Midterm 1

Question 1

What does sociology as a discipline try to understand?

Answer 1

Sociology is a discipline that tries to understand why our social world is the way it is

Question 2

What are the origins of sociology?

Answer 2

-Sociology was the first discipline within the social sciences
August Comte: French philosopher of science coined the term in 1838

Question 3

Who are the founding sociologists?

Answer 3

Emile Durkheim: French sociologist who founded the first sociology department at the University of Bordeaux in 1895
Along with Karl Marx and Max Weber, considered one of the three main founding figures of sociology

Question 4

What propagated sociology as a discipline?

Answer 4

The Scientific Revolution and major social changes going on in the 19th century pushed people to try to understand what was going on
eg. State building, industrialisation, rise of nationalism, urbanizatisation, democratisation

Question 5

Define sociology

Answer 5

“The social science that studies the development, structure, and functioning of human society”

Question 6

Define the two main components of sociology

Answer 6

Society: “A distinct group of humans with mutual interests and shared institutions and culture”
Usually used to designate country-level groups
Problems:
Disagreement about groupness
Boundaries between societies are very blurry
Most sociologists avoid using the term and use instead societal relations

Science: System of acquiring knowledge through empirical observation and experimentation
Scientific Method: Four main components
(1) Question: Why is X the way it is?
(2) Observation: collect information using senses
(3) Analysis: use our intellect to interpret data
(4) Testing: apply initial findings to additional situations to see if it holds

Question 7

What makes sociology different from the other social sciences?

Answer 7

Breadth (takes on broad view and analyzes all types of social relations

Focus ( focuses more on relationship between individuals and social structures -> patterns of social relations)

Question 8

How does the Tim Hortons example presented in the book use the scientific method?

Answer 8

Question: Who buys Tim Horton’s at the drive thru?
Observation: Watch people who go through drive thru
Analysis: Analyse data on the characteristics of the people
Testing: See if people using the drive thru have the same characteristics elsewhere, interview people to ask them why they use the drive thru

Question 9

What are three scientific assumptions?

Answer 9

(1) We live in an external, objective world (not a dream)
(2) It is possible to gather accurate information about this world (w/ our sense)
(3) There is order and regularity in the world (not random, there are causes)

Question 10

What do most sociologists have as a goal?

Answer 10

Since sociology is not like most science, sociologists aim to come up with a better understanding of our social world (not laws - no controlled environment and no generalized rules)

Question 11

What does Steckley and Letts say about definitions of sociology?

Answer 11

that definitions of sociology aren’t as valuable as knowing what sociology does
Instead they say sociology analyzes patters of social relations

Question 12

What would be an example of analyzed social patterns?

Answer 12

Types of people who are opposed gay marriage : Elderly, Anglophones, men, fundamentalists

e.g. used in class of education levels of KKK members in 1920’s

Question 13

What is the the unifying element of sociological perspectives?

Answer 13

it looks at the relationship between the individual and social structure

Question 14

What is C.Wright Mills sociological imagination?

Answer 14

“the capacity to shift from one perspective to another and see the relationship between the two”

Question 15

Why does Mills suggest using the sociological imagination?

Answer 15

Claims that growing individualization prevents people from seeing how the social and historical settings shape us
-Causes angst, as people feel helpless, are confused
Mills urges the “sociological imagination” as cure

Question 16

What are the five main theoretical perspectives in sociology?

Answer 16

Structural-Functionalist, Conflict, Symbolic Interactionist, Feminist, and Postmodern

Question 17

What is the gist of the functionalist perspective?

Answer 17

Founders: Auguste Comte, Emile Durkheim, and Talcott Parsons

Biological View of Society: Views society as a coherent entity, as a living organism of which each organ serves an important function

Functionalists stress that shared values are needed for all of these social “organs” to work together effectively and allow society to survive

Critiques: assume everything they observe in society has some function without giving any proof that a function actually exists (very few functionalists today)

Question 18

What is the gist of the conflict perspective?

