SOSC 1040 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Class Conflict, Profit Motive, Social Darwinism

• School: York University
• Department: Social Science
• Course: SOSC 1040
• Professor: Claudio Colaguori

Document Summary

All knowledge and understanding begins with practice of questioning. Look for contradictions in the way things work in our society. Examine the ways that people reason & look for weaknesses in their arguments. Society is very complex, many realities existing together. Critical thinking requires familiarizing yourself with many viewpoints of an issue & deciding its merits. Challenges of studying society, we take assumptions for granted (cid:523)can(cid:495)t see with fresh eyes(cid:524). Sociology = scientific study of society & social forces (cid:523)economy, culture (cid:524) (cid:498)social construction of reality(cid:499) = how humans build physical & social structures, who decides what society to. Important to study society to help influence out life path and chances. build, who has power. Concepts of power & ideology & models of society. Power = capacity to influence/control other ppl in significant ways thru force/ideas. Power is unequally distributed (defined as social control & freedom). Structural functionalism = emile durkheim: social cohesion, solidarity, social order & anomie.