Sociology Unit 1

a group of people who live in a common way that distinguishes them from others

the intersection between personal troubles and public issues, the relationship between an individual’s biography and broader historical and social structures.

Scientific, industrial, French

Led to an understanding of the world (and sociology) through experimentation and reason and not religion or tradition

Caused major social changes and issues such as poverty and inequality that sociologists then studied how the move from agriculture to industrialization caused it

brough about the collapse of monarchy for liberty and equality, and allowed sociologists to study power and class relationships.

Coined the term "Sociology" and the philosophy of positivism (which describes the scientific method).

1. Said society functions like an organism; each part (like organs) helps it survive
2. Known for social darwinism, Applied Darwin’s theory of evolution to societies, arguing that societies evolve through "survival of the fittest."

1. Second father of sociology, pushed for sociology to be a science
2. Focused on social order and cohesion, emphasizing social facts and collective consciousness.

1. He studied how power worked in society after the French Revolution and showed that class, status, and political power all shape social inequality.
2. He stressed the importance of understanding the personal meanings behind people’s actions and introduced the idea of *verstehen* (interpreting behavior from the actor’s point of view).

Max Weber's word for the subjective understanding of how others experience their social world.

1. Originated the conflict theory in the mid-1800s
2. Focused on the ways in which power and class relations shape society.
3. Marx's analysis of capitalism highlights how it creates exploitation and alienation among worker
4. Material conditions and economic factors primarily drive societal development.

Developed the sociological imagination in the 1930s-40s

Introduced manifest functions (intended and recognized) and latent functions (unintended and unconscious).

Manifest: Intended consequences of an action (public schools give knowledge to students)
Lantent: unitended consequences of an action (public schools give students social skills)

1. Focused on racial inequality and its impact on society, particularly the experiences of African Americans.
2. Introduced the concept of double consciousness, describing the internal conflict experienced by marginalized groups due to their dual identities.

1. The first female sociologist
2. She pushed for sociology to include women’s experiences and all groups, and she supported social change for gender equality, abolition, and fair economic treatment.

1. Bridged sociological theory with practice, using empirical research to solve social issues.
2. Advocated for women's rights, peace, and racial equality.

Structural Functionalism, Conflict Theory, and Symbolic Interactionism

Macro Perspective. Society is a system of interconnected parts that work together to maintain order and stability. Inequality is necessary motivation to ensure qualified people fill needed positions

Macro Perspective. Society is a competition between opposed groups struggling for power. Inequality is exploitation by elites to maintain control.

Micro Perspective. Society is creation from shared meanings based on symbols and interactions with others. Inequality is relative to one’s experience and social identity.

Suggests that social reality is diverse and is different from society to soicety.

Macro - Focuses on how the larger system works
Micro - focuses on how individual parts of the system work

Experiments, Surveys, Participant Observation / Ethnography, Existing Sources / Secondary Analysis, Interviews

1. Identify a research question
2. Review existing literature
3. Form a hypothesis
4. Define and operationalize variables
5. Chose a research method
6. Collect data
7. Analyze data
8. Draw conclusions
9. Share results

The process of turning an abstract concept into something measurable and observable.

The consistency of a measurement, if it produces the same results under the same conditions (Its about stability and repeatability)

the accuracy of a measurement — whether it actually measures what it claims to measure.

When two variables appear to be related, but the relationship is actually caused by a third variable. (correlation does not equal causation)

1. He wants to expose how easily bad statistics spread
2. He wants readers to understand that statistics are socially constructed
3. He wants to encourage critical thinking rather than blind trust or total cynicism
4. He wants to protect the public from being manipulated
5. He wants to defend the value of good statistics
6. He wants to give readers a mindset, not a checklist (develop a habit of asking smart questions whenever they encounter a statistic)

Collective consciousness is a concept introduced by French sociologist Émile Durkheim that refers to the shared beliefs, values, norms, and symbols that unite members of a society and shape their collective identity.

SOCIAL ORDER & STABILITY: function, benefit, consensus, interdependence, and harmony.

COMPETITION: coercion, power differences, exploitation, scarce resources, and inequality.

FACE-TO-FACE: symbols, interpretation/meaning, and interaction.