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62 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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what are three things to know about the major social theories?
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1. Builds on the work of the "great thinkers" from classical social theory
2. Recognize important contributions beyond classical theorists. 3. Emphasizes "Big ideas" rather than big scholars |
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What are the 4 major social theories?
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Functionalism
Conflict Theory Symbolic Interactionism Phenomenology |
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Thinking of the flow chart of major theories what did Functionalism and conflict theory have in common?
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Macro-focus on big
Objective-used stats looked for predictive behavior |
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Thinking of the flow chart of major theories what did symbolic interactionism and phenomenology have in common?
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Micro-individual behavior looked at
subjective-used interviews looked for creative behaviors |
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Functionalist emphasized what?
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Social functions- everything in society has a function/purpose
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Functionalists borrow from what discipline?
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Biology- everything has to function well as in the body all parts need to be healthy for the whole to be healthy
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How do functionalists view society?
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Interrelated parts, cooperation, balance, equilibrium
If one thing goes awry it impacts other components |
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whats a key descriptor of functionalism?
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conservative-supports the status quo
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What is the norm in functionalism?
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Order is the norm- disorder creates tension
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Name 3 key contributors of functionalism
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Emile Durkheim
Talcott Parsons Robert Merton |
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What are some examples of social functionalism?
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Family- socialization (passing on of values), emotional support, financial support, sexual regulation
Schools- educate, place to leave kids while parents work Religion- Sacred canopy, morals Stratification- motivation, balance Deviance- consequences motivate behavior, provides jobs, a little deviance unites people |
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What are 3 extensions of functionalsim (mostly worked on by Merton)?
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Manifest functions- anticipated & intended ex schools-to educate
Latent functions- unintended & unrecognized ex schools-socializing Dysfunction- negative consequences ex schools-violence & aggression |
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Key terms for functionalism
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functions
balance/equilibrium interrelatedness/connections organic-like system stability |
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What are functionalists often interested in?
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1. Social institutions & division of labor
2. Social Behaviors & their functions 3. People groups (minorities & special interest groups etc.) & how they operate |
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What is the emphasis of conflict theory?
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Social conflicts
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What discipline does conflict theory borrow from?
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economics
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How does conflict theory view society?
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tension, struggle for power & domination, oppression
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What is a key descriptor of conflict theory?
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Radical: supports change
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what is the norm in conflict theory?
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struggle is the norm, stability and order are suspect
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What are 3 basic assumptions of conflict theory?
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1. People have COMPETING INTERESTS
2. POWER is critical in all relationships 3. VALUES & IDEAS are weapons to achieve an end -ideologies -false consciousness |
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Who are the key contributors of conflict theory?
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Karl Marx
Max Weber C. Wright Mills |
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What are key terms for conflict theory?
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social class
class consciousness false consciousness ideologies struggle/conflict power oppression/exploitation |
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What 4 things are conflict theorists often interested in?
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1. Perceived injustices between rich & poor nations
2. Global or national economic issues 3.Labor strikes & union disputes 4. Power struggles between groups within society |
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What is the emphasis in Symbolic Interactionism?
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actors own decisions
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What discipline does SI borrow from?
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psychology
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How does SI view society?
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unpredictable, changing depending on interpretations
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What is a key descriptor of SI?
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Interactive: supports the individual "they" are the expert not the sociologist
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What is the norm in SI?
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Variable actions are the norm, depending on differing situations & interpretations
norm=variety |
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What are 4 important emphases is SI?
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1. Focus on everyday, FACE TO FACE INTERACTION=mundane
2. All interactions are SOCIALLY SITUATED (i.e. there is a context) 3. We act based on our interpretations of others 4. Human BEHAVIOR IS ALWAYS CHANGING, as we interpret things. |
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Who are key contributors to SI?
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Charles H Cooley
George Herbert Mead Herbert Blumer Erving Goffman Chicago School |
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what are key terms for SI?
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symbols
meaning/interpretation the situation everyday/face-to-face interaction actors/stage/dramaturgy roles self |
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What are 3 things Symbolic Interactionists are interested in?
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1. Mundane everyday interactions at home, school, or the workplace
2. The various roles or identities that people have and how they are managed 3. How outsiders navigate in a strange social setting |
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What is the emphasis in phenomenology?
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subjective interpretation
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what discipline does phenomenology borrow from?
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philosophy
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How does phenomenology view society?
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People can create their own social world, diversity rules.
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What is a key descriptor of phenomenology?
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Reflective: Supports personal views
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What is the norm for phenomenology?
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Cultural ideas or norms are "bracketed" and personal experience replaces empirical research
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What are 3 key elements of phenomenology?
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1. Subjective interpretations trump scientific statistics
2. Difficult to make generalizations 3. Largely an attack/alternative to traditional sociology |
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Who are key contributors to phenomenology?
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Edmund Husserl
Alfred Schutz Peter Burger |
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What are key term for phenomenology?
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subjectivity
personal experience interpretations brackets/bracketing view of reality knowledge |
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What are phenomenologists often interested in?
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1. People's own stories about unique or bizarre behaviors
2. The study of subcultures that are relatively foreign to mainstream society 3. The process by which people come to think, know, and construct reality |
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true or false most sociologists use only one theory
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false most use multiple theories
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what is Olney's definition of postmodernism?
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Ongoing, complex, unsystematic, conversations and thoughts, that reject absolute truth and categories, in favor of subjective & diverse ideas, favors stories.
