Hello Class,
Below you'll find a study guide for Chapter 1-2
Sociology
- Sociology is the study of how our experiences in society shape our behavior and actions. Sociology helps us understand why people act the way that they act and behave the way that they behave in society or among individuals.
What social events influence the birth of Sociology?
- industrial revolution which changes the family dynamic and gave rise to capitalism in our society.
- The American Revolution
- The French revolution which began to question traditional ways of thinking and began to use scientific methods to answer many questions in society.
Who were the founders of Sociology?
- August Comte-believed that society was progressing, he believed in using positivism which is similar to the scientific methods. He also believed that society could be used through using the scientific methods.
- Herbert Spencer-believed that society was also progressing naturally from barbarism to civilization. He also believed that society should be left alone, and eventually society would restore itself through a process he refer to as the survival of the fittest.
- Karl Marx-Had different views about social life and also believed that life was progressing but believe hat the engine of human existence is class struggle and that the central force in social change was economics. He believed that conflict was good for society.
- Emile Durkheim- was the first sociologist to conduct social research using the scientific approach, believed that in order to study social life we must study social forces which affect peoples behavior in society.
- Marx Weber-opposed Karl Marx theory on capitalism, he argues that the religion was one of the was the central force in social change.
Sociology in North America sexism and racism.
In North America, African American and women were not allowed to become educated, only a selected few who came from higher social classes were able to obtain an education. Many argue that, the social issues of racism and sexism contribute to sociology in north America. Make sure you know who the following people are and what they contributed to the study of Sociology in early North America.
Theory in Sociology
- What is Basic and applied Sociology?
- Talcott Parson focused on theory while C. Wright Mills focused on social reform.
- Basic Sociologist conduct research to gain knowledge about some aspect of social life.
- Applied Sociology use sociology as a tool to solve social problems.(think about Jane Addams and W.E.B Du Bois)
- Public Sociology uses both research and social form to bring sociology to the "public"
Theory
What are the three major sociological paradigms and what do they study in sociology?
- Symbolic Interactionism according to this theory social life depends on the way we define ourselves and others in our society. This theory looks at how we interact with one another and how we determine our relationship and our roles in society.
- Conflict theory look at a groups of people in society and how each group compete against one another for scarce resources in society.
- Functionalism look at society as a whole unit, it argues that society is made up of interrelated parts that works together so that society can function properly
- Robert Merton, was a functionalist but disagreed with many functionalist analysis. Instead he argued defined functions as the beneficial consequences of group actions. functions help keep society in balance. Dysfunctions are harmful consequences that are caused by peoples actions in society. He listed three types of functions
- Manifest function- are intended consequences that are good for society
- Latent functions are unintended consequence that could be good for society
- Latent Dysfunctions are unintended consequences that are bad for society.
Make sure you know what Macro-level and Micro-level analysis?
- What is Macro-level analysis and what does this analysis focus on?
- What is Micro-level analysis and what does this analysis focus on?
Doing Sociological research
Make sure you know what the following are in social research.
- eight steps needed in conducting sociological research what are they?
- What is a hypothesis?
- What are Variables?
- Know the different types of research methods (i.e survey, observations etc..)
Chapter 2 Culture Study Guide
What is Culture?
· Culture is defined as the language, beliefs, values, norms, behavior, and even material objects that are passed from one generation to the next.
There are two types of cultures.
1. Material Culture includes thing such as jewelry, art, building, weapons, machines, clothing, hair styles.
2. Non material culture is a groups ways of thinking (beliefs,values, and assumptions) and common patters of behavior(language, gestures, and other forms of interaction)
Cultural Relativism and Ethnocentrism what are they? Make sure you know what each mean and the consequences for using both.
What is Symbolic Culture
· Nonmaterial culture is symbolic culture because the central component in this type of culture is symbols.
