soc test 1
what do we mean when we say social context matters? what is social context?
"how and in what ways do social contexts matter"= what all sociologists use as a starting point social context: the influence of society on individuals context is social environments, economics, cultural conditions your social context impacts where you will end up in the world
• What are the 3 conditions of cause?
1. there is an association between x and y 2. x comes before y 3. the relationship is not spurious or accidental
Check out the social theory timeline on p. 25. Who are the key players? And, while I do not want you to memorize dates, I do want you know, in general, about when this was all going on, and what was going on at the time.
1840 to before world war 1 durkheim, Marx, Du Bois, Weber Foucult Government went from monarchy to democracy nonreligious ideas become more important
cross sectional
Data taken all at one point in time
What is the soc imagination, who coined the term, and what kind of motorized vehicle did he like?
The sociological imagination is the ability to think systematically about the things we experinece as personal problems. They are really social problems that are widely shared by others living in the same time and place C wright mills coined this term "shows the relationship between history and biography" he liked motorcycles
what historical events were influential on rise of sociology
`the 1800's social upheavel in europe (french, indus, urbanization) people cared about the health of societies
what is sociology (berger)
an attempt to understand by watching, a spy that reports the findings well, a passion
• How can the research study Perrin did on the relationship between religious commitment and honestly illustrate the Research Process?
asked people at the beginning of the year if they had religious commitment. He graded tests wrong on purpose and asked people to tell him if they were scored incorrectly. Religious people were more honest
What does DuBois mean by "double consciousness
black people have to see themselves in two ways- one as a black person and one as an american. they saw themselves as devalued because that is how whites saw them. always looking at oneself through the eyes of others
How does the Kingsley Davis article on Prostitution illustrate functionalism? What functions does functionalism provide?
both marriage and prostitution provide gratification but marriage is more accepted so we try to stamp out prostitution. But maybe we shouldn't stamp it out because it provides a function... it gives men a way to satisfy themselves without disturbing the marriage (all that is needed is money)
Bottom of pg 27, the authors suggest that Capitalism changed in ways Marx did not anticipate. What were these changes?
capitalism is very large today, we have government funded social programs that reduce poverty. the economic systems are very diverse and capitalists are willing to pay decent wages. Living standards have risen.
Concerning the proletariat and the bourgeoisie, what did Marx predict would happen over time.
capitalists would overthrow feudalism and then the proletariat would revolt because capitalists would keep pushing down the wages and so they would get mad (class struggle).
Comte and Durkheim role in sociology
comte: created the term sociology, most complex science, develops overtime, physical world-biological world-sociology Durkheim: the father of sociology, combined theory and research. wrote the book about suicide rates
Who are sociology's academic siblings? (In lecture I called them our cousins... let's just call them relatives)
economics, political science, sociology, anthropology
What does Watts mean when he says sociology can be "hard?"
even the best physicists haven't been able to solve some of the problems. everything changes over time, you don't know what variable is changing. Most results of tests align with what we already thought so we don't think it is that interesting
•Watts did a study on how social influence impacts perceptions about music - which artists are great, which are not so great. What did he find? How does this relate to his statements about Madona, the Mona Lisa, etc.
everyone likes it because that is what you are taught, its weird to not think its cool. Also they might have started out a little bit ahead and then that grew and grew until they were on top. People chose the more popular music even if it was bad.
Free will determinism
free will: you choose and nothing stands in your way determinism: you make choices but they are altered by outside factors (place, gender)
Back in the day, because of slavery and later racial segregation, most people assumed that black people were "inferior" to white people. How did DuBois respond?
he argued that social structure was the culprit and cause of the appearance of blacks being inferior. They were in worse neighborhoods and had less education opportunity
Comte was a "positivist." What does this mean?
he only accepeted things that were backed up by data. emperical observation is the exclusive source of all worthwhile information
How is Marx right? How is he wrong?
he was right by predicting globalization, spreading ideas and capital around the world. He was also right about the classes having conflict. he was wrong in that capitalists do not exploit the workers (owners care for employees), and capitalist societies don't create socialism
How is patriarchy defined on p. 44? How is this definition different from the one found in the Glossary? (Glossary definition is how Perrin has defined it) Is the difference important?
