SOCIOLOGY EXAM 1 STUDY GUIDE Sociology systematic study of the relationship between individuals and society Micro level of analysis theories that focus on small scale usually face to face social interaction Macro level of analysis theories that focus on large scale social systems and processes such as the economy politics and population trends Structural Functionalist Theories Focus on cooperative interaction in social life emphasizing how different elements that make up a society s structure contribute to its overall operation Focus on how society creates and maintains stability Society is a complex system of many interrelated parts families schools the economy that work together to produce social stability Include manifest and latent functions Manifest functions the recognized and intended consequences of social phenomena Goals set out by society Latent functions largely unrecognized and unintended consequences Example going to college Manifest function to earn a degree Latent Function find future spouse Conflict Theories resources Focus on issues of power and inequality highlighting the competition for scarce Power is the core of social life enables some to gain an advantage over others With social inequality some people benefit at the expense of others Example feminism from conflict perspective Male dominance keeps women in restricted roles and prevents them from pursuing ambitions Symbolic Interactionist Theories Focus on how people use shared language words and symbols and construct social reality as a result of their everyday interactions Micro level dimensions of social life Concerned with social meanings and definitions Example man up means to do something properly acting like a girl has negative stigma Sociobiology scientific study of the biological ex ecological and evolutionary aspects of social behavior in animals and humans Historical Trends That Led to the Development of Sociology As the dominance of the Catholic Church began to erode during the Middle Ages scientific research exposed the shortcomings of religious explanations of the natural world Enlightenment 18th century intellectual movement that combined a belief in individual freedom and respect for individual rights with calculated logic of the natural sciences Industrial Revolution a collection of major developments that transformed rural agricultural societies into urban industrial societies Industrialization is the use of large scale machinery for the mass manufacture of consumer goods During peak of Industrial Revolution many people left their rural homes and traveled to newly emerging cities for job opportunities contributed to urbanization the growth of cities Auguste Comte coined the term sociology in early 19th century Sought to establish a science of society and identify the laws that govern human behavior Theorized new age of positivism a belief that accurate knowledge must be based on scientific method Karl Marx analyzed capitalism and the role of conflict in society advocated radical change to advance the interests of workers Max Weber worked on the rationalization of society including the rise of bureaucracy Emile Durkheim focused on social solidarity the collective bonds that connect individuals Sociological Imagination Developed by C Wright Mills Ordinary people do not relate their personal struggles to those of their societies They don t realize the connection between the pattern of their lives and the course of world history Example classes rise or fall and an individual becomes employed or unemployed Most important part of sociological imagination is the difference between personal troubles and public issues Example for one divorce we focus on that couple s person troubles But for marriages ending in divorce we focus on the problems with the institution of marriage To understand one person s social environment you must focus on the structural changes throughout that society s history as a whole Sociological perspective to see and understand the connections between individuals and the broader social contexts in which they live Recognize patterns and understand how categories shape our life Explore the power of society to guide our actions thoughts and feelings Elements of Social Research Identifying and understanding patterns in social life 1 2 Gathering empirical evidence 3 Explaining how the evidence was collected and analyzed 4 Reviewing the resulting research claims as provisional knowledge Elements of structure and culture Structure Institutions such as family law religion politics economics and education Statuses ascribed achieved and master statuses Ascribed statuses are those that are assigned to us from birth regardless of our wishes or abilities Achieved statuses are those that we attain voluntarily as the result of our own efforts The master status is the status that supersedes all others the one we are most commonly referred to by ex Dave the felon or Barbara the lawyer For most adults their master status is their job Roles rights obligations and expectations that accompany a status Symbols Anything that carries a particular meaning recognized by people who share a Language a system of symbols that allows communication key to cultural transmission Beliefs definitions and explanations about what is assumed to be true Values social agreements about what is good and bad right and wrong influence Culture culture behavior others Norms and Sanctions guidelines for behavior and expectations of the behavior of Cultural transmission is the language and ideas that are ingrained in us and seem natural Non Material and Material Culture Material culture the physical objects produced by people in a particular culture including tools clothing toys works of art and housing Non material culture the ideas of culture including values and beliefs accumulated knowledge about how to understand and navigate the world and standards or norms about appropriate behavior Importance of Social Integration Social integration is the process by which values and social structures bind people together within a society Example social functions of work Jobs provide daily routine that lend stability and predictability to life Work nurtures a sense of responsibility and the ability to get along with others Work teaches self discipline and working adults are better able to teach their children the values of effort and self discipline Social integration is a functionalist theory Stratified Cultural Patterns High
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