Lauren Hedrick December 5th 2013 Final Exam Review Chapter 1 Thinking Sociologically Sociological Imagination C Wright Mills Macrosociology and Microsociology Unit of analysis is groups o Micro Looking at individuals Unit of analysis is individuals Sociological perspectives o Macro Looking at large scale groups and organizations and over time o Functionalism Macro perspective Society as a machine Society as a system A set of elements or components that relate to one another in a more or less stable fashion through a period of time To survive essential functions must be performed by the system s parts Pay attention to functions performed by system s parts especially organizations groups institutions and cultural elements Pieces of the system are heavily independent o Conflict Theory Macro perspective How different groups interact Explains social change Different groups competing for scarce resources Who gains and who looses is based on which group is in power Emphasizes disorder instability interests that divide and social change Social unity is an illusion resting on coercion Main source of conflict is resource coercion Power determines who gains and who loses Cross cutting conflicts provide stability o Symbolic Interaction Micro perspective Looks at People communicating using symbols and meanings attached to those symbols These symbols change over time and vary in different societies Emphasizes personal symbolic interaction based on shared meanings Micro dimension of social life Symbol is something that stands for something else called meaning Meanings emerge from social interaction Shared cultural meanings continually emerge and change Fathers of Sociology o Karl Marx Social class and capitalism Two basic groups in a society Lauren Hedrick December 5th 2013 The conflict between these two groups Conflict Theorist Inequality is the key to understanding society Mode of production economic base substructure Means of production tools labor raw materials Relations of production who controls the means o Emile Durkheim Mechanical and organic solidarity Looks at what holds a society together Organic division of labor and individuals depend on each other Functionalism In today s society solidarity holds people together o Max Weber Basis for social class and authority Symbolic interaction Argues that social class can be determined by power prestige and other social standings Authority legitimate power Traditional Authority Based on tradition Legal Rational Authority Based on written rules Charismatic Authority Based on enormous personal charisma and social influence Chapter 2 Culture Culture The social heritage of a people o Knowledge language values customs and material objects that are passed from one person to another and from generation to generation in a human group or society o Essential to daily life Society Group of people who live within the same territory and share a common culture Components of Culture o Norms Rules and expectations by which a society guides the behavior of its members change over time deal with sex property and safety Mores Norms that are widely observed with a great deal of moral significance Example Theft Taboos are the most extreme form of mores Folkways Less stringent norms for routine or casual interaction Average everyday norms Example Shaking someone s hand Laws Formal norms enforced by threat of force to regulate members thoughts and behaviors Example Not all mores are enforced by laws Adultery is not desirable but there is no law against it o Values Broad ideas shared by members of a society regarding what is desirable correct and good Lauren Hedrick December 5th 2013 o Symbols and language Symbols Acts or objects that in society stand for something else Traffic Lights Nothing more than colored lights but the different colors of lights has a meaning we attach to it Gestures Not completely as widely attached meanings different meanings in different cultures The same gestures mean different things Flags The American flag symbols freedom and unity as a country Language Socially structured system of sound patterns with specific and arbitrary meanings that allows people to communicate with one another Language is the most important element of symbols Solidifies the cultural norms Our language perception determines how we perceive reality How language affects culture People use different language to distinctly identify the people around them Chapter 3 Socialization Socialization A lifelong process of social interaction through which individuals acquire a self identity and the physical mental and social skills needed for survival Why is it important It is impossible for children to fully integrate into society without it example feral children o Feral Children are children who were isolated from human contact Agents of socialization o Family Primary agent of socialization especially when a child is in their early years because that is their primary form of social interaction Transmits values Working Class Lower self esteem more punishment Upper Class More emphasis on success more creativity o School Becoming of increasing importance because of the amount of time that people are beginning to spend here School teaches not only mental skills but also they instill values in a student such as patriotism Builds a foundation of the roles in society such as what it means to be gifted or dumb o Peer Groups The group of people who are linked by a common interest and are of a similar age We learn how to dress act and how to be a part of this group Socialization can go both ways parents to children and from children to parents Reinforces who we are o Mass Media TV is one of the most important types of mass media a close second is social media There are a lot of critics who are Lauren Hedrick December 5th 2013 concerned about what we see through these forms of media especially when it comes to violence and anger Chapter 4 Social Groups Social Group Two or more people bound in stable patterns of social interaction share a sense of unity and having the potential to influence one another Group Ties The association formed between members of a group o Expressive Ties Social links formed when we emotionally invest ourselves in and commit ourselves to other people o Instrumental Ties Social links formed when we cooperate with other Marriage Friendships people to achieve some goal Playing on a team together Co workers In group the group that you identify with we Out group