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45 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
3 methodological orientations
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scientific, interpretive,critical
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critical
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Society is a pattern of inequality; our job to figure out which categories dominate others
Research is used to understand and bring about social change- trying to figure out how to solve it.. Researcher takes the role of an activist Takes a Conflict approach |
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scientific
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Society resembles a hard science; there is an objective reality
Researchers gather quantitative data to understand the underlying social “system” Researchers are neutral- because trying to make this a real science. Takes a Structural-Functional Approach- we’re pretty much at mercy of the society |
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interpretive
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Society is an on going interaction, reality is constructed as meanings are agreed upon
Qualitative date are the only way to collect information- only time society exists is when 2 or more interact.- have to listen to what people are saying and analyze Researchers must participate in order to understand- Takes a symbolic interaction approach |
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objectivity
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Personal neutrality- what you actually feel about it doesn’t matter. Only thing that matters is the numbers mean, and how you go about it. Research will always be the same, and always have the same results.
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value full
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Sociologists are human- impossible to make everything objective from.
All humans have a value that we are incapable of divorcing ourselves from Humans as a subject are value creatures and therefore we must deal with it their values at all times |
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value free
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Sociologist should be as objective as psychics, biology, astronomy- even if you don’t care about something you better still do it correctly.
Weber – Originator of value free sociology Value relevant – We choose topics that are important to us; after that initial value it needs to be objective as possibe. |
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how to collect data
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Surveys
Systematic method of collecting self-reported data Can be in-person/phone Administered or self-administered Mail-in surveys Examples: ACL, Census, NSFH Secondary Analysis Most common, most boring Utilizing data sets collected by others and often for other purposes The preferred method in Sociology as its cheaper and can be done with some speed Examples: Informal caregiving and Russian Marriage Study Documents Analyzing cultural artifacts to gain systematic knowledge Often will happen when researching a past time period Usually an Anthropological method; not used too often in Sociology Examples – The portrayal of Wonder Woman as a cultural figure over the last 50 years Experiments Observation of subjects in a controlled environment Rarely used in Sociology Humans are social actors and their actions may change in a non-social environment Examples – Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment, Milgram Experiment Overt V. Covert Overt – Making it clear that you are a researcher and that you are studying them Covert – Hiding the fact that a study is being done Structured V. Unstructured Structured – Seeking and recording only specific events Unstructured – Recording all the different events and gaining a wide picture of the culture Good for exploratory studies |
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participant observation
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Participant Observation
Taking part in the act in which you want to study Direct V. Indirect Direct Observation – Watch the social phenomenon first hand Indirect Observation – Observing evidence that the social phenomenon has occurred before your arrival Participant V. Non-Participant Participant – Partaking in the social phenomenon (Rare in deviance research) Non-Participant – “Sitting on the sidelines” (More common in deviance research but not without ethical difficulties) |
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3 probs with observational studies
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Subject Reactivity
Heisenberg uncertainty principal- If people know they are being watched do they act in normal everyday ways? Going Native What happens when the researcher begins to identify with the group they are observing Particularly bad for deviance research Remember differential association theory? What does this theoretical stance think this might happen? Sampling Issues We can only observe a very small amount of people Does this allow us to derive a real picture of the culture as a whole or does it really push us into more psychological issues? |
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kinseys approach to question asking
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Don’t ask if, ask how many
Example: Good question – How many times have you had a homosexual relationship? Normal Question – Have you ever had a homosexual relationship? This normalizes the behavior and makes the respondent feel more at ease |
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Humphryes
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Attended Washington University in Saint Louis and wrote a dissertation involving the tearoom trade
Moral outrage ensues over the subject matter Barred from being hired from many universities for his contentious nature Eventually hired at Southern Illinois University and led an anti-way protest which resulted in a year in prison Criticized by the gay community for hiding behind a wife and children Dedicated his first book to his wife and children Later divorced his wife and moved in with his protégé, Brian Miller Dropped sociology and became a counselor Won numerous awards for research despite the contentious nature of his work |
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watchqueen
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Watchqueen – A lookout who warns those in the bathroom if a policeman or a non-participant is approaching
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GENDER-androcentricity
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acting as if only the actions of men are important; ignoring what women do
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gender- over-generalizing
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collecting data on a single gender and then generalizing on the entire community. We collect data on men, but assume women will act the same way as men.