Answer 18

Prominent Figures: Karl Marx, Max Weber, C. Wright Mills
Conflict: Interested in domination, inequality, violence. Believe that conflict is common and has a major impact on the form of social relations and important to understand

Class Conflict: driving force behind social relations and social change. Struggles between classes to resist and overcome the opposition of other classes
According to Marx, nearly all societies have a dominant class that exploits a subordinate class
Capitalism: the capitalists controlled society, exploited the workers

Question 19

What is the gist of the Symbolic Interactionist perspective?

Answer 19

• microsociological
• Interested in individual-level human interactions
• Looks at the meaning of the daily interactions
• Believes that our interactions make us who we are
• Still, suggests we have some agency in these interactions, aren’t simply passive actors determined by structure
• socialization

Question 20

What is the gist of the feminist perspective?

Answer 20

focused on how societies are gendered; how one’s gender affects life chances, how societies are stratified based on gender
At the same time, they see it as an example of conflict theory
Explores the extent to which societies are dominated by males, how gender inequality is reproduced or alleviated

Question 21

What is the gist of the Postmodern perspective?

Answer 21

Focuses on discourses as a basis of power and domination (conflict theory)
Discourse: “A conceptual framework with its own internal logic and underlying assumptions. Different disciplines have their own discourses.”
Edward Said’s Orientalism: Describes orientalism as a Western discourse that depicts the Orient in simplified and biased ways
Very powerful, difficult for Middle Easterners to escape

Question 22

How would each of the sociological perspectives explain suicide?

Answer 22

Functionalists: suicide is most likely when societies are breaking down, not properly integrated and no norms to make people part of collective

Conflict: suicide is shaped by inequalities and domination

Symbolic-Interaction: the meaning and value of our lives results from our social interactions (self esteem and value of life)

Question 23

How can we establish causation?

Answer 23

(1) Sequence: effect must follow cause
(2) Correlation: effect must be related to the cause
(3) Test Spuriousness: Correlation does not mean causation, as the relationship might be spurious
(4) Discover Mechanism: the reason cause and effect are related

Question 24

Define positivism

Answer 24

Believe that there is one scientific method that can be used in all natural and social sciences to establish causation
Believe we can only use the scientific method on things that are directly observable
At the extreme, believe we can discover scientific laws, can make predictions

Question 25

Define interpretivism

Answer 25

Interpretivism: calls for the rejection of the scientific method in the social sciences Believes establishing causation is hard/impossible Subjectivity: No common reality, everything subjective Cannot be certain why humans act, so can’t gain insight into causation Wink example At the extreme, knowledge is impossible We can only interpret people’s actions

Question 26

Define critical realism

Answer 26

somewhere in the middle of positivism and interpretivism, there is a real world out there that can be observed We can get knowledge about social causation Two factors make knowledge acquisition problematic Problem 1: our observations are incomplete and inaccurate We therefore cannot be certain about our findings Problem 2: the social world is damn complicated Laws and accurate prediction are impossible

Question 27

What are the six steps of a sociological analysis?

Answer 27

(1) formulate question, (2) review existing literature, (3) select method, (4) collect data, (5) analyze data, (6) report results

Question 28

What are some sources of collecting data?

Answer 28

Observations, interview, survey,statistical data sets, archival documents, books, journals and other secondary sources

Question 29

What are the Four Main Methodological Traditions in Sociology?

Answer 29

Statistical (defining relationships between variables) Ethnographic (qualitative interviews and participant observation and text analysis -> greeks and turk war) Comparative-Historical (to answer big questions about large processes that occurred in the past How did Europe become a political and economic powerhouse over the past 500 years?) Experimental(Social scientific method that comes closest to a controlled experiment Assign people to different groups randomly Treat groups differently Measure the impact treatment had on people)

Question 30

Define culture

Answer 30

Popular Definition: a way of life Authors’ Definition: “A social system comprising behaviour, beliefs, knowledge, practices, values, and material such as buildings, tools, and sacred items” - makes us perceive things, tells us whats important (language in MTL) - macro (large societies and communities) and micro (individual)

Question 31

What are some elements of culture?

Answer 31

Language, religion, technology, values, beauty, gender, charter of values

Question 32

What are the differences between norms, mores, folkways, taboos and laws?

