Introduction to Sociology
SOCI1100
Spring 2018
Midterm Review Sheet
I. Terms
o Sociology- study of invisible forces that affect self & social interaction, how these forces
contribute to the organization of society, & social crisis, and how society evolves
o Sociological imagination- ability to see connection between the larger world & our
personal lives
o Ideal type- refers to essential features of some social phenomenon in its pure form based
on experience but no real form of the phenomenon would completely conform to it
a. Based on data not assumptions
o Macrosociological- analysis of social life that focuses on broad features of society;
usually used by functionalists and conflict theorists
o Microsociological- analysis of social life that focuses on social interaction; typically
used by symbolics
o Conflict Perspective- focuses on those forces in society that promotes competition &
change; explores how opposing forces permeate every layer of society
o Functionalist Perspective- views society as a set of interrelated parts that work together to
produce a stable social system
o Symbolic Interactionist Perspective- interaction between people that takes place through
use of symbols; how individuals interact with one another in society; and analyzes how
social life depends on ways we define ourselves & others
o Socialization- process of learning social rules, yet rules are arbitrary consequences & we
can easily live by a set of alternative rules; forming one’s basic qualities
o Resocialization- process of learning new attitudes and norms required for a new social
role
o Reification- tendency for individuals to ascribe a definitive value or form to an abstract
concept
o Quantitative research- statistics and data
o Qualitative research- observing, describing, and interpreting behavior
o Validity- measure what it’s intended to measure
o Reliability- consistent results
o Random Sample
o Culture- set of ideas, values, & norms that people use as a guide to understanding self-
control
o Material culture- physical objects
o Nonmaterial culture- way of thinking & doing
Rufrano 1
, o Culture Shock- disorientation that people experience when they encounter fundamentally
different culture and can no longer depend on their assumptions about life
o Ethnocentrism- use of one’s own culture as a measurement for judging ways of other
individual societies
o Cultural Relativism- we try to understand a culture on its own terms
o Values- standard by which people define what’s desirable or undesirable
o Norms- expectations or rules of behavior that reflect and enforce behavior
o Sanctions- expressions of approval given to people for upholding norms or disapproval
for violating them
o Subculture- group whose values and behaviors set it apart from general culture
o Folkways- norms that aren’t strictly enforced
o Mores- strictly enforced because they’re believed to be connected to core values
o Taboo- strong norms that breaking them equals prison or death
o Value cluster- values that form a larger whole
o Value contradiction- to follow one means to come into conflict with the other
o Cultural lag- condition in which a group’s nonmaterial culture lags changing technology
o Cultural diffusion- spread of cultural traits from one group to another
o Cultural leveling- process by which cultures become similar to one another
o Cultural universal- a value, norm, or other cultural trait that’s found in every group
o Society- people who share a culture and a territory
o Symbol- something to which people attach meaning and then use to communicate with
one another
o Significant gesture- ways in which people use their bodies to communicate with one
another
o Dramaturgy- people are like actors on a stage whose performance strategies aid in
impression management
o Dramaturgy Spaces:
a. Front- setting that establishes a particular meaning
b. Region- “social space”; provides more elements that help establish boundaries of
interactional context
c. Personal Front- appearance, gender, race, manner, age, and style of dress that
helps establish a situation also
d. Backstage- prepare for those interactions
e. Front Stage- perform for others
II. People
o C.W. Mills- developed sociological perspective and sociological imagination
a. Stressed social contexts in which people live
b. Each society is a broad stream of events (history)
c. Person’s experiences within a specific historical setting (biography)
d. Sociological Imagination
o Peter Berger
a. Society within us
Rufrano 2
SOCI1100
Spring 2018
Midterm Review Sheet
I. Terms
o Sociology- study of invisible forces that affect self & social interaction, how these forces
contribute to the organization of society, & social crisis, and how society evolves
o Sociological imagination- ability to see connection between the larger world & our
personal lives
o Ideal type- refers to essential features of some social phenomenon in its pure form based
on experience but no real form of the phenomenon would completely conform to it
a. Based on data not assumptions
o Macrosociological- analysis of social life that focuses on broad features of society;
usually used by functionalists and conflict theorists
o Microsociological- analysis of social life that focuses on social interaction; typically
used by symbolics
o Conflict Perspective- focuses on those forces in society that promotes competition &
change; explores how opposing forces permeate every layer of society
o Functionalist Perspective- views society as a set of interrelated parts that work together to
produce a stable social system
o Symbolic Interactionist Perspective- interaction between people that takes place through
use of symbols; how individuals interact with one another in society; and analyzes how
social life depends on ways we define ourselves & others
o Socialization- process of learning social rules, yet rules are arbitrary consequences & we
can easily live by a set of alternative rules; forming one’s basic qualities
o Resocialization- process of learning new attitudes and norms required for a new social
role
o Reification- tendency for individuals to ascribe a definitive value or form to an abstract
concept
o Quantitative research- statistics and data
o Qualitative research- observing, describing, and interpreting behavior
o Validity- measure what it’s intended to measure
o Reliability- consistent results
o Random Sample
o Culture- set of ideas, values, & norms that people use as a guide to understanding self-
control
o Material culture- physical objects
o Nonmaterial culture- way of thinking & doing
Rufrano 1
, o Culture Shock- disorientation that people experience when they encounter fundamentally
different culture and can no longer depend on their assumptions about life
o Ethnocentrism- use of one’s own culture as a measurement for judging ways of other
individual societies
o Cultural Relativism- we try to understand a culture on its own terms
o Values- standard by which people define what’s desirable or undesirable
o Norms- expectations or rules of behavior that reflect and enforce behavior
o Sanctions- expressions of approval given to people for upholding norms or disapproval
for violating them
o Subculture- group whose values and behaviors set it apart from general culture
o Folkways- norms that aren’t strictly enforced
o Mores- strictly enforced because they’re believed to be connected to core values
o Taboo- strong norms that breaking them equals prison or death
o Value cluster- values that form a larger whole
o Value contradiction- to follow one means to come into conflict with the other
o Cultural lag- condition in which a group’s nonmaterial culture lags changing technology
o Cultural diffusion- spread of cultural traits from one group to another
o Cultural leveling- process by which cultures become similar to one another
o Cultural universal- a value, norm, or other cultural trait that’s found in every group
o Society- people who share a culture and a territory
o Symbol- something to which people attach meaning and then use to communicate with
one another
o Significant gesture- ways in which people use their bodies to communicate with one
another
o Dramaturgy- people are like actors on a stage whose performance strategies aid in
impression management
o Dramaturgy Spaces:
a. Front- setting that establishes a particular meaning
b. Region- “social space”; provides more elements that help establish boundaries of
interactional context
c. Personal Front- appearance, gender, race, manner, age, and style of dress that
helps establish a situation also
d. Backstage- prepare for those interactions
e. Front Stage- perform for others
II. People
o C.W. Mills- developed sociological perspective and sociological imagination
a. Stressed social contexts in which people live
b. Each society is a broad stream of events (history)
c. Person’s experiences within a specific historical setting (biography)
d. Sociological Imagination
o Peter Berger
a. Society within us
Rufrano 2
