sock ch 1 and 2

The study of human society
- Assumes that human actions are *patterned* and can be explained partly by social forces

sociology

-The ability to connect the most basic, intimate aspects of an individual's life to seemingly impersonal and remote historical forces

sociological imagination

and reproduce themselves over time
Networks or structures in society that work to socialize the groups of people within them

social institution

The way individuals define themselves in relationship to groups they are a part of (or in relationship to groups they choose not to be a part of)

social identity

A sense of aimlessness or despair that arises when we can no longer reasonably expect life to be predictable, normlessness/when norms no longer apply

anomie

- Became prominent at University of Chicago
- Perspective that emerged became known as the *"Chicago School"*

American sociology

Focused on the *empirical research*, with the belief that people's behaviors and personalities are shaped by their *social* and *physical* environments

Chicago school

-Refers to an individual's constant awareness of how others perceive them and how those perceptions alter their own behavior

double consciousnesses

The theory that various social institutions and processes in society exist to serve some important function to keep society running
Society is like a living organism, each part of which serves an important role in keeping society together

functionalism

- The idea that *conflict* between competing interests is the basic, animating force of social change and society in general
- The idea that *conflict drives social change

conflict theory

- Interested in how *power relationships* are defined, shaped, and reproduced on the basis of *gender differences

feminist theory

- Abstract theory
- A micro-level theory in which shared meanings, orientations, and assumptions form the basic motivations behind people's actions
- *People act in response to the meaning that signs and social signals hold for them

symbolic interactionism

- A condition characterized by a questioning of the notion of the progress and history
- *The idea that there is no longer one version of history that is correct; even the most seemingly objective phenomena are social constructions

postmodernism

- An entity that exists because people behave as if it exists

social construction

........research methods seek to obtain information about the social world that is in, or *can* be converted to, numeric form

quantitative

.......research methods attempt to collect information about the social world that *cannot* be readily converted to numeric form

qualitative

........exists when we simply observe change in two things *simultaneously* (sometimes called an association)

correlation

........exists when we can prove that a change in one factor causes the change in the other factor

causation

- A situation in which the researcher believes that A results in a change in B, but B, in fact, is causing A

reverse causality

- The outcome that a researcher is trying to explain

dependent variable

- A measured factor that the researcher believes has a casual impact on the dependent variable

independent variable

- A methodology by which two or more entities (such as countries), are compared to learn about the dimensions that differs between them

comparative research

the view of social life as essentially a theatrical performance, in which we are all actors on metaphorical stages,with roles, scripts, costumes, and sets

dramaturgical theory

the view of social life as essentially a theatrical performance, in which we are all actors on metaphorical stages,with roles, scripts, costumes, and sets

when one status within our status set stands out or overrides all the others

master status

involuntary status, what you were born with

Ascribed status

a status you work hard to achieve, something you'll eventually become

achieved status

a group united by sets of concepts, values, traits, and/or behavioral patterns that distinguish it from others within the same culture or society

subcultures

everything that is a part of our constructed, physical environment, including technology

material culture

values, beliefs, behaviors, and social norms

nonmaterial culture

the belief that one's own culture of group is superior to others, and the tendency to view all other cultures from one;s perspectives of one's own

ethnocentrism

deductive and inductive

approaches to research

1. starts with theory,
2.develop hypothesis,
make empirical observations,
4.analyze data collected through bservation to confirm, reject, or modify original theory

deductive

starts with empirical observation,
work to form theory,
determine if a correlation exists by noticing if a change occurs