Sociology The Basics (Mancionis) Chapter 1

Front 1

What is the point of Mancionis' chapter intro about why people marry? Are there rules?

Back 1

Proposes that society does have rules regarding marriage related to age, educational background, race, socio-economic background, etc. We, as individuals, make the choice but society narrows down our choices.

Front 2

What did Berger mean by describing sociology as "seeing the general in the particular"?

Back 2

He means that sociology helps us see “general patterns” in the behavior of “particular people”. Even though individuals are unique, society shapes lives of people in various categories (ie, adults, children, the elderly, rich, poor) differently.

Front 3

What did Berger mean by describing sociology as "seeing the strange in the familiar"?

Back 3

He is alluding to the fact that the sociological perspective reveals to us the perhaps initially odd idea that society shapes what we think and do. It is “strange” to us because we live in an individualistic society.

Front 4

Sociologists emphasize the power of society over the individual. This power is illustrated on pages 3 and 7. Based on these please explain "power of society".

Back 4

Page 3 ex is child-bearing which seems to be a highly personal decision. However, the map shows otherwise. Depending on where we live tends to dictate how many children we decide to have. More interestingly, poorer countries tend to have higher birth rates which is mostly due to education, economics and health-care.

Front 5

In his study of suicide, Durkheim examined how personal behavior is affected by social forces. Please explain.

Back 5

*social integration: categories of people with strong social ties had low suicide rates, and more individualistic people had a high suicide rate.

Front 6

C. Wright Mills claimed that times of social crisis spark sociological thinking (pages 4,6). Why, and do you agree?

Back 6

Periods of change/crisis can make people feel off-balance and encourage people to use the sociological perspective. C Wright Mills applied this to the Great Depression of the 1930’s when the unemployment rate was over 25%...not something wrong with “me” (the individual) BUT there is something wrong with the economy and there are no jobs. This manner of thinking, says Mills, helps people understand society and how it affects their lives.

Front 7

Do you agree that a global perspective is important? Why or why not?

Back 7

If our place in society shapes our life experience, then it is logical that our society in the larger world system affects everyone in the US.

High Income countries – Middle Income Countries – Low Income Countries

-Where we live shapes the lives we lead
-Societies throughout the world are increasingly inter-connected
-Many social problems that we face here in the US are magnified elsewhere
-Thinking globally helps us learn more about ourselves

Front 8

Macionis claims (on page 7) that there are FOUR personal benefits of sociology - what are they? And do you agree?

Back 8

1) Helps us assess the truth of “common sense”. ie/ encourages us to examine whether common beliefs are really true and why they are so widely held.
2) Helps us to see the opportunities and constraints within our lives.
3) Empowers us to be active participants in our society
4) Helps us live in a diverse world

Front 9

Explain the THREE great social changes in Europe that caused the rise of sociology.

Back 9

1) RISE of INDUSTRIAL ECONOMY: end of 18th century came use of new energy sources such as steam and, thus, operation of heavier machinery in mills and factories. The result was a change in social structure from individuals laboring at home on farms to large groups of workers becoming an anonymous workforce controlled by a set of strangers who owned factories.

2) GROWTH IN CITIES: *enclosure movement forced more tenant farmers to move to cities for employment. These urban migrants encountered many social problems such as homelessness, crime and pollution – they faced a new, impersonal world.

3) POLITICAL CHANGE: these changes (above) also brought about a shift in thinking focused on personal liberty and individual rights. Moral duty to God and king became much less important.

Front 10

Express how the current surge in community college enrollments reflects both personal and big changes in the economy.

Back 10

Fewer jobs is a reflection of the problem with the economy. Fewer jobs means individuals are feeling the pressure to better themselves and hope that education and/career change will help them obtain a job.

Front 11

Note how 2 sociologists, Auguste Comte and Karl Marx, viewed changes so differently.

Back 11

Auguste Comte: French thinker who coined the term “sociology” in 1838. He viewed sociology as the product of 3 stages: 1) theological stage which was beginning of human history through the European Middle Ages when people in general took the religious view that society expressed God’s will. 2) metaphysical stage which was during the Renaissance (15th century) during which people began to believe that society was a state of nature versus a supernatural phenomenon. 3) scientific stage which started during the Renaisance with scientists such as Copernicus and Galileo and signified the start of applying scientific approaches to study society. The scientific approach of Comte is also known as positivism because a scientific approach is based on “positive facts” and not speculation. He believed that society had laws, much like the physical world.
Karl Marx: 19th Cent. German philosopher, sociologist, author of the famous Communist Manifesto. Focused on the inequalities of the industrialized society and wanted sociology to lead to changes for greater social justice not just an understanding of society.