1. Symbols -a symbol is something to which people attach meaning to and used to communicate with one another.
2. Symbols included language, gestures,values, norms, sanctions, folkways, and mores(more-rays)
3. Gestures is how we use our bodies to communicate with others, they are basically short hand means of communication.
Ø Gestures are used by people all around the world, they may have different meanings to different people(let’s look at some) what are some consequences of using the wrong gestures in other culture?
Ø Gestures can evoke strong emotions.
4. Language consist of a system of symbols around the world can be put together in an infinite number of ways in order to communicate abstract thought. Each word is a symbol, a sound to which culture attaches a particular meaning. Language is important because it is the primary means of communication between people.
· What are norms, values, and sanctions
1. Values are the standard by which people define good and bad, beautiful and ugly.
2. Norms are expectations or rules of behavior that reflects a groups values.
3. Sanctions are the positive and negative reactions to the way in which people follow norms. There are positive and negative sanctions.
4. Folkways are norms that are not strictly enforced such as passing on the left side of the sidewalk. They may result in a person getting a dirty look.
5. More(more-rays) are norms that are believed to be essential to core values and we insist on conformity. More are important norms that should never be broken. Rape and murder are consider important mores that should never be broken.
· What are subcultures and counter cultures?
1. Subcultures are groups of people whose values and behavior are distinct that they are sometimes marginalized from the dominant society. There are many subcultures in our society.
2. Countercultures are groups whose values set their members in opposition to the dominant culture. These types of groups are associated with negative behavior. Some of these could be sexism, racism, and violence.
What about American culture?
1. Robin Williams identify a few American values let’s take a look.
2. Value culture are made up of related core values that comes together to form a larger whole.
3. Value contradictions are when some values conflict with each other, there cannot be full expression of democracy and racism at the same time.
4. Ideal Culture refers to the ideal values and norms of a group, people usually fall short of these expectation.
5. Real culture are the norms and values that people actually follow.
· Technology in the global village
1. New technologies refer to the emerging technologies that have a major impact on human life in a particular era.
2. Cultural lag refer to the situation where not all parts of culture change at the same time. When other parts of culture change other lag behind
3. Cultural diffusion is the transmission of cultural characteristics
4. Cultural leveling is the process when culture becomes similar to one another.
Chapter 4 Social Structure and Social Interaction
What are the levels of Sociological analysis?
Macro-level analysis- which means that sociology analyze society as a whole. They look at the structures in society. Social structures are patterns of a group-for example culture, social status, and social class, etc are all social structures. Social structures shape our behavior.
Micro-level Analysis- Looks at face to face interaction, it study the individual in society.
What are the different types of status?
Ascribe status-involuntary status they are you race, sex, and social class of your parents, as well as you status as different family members
Achieved status- achieved status are voluntary- they are status that you gain as you go through life. Spouse, lawyer, clergy-each status are guidelines that show how your suppose to act or behave
Status symbols- are signs that identify a status.
Master status- can be ascribed for example sex .
Roles in society we have different roles we play and these are linked to our different status in society
How do we learn these roles in society?
-through socialization
Social institutions-could be anything form family, religion, education. Economy. Medicine. Politics, law, science, military, mass media. These institutions shape how we act and behave in society.
Sociologists study society, a society consist of people who share a common culture and territory.sociologist are interested in the emergence of society. Societies have changed over the past couple of years and we will began to analyze them.
What are the different phase that society go through?
Hunting and gathering societies have few social division and little inequality.
Pastoral and horticultural societies
Arigulture societies
Industrial societies
Post industrial society
Biotech socities
Durkhiem was interested in what held society together.
Mechanical society-these types of society are homogenous, many they are the same and they have the same religious believes and norms. This is what hold these society together. With this type of society there is no division of labor.
Organic societies are heterogenous people are more individualistic and they are brought together because they are dependent on one another for services. There is a clear divison of labor.
Ferdinand Tonies also analyzed societies he used guhminesshoft to decribed intimate communities—which he refer to as village life
And Guzellshoft which he described as less intimate, he believed that in this type of society we are more individualistic.
Micro-level analysis- focused on social interaction, more specifically face to face interaction.
