Ethan Kupferberg Soc 101 Class 6 9/12/19- Society is a system of interrelated, interdependent parts, which are called social structures- Each social structure has a purpose or function the continued maintenance of social stability.Childhood socialization provides codes of social workPractice of religion the learning of values and rituals The function of a structure is its contribution to the system, and its effects on other structures Each structure functions to maintain an orderly and predictable system, preserving social orderThe functions of each social structure consist of: A manifest function: the recognized and intended consequences of the social structure B latent functions: The often unrecognized and unintended consequencesC. Social dysfunctions: undesirable consequences There is a normative consensus where members of society share a set of values and behaviorsAn analogy is the thermostat/ heat regulation or the human bodyKey sociologists: Emile Durkheim, Talcott Parsons, Robert MertonCriticism - May justify and legitimize the existence of a part of society poverty or unemployment - Helps to preserve status quo by overlooking or downplaying sources of tension and inequality - Efficiency of a part may not be questioned - Origins of social conflict and instability not accountable or are considered dysfunctionalConflict Theory-- Focus on conflict as inevitable part of social life - Societies are characterized by inequality and thus there is an emphasis on the role of competition in producing conflict- Conflict is not necessarily a negative aspect of society it produces social change - Society comprised of dominant and subordinate groups which compete for resources theyhave, and they have not Who benefits at whose expense is the question? Key sociologists Karl Marx, max weberCriticisms - Overemphasis tensions and divisions- Relationship between groups more complex- Situations exist where subordinate groups control the interactions are ignoredChapter 3 – doing sociological research The approach and methods used by social science researchers Science is a logical system that bases knowledge on direct systematic observationWhat is a valid sociological topic?Sociologists conduct research on almost every area of a human behavior.- This includes research at the both the macro level and the micro level - Sociological research includes a specific method of how it is to be doneSteps of a Research ModelStep 1: select a topic - A sociologist may choose a topic for a variety of reasons. For example, he or she ,at be interested in the topic, there may be funding available to do research on the topic, and/or the topic may constitute a pressing social problem that the sociologist wants to help people better understand and perhaps, help to solveWays to state topics - Personal experience - Curiosity based on media- State of knowledge in the field- Solving a problemThis involves developing a researchable question focusing on a specific subject and figuring out exactly, what it is you want to learn aboutStep 3: review the existing literature This is required in order to learn whether studies have already been done on the subject and, if so, what the results wereGoals if a literature review- Demonstrate a familiarity - Show the path of prior research - Integrate and summarize- Learn from othersReviewing the literature helps the researcher narrow down the subject, come up with ideas about specific questions to ask and/ or particular areas to explore, and to access if there is anything newto learn about the subject that has not already been uncovered by previous studiesPeer-reviewed Step 4: Formulating a HypothesisA hypothesis is a statement you expect to fine according to predictions from a theoryFor example, from Durkheim suicide rates are dependent upon degrees of social integration Hypothesis – an empirically testable statement Three-part sequence:1. Conceptualization2. Conceptualization – process of identifying and defining the concepts your research will addressRefining an idea by giving it a very clear, explicit definitionHypothesis require that concepts be formulated Concepts: mental constructs that detail the phenomena to be studied Another variable is a concept whose value may change from one case to another It is the unit of analysis to be measured and studied Before we set out to measure a variable, we must further define it 2.Operationalization We need operational definitions – that is, we need to operationalize a variable – specify exactly what one is to measure in assigning a value to a variable Operationalization = the process of linking a conceptual definition with specific measuresThey help social scientist continue to move from a broad but somewhat refined conceptual definition, to a more specific definition that they will use to form their research For example – social classBefore we can measure people’s social, we must first decide what it is we will measure. We could choose: Income level Years of education Occupational types 3. Measurement Intervening variable = a variable that comes between the independent and dependent variableCriterion of Nonspurious RelationshipShowing that the observed relationship between two variables is not due to or caused by a third variableStep Five: Choose a research method A research method is an accepted means by which you collect your