Answer 32

Norms: accepted way of doing things, can be related to values. Few are universal and most are omnipresent Mores: strong norms, very rude to break Example: Swearing in front of children, public nudity Folkways:weak norms without serious sanctions Example: farting or burping in public Taboos:strongest norm, causes revulsion, punishment Example: Incest, touching the bodily fluids of others, murder Laws:rules that are enforced by authorities, very commonly norms Might be mores or taboos: public nudity Might not be mores or taboos: parking laws Many mores and taboos aren’t laws: swearing

Question 33

What are the different was sociology analyzes cultures?

Answer 33

Ethnographies: Try to document cultures, subcultures, and countercultures; Micro view Alijah Anderson: Analyzes inner-city culture Cultural Change: explore the causes of cultural change Technologies: Impact of TV on social relations Globalization: Spread of cultures throughout world Impact of Culture: Analyze causal impact of cultural Different gender norms affect the life chances of women Protestant ethic promoted capitalist development

Question 34

What is socialization?

Answer 34

a learning process (learn norms, values, perspectives, language) through interaction ``` Broken down into : Primary socializers (first years of life -> parents day care) Secondary socializers (development of more complex and subtle knowledge-> peers, education, religious state, mass media, economic institutions) -also bring on self-socialization (choosing our own socializers) ```

Question 35

What is resocialization?

Answer 35

Process of trying to break-down effects of past socialization and socialize in a different way eg. Education: from kindergarten to graduate school eg. Military: boot camp is designed to break-down the individual and build them up as the military wants Total Institution

Question 36

What is virtualsocialization?

Answer 36

new phenomenon where researchers looks at the relationships over the internet such as Facebook and wether these relationships can resocialize you

Question 37

Who is Charles Horton Cooley and what was his theory? (socialization)

Answer 37

(Symbolic Interactionst) American sociologist most famous for his concept “Looking-Glass Self” Suggests our identities emerge from interaction, reflect our surroundings Three step process of Looking-Glass Self: (1) We imagine how we appear to people (2) We judge how they evaluate us (try to get in their heads) (3) Based (2), we develop a self-concept Suggests we don’t have control over who we think we are, our relations do

Question 38

Who is George Hebert Mead and what was his theory? (socialization)

Answer 38

Claims all people have two components to who they are I: Impulsive aspect of self, present at birth Your biological self Me: the part of self that emerges from our social interactions Your social self Generalized Other: helps form “Me” Through interactions, we learn how people behave—norms, values, cognitions, etc. From this, we construct an idea of how people are supposed to be This is the ‘generalized other’ (central to socialization)

Question 39

Who is Erving Goffman and what was his theory? (socialization)

Answer 39

-more emphasis on our agency Life as a Stage: humans are constantly presenting themselves in the most favorable light, change their role depending on the social context We act differently if among friends, family, professors Socialization: involves learning the appropriate scripts/props for the different contexts and deciding how to play the role We learn how we are supposed to act in certain circumstances We learn the different actions we can employ Yet we are able to innovate

Question 40

How does functionalist theory explain socializations?

Answer 40

Macro focus, not micro - Socialization fulfills two basic functions Consensus: Socialization passes on norms that help limit conflict, promote social consensus Skills: Socialization provides the skills and norms needed to effectively participate in social institutions Example: Durkheim described how “modern” society required general norms and laws to survive

Question 41

How does the conflict theory explain socialization?

Answer 41

-macro focus Suggests that socialization reinforces the power of dominant groups and help maintain the subordinate positions of others Marxist: suggests major social institutions legitimize and strengthen dominant class through socialization Elite taught to be assertive, dominate Masses taught to accept their position Feminist: girls and boys socialized in ways that limit self-esteem and assertiveness of girls Carol Gilligan

Question 42

Who coined the term nature vs nurture?

Answer 42

Sir Francis Galton, a cousin of Charles Darwin | he took an extreme nature perspective

Question 43

How does sociology use notions of Nature?

Answer 43

Unifying Nature: Sociologists use biological arguments to explain commonalities, not differences Sugguest our nature is nurture Interaction: Sociologists consider how nature and nurture affect one another Suggest nurture and nature reinforce one another

Question 44

Whats is sociability and how does it relate to nature?

Answer 44

The notion that human beings are social creatures (unlike tigers who can live in solitaire) Without interaction we can suffer mental trauma -> leads to question the ethics surrounding solitary confinement (this would be considered our biology, shows the importance of nature)

Question 45

What are some aspects of instinct?

