Name: ____________________
Chapter 1: The Sociological Perspective
Study Guide
Know the definition of the following terms/people, their significance in Sociology, related
terms/people/theories and connect each to real-life situations or examples:
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Sociology
Sociological Perspective
Emile Durkheim
Social Marginality
Auguste Comte
Theory
Social Structure
Social Dysfunctions
Robert K. Merton
Herbert Spencer
Structural-Functional Approach
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According to sociologists, what factor(s) do we look at to choose our marriage partner?
What does it mean that the sociological perspective shows us “the strange in the familiar”?
How does the sociological view of going to college highlight the effect of age, class and our place
in history?
Why are suicide rates higher in rural areas?
Sociologically speaking, what does the number of children born to a woman reflect?
What group of individuals would likely make use of sociological perspective?
When is sociological imagination likely to be more widespread?
What does the sociological imagination transfer personal problems into?
Why is it important to understand the world beyond our own borders?
Why is making use of the sociological perspective important?
Why is learning sociology important? (What does it help us do?)
What major historical changes stimulated the development of sociology?
What’s the difference in the focuses of earlier philosophy and sociology?
What are Comte’s stages of development?
Why can’t sociologists identify “laws of society” that allows us to predict individual human
behavior?
What is Robert Merton’s view on functionality?
Why did Karl Marx’ believe we needed to study society?
What approach would the following topic relate to: African American families have less income
than white families?
What’s the difference between macro-level and micro-level? Be able to identify examples.
What two approaches are macro-level?
What is a key example of the social exchange analysis?
What is a criticism of the symbolic-interaction approach?
In what three ways do sociological generalizations differ from stereotypes?
Read the following articles in the chapter and be prepared to answer related questions: Global
Village (p. 8) and Nickeled and Dimed (p. 10).
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Chapter 1
Pages: 1-27
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Latent Function
Social-Conflict Approach
Karl Marx
Gender-Conflict Approach
Harriet Martineau
Jane Addams
W.E.B. Du Bois
Symbolic-Interaction Approach
Max Weber
Manifest Function
Stereotype