01:920:101 · Flashcards

01:920:101 Introduction to Sociology Review: Theory, Methods, Culture, Inequality and Institutions

31 termsRutgers Universityby @studyboardUpdated October 2026

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A study set written by the Studyboard team for the topics in this course's published outline. It isn't official course material from Rutgers University and doesn't contain real exam questions.

Terms in this set (31)

  1. The sociological imagination (C. Wright Mills)The ability to see connections between personal experiences and larger social forces and history; for example, seeing one person's job loss as part of a broader economic pattern.
  2. Personal troubles vs public issuesPersonal troubles affect an individual and their immediate surroundings; public issues are problems of social structure that affect many people, such as mass unemployment.
  3. Structural functionalismA macro perspective that views society as a system of interrelated parts, each serving a function that contributes to stability. Associated with Durkheim, Parsons and Merton.
  4. Manifest vs latent functions (Merton)Manifest functions are intended and recognized consequences; latent functions are unintended and often unrecognized. College's manifest function is education; a latent one is meeting future partners.
  5. Conflict theoryA macro perspective that views society as an arena of inequality and competition over scarce resources, where powerful groups maintain their advantage. Rooted in Marx.
  6. Symbolic interactionismA micro perspective focused on how people create and interpret shared meanings through everyday interaction and symbols. Associated with Mead and Blumer.
  7. Marx's bourgeoisie vs proletariatThe bourgeoisie own the means of production; the proletariat sell their labor for wages. Marx argued their opposed interests drive class conflict.
  8. Durkheim's study of suicide showed what?Suicide rates vary with social integration and regulation, so even a seemingly individual act is shaped by social forces.
  9. Weber's three dimensions of stratificationClass (economic position), status (social prestige) and party (political power).
  10. Weber's concept of verstehenInterpretive understanding: grasping the subjective meanings people attach to their actions.
  11. Quantitative vs qualitative researchQuantitative research uses numerical data and statistics (surveys, experiments); qualitative research uses non-numerical data such as interviews and participant observation to understand meaning.
  12. Reliability vs validityReliability is the consistency of a measure across repeated use; validity is whether it actually measures what it claims to measure.
  13. Ethnography / participant observationA method in which the researcher spends extended time in a group's natural setting, observing and often participating, to understand its culture from the inside.
  14. Material vs nonmaterial cultureMaterial culture is physical objects people create (tools, buildings); nonmaterial culture is ideas, values, beliefs, norms and language.
  15. Folkways vs mores vs lawsFolkways are informal everyday norms with mild sanctions; mores are norms with strong moral weight; laws are formal norms enforced by the state.
  16. Ethnocentrism vs cultural relativismEthnocentrism judges other cultures by the standards of one's own; cultural relativism tries to understand a culture on its own terms.
  17. Subculture vs countercultureA subculture shares many mainstream values but has distinctive features; a counterculture actively rejects and opposes key mainstream values.
  18. Primary vs secondary socialization agentsPrimary socialization occurs early, mainly through family; secondary socialization continues through school, peers, media and workplaces.
  19. Looking-glass self (Cooley)Our self-concept develops from how we imagine others see and judge us.
  20. Mead's I and meThe me is the socialized self that reflects others' expectations; the I is the spontaneous, active part of the self that responds.
  21. Ascribed vs achieved statusAn ascribed status is assigned at birth or involuntarily (race, age); an achieved status is earned or chosen (college graduate, doctor).
  22. Role strain vs role conflictRole strain is tension among demands within one role (a student with too many assignments); role conflict is tension between two different roles (parent and employee).
  23. Primary vs secondary groupsPrimary groups are small, intimate and long-lasting (family, close friends); secondary groups are larger, impersonal and goal-oriented (a work team, a class).
  24. Labeling theory of devianceDeviance is not inherent in an act but results from others applying a deviant label; being labeled can push people toward further deviance.
  25. Merton's strain theoryDeviance arises when people lack legitimate means to reach culturally approved goals; responses include conformity, innovation, ritualism, retreatism and rebellion.
  26. Open vs closed stratification systemsOpen systems (class systems) allow movement between strata based on achievement; closed systems (caste systems) assign position at birth with little mobility.
  27. Intergenerational vs intragenerational mobilityIntergenerational mobility compares a person's social position to their parents'; intragenerational mobility is change within one person's lifetime.
  28. Sex vs genderSex refers to biological characteristics; gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviors and identities a society associates with being a man or woman.
  29. Race as a social constructionRacial categories are not fixed biological facts; they are created and given meaning by societies and change over time and place.
  30. Prejudice vs discrimination vs institutional racismPrejudice is a biased attitude; discrimination is unequal treatment (behavior); institutional racism is inequality built into the policies and practices of organizations and systems.
  31. Weber's ideal type of bureaucracyA formal organization with hierarchy of authority, division of labor, written rules, impersonality and hiring based on technical qualifications.

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