SYG 2000 Final Exam Review
Questions with Answers
Sociological Imagination - C. Wright Mills - -The ability to see the
connections between our personal experience and the larger forces of
history. This is what we do when we question our textbook and college in
general.
- Verstehen - Max Weber - -"understanding" in German. Suggests that
sociologists approach social behavior from the perspective of those engaging
in it.
- Double Consciousness -W.E.B. Du Bois - -A mechanism by which African
Americans have two behavioral scripts. The first is the script that any
American would have by moving through the world. The second is the script
that takes the external opinions of an often racially prejudiced onlooker into
consideration.
- Conflict Theory - Karl Marx - -Marx's theory that conflicts between classes
drives social change throughout history. In Marx's version of history, each
economic system// had its own fault lines of conflict. Basically says that
conflict among competing interests is the basic, animating force of any
society.
- Feminist Theory - -a conflict theory and theoretical perspective which
observes gender in its relation to power, both at the level of face-to-face
interaction and reflexivity within a social structure at large. Focuses include
sexual orientation, race, economic status, and nationality.
- Symbolic Interaction Theory - -Eschewed big theories of society and
instead focused on how face-to-face interactions create the social world.
- Post-modernism Theory - -a condition characterized by a questioning of
the notion of progress and history, the replacement of narrative within
pastiche, and multiple, perhaps even conflicting, identities resulting from
disjointed affiliations.
- Qualitative methods - -attempt to collect information about the social
world that cannot be readily converted to numeric form.
- Quantitative methods - -seek to obtain information about the social world
that is already in or can be converted to numeric form.
, - Deductive approach - -starts with a theory, forms a hypothesis, makes
empirical observations, and then analyzes the data to confirm, reject, or
modify the original theory.
- Inductive approach - -starts with empirical observations and then works to
form a theory.
- Causality vs. Correlation - -Causality means that a change in one factor
causes a change in another. Correlation, however, just means that we
observe a change in both.
- The Challenges of Establishing Causality - -Time order is important or
reverse causality can occur in which you would think that A results in change
in B, but really B is causing a change in A.
- Dependent Variables - -The outcome that the researcher is trying to
explain.
- Independent Variables - -A measured factor that the researcher believes
has a causal impact on the dependent variable.
- Hypothesis - -A proposed relationship between two variables.
- Hypothesis Testing - -Relates to operationalization, which is the process of
assigning a precise method for measuring a term being examined for use in
a particular study. Really helps us see how to pieces of a puzzle fit together.
- Culture - -A set of beliefs, traditions, and practices; the sum of the social
categories and concepts we embrace in addition to beliefs. In addition to
beliefs, behaviors (except instinctual ones) and practices; everything but the
natural environment around us.
- Ethnocentrism - -The belief that one's own culture or group is superior to
others, and the tendency to view all other cultures from the perspective of
one's own.
- Material culture - -Everything that is a part of our constructed, physical
environment, including technology.
- Nonmaterial culture - -Values, beliefs, behaviors, and social norms.
- Ideology - -a system of concepts and relationships; an understanding of
cause and effect.
- Cultural relativism - -Taking into account the differences across cultures
without passing judgement or assigning value.
Questions with Answers
Sociological Imagination - C. Wright Mills - -The ability to see the
connections between our personal experience and the larger forces of
history. This is what we do when we question our textbook and college in
general.
- Verstehen - Max Weber - -"understanding" in German. Suggests that
sociologists approach social behavior from the perspective of those engaging
in it.
- Double Consciousness -W.E.B. Du Bois - -A mechanism by which African
Americans have two behavioral scripts. The first is the script that any
American would have by moving through the world. The second is the script
that takes the external opinions of an often racially prejudiced onlooker into
consideration.
- Conflict Theory - Karl Marx - -Marx's theory that conflicts between classes
drives social change throughout history. In Marx's version of history, each
economic system// had its own fault lines of conflict. Basically says that
conflict among competing interests is the basic, animating force of any
society.
- Feminist Theory - -a conflict theory and theoretical perspective which
observes gender in its relation to power, both at the level of face-to-face
interaction and reflexivity within a social structure at large. Focuses include
sexual orientation, race, economic status, and nationality.
- Symbolic Interaction Theory - -Eschewed big theories of society and
instead focused on how face-to-face interactions create the social world.
- Post-modernism Theory - -a condition characterized by a questioning of
the notion of progress and history, the replacement of narrative within
pastiche, and multiple, perhaps even conflicting, identities resulting from
disjointed affiliations.
- Qualitative methods - -attempt to collect information about the social
world that cannot be readily converted to numeric form.
- Quantitative methods - -seek to obtain information about the social world
that is already in or can be converted to numeric form.
, - Deductive approach - -starts with a theory, forms a hypothesis, makes
empirical observations, and then analyzes the data to confirm, reject, or
modify the original theory.
- Inductive approach - -starts with empirical observations and then works to
form a theory.
- Causality vs. Correlation - -Causality means that a change in one factor
causes a change in another. Correlation, however, just means that we
observe a change in both.
- The Challenges of Establishing Causality - -Time order is important or
reverse causality can occur in which you would think that A results in change
in B, but really B is causing a change in A.
- Dependent Variables - -The outcome that the researcher is trying to
explain.
- Independent Variables - -A measured factor that the researcher believes
has a causal impact on the dependent variable.
- Hypothesis - -A proposed relationship between two variables.
- Hypothesis Testing - -Relates to operationalization, which is the process of
assigning a precise method for measuring a term being examined for use in
a particular study. Really helps us see how to pieces of a puzzle fit together.
- Culture - -A set of beliefs, traditions, and practices; the sum of the social
categories and concepts we embrace in addition to beliefs. In addition to
beliefs, behaviors (except instinctual ones) and practices; everything but the
natural environment around us.
- Ethnocentrism - -The belief that one's own culture or group is superior to
others, and the tendency to view all other cultures from the perspective of
one's own.
- Material culture - -Everything that is a part of our constructed, physical
environment, including technology.
- Nonmaterial culture - -Values, beliefs, behaviors, and social norms.
- Ideology - -a system of concepts and relationships; an understanding of
cause and effect.
- Cultural relativism - -Taking into account the differences across cultures
without passing judgement or assigning value.
