Sociology the study of human society Social institution a complex group of interdependent positions that perform a social role and reproduce themselves over time also defined in a narrow sense as any institution in a society that works to shape the behavior of the groups or people within it Troubles vs issues Micro vs Macro Troubles private matters regarding an individual Issues matters that transcend the local environment of an individual Microsociology sociology that seeks to understand local interactional contexts its methods of choice are ethnographic generally including participant observation and in depth interviews Macrosociology generally concerned with social dynamics at a higher level of analysis that is across the breadth of a society Conflict Theory Karl Marx Hegemony Antonio Gramsci the idea that conflict between competing interests is the basic animating force of social change and society in general a condition by which a dominant group uses its power to elicit the voluntary consent of the masses the ability to connect the most basic intimate aspects of an individual s life to seemingly Sociological Imagination C Wright Mills impersonal and remote historical forces Verstehen Max Weber German for understanding The concept of Verstehen forms the object of inquiry for interpretive sociology to study how social actors understand their actions and the social world through experience Auguste Comte Social Physics secular morality three stages of society Theological society based on God s will Metaphysical human behavior governed by natural instincts Scientific social physics identify scientific laws that govern human behavior Functionalism the theory that various social institutions and processes in society exist to serve some important or necessary function to keep society running Double consciousness W E B DuBois describes the two behavioral scripts one for moving through the world and the other incorporating the external opinions of prejudiced onlookers which are constantly maintained by African Americans Positivist sociology Emile Durkheim Dramaturgical theory Erving Goffman a strain within sociology that believes the social world can be described and predicted by certain describable relationships akin to a social physics the view of social life as essentially a theatrical performance in which we are all actors on metaphorical stages with roles scripts costumes and sets according to dramaturgical theory a main goal of every social interaction is to make a good impression Formal sociology George Simmel sociology of pure numbers concerned with the modes of recurrent social relationships as competition division of labor supraordination and subordination that are conceived to exist in any type of human association Feminist Theory focused on defining concepts such as sex and gender studied women s experiences at home and in the workplace Symbolic Interactionism a micro level theory in which shared meanings orientations and assumptions form the basic motivations behind people s actions Postmodernism a condition characterized by a questioning of the notion of progress and history the replacement of narrative within pastiche and multiple perhaps even conflicting identities resulting from disjointed affiliations Social Construction an entity that exists because people behave as if it exists and whose existence is perpetuated as people and social institutions act in accordance with the widely agreed upon formal rules or informal norms of behavior associated with that entity Midrange theory a theory that attempts to predict how certain social institutions tend to function Consumerism the steady acquisition of material possessions often with the belief that happiness and fulfillment can thus be achieved Interpretive sociology focuses on the meanings people attach to social phenomena prioritizing specific situations over a search for social facts that transcend time and place Nonmaterial vs material Nonmaterial Culture values beliefs behaviors and social norm Material Culture everything that is a part of our constructed physical environment including technology Culture a set of beliefs traditions and practices the sum total of social categories and concepts we embrace in addition to beliefs behaviors except instinctual ones and practices that which is not the natural environment around us Ideology a system of concepts and relationships an understanding of cause and effect Social identity portion of an individual s self concept derived from perceived membership in a relevant social group Symbolic indulgence making considerable sacrifices to ensure that one s child had a particular good or experience Chicago School of American Sociology focused on empirical research with the belief that people s behaviors and personalities are shaped by their social and physical environments Charles Cooley looking glass self Ethnocentrism vs Culture relativism We construct our sense of self by imagining how others view us and through interactions with other people like a mirror Ethnocentrism the belief that one s own culture or group is superior to others and the tendency to view all other cultures from the perspective of one s own Cultural relativism taking into account the differences across cultures without passing judgment or assigning value Subculture the distinct cultural values and behavioral patterns of a particular group in society a group united by sets of concepts values symbols and shared meaning specific to the members of that group distinctive enough to distinguish it from others within the same culture or society Cultural scripts modes of behavior and understanding that are not universal or natural Values moral beliefs Norms how values tell us to behave Reflection Theory not accepted too many limitations the idea that culture is a projection of social structures and relationships into the public sphere a screen onto which the film of the underlying reality or social structures of our society is projected Media any formats or vehicles that carry present or communicate information Media effects can be placed into four categories according to their duration and intention short term and deliberate long term and deliberate short term and unintentional and long term and unintentional Culture jamming the act of turning media against themselves Socialization the process by which individuals internalize the values beliefs and norms of a given society and learn to function as members of that