Erving Goffman was a scologist who believed that life was a stage, and that we are actors in this stage called life.
He argued that we played different roles
Role performance
Role conflict
Role strain
Team work
Face-saving behavior
Chapter 5 chapter covers social group and formal groups
What is a group and what is not consider a group in sociology?
What are Primary Groups?
Now a primary group refers to people who share a cooperative, intimate, longer face to face interaction.
The group’s values and attitudes become part of our identity and the lens through which to view life.
They are essential to our psychological well-being since we have an intense need for association that provides us self esteem.
“Spring of life” what did Cooley mean, he argued that our friends and family are essential to our well being.
So what constitute a primary group?
What are Secondary Groups?
Secondary groups are larger, more anonymous, formal, and impersonal than are primary groups, and are based on some shared interest of activity
Members are likely to interact based on specific roles, such as presidents, managers, workers, or students
Secondary groups tend to break down into smaller primary groups such as friendship cliques at school or at work.
Voluntary associations are secondary groups made up of volunteers who have organized on the basis of some mutual interest
Robert Michels-Iron law of Oligarchy refer to the tendency of this inner core to dominate the organization by becoming a small self perpetuating elite-only one person has the right to make the rules in the group
Examples college class, political affiliations
What are in-groups and out-groups?
In-groups people feel loyalty to these groups gangs can be consider in groups.
Out-groups antagonism towards these groups can be the opposite of this.
Reference group-have a great impact on our behavior people may change their appearance to fit in to these groups. Belonging to two reference groups can conflict. So what can be a reference group a drug dealer and a family man.
Social networks consist of people linked by various social ties. Cliques are a kind of social network. Our interaction within social networks connects us to the larger society. Examples of social network could be family, friends, work employees, and classmates.
Electronic communication is a fairly new group. Think of technology things such as facebook, linked in, and twitter.
What are Bureaucracies?
To understand bureaucracies we must first start with Marx Weber. Who was he? Marx Weber is a sociologist who is consider on of the founders of sociology. He had a major role in classical sociological theory. Marx Weber believed hat Bureaucracies was a new form of social groups that emerged during his time.
Bureaucracies is a type of organization whose goal was to maximize effiecently and results
There is a hierarchy with assignments that flow downwards and accountability upwards
A division of labor
Written rules
Written communications and records
Impersonal
Weber believed that bureaucracies would dominate social life, because they are powerful and we have become dependent on them.
How are Bureaucracies dysfunctional?
Bureaucracies are also dysfunctional although they help society function properly
Sometimes the rules that govern bureaucratic activity can become to detailed and too cumbersome that such procedure are no longer carried out efficiently
Bureaucratic alienations, there is a sense of powerlessness when dealing with bureaucratic organizations, especially when a worker is repeating the same type of job over and over.
To resist alienations workers form primary groups
In Sociology what is group dynamic?
Georg Simmel (1858-1918) studies focused on small face to face interactions among small groups. He believed that group size played a role in social behaviors and attitudes
Dyad is the smallest fragile group of all human grouping in consist of two members
Triad are stronger than dyad and consist of three members, but he argue that these groups are unstable; sometimes the third person involved in the group may feel excluded which contribute to group instability.
As stated before group size impacts our behavior and attitudes: here are a few ways: as groups grow members feel a diffusion of responsibility, group lose sense of intimacy, and group divided itself to smaller groups.
What are the different types of Leaders in society?
Weber was also interested in leadership in society. He defined a leader as someone who influence the behavior of others.
Leaders present peoples values and attitudes and able to lead the group out of crisis.
Two types of group leaders instrumental (task oriented) goaled oriented and expressive(socio-emotional) group leaders who are less likely to be noticed as leader but help groups morale.
What are the different types of leadership in society?
Weber listed three different types of leadership in society.
Authoritarian leaders-those who give order with little explanation
Democratic leader who give facts, suggestions, and try to gain the peoples trust
Laissez-Faire leaders- people who are very passive and give the people total freedom.
