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Intro Sociology Terms

Core ideas and thinkers from an introductory sociology course.

100 cardsCollege, Adult#sociology#college

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  • SociologyTerm
    The scientific study of society and social behavior
  • Sociological imaginationTerm
    Seeing how personal troubles connect to larger social forces; C. Wright Mills
  • Auguste ComteTerm
    Coined the word 'sociology'
  • Emile DurkheimTerm
    Studied social facts and suicide; founder of modern sociology
  • Karl MarxTerm
    Focused on class conflict and capitalism
  • Max WeberTerm
    Studied bureaucracy, authority and the Protestant ethic
  • W.E.B. Du BoisTerm
    Pioneer of empirical sociology; wrote The Souls of Black Folk
  • FunctionalismTerm
    Society is a system of parts that work together for stability
  • Conflict theoryTerm
    Society is shaped by struggles over resources and power
  • Symbolic interactionismTerm
    Society is built from everyday interactions and shared meanings
  • Manifest functionTerm
    Intended, recognized effect of a social structure
  • Latent functionTerm
    Unintended, often unrecognized effect
  • DysfunctionTerm
    A harmful effect of a social pattern
  • Social structureTerm
    Patterns of relationships that organize society
  • StatusTerm
    A position in society
  • Ascribed statusTerm
    A status one is born with
  • Achieved statusTerm
    A status earned through effort
  • Master statusTerm
    The status that most shapes a person's identity
  • RoleTerm
    Behavior expected of someone with a status
  • Role conflictTerm
    Tension between roles of different statuses
  • Role strainTerm
    Tension within a single role
  • CultureTerm
    Shared beliefs, values, norms and objects of a group
  • Material cultureTerm
    Physical objects a society creates
  • Nonmaterial cultureTerm
    Ideas, beliefs and values
  • NormTerm
    A rule for expected behavior
  • FolkwayTerm
    A casual norm; violation brings mild disapproval
  • MoresTerm
    Serious norms tied to moral standards
  • TabooTerm
    A strongly forbidden behavior
  • SanctionTerm
    Reward or punishment that enforces norms
  • ValueTerm
    A shared idea of what is good or desirable
  • SubcultureTerm
    A group with distinct norms inside a larger culture
  • CountercultureTerm
    A group that rejects mainstream norms
  • EthnocentrismTerm
    Judging other cultures by one's own standards
  • Cultural relativismTerm
    Understanding a culture on its own terms
  • Culture shockTerm
    Disorientation in an unfamiliar culture
  • Cultural lagTerm
    Society's norms trail behind technology
  • SocializationTerm
    Learning the norms and roles of society
  • Agents of socializationTerm
    Family, school, peers, media and religion
  • Looking-glass selfTerm
    Our self-image forms from how we think others see us; Cooley
  • Generalized otherTerm
    Society's expectations internalized; George Herbert Mead
  • Anticipatory socializationTerm
    Preparing for a future role
  • ResocializationTerm
    Learning new norms, as in an institution
  • Total institutionTerm
    A place that controls all aspects of residents' lives
  • DevianceTerm
    Violating social norms
  • Strain theoryTerm
    Deviance arises when goals cannot be met legitimately; Merton
  • Labeling theoryTerm
    Deviance is a result of being labeled
  • Differential associationTerm
    Deviance is learned from close associates
  • AnomieTerm
    Normlessness when social rules weaken
  • Social controlTerm
    Ways society encourages conformity
  • Social stratificationTerm
    Ranking people in layers by wealth, power or prestige
  • Caste systemTerm
    Rigid stratification based on birth
  • Class systemTerm
    Stratification based on wealth and occupation, with some mobility
  • Social mobilityTerm
    Movement between social classes
  • Intergenerational mobilityTerm
    Change in class position compared with one's parents
  • Socioeconomic statusTerm
    Combined measure of income, education and occupation
  • Cultural capitalTerm
    Knowledge and tastes that help one advance socially; Bourdieu
  • Social capitalTerm
    Benefits from social networks and relationships
  • Poverty lineTerm
    Income level used to define poverty
  • MeritocracyTerm
    System where advancement is based on ability and effort
  • RaceTerm
    A social category based on perceived physical traits
  • EthnicityTerm
    Shared cultural heritage
  • Minority groupTerm
    A group with less power, not necessarily smaller numbers
  • Institutional discriminationTerm
    Unequal treatment built into laws and practices
  • SegregationTerm
    Physical separation of groups
  • GenderTerm
    Social and cultural meanings of masculinity and femininity
  • SexTerm
    Biological category of male or female
  • PatriarchyTerm
    A system in which men hold most power
  • Gender roleTerm
    Behaviors expected of a gender
  • Glass ceilingTerm
    Invisible barrier to advancement
  • FamilyTerm
    A group related by blood, marriage or adoption
  • Nuclear familyTerm
    Parents and their children
  • Extended familyTerm
    Nuclear family plus other relatives
  • MonogamyTerm
    Marriage to one partner at a time
  • EndogamyTerm
    Marrying within one's group
  • ExogamyTerm
    Marrying outside one's group
  • InstitutionTerm
    An established system that meets social needs
  • BureaucracyTerm
    A formal organization with hierarchy and rules
  • McDonaldizationTerm
    Spread of efficiency, predictability and control; Ritzer
  • Primary groupTerm
    Small, close group with personal ties
  • Secondary groupTerm
    Larger, impersonal group organized around a goal
  • In-groupTerm
    A group one belongs to and identifies with
  • Out-groupTerm
    A group one does not belong to
  • Reference groupTerm
    A group used as a standard for self-evaluation
  • Social networkTerm
    A web of social ties
  • GemeinschaftTerm
    Community based on close personal ties
  • GesellschaftTerm
    Society based on impersonal, contractual ties
  • DemographyTerm
    Study of populations
  • UrbanizationTerm
    Growth in the proportion of people living in cities
  • Collective behaviorTerm
    Spontaneous group action
  • Social movementTerm
    Organized effort to promote or resist change
  • GlobalizationTerm
    Increasing interconnection of the world's societies
  • DramaturgyTerm
    Viewing social life as theater; Erving Goffman
  • Impression managementTerm
    Controlling how others see us
  • Social construction of realityTerm
    Meanings of things are created by social interaction
  • Thomas theoremTerm
    If people define situations as real, they are real in consequence
  • Quantitative researchTerm
    Studies using numbers and statistics
  • Qualitative researchTerm
    Studies using interviews and observation
  • Participant observationTerm
    Researcher joins a group to study it
  • SurveyTerm
    Collecting data through questions
  • Correlation versus causationTerm
    Two things related does not mean one causes the other

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