Answer 45

Rules are not instinct for us (unlike bees and ants) action that is (a) relatively complex, (b) unlearned, (c) species-wide, (d) manifest when maturity is reached and triggered by stimulus can be linked to drive

Question 46

What is creative intelligence?

Answer 46

based on biology its the explanation to our problem solving skills Caused by our large brains, forward vision, dexterous hands, upright walking, vocal capabilities Allow us to: Solve problems and adapt to changes Manipulate objects and our environment Communicate complex thoughts and transmit knowledge from generation to generation

Question 47

What is meant by "the nature of nurture"?

Answer 47

most sociologists believe that our nature is the base of nurture’s influence Our main instinct is to learn and adapt This is why socialization is so important -sees nature and biology as a basis for our nurture

Question 48

What is the link between the nature and nurture debate and the prefrontal cortex?

Answer 48

-to show how both interact reinforcing one another 25% of Americans on death row have damaged PFCs Studies of people who injured this area also show proclivities to violence ->Damaged PFCs do not likely promote violence unless combined with violent upbringings

Question 49

What can be drawn from the feral children example?

Answer 49

Rene Spitz: Studied orphans in orphanage to children living in prison daycare Orphans lacked social contact, not prison children Prison kids walking & talking by 3, only 8% of orphans Suggests our biology doesn’t allow us to be truly human if we aren’t socialized as children

Question 50

What are social networks?

Answer 50

One of the most basic patterns of social relations a set of individuals linked by the exchange of material, informational, or emotional resources All of the people you know and interact with are part of your network An individual’s broadest social network is usually between 250-400 people -how you find jobs

Question 51

What is a status and what are the different types?

Answer 51

a recognized social position that an individual (or groups) occupies Status Set: All statuses that one possesses Two basic types of status: Ascribed: status you were born into (son) or entered involuntarily (brother) Achieved: Status you were NOT born into, needed to act in some way to achieve (husband, father, hockey) Master Status: A status that dominates all other statuses in most social contexts (can be context dependant)

Question 52

What is a social organization?

Answer 52

“the social and cultural principles around which things are structured, ordered, and categorized” Theocratic social organizations: Religious beliefs and rules basis of social organization Weber: Patrimonial vs. legal-rational social organization

Question 53

What is an organization?

Answer 53

group of people who follow formal rules and procedures to collectively pursue a specific set of goals Allows a number of people to work together and combine their knowledge and effort Technology: Organizations are phenomenal technologies that allow us to accomplish things we couldn’t as individuals

Question 54

What did Weber believe the emergence of organizations contributed to?

Answer 54

Believed the emergence of powerful political and economic organizations contributed to the rise of Europe as the world’s leading power Mainly militaries, corporations, and states

Question 55

What is the link between organizations and institutions?

Answer 55

Organizations are particular types of institutions, BUT institutions are not social organizations Most institutions differ from organizations in that they are less formal, pursue broader goals

Question 56

What are the four characteristics of an institution?

Answer 56

1-sets of norms/rules/ideas that prescribe how individuals are supposed to act in a set situation 2-endure over time 3-enforced by some sort of sanction 4-organize human relations in pursuit of some goal

Question 57

What are some types of institutions?

Answer 57

(1) Religious/Cultural: Transmission of meanings, values, and beliefs (2) Educational: Transmission of knowledge (as well as meanings, values, and beliefs) (3) Family: Reproduces social relations, child care (4) Economic: Governs the production & exchange of goods (5) Political: Enforces order through coercion, group decision making

Question 58

What are social structures?

Answer 58

Relatively stable patterns of social relations Institutions, organizations, social organizations are all particular types of social structures Networks can be social structures Statuses help us understand the particular social structures, constitutive parts of them

Question 59

What can promote social structures?

Answer 59

culture and socialization

Question 60

What is a role and who came up with the theory?

Answer 60

The function assumed or the part played by a person holding a particular status Thought of by Goffman who saw everyday life as taking place on a state in a theatre

Question 61

What is the general concept of Goffmans role theory?

