SOC100H1 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Content Analysis, The Unwritten, Anomie

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26 Jun 2018
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Chapter 1
biological determinism: The view that people’s fates are determined entirely by their
genetic/biological makeup, without any influence of social and environmental factors. (p.
14)
ideology: A strategy, program, or philosophy that justifies the goals and strategies of a
movement. (p. 12)
interaction: The processes by which, and manner in which, social actors relate to each
other, especially in face-to-face encounters, and try to meet each other’s expectations. (p.
12)
macrosociological: Involving the study of social institutions and larger social groups in
society. (p. 17)
microsociology: The study of the processes and patterns of personal interaction that take
place among people within groups. (p. 21)
negotiations: The methods people use in trying to make sense of and to one another—
e.g. by conferring, bargaining, making arrangements, compromising, and reaching
agreements. (p. 23)
norms: Rules or expectations telling us what kinds of behaviour are appropriate and
inappropriate in specific social situations. (p. 10)
patriarchy: A social or political system in which men hold power and women are largely
excluded from it. (p. 14)
performativity: The idea that certain social factors, such as gender, are socially
constructed and then acted out using words and behaviours that have come to be
associated with what it means to be, say, male or female. (p. 21)
positivism: A philosophical belief that any rational assertion can be proven scientifically.
(p. 8)
role: The expected behavior of an individual in a social position and the duties associated
with that position. (p. 13)
social construction: The idea that the social world consists of a number of shared
understandings—about what it means to be, say, male or female, rich or poor—that
humans have reached and reinforced over time. (p. 21)
social institution: A kind of social structure made up of a number of relationships. (pp.
5, 9)
social structure: Any enduring, predictable pattern of social relations among people in
society. (p. 23)
society: The largest-scale human group, whose members interact with one another, share
a com-mon geographic territory, and share common institutions. (p. 6)
sociological imagination: An approach to sociology that attempts to relate personal
experience to public issues and to the broader societal context in which these experiences
occur (C. Wright Mills) (p. 6)
sociology: The study of the patterned relations among humans, and of the social
institutions people create. (p. 5)
value system: A set of socially shared ideas of what a group or society considers good,
right, and desirable. (p. 12)
Key Concepts & Examples
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1. Functionalism, also known as structural functionalism
Views society as a set of interconnected parts that work together to preserve the overall
stability and efficiency of the whole. Individual social institutions (e.g., families, the
economy, government, etc.) all have roles to play in the continued functioning of society.
Changes in one part of society bring about changes in other parts.
Attributes social problems to the failure of institutions to fulfill their intended functions
during times of rapid change.
Social institutions perform two functions (Merton):
oManifest functions are intended and easily recognized.
oLatent functions are unintended and often hidden.
Examples
Émile Durkheim’s Suicide (1897)—a systematic analysis of suicide rates in different
localities and groups
oAnomie (“normlessness”)—condition typical in times of rapid social change, in
which social norms are weak or in conflict with one another, giving rise to social
problems
oNorms—rules or expectations about what kinds of behaviour are appropriate and
inappropriate in specific social situations
Uses a macrosociological approach—studying social institutions and larger social
groups in society
2. Conflict theory
Focuses on the unequal distribution of power, which creates imbalance, conflict, and
change.
Views society as a collection of varied groups that constantly struggle with each other to
dominate society and its institutions.
Began with the work of Marx and Weber, and developed as a reaction against
functionalism.
Capitalist culture is a product of a value system—a set of socially shared ideas of what a
group or society considers good, right, and desirable (Marx).
Culture is shaped by ideology—a strategy or philosophy that justifies the goals of a
movement (Weber).
Examples:
John Porter’s The Vertical Mosaic (1965)—landmark study examined the unequal
opportunities faced by different ethnic groups in Canadian society.
Presented Canadian society as a class-based, vertical hierarchy defined by wealth and
power.
Examined Canada as a cultural mosaic of ethnic groups preserving their customs and
heritage, and holding different positions in the class-based hierarchy.
Illustrates how societies create and control conflict, despite systemic inequalities.
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3. Symbolic Interactionism
Uses a microsociological approach to focus on interactions between people in small
groups.
Symbolic—the use of gestures, mannerisms, and words to convey meaning.
Interaction—how people relate to each other and try to meet each other’s expectations,
especially in face-to-face encounters.
Associated with labelling theory—any given social problem is viewed as a “problem”
only because an influential group of people defines it this way.
Social construction—the social world consists of a number of shared understandings
that humans have reached and reinforced over time.
Performativity—certain social factors, such as gender, are socially constructed and then
acted out using words and behaviours associated with what it means to be, say, male or
female.
Erving Goffman’s Stigma (1963)—examined people who are stigmatized (judged,
condemned, ostracized, or in other ways viewed negatively), and considered how
stigmatization affects people’s social interactions and sense of self
4. Feminism
Focuses on gender inequality, or relations of dominance and subordination between men
and women
Interested in how gender inequality makes women’s lives different from men’s
Considers roles—expected behaviour of an individual in a social position and the duties
associated with that position
Views the subordination of women as a result of socioeconomic and ideological factors
Dismisses biological determinism—the view that people’s fates are determined entirely
by their genetic/biological makeup, without any influence of social and environmental
factors
Considers influences of patriarchy—social or political system in which men hold power
and women are largely excluded from it
5. Postmodernnism
Interested in unmasking ideologies that protect the dominant social order.
Proposes that rationality is neither sure nor clear, and that our knowledge is situation-
specific—it is always limited to particular times, places, and social positions.
Denies the possibility of universal knowledge and highlights the value of local or
particular insights.
Argues against modernism, which suggests that through science we can discover “the
truth” about reality, and that there is only one “truth” per situation.
Is the polar opposite of positivism—philosophical belief that any rational assertion can
be proven scientifically (Comte, Giddens).
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SOC100H1 Full Course Notes
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Document Summary

Macrosociological: involving the study of social institutions and larger social groups in society. (p. 17) Key concepts & examples: functionalism, also known as structural functionalism. Views society as a set of interconnected parts that work together to preserve the overall stability and efficiency of the whole. Individual social institutions (e. g. , families, the economy, government, etc. ) all have roles to play in the continued functioning of society. Changes in one part of society bring about changes in other parts. Attributes social problems to the failure of institutions to fulfill their intended functions during times of rapid change. Social institutions perform two functions (merton): manifest functions are intended and easily recognized, latent functions are unintended and often hidden. Uses a macrosociological approach studying social institutions and larger social groups in society: conflict theory. Focuses on the unequal distribution of power, which creates imbalance, conflict, and change.

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