Sociology 210 Final Exam
Sociology - answersthe systematic study of society and social interaction
Society - answersa group of people who live in a defined geographical area who interact
with one another and who share a common culture
Sociological Imagination - answersthe 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 - answers(1916-1962) American Sociologist, wrote The Power Elite,
which introduced that term and describes the relationships and class alliances among
the U.S. political, military, and economic elites and The Sociological Imagination, which
presents a model of analysis for the interdependence of subjective experiences within a
person's biography, the general social structure and historical development
August Comte - answers(1798-1857) French sociologist, father of sociology, named the
scientific study of social patterns positivism
Karl Marx - answers(1818-1883) German philosopher and economist, coauthored
Communist Manifesto with Friedrich Engels (1848), rejected positivism and believed
that societies grew and changed as a result of struggles of different social classes over
the means of production
Emile Durkheim - answers(1858-1917) French, helped establish sociology as a formal
academic discipline, established first European department of sociology at the
University of Bordeaux (1895), believed that people rise to their proper levels in society
based on merit
Max Weber - answers(1864-1920) German, best known for his book the Protestant
Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, argued that the beliefs of many Protestants,
especially Calvinists, led to the creation of capitalism, introduced verstehen
Georg Simmel - answers(1858-1918) German art critic, anti-positivism, much of his
work focused on the micro-level theories, emphasized individual culture as the creative
capacities of individuals
, Positivism - answersthe scientific study of social patterns
Micro Level - answersthe study of specific relationships between individuals or small
groups
Macro Level - answersa wide-scale view of the role of social structures within a society
Structural Functionalism - answersa theoretical approach that sees society as a
structure with interrelated parts designed to meet the biological and social needs of
individuals that make up that society
Conflict Theory - answersa theory that looks at society as a competition for limited
resources
Symbolic Interactionism - answersa theoretical perspective through which scholars
examine the relationship of individuals within their society by studying their
communication (language and symbols)
Verstehen - answersa German word that means to understand in a deep way
Social Reseach - answersresearch conducted by social scientists following a systematic
plan
Scientific Method - answersan established scholarly research method that involves
asking a question, researching existing sources, forming a hypothesis, designing and
conducting a study, and drawing conclusions
Field Research - answersgathering data from a natural environment without doing a lab
experiment or a survey
Participant Observation - answerswhen a researcher immerses herself in a group or
social setting in order to make observations from an "insider" perspective
Secondary Data Analysis - answersusing data collected by others but applying new
interpretations
Manifest Function - answersthe intended and visible functions of
education
Latent Function - answersthe hidden and unintended functions
Reliability - answersa measure of a study's consistency that considers how likely results
are to be replicated if a study is reproduced
Sociology - answersthe systematic study of society and social interaction
Society - answersa group of people who live in a defined geographical area who interact
with one another and who share a common culture
Sociological Imagination - answersthe 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 - answers(1916-1962) American Sociologist, wrote The Power Elite,
which introduced that term and describes the relationships and class alliances among
the U.S. political, military, and economic elites and The Sociological Imagination, which
presents a model of analysis for the interdependence of subjective experiences within a
person's biography, the general social structure and historical development
August Comte - answers(1798-1857) French sociologist, father of sociology, named the
scientific study of social patterns positivism
Karl Marx - answers(1818-1883) German philosopher and economist, coauthored
Communist Manifesto with Friedrich Engels (1848), rejected positivism and believed
that societies grew and changed as a result of struggles of different social classes over
the means of production
Emile Durkheim - answers(1858-1917) French, helped establish sociology as a formal
academic discipline, established first European department of sociology at the
University of Bordeaux (1895), believed that people rise to their proper levels in society
based on merit
Max Weber - answers(1864-1920) German, best known for his book the Protestant
Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, argued that the beliefs of many Protestants,
especially Calvinists, led to the creation of capitalism, introduced verstehen
Georg Simmel - answers(1858-1918) German art critic, anti-positivism, much of his
work focused on the micro-level theories, emphasized individual culture as the creative
capacities of individuals
, Positivism - answersthe scientific study of social patterns
Micro Level - answersthe study of specific relationships between individuals or small
groups
Macro Level - answersa wide-scale view of the role of social structures within a society
Structural Functionalism - answersa theoretical approach that sees society as a
structure with interrelated parts designed to meet the biological and social needs of
individuals that make up that society
Conflict Theory - answersa theory that looks at society as a competition for limited
resources
Symbolic Interactionism - answersa theoretical perspective through which scholars
examine the relationship of individuals within their society by studying their
communication (language and symbols)
Verstehen - answersa German word that means to understand in a deep way
Social Reseach - answersresearch conducted by social scientists following a systematic
plan
Scientific Method - answersan established scholarly research method that involves
asking a question, researching existing sources, forming a hypothesis, designing and
conducting a study, and drawing conclusions
Field Research - answersgathering data from a natural environment without doing a lab
experiment or a survey
Participant Observation - answerswhen a researcher immerses herself in a group or
social setting in order to make observations from an "insider" perspective
Secondary Data Analysis - answersusing data collected by others but applying new
interpretations
Manifest Function - answersthe intended and visible functions of
education
Latent Function - answersthe hidden and unintended functions
Reliability - answersa measure of a study's consistency that considers how likely results
are to be replicated if a study is reproduced
