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Sociology-Ch.1 DEF
Theory and Method
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Sociology | The scientific study of human social life, groups and societies, giving particular emphasis to analysis of the industrialized world. It is one of a group of social sciences that includes anthropology, economics, political science and human geography |
| Personal Troubles | Difficulties that are located in individual biographies and their immediate milieu, a seemingly private experience |
| Public Issues | Difficulties or problems that are linked to the intuitional and historical possibilities of social structure |
| Sociological Imagination | The application of imaginative thought to the asking and answering of sociological questions. Someone using the sociological imagination "thinks himself away" from the familiar routines of daily life |
| Structuration | The two way process by which we are reshaped by society |
| Globalization | The economic, political, and social interconnectedness of individuals throughout the world |
| Social Facts (According to Emile Durkheim) | The aspects of social life that shape our actions as individuals Durkheim believed that social facts could be studied scientifically |
| Organic Solidarity (According to Emile Durkheim) | The social cohesion that results from the various parts of a society functioning as an integrated whole |
| Social Constraint | The conditioning influence on our behavior by the groups and societies of which we are members. It was regarded by Durkheim as one of the distinctive properties of social facts |
| Anomie | A concept first brought into wide usage in sociology by Emile Durkheim, referring to a situation in which social norms lose their hold over individual behavior |
| Materialist Concept of History | The view developed by Karl Marx according to which material, or economic, factors have a prime role in determining historical change |
| Capitalism | An economic system based on the private ownership of wealth, which is invested and reinvested to produce profit |
| Symbolic Interactionism | A theoretical approach in sociology developed by George Herbert Mead that emphasizes the role of symbols and language as core elements of all human interaction |
| Symbol | One item used to stand for or represent another- as in the case of a flag, which symbolizes a nation |
| Functionalism | A theoretical perspective based on the notion that social events can best be explained in terms of the functions they perform, that is, the contributions they make to the continuity of a society |
| Manifest Functions | The functions of a particular social activity that are known to and intend by the individuals involved in the activity |
| Latent Functions | Functional consequences that are not intended or recognized by the members of a social system in which they occur |
| Conflict Theories | A sociological perspective hat emphasizes the role of political and economic power and oppression as contributing to the existing social order` |
| Marxism | A body of thought deriving its main elements from Karl Marx's ideas |
| Power | The ability of individuals or the members of a group to achieve aims or further the interests they hold |
| Ideology | Shared ideas or beliefs that serve to justify the interests of dominant groups. Ideologies are found in all societies in which there are systematic and ingrained inequalities among groups. The concept of ideology connects closely with that of power |
| Feminism | Advocacy of the rights of woman to be equal with men in all spheres of life |
| Feminist Theory | A sociological perspective that emphasizes the centrality of gender in analyzing the social world and particularly the experiences of women. There are many strands of feminist theory, but they all share the intention to explain gender inequalities in society and to work to overcome them |
| Postmodernism | The belief that society is no longer governed by history or progress. Postmodern society is highly pluralistic and diverse, with no "grand narrative" guiding it's development |
| Microsociology | The study of human behavior in contexts of face to face interaction |
| Macrosociology | The study of large-scale groups, organizations, or social systems |
| Science | The disciplined marshaling of empirical data, combined with theoretical approaches and theories that illuminate or explain those data |
| Empirical Investigation | Factual inquiry carried out in any area of sociological study |
| Factual Questions | Questions that raise issues concerning matters of fact (rather than theoretical or moral issues) Example: "What Happened?" |
| Comparative Questions | Questions concerned with drawing comparisons among different human societies Example:"Did this happen everywhere?" |
| Developmental Questions | Questions that sociologists pose when looking at the origins and path of development of social institutions Example:"Has this happened over time?" |
| Theoretical Questions | Questions posed by sociologists when seeking to explain a particular range of observed events. This is crucial to allowing us to generalize about the nature of social life. Example:"What underlies this phenomenon?" |
| Hypothesis | An idea or a guess about a given state of affairs, put forward as a basis for empirical testing |
| Data | Factual information used a basis for reasoning, discussion, or calculation. Social Science data often refer to individuals responses to survey questions |
| Qualitative Methods | Approaches to sociological research that often rely on personal and/or collective interviews, accounts, or observations of a person or situation |
| Quantitative Methods | Approaches to sociological research that draw on objective and statistical data and often focus on documenting trends, comparing subgroups, or exploring correlations |
| Ethnography | The firsthand study of people using observation, in-depth interviewing, or both. Also called "fieldwork." |
| Participant Observation | A method of research widely used in sociology and anthropology in which the researcher takes part in the activities of the group or community being studied |
| Survey | A method of sociological research in which questionnaires are administered to the population being studied |
| Pilot Study | A trial run in survey research |
| Sampling | Studying a proportion of individuals or cases from a larger population as representative of that population as a whole |
| Sample | A small proportion of a larger population |
| Representative Sample | A sample from a larger population that is statistically typical of that population |
| Random Sampling | Sampling method in which a sample is chosen so that every member of the population has the same probability of being included |
| Experiment | A research method in which variables can be analyzed in a controlled and systematic way, either in an artificial situation constructed by the researcher or in naturally occuring settings |
| Comparative Research | Research that compares one set of findings on one society with the same types of findings on other societies |
| Oral History | Interviews with people about events they witnessed earlier in their lives |
| Triangulation | The use of multiple research methods as a way of producing more reliable empirical data than are available from any singles method |
| Measures of Central Tendency | The ways of calculating averages |
| Correlation Coefficient | A measure of the degree of correlation between variables |
| Mean | A statistical measure of central tendency, or average, based on dividing a total by the number of individual cases |
| Mode | The number that appears most often in a data set |
| Median | The number that falls halfway in a range of numbers |
| Standard Deviation | A way of calculating the spread of a group of figures |
| Degree of Dispersal | The range of distribution of a set of figures |
| Informed Consent | The process whereby the investigator informs potential participants about the risks and benefits involved in the study |
| Debriefing | Following a study, informing participants about the true purpose of the study and revealing any deception that happened during the study |
Created by:
lrdelong