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gender- gender blindness
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failing to consider gender at all
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gender- double standards
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researchers must be careful not to judge men and women differently
“man and wife”- implies that the marital status of wife is more important than gender status of women but being a man is more important than being a husband. |
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gender- interference
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the gender of the interviewer should not be a point of contention with the respondent
It is not socially acceptable for female interviewers to have pri ate conversations with single men in some societies. In some societies female interviewers will be treated as a female first and a researcher second Respondents will give different answers to questions based on the interviewer’s sex. |
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Moral entrepreneaur
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A person or group who wishes to redefine a personal fear or prejudice as normative function
So what mechanism do these people use to change their community? |
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Moral entreprise
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A directed effort to redefine and apply definitions of deviance to certain individuals and acts
Rules are created and redefined in a moral enterprise |
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theoretical stances- social constructivist
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C:
Deviance does not live in a single individual, place, or institution Deviance only exists in the interaction of people Social Constructivist sounds exactly like which of our other theoretical perspectives? |
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theoretical stances- social power
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C:
Differs from Social Constructivist in that it makes entire groups of people deviant, not just individual acts Still relies upon the motivation of individuals to spearhead the deviance movement but becomes structural Sounds mysteriously like which of our other theoretical perspectives? |
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2 steps to changing the normatice order of a society
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Generate awareness
Bring about a moral conversion Both steps must be accomplished for there to be a public reaction, good or bad, to the moral enterprise Doing one step without the other is not effective or impossible |
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If a moral enterprise becomes widely accepted by the community then its cause enters the normative order of the culture
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Can be a folkway, more , or law
It is no longer a moral enterprise, it is simply moral A new problem arises when a new norm is formed…who makes sure this norm is enforced and followed? |
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inherent contradiction in enforcing the rules
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The rule enforcers must demonstrate they are still needed; the problem still exists
They must also demonstrate that they are effective in ridding the society of their need Self-preservation negates the purpose of their job |
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rule enforcers
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Individuals and groups with the new responsibility of enforcing the new norms
Do not need to be part of the original movement Do not even need to support the new norm Must adhere to duty to protect the normative order of society As they have no moral interest in a rule they often develop their own order of importance when enforcing the law Rule enforcers will often compromise with the rule breaker to make the rules easier to enforce |
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Moral panics
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An intense, widespread, explosively upsurging feeling on the part of the public that something is terribly wrong in their society because of the moral failure of a specific group of individuals, a subpopulation that has been defined as an enemy”
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scapegoating
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Attributing other non-related social ills to this group of people or to the action
Gives greater explanatory power and thus more reason to rally behind the movement The most important step |
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Routinization of Caricature
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“recrafting worst cases into typical cases and the episodic into the epidemic”
There must be some type of mechanism that makes the kernel of truth much bigger than it is, media most effective at this |
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2 says in which reform can happen
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assimilative reform- education, lift the deviang groups and the neutral paties to your "enlightened" social plane, implies the deviang groups wish or are capable of changing
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visibility
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those who commit overt actso f deviance are easier to find and label
The homeless have no closed doors to be deviant behind The nature of the deviant acts the poor commit require them to be in more contact with others Easier to turn a visible phenomenon into deviance |
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demeanor
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those who make their deviant acts part of their master status are more likely to be rallied against
If those who are deviant are not remorseful then we have no choice but to react negatively to them Are they forced into this master status? Label before deviance or deviance before label? |
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bias
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Through prejudice, racism, ageism… groups will be sought and deviantzed through no fault of their own
10.2% African-American vs. 2.7% Whites who are arrested become institutionalized From 1890-1969: 1551 cases of White Collar "incidents." 45% tried as criminal cases, 35 convictions, 2% of convictions institutionalized for an average length of 6 months. |
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differential social power- groups becoming deviant
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The ruling class is capable of passing laws to protect themselves
Those who are closer to the center of the ruling class have the most power to deviantize a group Minority or ethnic racial status, feminine gender, lower social class, youthful age, and homosexual orientation demonstrate this |
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social control systems- social control
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The USA has eight or ten parallel systems of social control
Most of these controls are in the private sector or only loosely connected to the state Gives the appearance of individualism and agency |
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discrimination
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to make a difference in treatment or favor on a basis other than individual merit
Usually happens leads to one group gaining an advantage in real world settings |
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civil justice system
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private parties sue eachother
also have some sanctions, but no jail also if c.j. system fails |
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administrative justice system
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15 million businesses
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medical control system
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which uses chemicals and psychology to control mostly children and women but also those behaviors labeled as 'perversion:' gambling, homosexuality, drug use and alcoholism.
less power in US than anywhere else |
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private security system
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made up of security guards, private courts, private prisons and private detectives. It is larger than the CJS and is growing faster.
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social welfare system
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monitors the behavior of some 15 million people, mostly poor women and their children. It enforces middle class values of house-keeping, shopping, child care, and sexual behavior. Additionally is designed to keep people on its roles.
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peer review
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which monitors the crimes/derelicts of professors, lawyers, doctors, brokers and such. It is user friendly.
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religious control system
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rather small now, it superintends about 10-15 million people who come before their priest/minister, confess their sins, and accept penance and punishment.
continue to get smaller and smaller because of religious system, chatholic |
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prejudice
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preconceived judgment or opinion
an irrational attitude of hostility directed against an individual, a group, a race, or their supposed characteristics |
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racism
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a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race
Institutional Racism – Barriers placed in the system that preclude certain races from attaining Examples – Redlining, Affirmative Action(?) |