Big Ideas and Key Terms
This term, coined by Comte, describes the scientific study of society.
Sociology
This sociologist believed class conflict would only end when workers overthrew the owners.
Karl Marx
This French thinker is considered the father of sociology.
Auguste Comte
Durkheim believed society was made up of interdependent parts, each serving one of these.
A function
This major shift from rural to urban living created new social problems like crime and overcrowding.
Urbanization
Marx believed this economic system was the root cause of poverty, crime, and inequality.
Capitalism
Du Bois helped found this organization to fight racial injustice.
NAACP
This American sociologist founded Hull House to support immigrants and the poor.
Jane Addams
Spencer modeled society after this biological concept.
Evolution
The effects of this political revolution helped Auguste Comte spark the development of sociology.
The French Revolution
Spencer’s phrase describing how only the strongest societies survive and thrive.
Survival of the fittest
Durkheim’s study of this topic showed that social factors rather than not personal weakness drive certain behaviors.
Suicide
This sociologist translated Comte’s work into English and criticized American hypocrisy around democracy.
Harriet Martineau
Marx believed society was divided into these two groups in constant conflict.
Bourgeoisie and Proletariat
This economic transformation pulled people from their homes into factories and mills, creating never before seen social dynamics.
The Industrial Revolution
Weber’s method for understanding the meanings people attach to their actions.
Verstehen
Spencer opposed this type of government action because he believed society would fix itself.
Social reform
This German sociologist developed the concept of the “ideal type.”
Max Weber
Weber believed humans act based on this — their personal interpretation of a situation.
Subjective meaning
Du Bois’s work laid the foundation for this major 20th‑century movement in America.
The Civil Rights Movement
Durkheim’s term for the shared beliefs and values that hold society together.
Collective Conscience
Comte used this term to explain how society changes.
Social dynamics
This sociologist believed religion played a key role in maintaining social order.
Emile Durkheim
This sociologist pointed out the flaws with social systems that hold men in power.
Harriet Martineau
Martineau, Addams, and Du Bois all challenged this broad pattern of unequal treatment in society.
Social Inequality