SOCY 101 1nd Edition Exam 1 Study Guide Chapters 1 5 Chapter 1 January 13 19 What is sociology Sociology is the study of societies and social worlds that individuals inhabit within them In other words it can be described as the study of the diverse contexts within which society influences individuals What is a sociological imagination It is the capacity to think systematically about how many things we experience as personal problems are really social issues that are widely shared by others born in a similar time and social location as us The big questions discussed in chapter 1 1 How can a sociological imagination help you better understand your world a It helps us to ask important hard questions and seek answers about the social world we inhabit b It challenges our basic impulses of what we think is natural c It allows us to consider broader contexts and forces in society 2 Why do social contexts matter a Social context is the influence of society on individuals b Important social contexts Families communities organizations institutions and economic and historical contexts c Social interaction is the way people act together including how they modify and alter their behavior in response to the presence of others d Social structure refers to the external forces most notably in the social hierarchies and institutions of society They provide order to society 3 Where did sociology come from and how is it different from the other social sciences a Auguste Compte developed the term sociology in 1839 b Emile Durkheim is considered the father of sociology who founded the first European Sociology Department at the University of Bordeaux in 1895 c Industrialization and urbanization were important for spurring the development of sociology d How sociology is distinct i The concepts and theories cover a wider range of topics ii The explanations of how the external world shapes behaviors of individuals and social outcomes are broader and analyzed differently e Interdisciplinary research a method of research that integrates ideas theories and data from different academic fields 4 How can this book help you develop a sociological imagination a By helping you to understand how individuals lives are embedded in particular social contexts that are not always of their own choosing Chapter 2 January 20 26 Big questions discussed in chapter 2 1 Where do sociological questions come from a It is important to formulate a good research question from your research topic that is both feasible and sociologically relevant b Six questions to ask about your research question i Do I already know the answer Your question should strive to produce new knowledge ii Is the question researchable The question needs to be able to be answered properly iii Is the question clear Make sure there are no hidden assumptions in your question iv Does the question have a connection to social scientific scholarship Know what other research has been conducted on the topic v Does the question balance the general and the specific vi Do I care about the answer c Four things that influence social research epistemology theoretical tradition values and morals and ethics 2 What is the best method to research a sociological question a Dependent vs independent variables A dependent variable is what the researcher is trying to explain and fluctuates in relation to the independent variable which is the factor that affects the outcome b Some research methods include surveys interviews ethnographic research experiments and historical research Each of these methods is best for discovering different things about people i Surveys patterns of behavior among large groups of people ii Interviews thought processes how people make sense of the world iii Ethnographic study how people interact c Think about what kind of evidence is needed to answer a question 3 How is data collected a Probability sampling Samples are chosen to mirror a larger population and reflect its characteristics or dynamics This can be achieved through random sampling or representative sampling b Comparative historical perspective A method of analysis examining a social phenomenon over time or in different places c Two factors may seem to move in the same direction but can be caused by something different This is called a spurious relationship d Different research questions require different collection methods mentioned in question 2 point b e Be familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of different types of data collection methods 4 How do sociologists make sense of their findings a Data analysis The interpretation of information that researchers have collected b Data coding Organizing data according to key categories and concepts i Data displays research memos c The goal is to make reliable research conclusions This can be done by generalizability i Empirical generalizability conclusions from a study of one group can be applied to a larger population ii Theoretical generalizability conclusions from a study based on a sample can be applied to larger social processes and theories about the world Important vocabulary words Causality The belief that one factor or phenomenon is leading to changes in another Epistemology What we think we can know about the world Positivism An approach to knowledge based on the claim that the only true way to gain knowledge about the world is to use the logic of the natural sciences by distancing ourselves from what we study using universal standards to advance truth claims determining cause and effect and generalizing from part to whole Interpretivism A form of sociological analysis that focuses on understanding how people give meaning to social life objects and processes and how they make sense of social reality and navigate social interaction Theoretical Tradition A conceptual framework or paradigm that sociologists use to imagine and make sense of the world Reliability The extent to which the same measurement technique in additional studies would produce similar results Validity The extent to which the measurement a researcher uses accurately measures what it is intended to measure Correlation The existence of a relationship between two variables when a change in one variable is related to a change in another variable Causal Inference A change in one variable is the cause of a change in another variable Ethnography A qualitative research method for studying the way of life of a group of people by close observation of them over a relatively long