Socl 100 Exam 1 Notes
Sociology
A scientific study of societies and human behavior
Sociology’s basic assumption:
“Human action is largely determined by the groups which people belong to (social relationships) and by the societies they live in (social arrangements).”
Four Orientations of Sociology
1. Multi-causality
2. Interactive processes of causal factors
3. Sociological imagination
4. Value-free
4 Types of Questions Sociologists Ask
1. Factual Questions
2. Comparative Questions
3. Historical Questions
4. Theoretical Questions
Structural Functionalism
Society: A system of interconnected parts that work together in harmony
A Key Question: What function does __________ provide for society as a whole?
Conflict Theory
Society: An arrangement in ways that resources and rewards are unevenly distributed among population
A Key Question: Who benefits and who loses from a particular social arrangement?
Symbolic Interactionism
Society: A construction based on people’s everyday interaction and interpretation
A Key Question: What is the shared meaning of a particular social arrangement?
Sociological Imagination
Social structure interfering with his/her ability to advance (inequality)
Opportunities are not the same among all people
The individual vs. society
Operationalization
The process of strictly defining variables into measurable factors. The process defines fuzzy concepts and allows them to be measured, empirically and quantitatively.
Culture, Social Structure and Socialization
Social Structure (the way a society is organized)
1. Institutions
a. An established and enduring pattern of social relationships
2. Social Groups
a. 2 or more people who have a common identity, interact and form social relationships
3. Status
a. A position which a person occupies within a social group
b. Ascribed vs. Achieved Status
4. Role
a. A set of obligations and expectations associated with a status
a.i. Role Conflict (status conflict) – Two
A scientific study of societies and human behavior
Sociology’s basic assumption:
“Human action is largely determined by the groups which people belong to (social relationships) and by the societies they live in (social arrangements).”
Four Orientations of Sociology
1. Multi-causality
2. Interactive processes of causal factors
3. Sociological imagination
4. Value-free
4 Types of Questions Sociologists Ask
1. Factual Questions
2. Comparative Questions
3. Historical Questions
4. Theoretical Questions
Structural Functionalism
Society: A system of interconnected parts that work together in harmony
A Key Question: What function does __________ provide for society as a whole?
Conflict Theory
Society: An arrangement in ways that resources and rewards are unevenly distributed among population
A Key Question: Who benefits and who loses from a particular social arrangement?
Symbolic Interactionism
Society: A construction based on people’s everyday interaction and interpretation
A Key Question: What is the shared meaning of a particular social arrangement?
Sociological Imagination
Social structure interfering with his/her ability to advance (inequality)
Opportunities are not the same among all people
The individual vs. society
Operationalization
The process of strictly defining variables into measurable factors. The process defines fuzzy concepts and allows them to be measured, empirically and quantitatively.
Culture, Social Structure and Socialization
Social Structure (the way a society is organized)
1. Institutions
a. An established and enduring pattern of social relationships
2. Social Groups
a. 2 or more people who have a common identity, interact and form social relationships
3. Status
a. A position which a person occupies within a social group
b. Ascribed vs. Achieved Status
4. Role
a. A set of obligations and expectations associated with a status
a.i. Role Conflict (status conflict) – Two