Please add Karl Marx to your list of Founders to Know. (He is covered here, was an omission from the study guide)

Sociology- systematic AND scientific study of human behavior, social groups and society Sociological Imagination- quality of mind that provides an understanding of ourselves within the context of the larger society. Family, Culture, Society, histories. Globalization- Shrinking of the world that has lead to us needing to be more accepting of others, their histories, values and beliefs. Mass Media- Forms of communication that transmit standardized messages to wide audiences. (Newspaper, 24 hour news cycle, books, radio, TV, etc. focus of the media on ratings, instantaneous/live delivery. Critical Thinking- objectively assessing ideas, statements, and information. Not just looking at the problem but looking deeper than surface level or “popular beliefs” about an issue DEFINE…

Sociological Thinking- involves asking questions, questioning answers and taking a close look at the social world. Not in a never ending cycle of questions but instead asking if this makes sense and is observed in society. Allows us to take a look and see that below the surface level, things are not necessarily as they seem to us. Social Statics- From Comte. focuses on elements that are stable in society and keep things from changing. Government, Family (Family base of social order) Lead to the development of the functionalist perspective with social dynamics. Social Dynamics- From Comte. focuses on elements that drive change in society. Lead to the development of the functionalist perspective with social statistics.

Positivism- From Comte. use of observation, comparison, experimentation, and historical methods to analyze society. Social Darwinism- From Spencer, thought that society’s best and the best traits of society would survive and those best at adapting to change. Verstehen- Understanding from Weber. the empathetic understanding frame of mind for looking at others’ thoughts. Bourgeoisie- From Marx; the owners of the means of production, those that profited off of the labor of the proletariat. Proletariat- From Marx; Laborers who did the work that the Bourgeoisie profited off of. Did not own the means of production. Were not “unfit” but were destined to overthrow the capitalist bourgeoisie.

Social Conflict and Competition- Marx. Marks all societies Symbolic Interactionist- Sociological perspective that views social meaning as arising through the process of social interaction. Structural Functionalism- Sociological perspective that attempts to understand society as a system of interdependent parts (Comte, Spencer, Durkheim) Conflict- Sociological perspective that says that societies are best understood in terms of domination and exploitation.(Marx)

Auguste Comte- Gave Sociology its name. His mentor was Saint-Simon. He is most closely aligned with Positivism, Social Statistics, Social Dynamics and the Functionalist Perspective. Society progresses from a religious stage into a metaphysical stage and then scientific. In metaphysical and religious stages it is more abstract thinking and philosophy based. Saint-Simon- Mentor of Comte. He helped to shape Comte’s ideas. Herbert Spencer- Believed we needed a strong society, no welfare, no governmental interference. Best, brightest, and strongest would help to build a stronger society. Social Darwinism. Thought of society as an organism. Emilie Durkheim- First to use science to study society. Stressed importance of social facts and the use of systematic observation. Did not want to focus on people’s attitudes when explaining how society functioned. ONLY WHAT WE CAN OBSERVE. IDENTIFY….

Max Weber- Argued that sociologists must consider people’s interpretation of events not just the observable parts of the events themselves. Believed an individual’s behavior cannot exist apart from their interpretations of their own behaviors. Thought that sociologists must look into people’s thoughts, feelings, and perceptions of their own behavior. Verstehen. Georg Simmel- Neo-Kantian Approach, laid the foundations for Antipositivism. Karl Marx- Disagreed with Spencer and societal harmony and stability. Observed the exploitation of the poor by the rich and powerful. Did not see that as harmony. Argued the “society as an organism” (Spencer) was false!

Age, race, sex, gender, social class all affect how people interact Society changes and we can study these changes through careful and systematic observation (scientific observation and scientific method) People are influenced by their histories and their education in how they react and respond to situations and how they treat people. WHAT ARE THE MAIN IDEAS OF SOCIOLOGY?

It can be studied through careful and systematic observation by using scientific observation and the scientific method HOW CAN WE STUDY SOCIOLOGY?

Patterns of human behavior Look at issues that are problems for individuals but more so how those problems as a whole affects society or the entire population. Examples include alcoholism, drug use, deviant behavior such as armed robbery, etc. WHAT ARE SOME THINGS THAT SOCIOLOGISTS STUDY?

Symbolic Interactionist- Sociological perspective that views social meaning as arising through the process of social interaction. Structural Functionalism- Sociological perspective that attempts to understand society as a system of interdependent parts (Comte, Spencer, Durkheim) Conflict- Sociological perspective that says that societies are best understood in terms of domination and exploitation.(Marx) WHAT ARE THE THREE PERSPECTIVES OF SOCIOLOGY?

Quantitative Design: uses numbers and statistics to understand events and behavior. Qualitative Design: uses more direct modes of observation that focus on the meanings that people give to their actions Examples of qualitative design are: Ethnographic interviews, participant observation, and case studies. WHAT ARE THE TWO TYPES OF RESEARCH DESIGN WE DISCUSSED?

Our own personal histories, culture, age, sex, race, gender, globalization, technology, mass and social media, 24 hour news cycle, etc. WHAT IMPACTS OUR VIEW OF THE WORLD?

Globalization and Urbanization in the 18 th century. WHAT EVENT(S) LEAD TO THE RISE OF SOCIOLOGY?

Economists, those that studied society before sociology but thought that there were natural processes and explanations for what was taking place and that the development was from. WHO THOUGHT THAT SOCIETY DEVELOPED BY “NATURAL” LAWS BEFORE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF SOCIOLOGY?

Concerned with economic development of society through stages Concerned with the change in economic organization from agriculture to capitalist industry Concerned with the growth of cities and the differences between traditional, rural and modern urban life. Concerned with the psychological effects of all these changes on the individual WHAT DID ALL OF THE FOUNDERS HAVE IN COMMON/AGREE UPON?

Media, Social, Print, Technology Etc. Globalization. We are more interconnected and closer to one another both virtually and physically than ever before. WHAT HAS SHRUNK THE WORLD AND SHAPES EVERYTHING THAT WE DO?