Sociology

110 flashcards by MentisLibrary

The core vocabulary of how societies work, from Durkheim, Marx and Weber to Goffman and Bourdieu. Covers socialization, culture, class, race, gender, institutions, deviance and the research methods that test all of it.

What is sociology?
The systematic study of society, social relationships and social institutions
What is the sociological imagination?
The ability to see the link between personal experience and larger social forces
What is the difference between a personal trouble and a public issue?
A trouble affects an individual and their immediate circle; an issue arises from the structure of society
Who coined the term sociology?
Auguste Comte
What is positivism in sociology?
The view that society can be studied through observable, measurable evidence and general laws
What is a social fact?
A way of acting, thinking or feeling that exists outside the individual and exerts control over them
What is anomie?
A state of normlessness in which social rules weaken and no longer guide behaviour
What did Durkheim's study of suicide argue?
That suicide rates vary with the degree of social integration and regulation, making even a deeply personal act socially patterned
What is the difference between mechanical and organic solidarity?
Mechanical solidarity rests on shared beliefs and similar work, organic solidarity on interdependence through specialization
What did Marx mean by class conflict?
That history is driven by struggle between those who own the means of production and those who sell their labour
What is alienation in Marx's sense?
The estrangement of workers from the product of their labour, from the act of work, from others and from their own potential
What is false consciousness?
Holding beliefs that obscure one's real position and interests in the social structure
What is verstehen?
Interpretive understanding: grasping the meaning that actors themselves attach to their behaviour
What was Weber's Protestant ethic thesis?
That certain Protestant beliefs about work, thrift and calling helped create conditions favourable to modern capitalism
What is rationalization in Weber's sense?
The long-term replacement of tradition and emotion by calculation, efficiency and formal rules
What are Weber's three dimensions of stratification?
Class, status and party, meaning economic position, social prestige and organized power
What is double consciousness?
The sense of viewing oneself through the eyes of a society that devalues you, producing a divided self-awareness
Who was Jane Addams?
A founder of American sociology and social work who established Hull House in Chicago
What is structural functionalism?
The view that society is a system of parts, each contributing to stability and the working of the whole
What is a manifest function?
The intended and recognized consequence of a social pattern
What is a latent function?
An unintended and often unrecognized consequence of a social pattern
What is a dysfunction?
A consequence of a social pattern that disrupts or undermines the working of society
What is conflict theory?
The view that society is shaped by competition over scarce resources and by the power of dominant groups
What is symbolic interactionism?
A perspective focused on how people create and interpret meaning through everyday interaction
What is the difference between micro and macro sociology?
Micro sociology studies face-to-face interaction, macro sociology studies large-scale structures and institutions
What is dramaturgy?
The analysis of social life as a theatrical performance in which people manage the impressions others form
What is impression management?
The effort to control how others perceive us
What is stigma in Goffman's sense?
An attribute that deeply discredits a person and reduces them in others' eyes
What is habitus?
Durable dispositions of taste, judgement and bodily manner acquired through one's social position
What is cultural capital?
Non-financial assets such as education, tastes and manners that confer social advantage