SOCY 101 Exam 1 (Travis Williams VCU)

Karl Marx

Concerned with connecting economic problems to social institutions Materialist conception of history: material/economic factors have a primary role in determining historical change Conflict theory- the history of human society is a history of conflict between different economic classes of people ----- Karl Marx views on capitalism Capitalism is a class based system ruled by conflict between the interest of those who own the means of production (bourgeoisie) and those who exchange their labor for wages (proletariat)

Feminist Theory

Emphasizes the centrality of gender in analyzing the social world and particularly the uniqueness of the experience of women Central focus on the social construction of gender and gender inequality Also examines the intersection of gender, race, and class

Review the literature

Familiarize yourself with existing research on the topic

Harriet Martineau

First woman sociologist Introduced Sociology to England Argued that sociology must examine society in its totality not just parts of it

Ethnography

Firsthand study of people using participant observation or interviewing Participant observation: research method in which researcher takes part in the activities of the group or community being studied -------- Strengths of Ethnography Generates richer and more in depth information than other methods Provides broader understanding of social processes ---- Limitations of Ethnography Can only be used to study relatively small groups of communities Findings might apply only to groups or communities studied

Formulate hypothesis

Formulate research problem Hypothesis: ideas or educated guesses about a given state of affairs, put forward as a basis for empirical testing Testable vs. non-testable statements

William Ogburn

Highly skeptical of qualitative research and the idea that sociology should influence public policy Viewed Park's progressive sociological research framework as inappropriate for an objective science Believed sociology should strive to mirror the natural sciences Sociology should be rooted in disinterested quantitative analysis

August Comte

Invented the word 'sociology' Social Physics Science can be used and control human behavior for the betterment of the human condition

W.E.B Du Bois

Prolific African American scholar and public intellectual Virtually ignored by sociology during his life time Did groundbreaking work on race relations and basic sociological research methods One of the founding members of the NAACP

Reflexivity

Reflect on how the way they are part of the social scenes they study may affect the kinds of conclusions they draw

Report the findings

Relate the nature of the research and justify conclusions Identifications of unanswered questions and suggestions for further research

Experiments

Research method by which variables can be analyzed in a controlled and systematic way, either in an artificial situation constructed by the researcher or in a naturally occurring setting ------ Strengths of Experiments Allows researcher to control the influence of specific variables Usually easier for tother researcher to replicate ------ Weaknesses of experiments Difficult and often impossible to create many aspects of social life within a laboratory setting

Comparative Historical Research

Research that compares on set of findings on society with the same type of findings on other societies

Advantages & Disadvantages of standardized question sets in surveys

Advantage: Having a small number of categories makes the responses easy to count and compare Disadvantage: They don't allow for subtleties of opinion or verbal expression --> may yield restrictive and potentially misleading information

Open-ended questions on surveys

Allows respondents more opportunities to use their own words

Social construction

An idea or practice that a group of people agree exits

Sociological Imagination

The imaginative capacity to connect individual experiences with larger social and historical forces

Population

The people who are the focus of social research

Random sampling

sampling method in which a sample is chosen so that every member of the population has the same probability of being included

Sampling

studying a proportion of individuals or cases from a larger population as representative of that population as a whole

Macrosociology

the analysis of large-scale social systems Ex: political system, economic system, long-term societal changes Essential for understanding the institutional background of daily social life

Research Methods

the diverse methods of investigation used to gather empirical (factual- evidence based) material

Microsociology

the study of everyday behavior during face-to-face interaction Crucial because face to face interaction is the basis of all forms of social interaction

Quantitative research methods

use of numerical data, especially statistical data

Robert Park

Thought most important thing for a sociologist to do was to go around all the neighborhoods of the city and find out what was going on by meeting people who were the subjects of sociologist theories Contributed to the idea of 'the city as laboratory' Major contributor to qualitative sociology and the idea that sociology should improve the human quality of life in society

Pilot study

Trial run in survey research a preliminary survey used to gather information prior to conducting a survey on a larger scale typically taken by smaller help determine the efficiency of the future survey while also helping organizations smooth out difficulties before administering the main survey

