Sociology 1 And 2

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Culture

Back 1

The symbolic and learned aspects of human society. This is not biological but, instead, is transmitted and shared via social interaction

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Globalization

Back 2

A social phenomenon characterized by the growing number of interconnections across the world.

Front 3

Institutions

Back 3

Patterned sets of linked social practices, such as education, marriage, or the family, that are informed by broader culture, are regularly and continuously repeated, are sanctioned and maintained by social norms, and have a major significance for the social structure.

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Issues

Back 4

Problems extending beyond the individual and local environment. These are institutional in nature and often involve crises in institutional arrangement. The high unemployment rate across the United States is an example

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Modernity

Back 5

In sociology, a term referring to the set of historical processes that transformed the traditional order. Early sociologists (specifically, Karl Marx, Max Weber, and Émile Durkheim) set out to understand the social upheaval and disruption caused by these processes, which include the rise of the nation-state, economic capitalism, bureaucratization, urbanization, and secularization.

Front 6

Norms

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Rules that prescribe correct behavior. In some cases, rules are made official (e.g., as laws). In others, they remain unofficial but commonly understood (e.g., when the Pledge of Allegiance is recited in the United States, people are expected to stand).

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Postmodernity

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In sociology, a term referring to contemporary developments in historical, social, and economic processes. Characterized by postindustrial economies, decentralized organization, the cultural turn, derationalization, multiculturalism, life-cycle changes, new inequalities, and globalization.

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Roles

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Bundles of socially defined attributes and expectations associated with social statuses or positions (again, e.g., mother, father, teacher, president).

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Social problem

Back 9

A situation that contradicts or violates social norms and values. Widespread drug abuse and racism are examples

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Social structures

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Patterns of organization that constrain human behavior. These can be formal (such as school or government) or informal (such as peer pressure or trends).

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Society

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A population distinguished by shared norms, values, institutions, and culture. These are often defined by geographic, regional, or national boundaries.

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Sociological imagination

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As theorized by C. Wright Mills, the ability to understand not only what is happening in one’s own immediate experience but also what is happening in the world and to imagine how one’s experience fits into the larger world experience.

Front 13

Sociology

Back 13

The science of society. The study of how everyday, individual stories and relationships relate to the larger, collective stories of social groups, social systems, and societies.

Front 14

Status

Back 14

A position in social relations (e.g., mother, father, teacher, president). This is normally regulated; it is assumed that when a person occupies this, he or she will behave in particular ways.

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Subculture

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The symbols and lifestyles of a subgroup in society, one that deviates from the “normal,” more general (dominant) culture of a society.

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Troubles

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Personal problems, private matters having to do with the self. An individual’s unemployment is an example

Front 17

Values

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Shared ideas of what is good/bad, desirable/undesirable, or sacred/profane in a society

Front 18

Census

Back 18

A type of social survey in which the questions are designed to gather information that is descriptive of an entire population.

Front 19

Concept

Back 19

A mental construct that represents some part of the world in a simplified form.Is also a category or classification, such as race, gender, or social class.

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Correlation

Back 20

A term that refers to the relationship between two variables whose values change together

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Dependent variable

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A variable that receives stimulus and measured for the effect the treatment has had upon it

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Variable

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A concept whose value changes from case to case

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Text

Back 23

Anything, whether written or nonwritten, that is capable of carrying or conveying meaning

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Survey

Back 24

A method of research whereby information is gathered from a sample of a population about a specific list of variables and questions.

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Social theory

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A framework based on empirical evidence that is used to organize concepts, and that explains why society or some aspect of society functions as it does.

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Snowball sample

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A sample created through a process whereby the researcher asks the first few interviewees for the names of other individuals who might fit the study, then asks those individuals for names, and so on

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Sample

Back 27

A portion of a population selected to be the subjects of a particular research project. In most cases, it is expected to be a microcosm of the whole population in some respect, such that the findings are generalizable

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Representative sample

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A sample that accurately represents the various attributes (e.g., race, religion, income, age, gender) found in the whole population.

Front 29

Relativism

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An approach to research that counters positivism by asserting that a particular social behavior may be understood differently if viewed from different perspectives or in different social contexts. In other words, the interpretation of a behavior may vary depending on the perspective or setting

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Random sample

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: A sample that is selected purely statistically; for example: choosing every tenth person

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Quantitative

Back 31

: Referring to research that relies on numerical or statistical data for calculating findings. This kind of research is typically used in cases where one is trying to apply a natural science model of explanation, as opposed to an interpretive model.

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Qualitative

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Relating to research that is typically used in cases where one is taking an interpretive approach. The data are often textual; examples include interview transcripts and ethnographic field notes.

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Positivism

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: An approach to research that follows the example of the natural sciences in that it assumes sociology will employ methods that enable it to discover laws of social behavior.

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Explanatory theory

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A theory that has one or more causal hypotheses suggesting that a particular independent variable causes a particular effect on the dependent variable

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Field research

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Research that is based on the observation of behavior rather than on the use of existing quantitative data

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Independent variable

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changes that occur in an experiment that are directly caused by the experimenter; the variable that is controlled by the experimenter

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Infotainment

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A genre of mass media prevalent in postmodern society that provides research results, information, and knowledge in the form of an entertaining media product. Mass media documentaries are a good example

Front 38

Interpretive sociology

Back 38

A form of sociology that bases its approach to the task of sociological explanation on the assumption that social actions can be fully understood only by interpreting the motives and meanings that guide individuals’ actions

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Interview

Back 39

A method of research whereby subject are asked questions

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Opinion poll

Back 40

A type of sociological survey in which the members of a population sample are asked about their attitudes and beliefs on a wide range of issues. An example is the General Social Survey (GSS), which asks a nationwide random sample of at least 1,500 respondents to address issues such as capital punishment, family statistics, and religiosity.