her definition: the idea that societies are set up to ensure that women are systematically controlled. actual: men disproportionately control positions of power in society. very big difference, the actual definition can be tested and is a fact, her definition is debatable
what is social interaction
how people act together, including how they modify and altar their behaviour in response to the presence of others
what is the role of the industrial revolution and urbanization in the development?
industrialization (growth of factories)- people moved into cities but were paid very little which created poverty urbanization (growth of cities)- housing prices went up and couldnt keep up with demand and the other sciences couldnt explain all the changes so sociology came in. people could discuss problems together bc they werent stuck on a farm... alone
What is an "institutional review board" What is informed consent?
institutional review board review university researchers proposals in order to assess their potential effects on participants and whether ethical procedures are in place. Informed consent means participation is voluntary and they know all risks, researchers must disclose their identities
What is globalization?
is an ongoing process that involves interconnected changes in the economic, cultural, social, and political spheres of society
what does it mean to say sociology is an empirical discipline
it is based off of data
why is sociology harder to define?
it is spread over a large area- they go into all territory
Summarize the code of ethics that we social scientists agree to.
it outlines what is moral and acceptable behaviour. you can't do any harm to those you study. subjects also get confidentiality
sharky research on violent neighborhoods
neighborhood violence affects childrens school performance children score lower on tests after a homocide in the neighborhood than before
What is the difference between power, authority and legitimacy?
power: a person's ability to achieve their objective even if someone wants to prevent it authority: the ability to get people to do things because they think they should abide by the commands of those above them legitimacy: when leaders have this we obey them because we believe it is the right thing to do, not because of force.
• What is the difference between quantitative and qualitative research?
quantitative: using data and statistics to come up with an answer (census) qualitative: using observations, interviews, historical records, or pictures.
What are reliability and validity, and why are they important in sociological research?
reliability: if you did the same test would the results be the same validity: is the measurement a researcher is using actually accurate
longitudinal study
research in which the same people are restudied and retested over a long period
What is an ethnography? What is the relevance of the term "thick descrpitions?"
researchers who enter the everyday lives of those they are studying to understand how people navigate and give meaning to their worlds. provides thick descriptions (rich detailed descriptions of how people make sense of their lives from their own perspective" example: mom and baby prison: moms are stripped of their parental power, making a very difficult life. example: the second shift "people think their families act differently than they really do"
Durkheim's understanding of religion focuses on the sacred - how is sacred defined, and how is it important in holding societies together?
sacred: objects, symbols and places that are set apart from daily life sustained by myths and rituals. creates a common set of beliefs that hold people together.
What holds societies together, according to Durkheim?
socialization: the way we learn how to behave social solidarity: organic solidarity which has very extensive division of labor and mutual dependence on people. societies guarantee individuals freedom
Why does the American Sociological Association have a code of ethics? What impact does it have on sociological researchers?
sociologists avoid asking questions that can cause issues with the code of ethics. the code is there to protect all participants
Age matters, even in schools... what solution does Gladwell suggest?
split the grades up in 3 groups by birthdate so children are competing against those of similiar age. jan-april, may-aug, sept-dec
What is a spurious finding? How does the Coleman Report illustrate a spurious finding?
spurious finding: when two factors seem to move in the same direction but are caused by something else. Coleman report found school resources and test scores were correlated but both were affected by family and racial backgrounds.
What is a stereotype, what is discrimination and how are they related?
steryotpyes are faulty generalizations of groups of people that we make based on what we think we know. discrimination is treating someone differently because of a percieved characteristic or status. steryoptypes lead to discrimination, because people judge others before they know them and then descriminate based on there thoughts not their knowledge.
How do Structural Functionalists see the world? How do Conflict theorists see the world?
structural functionalists: individuals groups and institutions of society are guided by an overarching social system. norms persist because they provide social order conflict: society is an arena of inequality that generates social conflict
How can suicide, which is a very personal and private act, be analyzed sociologically?
suicide rates vary in different places. the more socially integrated a person is the less likely they are to commit suicide. catholics have lower rates than protestants due to stronger social ties.
