Sociology Midterm Review PDF
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Wilfrid Laurier University
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Summary
This document is a midterm review for a sociology course. It covers key terms and concepts such as sociological perspectives, social structures, and research methods. The review includes definitions and explanations of various sociological approaches and theories.
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Midterm review What is sociology- the systematic study of human groups and their interactions ociological perspective- is the unique way sociologists see the world and can dissect the S relationships between individuals and the social network where we all live ociological research- usu...
Midterm review What is sociology- the systematic study of human groups and their interactions ociological perspective- is the unique way sociologists see the world and can dissect the S relationships between individuals and the social network where we all live ociological research- usually provides challenges to common sense knowledge and helps us S understand that many things we think are natural, are actually socially constructed and organized ocial construction- something brought into existence by groups of people, and is accepted as S true by that group - Everything is a social construction to sociologists Peter Berger- 1929-2019 Key terms Chapter 1 eminism-the advocacy of equal rights for men and women F Feminist theory-(gender-conflict approach) focuses on inequality and conflict between men and women Global perspective-the study of the larger world and our society's place in it High-income countries-nations with the highest overall standards of living Latent functions-the unrecognized and unintended consequences of any social pattern Low-income countries-nations with the lowest overall standards of living, in which most people are poor Macro-level orientation-a broad structure of social structures that shape society as a whole Manifest functions-the recognized and intended consequences of any social pattern Middle-income countries-nations with a standard of living about the average of the world as a whole Positivism-a way of understanding based on science Postmodernism-an approach that is critical of modernism, with a mistrust of grand theories and ideologies, that can have either a micro or macro orientation Race-conflict approach-focuses on inequality and conflict between people of different racial and ethical categories Social-conflict approach-(confict theory) a framework for building theory that sees society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and change Social dysfunction-any social pattern that may disrupt the operation of society Social functions-the consequences of any social pattern for the operation of the society as a whole Social structure-any relative stable pattern of social behaviour Sociological perspective-the unique way sociologists view the world and can dissect relationships between individuals and the larger social network where we all live Sociology-the systematic study of human groups and their interactions Structural functional approach-a framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidaroity and stability Symbolic-interaction approach-a framework for building theory that sees society as the product of the everyday interactions of people Theoretical approach-a basic image of society that guides thinking and research Theory-a statement of how and why specific facts are related Quantitative sociology-measurable, positivist in nature ( crime rates over time ) Qualitative sociology-non-measurable, anti-positive in nature ( living in poverty ) Economy-a system of production and exchange that provides material goods and services to people in a group Chapter 2 ause and effect-a relationship in which change in one variable causes chage in C another variable (the dependent variable) Concept-a mental construct that represents some part of the world in a simplified form Control-holding constant all variables except one in order to see clearly the effect of that variable Correlation-a relationship in which 2 or more variables change together Critical sociology-the study of society that focuses on the need for social change Deductive logical thought-reasoning that transforms general theory into a specific hypothesis suitable for testing Dependant variable-the variable that changes Empirical evidence-infornmation we can verify with our senses Experiment-a research method for investigating cause and effect under highly controlled conditions Hawthorne effect-a change in a subjects behaviour caused simply by the awareness of being studied Hypothesis-a statement of a possible relarionship between 2 or more variables Independent variable-the variable that causes the change Inductive logical thought-reasoning that transforms specific observations into general theory Interpretive sociology-the study of society that focusses on the meanings people attach to their social world Interview-a series of questions a researcher asks respondents in person Measurement-a procedure for determining the value of a variable in a specific case Objectivity-personal neutrality in conducting research Operationalize a variable-specifying what exactly is to be measured before assigning a value to a variable Participant observation-a research method in which investigators systematically observe people while joining them in their routine activities Population-the people who are the focus of research Questionnaire-a series or written questions a researcher presents to participants Reliability-consistency in measurement Replication-repetition of research by other investigators Research method-a systematic plan for doing research Sample-a part of the population that represents the whole Science-a logical system that bases knowledge on direct, sytematic observation Scientific sociology-the study of society based on systematic observation of social behaviour Spurious correlation-an apparent but false relationship between 2 or more variables that is caused by some other variable Survey-a research method in which participants respond to a series of statements in a questionnaire or an interview Validity-actually measuring exactly what you intended to measure Variable-a concept whose values changes from case to case Chapter 3 eliefs-specific statements that people hold to be true B Counterculture-cultural patterns that strongly oppose those widely accepted within a society Cultural appropriation-a concept that has been used to describe when a member of a dominant group adopts some element from a marginalized groups culture Cultural integration-to close relationship among various elements of a cultural system Cultural lag-cultural elements changing at different rates, causing various degrees of disruption in cultural systems Cultural relativism-the practice of judging a culture by its own standards Cultural transmission-the process by which one generation passes culture to the next Cultural universals-traits that are part of every known culture Culture-the ways of thinking, the ways of acting, and the material objects that together form a peoples way of life Culture shock-personal disoreietation when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life Diaspora-refers to the migration of a group of people who maintain their national and ethnic identityin the new countries they have settled in Ethnocentrism-the practice of judging another culture by the standards of ones own culture Eurocentrism-the dominance of european cultural patterns Folkways-norms for routine or casual interaction High culture-cultural patterns that distinguish a societys elite Ideal culture-social patterns mandated by cultural values and norms Language-a system of symbols that allows people to communicate with eachother Material culture-the physical things created by members of the society Mores-norms that are more widely observed and have great moral significance Multiculturalism-a social policy designed to ecourage ethnic or cultural heterogeneity Non-material culture-the ideas created by members of a society Norms-rules and expectations byh which a society guides the behavior of its members Popular culture-cultural patterns that are widespread throughout society Real culture-actual social patterns that only approximate cultural expectations Sapir-Whorf hypothesis-the idea that people perceive the world through the cultural lens of language Social control-attempts by others to regulate peoples thoughts and behaviour Sociobiology-a theoretical approach that explores ways in which human biology affects how we create culture Subculture-cultural patterns that set apart some segment of a societies population Symbol-anything that carries a particular meaning recognized by people who share a culture Technology-knowledge that people use to make a way of life in their surroundings Transnationalism-refers to people moving back and fourth between countries and maintaining strong ties to both countries alues-culturally defined standards that people use to decide what is desirable, V good, and beautiful, and that serve as broad guidelines for social living
