SOC 100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Orgasm, Meritocracy, Compulsory Heterosexuality

• School: Ball State University
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 100
• Professor: Melissa Holtzman

Document Summary

Sociology- study of how broad societal influences affect the decisions of individuals. What we say matters vs. what we don"t realize matters. We mostly agree on these things based on what our society says. Individual level influences- behavioral influences that stem from the actions of individual people. Societal level influences- behavioral influences that stem from societal pressures; coming from outside the individual. Sociological imagination- ability to see the impact of social forces on your life. Functional theory- considers purposes behind existing societal practices. (how the problem helps us) Conflict theory- how existing societal practices are influenced by power. Symbolic interactionism- considers how existing societal practices are created by individuals. Society- a group of people who live in the same territory and share a common culture. Social structure- stable and recurrent patterns that stem from individual level interactions and relationships. Social structure consists of social institutions such as the education, political, and economic systems.