Exam 1 Study Questions 1 How does Babbie argue how your individual identity is sociogenetic The individual and the society are inseparable therefore an individual is a product of the society they live in Sociogenetic contributing to or affecting the course of social development Individual identity is sociogenetic who you are is a function of what you are in society or your social status and social roles Social status occupied positions within a society Social roles the roles that you play within an occupied social status A What is the direct link between you and society How does this link provide you with a social identity Inseparable link that is created The individual and the society are inseparable w o society individual identities would not exist B How does the social status reveal the reciprocal nature of the individual and society Social status defines who a person is A person can occupy many social statuses and fulfill many social roles without the other The society and the individual share a reciprocal relationship in that one cannot exist 2 What are some of the most difficult conundrums in the field of sociology that we discussed The conundrum of individuality vs society makes it difficult to stay an individual but it is still possible with some outside influence from others A What does sui generis mean In the sociology of Emile Durkheim sui generis of its own kind unique is used to illustrate his theory of independence in social existence B Why does Giddens argue that you cannot study society scientifically Giddens contends that the search for a sui generis reality above and beyond the level of individual agency is somewhat duplicitous 3 What as Durkheim s contribution to the sociological perspective in his early work on suicide How did he explain variations in suicide rates SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE seeing the general in the specific Sociologist look for general patterns in the behavior of particular people Looking at how the general categories into which we fall shape our particular life experiences Durkheim found that some categories of people were more likely than others to commit suicide men protestants wealthy people unmarried He explained these differences in terms of SOCIAL INTEGRATION categories of people with strong suicide rates and more individualistic people had higher suicide rates The higher suicide rate amount white people and men reflects their greater wealth and freedom just as the lower rates among women and people of color reflect their limited social choices 4 Define society The community of people living in a particular region and having shared customs laws and organizations People who interact in a defined territory and share a culture 5 How does Peter Berger 1963 encourage us to develop the sociological perspective Provide an example He claims that in regards to sociological perspective things are not always as they seem and wants us to develop it by continually doing things outside of the social norm A What about Mills He claims that society guides our thoughts and tells us how to think and act 6 What social theories do you think organize observations to explain society the best STRUCTURAL FUNCTION APPROACH a framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability Social structures operate to preserve society Auguste Conte Emile Durkhiem Herbert Spencer Social structure any relatively stable pattern of social behavior Gives our lives shape in families workplace and school Social function the consequences of a social pattern for the operation of society as a whole society going Handshakes complex religious rituals function to tie people together and keep Manifest functions the recognized and intended consequences of any social pattern Latent functions the unrecognized and unintended consequences of any social pattern Example The obvious function or manifest function of higher education is to provide young people the skills they need to get jobs however the unintended or latent function of higher education is marriage broker and to limit unemployment Social dysfunction any social pattern that may disrupt the operation of society Example Globalization of the economy rising immigration and increase socioeconomic inequality are all factors that disrupt existing social patterns SOCIAL CONFLICT APPROACH is a framework for building theory that sees society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and change This approach highlights how factors such as class race ethnicity gender and age are linked to inequality in terms of money power education and social prestige Rejects the idea that social structure promotes the operation of society as a whole Focuses on how social patterns benefit some while hurting others Sociologist use this approach to analyze ongoing conflict between dominant and disadvantaged categories of people rich vs poor white ppl vs colored ppl etc Example Analyzing education systems Schools assigning students to classes based of their performance classes that fit them The structural functional approach argues that placement is beneficial b c it places kids in The conflict analysis approach argues that well to do students are placed on higher tracks while less smart children end up on lower tracks Children of poor families vs Children of wealthy families SYMBOLIC INTERACTION APPROACH is a framework for building theory that sees society as the product of everyday interactions of individuals Human beings live in a world of symbols and we attach meaning to virtually everything from the worlds on this page to the wink of an eye We create reality therefore as we define our surroundings decide what we things of others and shape our own identities Max Weber George Mead Erving Goffman 7 What are the key differences between a scientific sociology and an interpretive sociology POSITIVIST SOCIOLOGY scientific sociology the study of society based on scientific observation of social behavior empirical sociology Positivist research discovers facts through the use of science a logical system that develops knowledge from direct systematic observation Empirical evidence information we can verify with our senses Concepts variables measurements statistics correlation cause effect MEASURES people behavior Objective laboratory research best carried out in a natural setting INTERPRETIVE SOCIOLOGY the study of society that focuses on discovering the meanings people attach to