SOCIOL 110 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Asteroid Family, Homophily, Verstehen
27 Jul 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Sociology
The Sociological Imagination
-soc. Imag.= ability to connect the most basic, intimate aspects of an individual’s life to
seemingly impersonal + remote historical forces OR
-Making the strange familiar + making the familiar strange; looking at socially
challenging human behavior (rxns, causes)
-C.W. Mills (sociologist)– connecting personal problems to social; in order to think
critically about the social world around us, we need to use soc. Imag.
Social Institutions→ Roles and expectations
-social institution= a group of social positions connected by social relations that performs
a social role (ie: family, legal system, university)
-institutions rely on other institutions in order to exist/have meanings/be perpetuated
-they shape every aspect of our behavior
Functionalism=theory that various social institutions + processes in society exist to serve some
important (or necessary) function to keep society running
Social Integration=how well you are integrated into your social group/community
Durkheim (Emile, late 19th c. – early 20th c.)= built on Hobbes view (we exchange our
freedom for security); society is like an organism→ everything is socially individual but can’t
cut off head, need it to survive, all about cooperation; division of labor w/in institutions; when
integrated properly, people contribute to whole; sociologist=part of brain that can diagnose
problems + help system work better
Conflict Sociology
Karl Marx (more of an economist)= generates a conflict-based theory for society;
social classes (have + have-nots) are what’s important; society evolves from people in
conflict/trying to dominate one another
Max Weber (advances Marxist theory.. Marxism +)= broadens conflicts beyond
economics→ class, status groups, political parties can also divide people (all of these cleavages);
multidimensional conflict-based theory
Interpretive Sociology
Weber (Verstehen) con.=introduces idea that sociology is more interpretive (shouldn’t
try to be a hard science)→ we seek to understand how people attribute meaning to their actions +
goal is to understand (ver stehen) at a deeper humanistic level social institutions
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Macro- vs. Micro-Sociology
-Macro-sociology= early sociologists (Examples= comparing societies with one another,
looking over historical periods)
-Micro-sociology= studying face-to-face interactions (take Weber’s concern w/
understanding meaningful action to interpersonal behavior)
-different levels of analysis
Middle Range (or midrange) Theory=a theory that attempts to predict how certain social
institutions tend to function (just in b/w micro + macro sociology)
Methods of Research
Deductive vs. Inductive Research Approaches
-deductive= quantitative + explanatory (casual); starts out with a general statement, or
hypothesis, and examines the possibilities to reach a specific, logical conclusion
-inductive= qualitative + interpretive; In inductive inference, we go from the specific to
the general. We make many observations, discern a pattern, make a generalization, and infer an
explanation or a theory
Quantitative vs. Qualitative Approaches
-quantitative= #
-qualitative= no #; giving voice
Causality vs. Association (or correlation)
-casuality= a change in 1 factor results in a corresponding change in another factor; if u
want to say event A causes event B
1) have to be associated (either + or -)
2) have to establish time order
3) have to get rid of alternative explanations
-association/correlation= established/time order; alternative explanations= ruled out (w/
experimental conditions); simultaneous variation in 2 variables
Spuriousness
-unlikely in experiments w/ random assignment
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Generalizability vs. Validity
-generalizability=sample → population
-validity= accurately explaining + representing a given part of social world
-trade off b/w # of cases + the detail gathered on each case when choosing b/w the 2
Culture & The Media
Ethnocentrism=belief that one’s own culture or group is superior to others + the tendency to
view all other cultures from the perspective of one’s own
Consumerism=the steady acquisition of material possessions, often w/ belief that happiness +
fulfillment can thus be achieved
Conspicuous Consumption
-replaces conspicuous leisure=(consuming time non-productively b/c work=unworthy;
showing you=rich by not working/knowing dead language/decorum/etc.)
-wasting $$ on the “best” things or just to demonstrate your wealth (example: throwing
lavish parties); intentional wastes of time + money; mistake price for beauty
Socialization=process by which individuals internalize values/beliefs/norms of given society
+ learn to be a functional member
Cooley & the Looking Glass Self (durkheimian)
- under symbolic interactionism theory
-reflective appraisals→ the self emerges from our ability to assume point of view of
others + imagine how those others see us
Mead – the I, Me, & Generalized Other
-under symbolic interactionism theory
-theory about how social self develops over course of childhood; I, me, + other
(I=sees/encountering world, me=where you store info about yourself, other=someone else’s POV
+ see how you look/are); develop a concept of “generalized other”→ allows them to apply
norms; stressed importance of imitation, play + games (helps kids learn/distinguish b/w self +
others)
Total Institution
-institution in which one is totally immersed that, controls basics of day to day life (Ex:
military, prison, asylum)
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find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Imag. = ability to connect the most basic, intimate aspects of an individual"s life to seemingly impersonal + remote historical forces or. Making the strange familiar + making the familiar strange; looking at socially challenging human behavior (rxns, causes) Mills (sociologist) connecting personal problems to social; in order to think critically about the social world around us, we need to use soc. Social institution= a group of social positions connected by social relations that performs a social role (ie: family, legal system, university) Institutions rely on other institutions in order to exist/have meanings/be perpetuated. Functionalism=theory that various social institutions + processes in society exist to serve some important (or necessary) function to keep society running. Social integration=how well you are integrated into your social group/community. Karl marx (more of an economist)= generates a conflict-based theory for society; social classes (have + have-nots) are what"s important; society evolves from people in conflict/trying to dominate one another.
