Study Guide
Sociology
The systematic study of social behavior in human groups.
Examines the influence of social relationships on people’s attitudes and
behavior.
Studies how societies are established and change.
Sociological
Perspective
Looking beyond commonly held
beliefs to the hidden meanings behind human action. A point of view o the way you interpret the meaning of an image or
event.
Your perspective comes from your beliefs and values and it influences
how you see things (perception)
Current Perspectives
Functionalism - society as an integrated whole
Parts of society (e.g. family, economy,
religion) contributes to the whole.
If one part breaks down, the other parts are
affected.
Example - Functionalist may blame
an increase in teen crime to a breakdown in the family.
dysfunction is an element or a process of society that may actually disrupt a
social system or lead to a decrease in stability.
Conflict Perspective -
looks at class, race, & gender issues
Conflict, competition, change, & constraint.
Disagreement between different groups in
society.
Each want to promote their values &
interests.
Struggle - those groups with the power control
others
Example - Race & Gender Issues
Symbolic Interaction - examines
how group members have shared symbols.
Focuses on the
interaction between people.
We learn the meaning of symbols from how we
see others reacting to the symbol.
We then base our
behavior on the symbols.
We use the meaning of symbols to imagine how
others will respond to our behavior.
Example - Burping after a meal is considered
rude in the US but in other countries it is a compliment to the cook.
In the US, we stand & face the flag during
the national anthem
Sociological
Imagination
An awareness
of the relationship between an individual and the wider society.
It is the
ability to view our own society as an outsider might, rather than from the
perspective of our limited experiences and cultural biases.
Troubles - personal challenges
Issues - Larger social challenges
Social Fact - social processes
rooted in society rather than in the individual
Culture
Is the non-biological or social aspects of
human life, basically anything that is
learned by humans is part of culture.
Culture is the totality of learned, socially transmitted customs, knowledge,
material objects, and behavior.
Culture provides orientation, wards off
chaos, and directs behavior toward
certain lines of action and away from others
Culture includes
stories, beliefs, media, ideas, works of
art, religious practices, fashions, rituals, specialized knowledge, and common
sense
Culture also includes, norms, values,
beliefs, or expressive symbols
Material Culture
- the physical or technological aspects
of our daily lives, including:
--food --houses
--factories --raw materials
Nonmaterial Culture
- refers to ways of using material
objects as well as to:
--customs
--beliefs
--government --patterns of communication
--philosophies
How does Culture
affect ones perspective?
The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis claims that when we learn a language, we also
learn a framework for understanding and interpreting our social reality and
environment.
Define
Social values - are our collective conceptions of what is good,
desirable, and proper–or bad, undesirable, and improper–in a culture
Beliefs - are how we think the universe operates
Norms - are the way people behave in a given society
Norms are established
standards of behavior maintained by a society.
Types of Norms
--Formal norms -
norms written and recorded from which the behavior
of society’s members can be judged
--Informal norms
– unwritten norms but still enforced
--Mores - are deeply held, informal norms that are strictly enforced
--Folkways - a traditional or customary norm governing everyday social behaviors
Culture Shock
Is experienced if one
feels disoriented, uncertain, out of place, or fearful when immersed in an
unfamiliar culture
Cultural Relativism
- views people’s behaviors from the
perspective of their own culture
Cultural universals
All societies have
developed certain common practices and beliefs
Athletic Sports
Cooking
Funeral Ceremonies
Medicine
Sexual Restrictions
Mourning
Sadness
Anger
Sub Culture - is a culture shared and actively participated in by a minority of
people within a broader culture.
Subcultures bring together like-minded
individuals who feel neglected by
societal standards and allow them to develop
a sense of identity
Counter Culture
- is a subculture with the addition that some of its
beliefs,
values, or norms challenge or even
contradict those of the main culture of
which it is part
Culture Change
Diffusion - The process by which a cultural item spreads from group to group or
society to society(exploration, military conquest, missionary work, mass media)
Hockey & baseball,
Christianization
Innovation - The process of introducing a new idea or object to culture. may take
the form of either discovery or invention
Birth control pill,
television
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