Intro Sociology- Exam #1
Review- CHAPTERS 1-4
Sociology - -a science guided by the basic understanding that "the social
matters: our lives are affected not only by our individual characteristics but
by our place in the social world" (ASA)
-Sociological imagination - -the ability to look beyond the individual as the
cause for success and failure and see how one's society influences the
outcome
-Micro vs. Macro - -Most of us see issues through our own biography or the
micro or small scale perspective, however the macro or large scale
perspective is also important
-Durkheim - -(Functionalist)
-Four types of suicide Durkheim describes - -Egoistic suicides are suicides
that result from a lack of solidarity
Altruistic suicides are suicides that occur when the level of solidarity is
exceptionally high
Fatalistic suicides are suicides that result from a lack of social control
Anomic suicides are suicides that occur as a result of social unrest
-Solidarity - -refers to the level of connectedness and integration a person
feels to others in the environment
-Social Control - -refers to the social mechanisms that regulate a person's
actions
-Individual choice vs. social factors - -Social factors often influence our
personal choices, even suicide
-Know the basic premise of the three major paradigms (Symbolic
interactionism, Functionalism, Conflict) - -A paradigm refers to a theoretical
framework through which scientists study the world
Functionalism is a theoretical paradigm that defines society as a system of
interrelated parts
, Conflict theory is a theoretical framework that views society in a struggle for
scarce resources
Symbolic interationists focus on how communication influences the way
people's interactions with each other create the social world in which we live
-Know functionalist - -Comte, Spencer (social Darwinism), Durkheim,
Parsons, and Merton
-Social laws - -statements of fact that are unchanging under given
conditions and can be used as ground rules for any kind of society (comte)
-social statics - -the existing structural elements of society
-social dynamics - -the change in the structural elements of society
-Know Conflict Theorists- Marx (ideas about capitalism, false vs. class
consciousness)
Martineau, Adams, Foster - -Capitalism - an economic system in which
private individuals own businesses and control the economy
false consciousness - a person's lack of understanding of his or her position
in society
-Know Symbolic Interactionists - -Mead, Blumer, Goffman, Becker
-MAX WEBER - -Crosses all three paradigms
-Research methods - -the scientific procedures that sociologists use to
conduct research and develop knowledge about a particular topic
-Objectivity - -the ability to conduct research without allowing personal
biases or prejudices to influence you
-Know the types of variables (independent, dependent, control) - -
Independent variables are variables that are deliberately manipulated in an
experiment
Dependent variables are the response to the manipulated variable
Control variables are variables that are kept constant to accurately test the
impact of an independent variable
-Causal relationship, causation - -Causal relationship is a relationship in
which one condition leads to a certain consequence
Review- CHAPTERS 1-4
Sociology - -a science guided by the basic understanding that "the social
matters: our lives are affected not only by our individual characteristics but
by our place in the social world" (ASA)
-Sociological imagination - -the ability to look beyond the individual as the
cause for success and failure and see how one's society influences the
outcome
-Micro vs. Macro - -Most of us see issues through our own biography or the
micro or small scale perspective, however the macro or large scale
perspective is also important
-Durkheim - -(Functionalist)
-Four types of suicide Durkheim describes - -Egoistic suicides are suicides
that result from a lack of solidarity
Altruistic suicides are suicides that occur when the level of solidarity is
exceptionally high
Fatalistic suicides are suicides that result from a lack of social control
Anomic suicides are suicides that occur as a result of social unrest
-Solidarity - -refers to the level of connectedness and integration a person
feels to others in the environment
-Social Control - -refers to the social mechanisms that regulate a person's
actions
-Individual choice vs. social factors - -Social factors often influence our
personal choices, even suicide
-Know the basic premise of the three major paradigms (Symbolic
interactionism, Functionalism, Conflict) - -A paradigm refers to a theoretical
framework through which scientists study the world
Functionalism is a theoretical paradigm that defines society as a system of
interrelated parts
, Conflict theory is a theoretical framework that views society in a struggle for
scarce resources
Symbolic interationists focus on how communication influences the way
people's interactions with each other create the social world in which we live
-Know functionalist - -Comte, Spencer (social Darwinism), Durkheim,
Parsons, and Merton
-Social laws - -statements of fact that are unchanging under given
conditions and can be used as ground rules for any kind of society (comte)
-social statics - -the existing structural elements of society
-social dynamics - -the change in the structural elements of society
-Know Conflict Theorists- Marx (ideas about capitalism, false vs. class
consciousness)
Martineau, Adams, Foster - -Capitalism - an economic system in which
private individuals own businesses and control the economy
false consciousness - a person's lack of understanding of his or her position
in society
-Know Symbolic Interactionists - -Mead, Blumer, Goffman, Becker
-MAX WEBER - -Crosses all three paradigms
-Research methods - -the scientific procedures that sociologists use to
conduct research and develop knowledge about a particular topic
-Objectivity - -the ability to conduct research without allowing personal
biases or prejudices to influence you
-Know the types of variables (independent, dependent, control) - -
Independent variables are variables that are deliberately manipulated in an
experiment
Dependent variables are the response to the manipulated variable
Control variables are variables that are kept constant to accurately test the
impact of an independent variable
-Causal relationship, causation - -Causal relationship is a relationship in
which one condition leads to a certain consequence