P. 41, what is the difference between the me and the I, according to the Symbolic Interactionists
the "me" is the objective part of the self that is interpreted by others. the "I" is how we decide to act based on how we will look to others
• What is the worst stat ever? (From Best)
the amount of children gunned down has doubled every year since 1950
In the introductory story about the "Dirty War" in Argentina, the author argues the journalist misses the point. What questions should we be asking?
the journalist said argentinians have a lower value on their lives. He argues we should be asking questions about power relations, How does power shape our values and beliefs? The relationship between morality and power.
even personal troubles happen in a social context... what does this mean?
the problems we think are personal are actually shared by a lot of people around us (depression-unemployment)
what is the effect of poverty and violence on performance
the stress of poverty and violence lowers performance. After the sugarcane harvest scores go up
What is sociology?
the study of diverse contexts within which individuals lives unfold and the social world is created. the social worlds we create have social interaction and social structure
What is a middle range theory?
theories that make specific researchable propositions about particular aspects of society that connect social structure and individual action.
what are the limitations of concluding that a problem like homelessness is only bad choices
there are other factors involved, such as race, SES, not born on third base- everyone starts at a different place
In the Conflict section, we read about C. Wright Mills, who argued that power is not shared, but instead sits in the hands of the "Power Elite." Who are the "Power Elite," according to Mills. • Top of pg 40, we read how a functionalist and conflict theorist differ in their understanding of inequality. Summarize this difference.
they are the top ranks of the leading political, economic and military institutions.
What kinds of things can and cannot be studied with an experimental design?
things that you can't force people to do (ex: spanking)
While studying for this test your friend says, "Remember when learned in class that the death penalty deters homicide?" Knowing he clearly missed the point, explain to him what we can and cannot conclude about the -.74 correlation.
to many other variables could be the reason for the correlation, so we can't assume cause
What is the traditional, charismatic, and legal-rational authority
traditional: legitimacy coming from tradition. Europe Charismatic: legitimacy that comes from people thinking a leader has special power of gifts legal rational: legitimacy based on rules (bureaucracy) Weber: Broader perspective on group conflict than Marx
what is social structure? describe two components
used to describe the many diverse ways that norms and rules of everyday life become enduring patterns that shape and govern social interaction hierachiers: set of enduring and important social positions that grant some groups high status and more power than others institutions: long standing and important practices (marriage) and the organizations that regulate those practices (government)
What do Symbolic Interactionists mean when they use terms/phrases like "impression management," "dramaturgical," "impression management," "all the world's a stage?"
we act in certain ways to make people see us in a good light. impression management is strategically organizing our behaviour to communicate certain ideas about who we are.
• Why does the experimental design solve the causation problem? How does it "prove" causation?
we can know that x comes before y and that the relationship isn't accidental because we manipulated the variable. since we put people in random groups we assume they are the same and so any change in groups can be attributed to the IV
Does spanking do more harm than good? Perrin suggests the answer is yes, but he is hesitant to call the evidence "proof." Why?
we don't know if spanking causes aggression or if it is the other way around.
• What do we mean when we say that social problems (and even statistics) are "socially constructed" (from Best)
we label social conditions problems, and makes it troubling to us. activists work to promote the problem so we care, statistics help these people make us think the problem is bigger o
What is epistemology and how is it relevant to social research?
what we think we can know. broad approaches to study something.
how does rational choice theory solve the free will and determinism dilemma
when people act rationally they seek benefits and avoid costs so their behaviour is predictable even though they have free choice.
•Best ends Chap 1 with 3 questions. What are these questions, and why are they important?
who created the stat why did they create it how did they create it
The authors ask two questions about surplus that represent a "starting point" for Marx's thinking. What are these 2 questions?
who takes possession of the surplus? what means do they use to do so? This creates a tension between the classes (groups of people who share similar set of economic interests)
what is sociology not (berger)
working with people helping people/the community social work a practice affected by individual bias
What about DARE? Or the effects of child abuse? Can these things be studied experimentally?
yes dare can be studied- randomly assign people in different schools and see if their drug use is lower than those who didn't do the program child abuse- no, you cant manipulate the variable in a random sample
Is Canadian Hockey a meritocracy?
yes, people are advanced based on talent and not on wealth or social class. you cant buy your way in the older people have an advantage (the mathew effect)
What does it mean to "operationalize" a variable? How did Perrin operationalize honesty?
you make the variable measurable
•Bourdieu argues that social class advantage can be obvious... but it can also be more subtle and hard to identify. Describe these more subtle forms of class advantage
your status is both your culture and economic capital you can be seen as a different class by your taste in music or art symbolic capital: your reputation social capital: who you know and can call on for help cultural capital: know how to act, what to ask for (flintridge prep)