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What did U of Michigan 2009 study say about religiosity of science students
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not hard science but social sciences & humanities w/postmodenrism influence having a neg. effect on religion
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Summarize Douglas Campell's article "The Classroom without Reason".
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student has no reasons for hating military just felt like it, was supported by class and prof
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What are two major areas postmodernism is influencing?
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education
religion |
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What are George Ritzer's 5 things postmodernism IS and ISN'T
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1. major thinkers are interdisciplinary rather than sociologists
2. A critique of theory rather than a theory 3. Unsystematic, rather than systematic 4. Highlights diversity, rather than generalizations 5. Many possible narrative rather than 1 grand narrative |
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What are 5 things Postmodernism is not?
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1.sociology
2. theory 3. systematic 4. generalizable 5. grand narratives |
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what is the differences between modernism and postmodernism?
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Modern social theory tends to be absolute, rational, and open to the possibility of discovering truth
Postmodern social theory tends to be relativistic and open to the possibility or irrationality |
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what are 7 things postmodernism opposes?
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1. MODERN (from industrial rev. 17-1800's throu1970) SOCIETY and its failure to deliver
2. A SINGLE WORLDVIEW, grand narratives, or generalizations in favor of multiple views 3. LOGICAL THOUGHT, in favor of emotions, feelings, intuition, and experience 4. BOUNDARIES between academic disciplines, fiction & theory, truth & story telling, or image & reality 5. REASONED ARGUMENT OR DEBATE, in favor of shocking or startling messages 6. ACADEMIC presentation or style, in favor of literary presentation or style 7. Assumed CORE ISSUES of society, in favor of periphery or marginal ones |
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What are 4 things postmodernism offers?
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Indeterminacy rather than determinism
Diversity rather than unity Difference rather than synthesis Complexity rather than simplification |
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Recognize the following definition of postmodernism
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Postmodernism rejects the modernist view by arguing beauty, truth, & morality do not have an objective existence beyind how we think, write & talk about them.
From a postmodernist perspective social life is not an objective reality waiting for us to discover how it works. Rather what we experience as social life is actually nothing more or less than how we think about it, and there are diverse ways of doing htat. There are no societies, communities, families that are fixed, only an ongoing stream of conversations etc. Ultimately no one version of reality, beauty, morality is no better or worse than another. |
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What are key concepts of postmodernism?
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Diversity
flexibility deconstruction social constructions new paradigms subjectivity stories relativism tolerance "whatever" |
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Name 4 postmodern thinkers
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Micheal Foucault
Jean Baudrillard Jacques Derrida Richard Rorty |
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who is Jean Baudrillard and what is he known for?
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french soliologist.
-Critical of consumption-people consume beyond what they need -Simulation has taken over and blurred the real & imaginary -his analysis of 9/11 blamed capitalist globalization, thus he implied US was at fault SUMMARY- Consumption & simulation |
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who is Micheal Foucault and what is he known for?
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french philosopher
-book>archaeology of knowledge notes that focus has shifted from human beings to language -discourse and critique are valued -all voices are equal -book> History of sexuality notes everyone in power wants to control sexuality making it a moral issue -also known for critiquing Derrida SUMMARY- launguage and power |
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who is John Derrida and what is he known for?
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french philosopher know as father of deconstruction
-influnced by Edmund Husserls work in phenomenology -developed gramatology hoping to expand the West's understanding of language to include writing & literaature -criticized by many for acting like an elitist and intentionally writing in obscure ways SUMMARY- deconstruction, grammatology |
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What are 7 things postmodernism IS?
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1.varied rather than unified
2.Complex, rather than simple 3.Abstract rather than concrete 4.Irrational, rather than rational 5.Random, rather than linear 6. Subjective, rather than objective 7. Conversations, rather than answers |
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look at notes for various thoughts random ideas
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did you look at them?
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What did Jurgen Habermas crituque postmodernism for?
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1. Postmodernists are unclear whether they are producing serious theory or literature
2. Postmodernists conceal their thoughts from the reader, so no one is sure what they are really up to 3. Postmodernists fail to differentiate between phenomena and practices 4. Postmodernists tend to ignore everyday life & its practices |
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What are 4 rejections of postmodernists that George Ritzer views as threats to society?
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1.Science, which weilds too much power, fails to explain the mystical, etc.
2. Universal generalizations, which fail to acknowledge other developments 3. Social theory, which often fails to consider specific contexts 4. Social issues, that only seem to matter to sociologists |
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What are ritzers 14 critiques of postmodernism?
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1. Fails to live up to scientific standards
2. vague and abstract ideals are common 3. While criticizing grand narratives they offer their own narrative 4. Lack a normative basis with which to make any judgements (all voices are equal) 5. History is rewriten with a bias toward the present 6. lack of a theory of agency (i.e. power, force, cause) 7. Lack of a vision for what society ought to be; lack of a vision for the future 8.No firm convictions;leads to pessimism 9. Tendency to reify (to give life to) social phenomena 10. Numerous discontinuities (contradictions) lead to many unresolved issues & little integration 11. Often ends up ignoring what are key social problems of our time 12. Attempts to integrate with other social theories are rarely satisfactory 13. Postmodernists put the burden on the reader not the author (with random abstract, unsystematic, unconnected thoughts) 14. Feminists have been particularly strong critics of postmodernism (because of the latter's rejection of truth & categories) |
