Gentle Reminders 1 Exam will focus on owning the concepts state them precisely know their accurate meaning can give examples to illustrate them and compare and contrast them 2 About 60 of the midterm will be based on this review 3 Videos will not be in the test Weeks 1 2 offer general introduction 1 Industrial revolution as the historical background for the emergence of sociology as a discipline Society our working definition 1 A group of people 2 or more persons with enduring relationships structured by institutions shared customs and common symbols 2 way relationship as specified in the sociological imagination 3 sociological perspectives Main differences from each other and key concepts of each perspective 1 Conflict theory starting point is society society is characterized by conflict between different groups over scare and valued resources factory owners and workers social arrangement benefits one group at the expense of another and thus perpetuates conflicts and change Class conflict society has two groups classes haves minority and have nots majority 2 Structural Functionalism starting point is society society has an internal structure comparable to a machine each constituent part of the structure fulfills a function individuals fit in as cogs of the machine they do things and play roles by society a part of society will cease to exist if it no longer contributes to social solidarity and order 3 Symbolic interactionism starting point is the individual social order is negotiated through individual interactions not determined by society the machine Symbols meaningful signifier such as language cultural objects etc the meaning is derived from the social interaction that one has with one s fellows 4 Founders of sociology key legacy of each 1 August Comte 1798 1857 sociology 2 Emile Durkheim 1858 1918 social facts 3 Karl Marx 1818 1883 critique of capitalism 4 Max Weber 1864 1920 interpretive sociology 5 methods strengths weaknesses of each method 1 Survey using a questionnaire to solicit responses from individuals in a population or a sample of the population Strengths allows everyone in the population to have an equal chance of being chosen responses can be more easily quantified and analyzed large numbers of people can be studied researchers can employ a specialized agency to collect the responses Weaknesses can be restrictive and misleading many people view them as time consuming and intrusive 1 2 Personal interviews face to face solicitation of responses often more detailed from a limited number of individuals 3 Experiment using an artificial setting to allow the researcher to manipulate the relationship between different factors of interest Strengths permit control of experimental conditions enabling the researcher to isolate specific causes Weakness difficult to generalize the results of laboratory experiments to the larger society results may be artificial 4 Observation watching listening to and recording behaviors and conversations as they happen 5 Archival research looking into existing collections of historical documents or records providing information about a place institution or group of people WK3 Culture Culture The way of life of a people including the human created strategies for adjusting adapting to the environment to those creatures including humans that are part of that environment All the natural and human created objects to which people have attached Material culture meaning Non material culture Intangible human creations which we cannot identify directly through the senses Know the definition and differences between values beliefs and norms Values general shared conceptions of what is good right appropriate worthwhile and important with regard to conduct appearance and states of being Beliefs conceptions that people accept as true concerning how the world operates and where the individual fits in relationship to others Norms written and unwritten rules that specify behaviors appropriate and inappropriate to a particular social situation Subculture Segment of society that shares distinctive pattern of mores folkways and values that differs from larger society Ethnocentrism Tendency to assume that one s own culture and way of life represents the norm or is superior to others Cultural relativism People s behaviors from the perspective of their own cult understanding and judging people s behaviors from the perspective of their own culture Culture shock Feeling disoriented uncertain out of place or fearful when immersed in an unfamiliar culture Culture war Polarization of society over controversial cultural elements 2 Dominant ideology Set of cultural beliefs and practices that help maintain powerful interests including social interests economic interests political interests Diffusion Process by which cultural item spreads from group to group WK4 Socialization and Social Interaction Socialization The process by which people develop a sense of self learn the ways of the society in which they live Socialization is a life long process but the most lasting socialization occurs in one s childhood Social interaction the ways in which people respond to one another the ways is often scripted that is following scripts society provides us with Some scripts are hidden others are explicit Social role Set of expectations for people who occupy a given status Role conflict When incompatible expectations arise from two or more social positions held by same person Role strain Difficulties that arise when same social position imposes conflicting demands and expectations Dramaturgy The basic premise interpersonal interaction is similar to a theatrical performance in the sense that the individual seeks to impress others with an acceptable image of his her self Front Two Components The setting the scenic parts The personal front appearance and manner e g looks posture clothing Function of the front Defining the situation for the audience Deviance Week 5 Deviance any behavior or physical appearance that is socially challenged and or condemned because it departs from the norms and expectations of a group 1 person 2 or more roles 1 person 1 role 3 Sociological contribution to our understanding of deviance emphasis is placed on the context in which deviant behavior occurs Something considered deviant at one time and place may not be considered deviant at another time and place Under the right circumstances almost any behavior can qualify as deviant Labeling Theory An act is