Social Structure

Underlying regularities or patterns in how people behave in their relationships with one another

George Herbert Mead & Symbolic Interactionism

University of Chicago Psychologist Symbolic Interactionism: Emphasizes the role of symbols and language as core elements of all human interaction A symbol is an item used to stand for or represent another

Uncertainty

Varying levels of uncertainty, which involves imperfect and/ or unknown information Researchers must be clear about all of their sources of uncertainty

Variable

any factor that can be controlled, changed, or measured in a research setting

Interpret the results

Work out implications of data and then relate them to the research problem Many investigations are ultimately not fully conclusive

Max Weber

Believed that ideas and values have just as much affect on social change as material/ economic factors The Protestant Ethic & the Spirit of Capitalism Bureaucracy: a type of organization marked by clear hierarchy of authority and the existence of written rules of procedure and staffed by full-time, salaried officials Rationalization: process by which modes of precise calculation and rule-based procedures increasingly dominate human society Iron Cage of Bureaucracy: Weber saw society as growing inevitably more rational and bureaucratic, increasing efficiency but also narrowing the scope of human freedom and creativity in the process

Carry out the research

Carry out the plan developed Research obstacles and practical limitations

Lingering issues and challenges in sociological research

Cause and effect can be hard to ascertain The problem of exploitation

Select a research design

Decide how to collect the research material May choose from a range of research methods based on the objective (goals) of the study

Robert K. Merton: Latent vs. Manifest Functions

Manifest Functions: social functions that are recognized and attended by the individuals involved in a given social activity Latent Functions: Unrecognized and unintended consequences of social activity

Surveys

Method of sociological research in which questionnaires are administered to the population being studied ------ Strengths of Surveys Enables efficient collection of data on large numbers of individuals Allows for precise comparisons to be made among the answers of respondents ------ Limitations of Surveys Material gathered may be superficial, leading to oversimplified interpretations of data and findings Hard to distinguish what people profess from what they actually believe

Define the research problem

Select a topic Like a puzzle: arises not simply from lack of information but a gap in understanding

Socialization

Social processes through which children develop an awareness of social norms and values and achieve a distinct sense of self

Natural Sciences vs. Social Sciences

Social sciences require a more careful negotiation of the issues of influence, power, and subjectivity than do most natural sciences

Replicability

Sociologist must ensure that the paths to their findings can be retraced by other researchers Research procedures should be public and transparent Carefully documented

Surveys: standardized vs. open ended questions

Standardized (fixed choice): set of questions to which only a fixed range of responses is possible Ex: Yes, No, Don't Know

Emile Durkheim

Structural functionalism- focuses on the mutual integration and interconnection of societies - Theoretical perspective based on the notion that social events can best be explained in terms of the functions they perform Social facts- aspects of social life that shape our actions as individuals (values, cultural norms, social structures) CONTRAST THE TWO BELOW Organic solidarity- social cohesion that results from the various different parts of society functioning as an integrated whole (characterized by functional interdependence) Mechanical solidarity- social cohesion and integration results from homogeneity of individuals -------- Social constraint- conditioning influence on our behavior of the groups and societies of which we are members Division of labor- specialization of work task by means of which difference occupations are combined within a production system --------- Anomie: feeling of aimlessness or despair in which social norms and values are no longer experienced as meaningful *Links anomie to the erosion of traditional moral authority (religion) which results in the loss of meaning in some individuals lives

Sample

a small proportion of a larger population

Dependent variable

a variable that depends on other factors and which may be influenced by the independent variable (y)

Independent Variable

a variable that stands alone and isn't changed by the other variables you are trying to measure (x)

Qualitative research methods

rely on observations, interviews, and archival data

Empirical investigation and challenges of social science

we can't describe social life accurately unless we grasp the concepts that people apply in their own behavior Humans are self-aware and profoundly social creatures and this can impact their behavior at any given moment

Inference

when we make observations particular to a specific setting or group the goal is to be able to generalize beyond that specific entity to others of its kind