Sociology 1

"Father of Sociology"; Social facts; wrote "Suicide"

Wrote the Communist Manifesto; critical of capitalism during industrialization

Used statistics and interviews for study; The Philadelphia Negro (1899)

"Mother of Social Work"; Used sociology to make social change

intersectionality- should study how race, gender, and social class overlap

How social factors influence individuals

The scientific study of social patterns

Society works like an organism made of parts that work together

Society is composed of groups competing for scarce resources

To understand society, you need to understand symbols

assessing behavior through direct surveillance; ex. participant observation, non-participant observation

participant: allows researcher to see life from the subjects perspective but could form a bias

non participant: researcher not influencing the group , may limit understanding

Entire group

Part of group

Systematic analysis of message characteristics

The lifelong process whereby people learn the norms, roles, and values necessary for successful participation in a society

Accepting social values and norms so they become part of who we are

value uniqueness and independence; emphasize individual goals; people defined by personal attributes; blame individuals

value conformity and interdependence; emphasize collective goals; people defined by group membership; blame social factors

Ability to think about oneself from the outside as an object

Creative and spontaneous aspect of self

Internalized social expectations

Learn the roles that prepare us for lives we are expected to assume in the future

process by which adults learn values, norms, roles of job

Occurs when we abandon our self-concept and way of life for a radically different one

Family, schools, peers, religion, media, workplace, government

Task oriented; tries to keep the group moving toward its goal

Helps group by being emotionally supportive

Leads by following another's example

Groups we use as standards to evaluate ourselves

Groups we feel loyal to

Groups we don't belong to or like

the tendency of group members to conform, resulting in a narrow view of some issue

Unquestioned obedience and conformity to one's in-group

the tendency for people to behave as they are expected to behave

Going along with other people who have no special right to direct our behavior

Compliance with authorities in a hierarchical structure; ex. Milgram Shock Experiment

Social norms specifying the obligations of a social status

Important aspect of oneself that comes from group membership

The "looking glass self" - we develop self-concept from reactions of others

We act in ways that promote our desired identities

Social norms that dictate how we are supposed to feel

Social situations are like plays used for impression management

Socially transmitted knowledge, values, behaviors, and objects

the physical things created by members of a society; ex. food, sports, technology

the ideas created by members of a society; ex. language, rituals, symbolic meanings, taboos, values, social norms, idealogies

Least serious violation of social norms; ex. dyed hair, not saying "bless you"

Moderately serious violation of social norms; ex. laughing at a funeral, not standing during the Pledge of Allegiance

Most serious violation of social norms; enforced by government with penalties

Beliefs about the way things should be

Idea that no cultural practice is universally good or bad

Using values and norms of our own culture to negatively judge another culture

Groups that are in the larger culture but maintain distinctive set of values, norms, or language

Groups have values, beliefs, and lifestyles that conflict with the larger culture

"Melting Pot" - when individuals adopt aspects of a dominant culture

Coerced conformity to white middle class values

"Salad Bowl" - subcultures and countercultures maintain their unique cultural identities

Taking traditional knowledge or cultural expressions from another culture for personal gain

Process by which societies around the world become increasingly intermingled with some more influential than others

When one group's way of life overtakes another group's way of life