Culture & Concepts
This is the study of human social life, groups, and societies.
Sociology
The person credited with coining the term “sociology.”
Auguste Comte
The first step in the scientific method used by sociologists (one word).
Observation (or ask: "Question" if using scientific method steps: typically "Ask a question")
What does “social structure” refer to? Give a short definition
Enduring patterns of social relationships and institutions that shape behavior.
Structural Functionalism views society as this kind of system (one-word metaphor).
Organism (society as an organism)
The idea that helps people connect personal experiences to larger social forces; put simply, it helps you see how biography and history intersect
The sociological imagination (or sociological perspective)
This thinker believed economic competition and the “invisible hand” guide markets for public benefit.
Adam Smith
In sociology, data must not be this — sociologists avoid allowing personal feelings to bias results (two words).
Personal bias (or “subjective bias”/“researcher bias”).
Actions individuals take that take into account the behavior of others are called this (two words).
Social action (or strategic action depending on framework).
Conflict theory emphasizes that different social parts will constantly do this (one word)
Conflict or compete
Shared rules for behavior in a society; they guide everyday actions and expectations.
Norms
This philosopher is best known for developing the idea of utilitarianism (greatest good for greatest number).
Jeremy Bentham
Sociologists often measure occurrences per population size to compare groups; this term refers to such standardized measurements (one word).
Rates
The study of interdependence among parts of a social system: what metaphor or term describes how parts depend on one another to maintain society? (one or two words)
Functional interdependence (or simply interdependence; organic solidarity as Durkheim's term).
George Herbert Mead focused on how we learn through this social process (two words).
Social interaction (or symbolic interaction)
The shared norms, values, and beliefs that allow people to interpret their own actions and those of others (short phrase).
Culture (or shared culture); alternatively: cultural system
He argued that class conflict between the bourgeoisie and proletariat would drive social change and revolution.
Karl Marx
The term for objective social phenomena that exist independent of individual consciousness; Emile Durkheim used this term to describe social forces (two words).
Social Facts
Why can scientific laws never apply to all people at all times in sociology? Give a concise sociological reason.
Because social behavior varies by culture, context, time, and human agency; human social life is variable and historically situated.
Define “social action” as used by sociologists
Social action: Behavior to which individuals attach meaning and that takes into account the actions and reactions of others; it explains why people act the way they do within social contexts
The ability of one social actor to influence or control the actions of others (one-word sociological term).
Power (or social power/authority).
This sociologist emphasized how social solidarity and functional integration bind societies together.
Émile Durkheim
Name one major historical event or broad social development that helped establish sociology as a discipline (e.g., Industrial Revolution, urbanization, or political revolutions).
The Industrial Revolution; rapid urbanization; the French Revolution; the rise of capitalism.
Provide a brief example showing how a social structure shapes individual choice
Example: Schooling (structure) channels students toward certain careers by credentialing and tracking, which shapes their job opportunities.
Explain how rates are useful to sociologists when comparing social phenomena across groups.
Rates standardize counts by population so sociologists can compare groups of different sizes (e.g., crime per 100,000 residents), revealing relative risk or prevalence.