Theoretical Perspectives on Society
Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you should be able to: Describe Durkheim’s functionalist view of society Summarize the conflict theorist view of society Explain Marx’s concepts of class and alienation Identify how symbolic interactionists understand society Figure 4.5 Warren Buffett’s ideas about taxation and spending habits of the very wealthy are controversial, particularly since […]
Types of Societies
Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you should be able to: Describe the difference between preindustrial, industrial, and postindustrial societies Explain the role of environment on preindustrial societies Interpret the ways that technology impacts societal development Figure 4.2 How does technology influence a society? Here, a NASA engineer is working with samples of a coating […]
Introduction
Figure 4.1 Some aspects of teenage life cross societal boundaries, while others are distinct. (Credit: USAID/flickr) Chapter Outline 4.1 Types of Societies 4.2 Theoretical Perspectives on Society 4.3 Social Constructions of Reality It was a school day, and Inayah woke up at 5:15 a.m, checked her phone, and began a few chores. Her aunt had gone to work, but had […]
Theoretical Perspectives on Culture
Learning Objectives By the end of this section you should be able to: Discuss the major theoretical approaches to cultural interpretation Music, fashion, technology, and values—all are products of culture. But what do they mean? How do sociologists perceive and interpret culture based on these material and nonmaterial items? Let’s finish our analysis of culture […]
High, Low, Pop, Sub, Counter-culture and Cultural Change
Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you should be able to: Discuss the roles of both high culture and pop culture within society Differentiate between subculture and counterculture Explain the role of innovation, invention, and discovery in culture Describe the role of cultural lag and globalization in cultural change It may seem obvious […]
Elements of Culture
Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you should be able to: Differentiate values, beliefs, and norms Explain the significance of symbols and language to a culture Explain the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis Discuss the role of social control within culture Values and Beliefs The first, and perhaps most crucial, elements of culture we will discuss […]
What Is Culture?
Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you should be able to: Differentiate between culture and society Explain material versus nonmaterial culture Discuss the concept of cultural universals as it relates to society Compare and contrast ethnocentrism and xenocentrism Humans are social creatures. According to Smithsonian Institution research, humans have been forming groups for […]
Ethical Concerns
Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you should be able to: Understand why ethical standards exist Investigate unethical studies Demonstrate awareness of the American Sociological Association’s Code of Ethics Sociologists conduct studies to shed light on human behaviors. Knowledge is a powerful tool that can be used to achieve positive change. As a […]
Research Methods
Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you should be able to: Recall the 6 Steps of the Scientific Method Differentiate between four kinds of research methods: surveys, field research, experiments, and secondary data analysis. Explain the appropriateness of specific research approaches for specific topics. Sociologists examine the social world, see a problem or […]
Approaches to Sociological Research
Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you should be able to: Define and describe the scientific method. Explain how the scientific method is used in sociological research. Describe the function and importance of an interpretive framework. Describe the differences in accuracy, reliability and validity in a research study. When sociologists apply the sociological […]
