Sociology Final Exam Review 2013
Intro to Sociology

Sociological Theories and Theorists

What started the science of sociology, urbanization, industrial revolution, conflict theory,

Emile Durkheim “Suicide Studies”

Bystander Effect, norms, folkways, mores, laws deviance, use of symbols in communication,
Whorf –Sapir Hypothesis.

“Hotel Rwanda” and culture clash
Need to Know:

What is Sociology?

What is sociological perspective?

What is sociological identity

What is sociological imagination?

What kinds of questions are there?

What are empirical questions and how
are they different than moral or

Empirical, Theoretical, Moral
theoretical questions?

How do sociologists measure society?
What content areas do sociologists look at and why?

CAUSE=Direct result of an action/issue/event

CORRELATION= Related to action/issue/event but not necessarily a cause. Ex. You more a
probably chance of dying if you go to the hospital.

How Did Sociology Develop?
Industrial Revolution – change from rural farming communities to urbanization

Relationships no longer personal, less

Many also questioned religious and
helpful, more anonymous
traditional explanations of life

People became frustrated, many were

City life led to poverty, crime and
poor and some were wealthy
relationships based on exchange or
money or work…entire sociological

Political revolutions developed in this
make up of society changed
time period.
This view is sometimes called the WhorfCulture and Symbols, Values and Beliefs
Sapir hypothesis, after the linguists who
made it famous –

Symbol: anything that represents
something else. Speakers of different
languages think about the world in

Language then determines our
quite different ways.
cultural reality.
Values are defined as the standards by which
people assess desirability, goodness, and
beauty; they are broad principles
Culture: way of life
Sub cultures, (work, school, neighborhood,
hobby groups, football team, etc.) all have their
own norms and values
Counter-Culture: goes against the “norm” –
Amish, Hippies in the 60’s
Culture is defined as the values, beliefs,
behavior, and material objects that
constitute a people's way of life.
•
At different times and different places,
groups come into conflict over beliefs
due to cultural differences
•
Sociologists describe two interrelated
aspects of human culture: the physical
objects of the culture (Material
Culture) and the ideas associated
with these objects. (Non-material
Culture).
Norms are defined as rules that guide
behavior.
Proscriptive Norms: mandate what we
should not do
Prescriptive Norms: stating what we should
do. They can change over time, as illustrated
by norms regarding sexual behavior.
When people travel between societies or even
within their own, they can experience culture
shock, a personal disorientation that can come
from encountering an unfamiliar way of life
Ideal Culture: values and norms are not
descriptions of actual behavior but rather
reflect how we believe members of a culture
should behave.
-example, smoking is unhealthy and leads to
health problems. Nobody should smoke.
Cults:
•
Studies performed by those who
believe that some religious groups do practice
mind control have identified a number of key
steps in coercive persuasion
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•
People are put in physical or
emotionally distressing situations;
•
They receive what seems to be
unconditional love, (love bombing), acceptance,
and attention from a charismatic leader or
group;
•
They get a new identity based on the
group;
•
They are subject to isolation from
friends, relatives and the mainstream culture
and their access to information is severely
controlled
Deviance is any behavior that violates social
norms, and is usually of sufficient severity to
warrant disapproval from the majority of
society.

Deviance can be criminal or noncriminal. Deviance: deviating from the
norm

Deviance is relative to time and
place because what is considered
deviant in one social context may be
non-deviant in another (e.g., fighting
during a hockey game vs. fighting in a
nursing home).

The sociological discipline that deals
with crime (behavior that violates
laws) is criminology (also known as
criminal justice).
Anomie refers to the confusion that arises
when social norms conflict or don't even exist
The differences between socially accepted
goals and the availability of means to
achieve those goals.

Attaining wealth is a major goal of
Americans, but not all Americans
possess the means to do this.

Those who find the “road to riches”
closed to them experience anomie,
because an obstacle has stopped their
pursuit of a socially approved goal.

When this happens, these individuals
may employ deviant behaviors to
attain their goals, retaliate against
society, or merely “make a point.”
Control Theory
•
People have various restraints:
internal controls, such as
conscience, values, integrity, morality,
and the desire to be a “good person”.
•
They have outer controls, such as
police, family, friends, and religious
authorities.
Game Theory

Invented by John Nash – used in
economics/mathematics/politics and
sociology. What you will get out of an

interaction with an individual is
determined in part by who benefits.
Non-Zero Sum Game/Zero Sum Game
Family & Relationships
Family = group of people living together
related by blood or marriage who support
themselves economically/emotionally.
Kin = wider collection of related people beyond
the immediate family.
z
Nuclear Family is made up of no
more than two generations (parents
and children).
z
Extended Family is made up of large
number of people usually three
generations or more who live together
or by each other – type typical of preindustrial societies.
z
Reconstituted Families formed by
adults who have married previously
and who bring children from their
previous marriage to the new
marriage, forming a new family unit.
z
Household group of people who live
in the same accommodation. While
most families live in households, not
all households correspond to a family
unit
Marriage:
z
Marriage – religious or cultural
ceremony which marks a couple as
married.
z
Monogamy – marriage of one man
and one woman.
z
Polygamy – marriage of one man and
more than one woman
z
Polyandry – marriage of one woman
and more than one man
z
Same Sex Marriage – marriage of
two people of the same gender
Types of Marriages, Stages of Marriage
Singlehood & Cohabitation
RWANDAN GENOCIDE: CULTURE CLASH
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