Front 12

Note the essential points of the structural-functional approach.

Back 12

is the framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability. Sociologists associated with this approach include August Comte, Emile Durkheim and Herbert Spencer. They identify various structures of society and determine their functions.

US sociologist Robert Merton expanded on this by observing that the differences between manifest functions and latent functions. Manifest functions are the recognized and intended consequences of a social pattern. Latent functions are the unrecognized and unintended consequences of a social pattern.

However, critics say that the structural-functional approach does not factor inequalities of class, gender, race, etc which are causes of tension and conflict.

Front 13

What are the main points of social conflict theory?

Back 13

Is a framework which views society as an arena of inequality which generates conflict and change by examining how factors such as class, race, etc are tied to inequality in regards to money, power, education and social standing. Ie/ social patterns benefit some and hurt others. (Karl Marx, poor vs rich)

Front 14

What are the main point of gender-conflict theory?

Back 14

Focuses on inequality between men and women. Linked to feminism. Points out how men are placed in positions of power over women – at home, at work, in the mass media.

Harriet Martineau (19th Cent) was the first female sociologist. She translated the works of Auguste Comte from French into English.

Jane Adamms (late 19th-20th Cent) was a woman sociologist who helped establish Hull House in Chicago for immigrant families.

Front 15

What are the main points of race-conflict sub-theories?

Back 15

Focuses on racial inequalities and conflict. Position of white people over other races.

Ida Wells Barnett (19th-early20th Cent) born to slave parents she became a teacher and later a journalist and newspaper publisher. Fought lynching especially.

W.E.B. DuBois (1868-1968). First black person to earn a doctorate at Harvard. Founded the Atlanta Sociological Laboratory. Believe that sociologists should not only learn but try to solve the problems. Help found NAACP. Focused on education inequality, the right to vote and lynching.

However, race-conflict approach fails to address shared values and interdependence. Also cannot truly claim any scientific objectivity because they believe all theoretical approaches have political consequences.

Front 16

What is the symbolic interaction approach?

Back 16

Is a framework for building theory that sees society as the product of the everyday interactions of individuals. Ex: society is nothing more than the reality that people construct for themselves as they interact with one another.
Macro-level vs micro level

Max Weber (late 19th cent) german sociologist emphasized understanding a particular setting from the point of view of the people in it. Transcendentalism movement ???

Front 17

Note the contributions of W.E.B. DuBois, famed conflict theorist.

Back 17

W.E.B. DuBois (1868-1968). First black person to earn a doctorate at Harvard. Founded the Atlanta Sociological Laboratory. Believed that sociologists should not only learn but try to solve the problems. Help found NAACP. Focused on education inequality, the right to vote and lynching. Wrote The Philadelphia Negro: A Social Study.

Front 18

Some say that sociology is just a lot of common sense…what do the author’s (Mancionis) 3 examples of common sense indicate?

Back 18

1) Differences in behavior of females and males are just “human nature”.

2) The US is a middle-class society in which most people are more or less equal.

3) People marry because they are in love.

Front 19

Sports can be viewed from each of the 3 theories. Please explain.

Back 19

book

Front 20

Does a correlation between 2 variables prove a cause and effect relationship?

Back 20

book

Front 21

What is a spurious correlation?

Back 21

Is when 2 variables change together but neither causes the other.
Example: Prof Mohls talked about ice cream and drowning

Front 22

Scientific sociology aims for objectivity…what did Max Weber mean by “value free” research? Is it possible?

Back 22

Weber noted that people typically choose value-relevant research topics, ie/ topics that they care about. But he cautioned researches need to be value-free as they conduct their research, ie/ must be dedicated to the truth as opposed to what we think it should be. The distinction between science of sociology and politics.
Although Weber’s argument is important it is difficult to be truly value-free because most sociologists are white, educated, liberal individuals.

Front 23

(Research) What are concepts, variable and measurements?

Back 23

-Concepts are mental constructs that represent some aspect of the world in a simplified form (example: the family, social-class, gender)

-Variables are concepts whose variables change from case to case
(example: height, lower class/middle class)

-Measurements are the procedures for determining the value of a variable in a specific case
(example: gage someone’s social class by the way they dress or speak or education)

Front 24

What does it mean to “operationalize a variable”?

Back 24

Because there are many ways in which one can measure a variable (such as social class) researchers must decide exactly they are measuring a variable.

