Intro to Sociology Test #1 Part 1 – Flashcards
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sociology
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the systematic study of human societies with special emphasis on modern, industrialized systems
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Auguste Comte
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1798-1857 -French philosopher -Invented the word "sociology" -Society and social order are not preordained but constructed by individuals -social physics: scientific method can be applied to study of human behavior -contribute to the welfare of humanity by using science to predict and control human behavior
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Émile Durkheim
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1858-1917 -sociologists must develop methodological principles to guide their research -must study *social facts* "as things!" -for a society to have a continuing existence over time, its specialized institutions must function as an integrated whole -organic solidarity -continuation depends on cooperation; general consensus over basic values and customs -societies exert *social constraint* -*division of labor* social change -*anomie* -processes of change in the modern world are so rapid and intense that they give rise to major social difficulties -religion and significance in society
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Karl Marx
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1818-1883 -sought to explain social changes arising from the Industrial Revolution -connecting economic problems to social institutions -*materialist conception of history* -social change is prompted primarily by economic influences i.e. class conflict -*capitalism* leads to inevitable conflict
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Max Weber
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1864-1920 -economic factors just as significant as ideas and values -major contributions to sociology of religion -bureaucracy poses problems for effective democratic participation in modern societies
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main theoretical approaches to sociology
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symbolic interactionism, functionalism, Marxism, feminism, rational choice approach, postmodernism
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microsociology
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the study of face-to-face interaction
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macrosociology
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studies larger groups, institutions, and social systems
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Why can't sociology be modeled on the natural sciences?
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Because studying human behavior is fundamentally different from studying the world of nature
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anomie
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a concept first brought into wide usage in sociology by Durkheim, referring to a situations in which social norms lose their hold over individual behavior
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bureaucracy
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A type of organization marked by a clear hierarchy of authority and the existence of written rules of procedure and staffed by full-time, salaried officials.
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capitalism
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an economic system based on the private ownership of wealth, which is invested and reinvested in order to produce profit
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division of labor
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The specialization of work tasks, by means of which different occupations are combined within a production system. All societies have at least some rudimentary form of this, especially between the tasks allocated to men and those performed by women. With the development of industrialism, this became vastly more complex than in any prior type of production system. In the modern world, it is international in scope.
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feminist theory
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A sociological perspective that emphasizes the centrality of gender in analyzing the social world and particularly the uniqueness of the experience of women. There are many strands of this, but they all share the desire to explain gender inequalities in society and to work to overcome them.
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functionalism
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A theoretical perspective based on the notion that social events can best be explained in terms of the functions they perform-that is, the contributions they make to the continuity of a society.
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globalization
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The development of social and economic relationships stretching worldwide. In current times, we are all influenced by organizations and social networks located thousands of miles away. A key part of the study of globalization is the emergence of a world system-for some purposes, we need to regard the world as forming a single social order.
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ideology
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Shared ideas or beliefs that serve to justify the interests of dominant groups. These are found in all societies in which there are systematic and ingrained inequalities between groups. The concept of this connects closely with that of power, since these type of systems serve to legitimize the power that groups hold.
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latent functions
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Functional consequences that are not intended or recognized by the members of a social system in which they occur.
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manifest functions
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The functions of a type of social activity that are known to and intended by the individuals involved in the activity.
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Marxism
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A body of thought deriving its main elements from Marx's ideas.
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materialist conception of history
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The view developed by Marx, according to which material, or economic, factors have a prime role in determining historical change.
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organic solidarity
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According to Emile Durkheim, the social cohesion that results from the various parts of a society functioning as an integrated whole.
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postmodernism
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The belief that society is no longer governed by history or progress. ________ society is highly pluralistic and diverse, with no "grand narrative" guiding its development.
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power
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The ability of individuals or the members of a group to achieve aims or further the interests they hold. ______ is a pervasive element in all human relationships. Many conflicts in society are struggles over _____, because how much _______ an individual or group is able to achieve governs how far they are able to put their wishes into practice.
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rational choice
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More broadly, the theory that an individual's behavior is purposive. Within the field of criminology, _______________ analysis argues that deviant behavior is a rational response to a specific social situation.
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rationalization
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A concept used by Max Weber to refer to the process by which modes of precise calculation and organization, involving abstract rules and procedures, increasingly come to dominate the social world.
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social constraint
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The conditioning influence on our behavior of the groups and societies of which we are members. ____________ was regarded by Emile Durkheim as one of the distinctive properties of social facts.
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social facts
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According to Emile Durkheim, the aspects of social life that shape our actions as individuals. Durkheim believed that ________ could be studied scientifically.
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social structure
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The underlying regularities or patterns in how people behave and in their relationships with one another.
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sociological imagination
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The application of imaginative thought to the asking and answering of sociological questions. Someone using the _____________ "thinks himself away" from the familiar routines of daily life.
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sociology
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The study of human groups and societies, giving particular emphasis to analysis of the industrialized world. __________ is one of a group of social sciences, which include anthropology, economics, political science, and human geography. The divisions between the various social sciences are not clear-cut, and all share a certain range of common interests, concepts, and methods.
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structuration
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The two-way process by which we shape our social world through our individual actions and by which we are reshaped by society.
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symbol
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One item used to stand for or represent another-as in the case of a flag, which symbolizes a nation.
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symbolic interactionism
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A theoretical approach in sociology developed by George Herbert Mead, which emphasizes the role of symbols and language as core elements of all human interaction.
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theoretical approach
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A perspective on social life derived from a particular theoretical tradition. Some of the major theoretical traditions in sociology include functionalism, symbolic interactionism, and Marxism. ____________________s supply overall perspectives within which sociologists work and influence the areas of their research as well as the modes in which research problems are identified and tackled.
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theory
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An attempt to identify general properties that explain regularly observed events. _______ form an essential element of all sociological works. While ___________ tend to be linked to broader theoretical approaches, they are also strongly influenced by the research results they help generate