Answer 61

suggests we aren’t always playing roles Front Stage: Public displays where we actively play the role Back Stage: Private displays, personal time where one doesn’t have to actively play roles can experience role conflict

Question 62

What is the gist of West and Zimmerman :Doing Gender"?

Answer 62

- talks about roles - differences between sex, sex category, and gender - influenced greatly by Goffman’s dramaturgical approach but claim his roles are too rigid ->gender is acted out through interactions bot just displays - (props) how you wear your hair etc

Question 63

What is the gist of Walton's "My Secret Life as a Black Man"?

Answer 63

describes the discrepancy between how people see him and how he sees himself He wants to assert his non-racial self, but others pigeonhole him as a black man -racial role The racial role isn’t important for him, and it conflicts with the roles that are more central to his identity (master status)

Question 64

Define deviance

Answer 64

Actions that break norms, that stray from the usual | So many norms, so we can act deviantly in so many ways

Question 65

What can be said about universal deviant behaviour?

Answer 65

Because norms vary from place to place, there are few if any universally deviant behaviors Because norms change, ideas of deviance change

Question 66

What are the different types of punishment?

Answer 66

Informal Punishment: Mild punishment that is a socially accepted response, not formal Different ways to show disfavor: verbal critique, facial expressions, ostracism, gossiping Example: Picking nose Formal Punishment: Established rules to punish Judicial system, McGill Administration, Family Example: Giving racist lecture

Question 67

What are some causes of deviance?

Answer 67

Choice: Choose to be part of a deviant subculture Goths, punks Pressure: Individuals might act deviantly because of pressure from others Peer pressure to be part of a gang, to skip school Ignorance: Individuals might simply not know norms Using left hand for eating in Morocco Socialization: Individuals might be socialized by family to act deviantly Roma, minority religious communities

Question 68

How would symbolic interactionist define deviant behaviour?

Answer 68

We learn what is acceptable and what is deviant from our social interactions Authority figures tell us something is deviant We can tell by reactions of others if something is deviant

Question 69

How would functionalist define deviant behaviour?

Answer 69

Dangerous, promotes social break down At the same time, deviance can be useful, promote social integration Observing deviance can affirm one’s values, push observers to unite to fight deviant behavior Durkheim: Saw deviance as caused by anomie, egotism Functionalists suggest actions become deviant when these actions hurt society

Question 70

How would conflict define deviant behaviour?

Answer 70

Suggest that the elites declare subordinate lifestyles, views, etc. as deviant Conflict view links deviance to inequality A number of communities have historically been subordinate, and many of their characteristics labeled deviant Gender: According to authors, what is male is treated as normal, what is female is treated as deviant

Question 71

What is crime and how does it relate to deviant behaviour?

Answer 71

behavior that is punishable by the criminal justice system Most crimes are deviant behaviors—murder, rape Yet most deviant behaviors are not crimes—farting And some crimes are not deviant—parking violation

Question 72

What would be some patterns of crime explored by sociologists?

Answer 72

Explore characteristics of people who commit crimes Age, race, sex, education, wealth, etc. Explore environmental conditions that affect criminality Broken windows, poverty, lack of police, gangs Explore types of people stopped by police Age, race, sex, education, wealth, etc.

Question 73

What is strain theory?

Answer 73

-theory of crime that was popularized by Robert Merton, influenced by functionalist view Strain exists when popularly defined goals are unattainable for people Pushes them to crime as means of attaining goals Poverty: Suggests the reason the poor are more likely to commit crimes is because they are unable to attain popular goals legally

Question 74

What is the conflict perspective on causes of crime?

Answer 74

Conflict perspective suggests that crime is the result of power struggles between groups Looks at causes of inequality in incarceration, with powerful avoiding incarceration (1) Legal system focuses on the crimes committed by subordinate groups More attention to street crimes than white-collar (2) Powerful able to avoid prosecution Lawyers, contacts, crimes occur in private (3) Self-Fulfilling Prophecy (4) Defiance: Crime sign of defiance to system

Question 75

What is control theory?

Answer 75

One particular conflict theory suggesting that powerful groups control laws, have means of getting around law Sees legal system as creating laws that benefit the powerful, control the subordinate Examples: Legal system enforces capitalism in Canada, legal system promotes male domination in India

Question 76

What is the symbolic interactions perspective of causes of crime?