Front 25

A very brief overview on how sociologists might utilize descriptive statistics:

Back 25

When dealing with large numbers of people sociologists use “descriptive statistics” to state what is “average” for a large population.

-The mean refers the arthimatic average of all measures, meaning one divides the total value sum by the number of cases

-The median refers to the score/number at the halfway point in a list of numbers lowest to highest

-The mode refers to the number which appears the most

Front 26

(Research) Reliability and Validity:

Back 26

In order for research measurements to be useful they must be reliable and valid.

-Reliability refers to the consistency in measurement, meaning that a measurement is reliable if repeated measurements give the same results time after time.

-Validity refers to the actual measuring of exactly what you intend to measure, meaning that be exact.

*consistency does not guarantee validity

Front 27

(Research) Correlation and Cause:

Back 27

Correlation means a relationship in which 2 (or more) variables together.

Cause and Effect is a relationship in which change in one variable causes change in another. Helps prediction.

The “independent variable” is the CAUSE and the “dependent variable” is the EFFECT.

*example: Emile Durkheim’s suicide study showed that degree of social integration (the cause/independent variable) affected the suicide rate (the effect/dependent variable).

Front 28

Concepts related to Gender and Research:

Back 28

-Androcentricity means approaching an issue from a male perspective
-Gynocentricity means approaching an issue from a female perspective
-Overgeneralizing
-Gender blindness means failing to consider gender at all
-Double standards means researches must be careful not to judge men and women differently
-Interference means the subject reacts to the gender of the researcher

Front 29

Research Ethics:

Back 29

American Sociological Association has established guidelines for conducting research.

Must make sure that subjects are not harmed

Must obtain informed consent from subjects

IRB – Institutional Review Board at colleges and uni’s

Front 30

What is an experiment? A very famous sociological experiment was Zimbardo’s prison study. Briefly note its method and findings.

Back 30

Zimbardo suspected that prisons themselves caused violent behavior. He devised an experiment:

prison setting was the independent variable

violence was the dependent variable

in the Stanford County Prison experiment there were 2 groups of healthy normal volunteers divided into 2 groups - prisoners and guards. The 2 groups became very hostile toward one another and the experiment was called off within the first week.

Front 31

(Types of research - Survey Research): Describe the procedure for survey research. Distinguish between survey population and sample. What precautions must be taken to assure accurate survey.

Back 31

A survey is a research method in which subjects respond to a series of statements or questions (interview or questionnaire). This is the most widely used of all research methods and is well suited to study things that cannot be observed directly (such as political attitudes and religious beliefs).

Front 32

(Types of research - Participant Observation) How is a participant observation study conducted? Note Whyte’s "Street Corner Society" study?

Back 32

Participant observation is a research method in which investigators systematically observe people while joining them in their routine activities. It allows researchers to study everyday social life in a natural setting. (Cultural anthropologists use participant observation to study other societies – this method is also called fieldwork). Participant observation is typically exploratory and descriptive (without a specific hypothesis in mind). Critics of this type of research noted that the personal impressions of a single researcher play a central role and therefore falls short of scientific standards.

Summary of Whyte’s “Street Corner Society”: Student at Harvard (early 1900’s) wanted to study life in rundown section of Boston. It was very difficult for people in this area to accept him, an outsider, so he befriended a local named “Doc” who became his “key informant” and introduced him to other within the community. However, being aided by a key informant has its disadvantages because they will have “their own take” or “spin”. Whyte learned that a field researcher has to know when to talk and when to keep quiet.

Front 33

(Types of research methods - Use of Existing Sources) Sociologists rely on existing sources. Explain how Baltzell used old sources in his study of Quaker Philadelphia and Puritan Boston.

Back 33

Not all research requires collecting new data – research can be done utilizing existing data. The data used the most by researchers is actually gathered by the US Census Bureau (other sources include The World Bank and United Nations). Using this available information saves both money and time.
In the late 1970’s Baltzell wondered why a small New England college graduated more people than his much larger U Penn alma matter. Soon he decided to research famous people from New England versus famous people from Pennsylvania using the “Dictionary of American Biography”. He discovered that Massachusetts had the most famous people (in politics, law and the arts) and wondered why so many compared to PA. What could possibly explain the pattern? He argued that it was differing religious beliefs that were the underlying reason – Boston was Puritan (pursuit of excellence and public achievement) and Philadelphia was Quaker (believed in equality and avoided public recognition). Baltzell's method used scientific logic but also illustrated interpretive approach.