Sociology Chapter 1 Definitions
Critical Theory
a contemporary form of conflict theory that criticizes many different systems and ideologies of domination and oppression
False Consciousness
a denial of the truth of the part of the oppressed when they fail to recognize the interests of the ruling class in their ideology
Dysfunction
a disturbance to or undesirable consequence of some aspect of the social system.
Society
a group of people who shape their lives in aggregated and patterned ways that distinguish their group from other groups
Structural Funtionalism
a paradigm based on the assumption that society is a unified whole that functions because of the contributions of its separate structures
Modernism
a paradigm that places trust in the power of science and technology to create progress, solve problems, and improve life
Queer Theory
a paradigm that proposes that categories of sexual identity are social constructs and that no sexual category is fundamentally either deviant or normal
Symbolic Interactionism
a paradigm that sees interaction and meaning as central to society and assumes that meanings are not inherent but are created through interaction
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.
Postmodernism
a paradigm that suggests that social reality is diverse, pluralistic, and constantly in flux
Socialism
a political system based on state ownership or control of principal elements of the economy in order to reduce levels of social inequality
Communism
a political system based on the collective ownership of the means of production opposed to capitalism
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
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
Conversation Analysis
a sociological approach that looks at how we create meaning in naturally occurring conversation, often by taping conversations and examining them
Ideology
a system of beliefs, attitudes, and values and directs a society and reproduces the status quo of the bourgeoisie
Dramaturgy
a theoretical paradigm that uses the metaphor of the theater to understand how individuals present themselves to others
Pragmatism
a theoretical perspective that assumes organisms (including humans) make practical adaptations to their environments; humans do this through cognition, interpretation, and interaction
Deconstruction
a type of critical postmodern analysis that involves taking apart or disassembling old ways of thinking
The Chicago School
a type of sociology practiced by researchers at the University of Chicago in the 1920's and 30's that centered on urban sociology and field research methods
Sociological Perspective
a way of looking at the world through a sociological lens
Vertehen
"empathic understanding", Weber's term to describe good social research, which tries to understand the meanings that individual social actors attach to various actions and events
Anomie
"normlessness" term used to describe the alienation and loss of purpose that result from weaker social bonds and an increased pace of change.
midrange theory
an approach that integrates an empiricism and grand theory
Captialism
an economic system based on private ownership of the means of production and characterized by competition, the profit motive, and wage labor
Collective Effervescence
an intense energy in shared events where people feel swept up in something larger than themselves.
Means of Production
anything that can create wealth, money, property, factories, and other types of businesses, and the infrastructure necessary to run them.
Beginner's mind
approaching the world without preconceptions in order to see things in a new way
Bernard McGrane
1. promoted a Zen Buddhist tradition of beginner's mind when looking at things in a sociological perspective.
Empirical
based on scientific experimentation or observation
Feminist Theory
A theoretical approach that looks at gender inequities in socity and the way that gender structures the social world
Unlike psychology specializing in internal states of the mind, Sociology focuses on
external social forcus.
Conflict
generated by the competition among different class groups for scarce resources and the source of all social change, according to Karl Marx
Compared to Anthropology, Sociology is more likely to focus on
in societies at all levels of development
How sociology is like history
it comapares the past and the present in order to understand both
Sociology is similar to communication in that
it examines human communication at both the social and the interpersonal levels, rather than one over the other
How is sociology different than history
it is more likely to focus on contemporary society
Unlike economics or political science on focuses on a single institution, Sociology
looks at a range of social institutions
Our survival and sense of self is derived from our
membership in society
Bourgeoisie
owners. the class of modern capitalists who own the means of production and employ wage laborers
However, compared to Sociology, Geography is more centered around
places themselves
Praxis
practical action that is taken on the basis of intellectual or theoretical understanding
Bereaucracies
secondary groups designed to perform tasks efficiently, characterized by specialization, technical competence, hierarchy, written rules, impersonality, and formal written communication
Expert's mind
so filled with facts, projections, assumptions, opinions, and explanations that it can't learn anything new.
humans are essentially
social beings
Sociological perspective is also referred to as
taking a sociological approach or thinking sociologically and it also means looking at the world in a unique way and seeing it in a whole new light.
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 pre-modern, agrarian societies in which shared traditions and beliefs created a sense of social cohesion
Sacred
the Holy, Divine, or Supernatural
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
Social Darwinism
the application of the theory of evolution and the notion of survival of the fittest to the study of society
Solidarity
the degree of integration or unity within a particular society, the extent to which individuals feel connected to other members of their group
social sciences
the disciplines that use the scientific method to examine the social world, in contrast to the natural sciences, which examine the physical world.
Thesis
the existing social arrangements in a dialectical model
Latent Functions
the less obvious perhaps unintended functions of a social structure
Microsociology
the level of analysis that studies face to face and small group interreactions in order to understand how they affect the larger patterns and institutions of society
Macrosociology
the level of analysis that studies large scale social structures in order to determine how they affect the lives of groups and individuals.
Synthesis
the new social system created out of the conflict between thesis and antithesis in a dialectical model
Manifest Functions
the obvious, intended functions of a social structure for the social system
Antithesis
the opposition to the existing arrangements in a dialectical model
Profane
the ordinary, mundane, or everyday
Disenchantment
the rationalization of modern society
Class Consciousness
the recognition of social inequality on the part of the oppressed, leading to revolutionary action
Similar to geography, Sociology looks at
the relationship of people to places
Alienation
the sense of dissatisfaction the modern worker feels as a result of producuing goods that are owned and controlled by someone else, according to Karl Marx
Collective Conscience
the shared morals and beliefs that are common to a group and which foster social solidarity
Ethnomethodology
the study of "folk methods" and background knowledge that sustains a shared sense of reality in everyday interactions
Sociology is often thought of as
the study of society
Sociology
the systematic or scientific study of human socity 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
Social inequality
the unequal distribution of wealth, power, or prestige among members of a society
Compared to sociology, anthropology is more likely to focus on
traditional or primitive cultures
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
Dialectical Model
Karl Marx's model of historical change, whereby two extreme positions come into conflict and create some new third thing between them
Iron Cage
Max Weber's pessimistic description of modern life, in which we are caught in bureaucratic structures that control our lives through rigid rules and rationalization