguard through which researcher makes sure that respondents are freely participating and understand the nature of the research

Hawthorne Effect

specific example of reactivity, in which desired effect is the result not of the independent variable, but of the research itself

organic solidarity

term developed by Emile Durkheim to describe the type of social bonds present in modern societies, based on difference, interdependence, and individual rights

mechanical solidarity

term developed by Emile Durkheim to describe the type of social bonds present in premodern, agrarian societies, in which shared traditions and beliefs created a sense of social cohesion

spurious correlation

the appearance of causation produced by an intervening variable

rationalization

the application of economic logic to human activity; the use of formal rules and regulations in order to maximize efficiency without consideration of subjective or individual concerns

solidarity

the degree of integration or unity within a particular society; the extent to which individuals feel connected to other members of their group

latent functions

the less obvious, perhaps unintended functions of a social structure

manifest functions

the obvious, intended functions of a social structure for the social system

sample

the part of the population that will actually be studied

disenchantment

the rationalization of modern society

class consciousness

the recognition of social inequality on the part of the oppressed, leading to revolutionary action

alienation

the sense of dissatisfaction the modern worker feels as a result of producing goods that are owned and controlled by someone else, according to Marx

collective conscience

the shared morals and beliefs that are common to a group and which foster social solidarity

Sociology

the systematic or scientific study of human society and social behavior, from large-scale institutions and mass culture to small groups and individual interactions

positivism

the theory, developed by Auguste Comte, that sense perceptions are the only valid source of knowledge

dramaturgy

theoretical paradigm that uses the metaphor of the theater to understand how individuals present themselves to others

Harriet Martineau

translated Comte's work into English; travelled to US and wrote about social changes that were radical for that time period

proletariat

workers; those who have no means of production of their own and so are reduced to selling their labor power in order to live