SOC 101 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: George Herbert Mead, Talcott Parsons, Erving Goffman
22 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Introduction to Sociology
Midterm Review Sheet
Agency
The capacity of individuals to
act independently and to make
their own free choices.
Anomie
A situation in which society no
longer has the support of a firm
collective consciousness.
Applied Sociology
The utilization of sociological
theory, methods, and skills to
collect and analyze data and to
communicate the findings to
understand and resolve
pragmatic problems of clients.
Clinical Sociology
An applied practice that
focuses on health intervention,
such as working with medical
practitioners, community
health services, social policy
and public health campaigns.
Conflict Perspective/Conflict Theory
Macrosocial perspective.
Society is a struggle for limited
resources and power. People
are shaped by power, coercion,
and authority. Social order
maintained through force and
coercion. Karl Marx – historic
materialism, bourgeoise vs.
proletariat. W.E.B. DuBois –
double consciousness, power
connected to race. Wells-
Barnett – racial and gendered
systems of oppression.
Structural Functionalist Perspective
Macrosocial perspective.
Society is stable & well
integrated. People are
socialized to perform societal
functions. Social order
maintained through
cooperation and consensus.
Emile Durkheim - suicide,
anomie, social facts. Herbert
Spencer – society as a social
organism. Talcott Parsons –
social roles.
Critical Feminist Perspective/Theory
Macro and micro social
perspective. Society can only
be understood in the context of
social location and social
standpoint. People are shaped
by the interrelation between
knowledge and power. Social
order maintained by
perpetuating dominant
standpoints. Dorothy Smith –
feminist standpoint. Patricia
Hill Collins – combine analysis
of race, gender, and class.
Globalization
The integration of international
trade and finance markers.
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
Microsocial perspective.
Society is actively influenced
and shaped by the everyday
interactions of individuals and
groups. People manipulate
symbols and create their social
worlds through interaction.
Social order maintained by
shared understanding and
behavior. George Herbert Mead
– Significant other, generalized
other. Charles Goffman –
looking glass self. Erving
Goffman – dramaturgy, stigma.
Macrosociology
Sociological investigation that
concentrates on large-scale
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phenomena or entire
civilizations.
Microsociology
Sociological investigation that
stresses the study of small
groups and the analysis of our
everyday experiences and
interactions.
Natural Science
Any of the sciences that deal
with matter, energy, and their
interrelations and
transformations or with
objectively measurable
phenomena.
Personal Sociology
Sociological imagination.
Private Troubles
Personal biography.
Public Issues
Public social structure.
Science
the intellectual and practical
activity encompassing the
systematic study of the
structure and behavior of the
physical and natural world
through observation and
experiment.
Social Inequality
The existence of unequal
opportunities and rewards for
different social positions or
statuses within a group or
society.
Social Science
The study of human society
and of individual relationships
in and to society.
Sociological Imagination
The ability to understand how
your own past relates to that of
other people, as well as to
history in general and societal
structures in particular.
C. Wright Mills
A pioneer sociologist. The
sociological imagination.
Sociology
The systematic study of society
and social interaction. OR – The
study of external dynamics on
human behavior.
Theory
A set of tested statements that
seek to explain problems,
actions, or behavior.
Causal Logic
Relationship between
variables exists such that
change in one leads to change
in the other
Code of Ethics
A set of guidelines that the
American Sociological
Association has established to
foster ethical research and
professionally responsible
scholarship in society.
Content Analysis
Applying a systematic
approach to record and value
information gleaned from
secondary data as it relates to
the study at hand.
Control Group
Subjects in experiment who are
not introduced to independent
variable by researcher.
Control Variable
Factor held constant to test the
relative impact of an
independent variable.
Correlation
When a change in one variable
coincides with a change in
another variable, but does not
necessarily indicate causation.
Dependent Variables
A variable changed by other
variables.
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Ethnography
Observing a complete social
setting and all that it entails.
Experiment
The testing of a hypothesis
under controlled conditions.
Experimental Group
Subjects in experiment who are
exposed to an independent
variable introduced by a
researcher.
Hawthorne Effect
When study subjects behave in
a certain manner due to their
awareness of being observed
by a researcher.
Hypothesis
A testable educated guess
about predicted outcomes
between two or more variables.
Independent Variables
Variables that cause changes in
dependent variables.
Interview
A one-on-one conversation
between the researcher and
the subject.
Mean
Calculated by adding
series of values and dividing
by number of values.
Median
Midpoint, number that
divides series of values into
two groups of equal values.
Mode
Most common value in series.
Observation
Research technique in which
investigator collects
information through direct
participation and/or by closely
watching a group or
community.
Operational Definitions
Specific explanations of
abstract concepts that a
researcher plans to study.
Qualitative Research
Relies on what is seen in field
or naturalistic settings more
than on statistical data.
Quantitative Research
Collects and reports data
primarily in numerical form.
Questionnaire
Printed, written, or
computerized form used to
obtain information from a
respondent.
Random Sample
A study’s participants being
randomly selected to serve as a
representation of a larger
population.
Reliability
A measure of a study’s
consistency that considers how
likely results are to be
replicated if a study is
reproduced.
Research Design
Detailed plan or method
for obtaining data scientifically.
Samples
Small, manageable number of
subjects that represent the
population.
Scientific Method
An established scholarly
research method that involves
asking a question, researching
existing sources, forming a
hypothesis, designing and
conducting a study, and
drawing conclusions.
Secondary Analysis
Variety of research techniques
that make use of previously
collected and publicly
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Document Summary
The capacity of individuals to act independently and to make their own free choices. A situation in which society no longer has the support of a firm collective consciousness. The utilization of sociological theory, methods, and skills to collect and analyze data and to communicate the findings to understand and resolve pragmatic problems of clients. An applied practice that focuses on health intervention, such as working with medical practitioners, community health services, social policy and public health campaigns. Society is a struggle for limited resources and power. People are shaped by power, coercion, and authority. Barnett racial and gendered double consciousness, power connected to race. Society can only be understood in the context of social location and social standpoint. People are shaped by the interrelation between knowledge and power. The integration of international trade and finance markers. Society is actively influenced and shaped by the everyday interactions of individuals and groups.