Answer 76

Suggests your interactions with others promote criminality Subcultural Theory: Your interactions cause your “generalized other” to have deviant traits Learning Theory: Your interactions cause you to accept criminality as an acceptable option One learns the benefits of criminal activities through observation and trial and error Purposive: Unlike subcultural theory, actors recognize that activities are deviant

Question 77

What is labelling theory?

Answer 77

-falls under symbolic interactionist Deviance results not so much from the actions of the deviant as from the response of others, who label the rule breakers as deviant Cooley’s Looking-Glass Self: Great influence on Labeling Theory

Question 78

What are the three ways in which labelling theory promotes criminality?

Answer 78

(1) When people are labeled as delinquents, they are watched more closely by the authorities (2) When people are labeled and treated as delinquents, they might not be accepted by people who aren’t labeled as deviant Only able to interact with other so-called deviants (3) When people are labeled as deviant, the people they interact with treat them as deviants (looking-glass self) Causes people to believe they are deviant, so they act deviantly

Question 79

What is the gist of Chambliss' "Saints and Roughnecks"?

Answer 79

Well-known example supporting labeling theory Saints: thought of themselves as good, treated by others as good, given opportunities, not bothered by police Nearly all went to college, became doctors, lawyers, etc. Roughnecks: could not shake their label as “deviant”, treated as bad, constantly monitored by police, came to view themselves as bad Most resorted to a life of crime, two jailed for murder

Question 80

What are the Top 1% of canada and USA?

Answer 80

Top 1% of Canadian earners made 12.4% of total Canadian income in 2007, and this share is increasing Up from 7.4% in 1982 Top 1% of Americans make 24% of total US income Up from 9% in 1976 Differences are even more extreme if you consider wealth instead of income Top 1% in US has 40% of wealth, bottom 80% only 7% Top 1% owns half of stocks bonds, mutual funds; 0.5% for bottom 50%

Question 81

Define stratafication

Answer 81

structuring of social relations by layers Refers to hierarchical social relations One group has greater power, influence, resources, prestige than another Stratification refers to collective inequality, such as class, gender, education, or ethnicity

Question 82

What is mobility and what are its two types?

Answer 82

Ability to move between different societal levels, focus is usually on economics Sociologists are interested in two related types: Individual/Intra-generational: people can work their way up over time Sociologists generally find that one’s position within the stratification system changes during the life course Inter-generational: children are able to work their ways up to a higher level than their parents

Question 83

How does symbolic interaction perspective view stratification?

Answer 83

consider how inequalities shape social interactions, perceptions of self, etc.

Question 84

How does functionalist perspective view stratification?

Answer 84

claim stratification is necessary for society to function properly If people with elite positions aren’t given more wealthy, power, and status, they wouldn’t make the investments needed to hold the positions

Question 85

How does conflict perspective view stratification?

Answer 85

See stratification as cause and consequence of conflict

Question 86

What are Weber's three types of stratification (conflict)?

Answer 86

1-Class 2-Parties 3-Status group

Question 87

What is the gist of Porter's Vertical Mosaic?

Answer 87

Porter found that power was ethnicized in Canada British: Finds British Canadians control these organizations Other communities found themselves further down the hierarchy Enormous stratification French in the middle, more recent immigrants on the bottom Suggests there are problems with the Canadian mosaic

Question 88

What is the gist of Lian and Matthews Article?

Answer 88

Test whether inequality is still based on ethnicity Methods: Use census data to see whether different ethnic communities have different incomes Control for a number of factors and check whether ethnicity still helps explain income inequality Example: Control for level of education so ethnicity isn’t spuriously related to income via education Difference with Porter: Porter was interested in the organizational elites, not income inequality per se Article therefore isn’t reproducing Porter’s findings Francophone Canadians: have higher returns from education relative to British Canadians Controlling for a number of factors, French Canadians earn more than British Canadians Other European Canadians: are doing basically as well as the British Canadians, some better Conclusion: The Vertical Mosaic as described by Porter is no longer there Porter might disagree—power, control of orgs. vital and might still be under British Canadian control

Question 89

What are the three types of capital?

Answer 89

Human capital, cultural capital and social capital