General Sociological Terms

NORMS

• Three essential features of a social norm:1. A rule governing what a particular behavior

should or should not be2. The rule is collective3. It includes positive sanctions to support the

behavior or negative sanctions to discourage other behavior

Sociology

• Within the social sciences family, it is the study of human society and social behavior.

• Other social sciences include: – History– Anthropology– Political Science– Psychology– … and more!

Types of Sociology:Micro vs. Macro

• Microsociology: study of small groups; the branch of sociology that studies small groups and units within a larger society– Ex: Teen athletes, single parents, CEOs of Fortune 500

companies– Symbolic Interaction

• Macrosociology: study of whole societies; the branch of sociology concerned with the study and analysis of societies in their entirety– Ex: Tibetans, African Americans, Crime– Functionalism, Conflict

How is sociology practiced?

• The focus is on observation• Social interaction: how people relate to

one another and influence each other’s behavior

• Social phenomena: observable facts or events that involve human society

Tools of the Sociologist

• Sociological perspective: looking at social life in a scientific systematic way, rather than depending on common-sense explanations. “Wearing everyone else’s shoes”

• Sociological imagination: the ability to see the connection between the larger world and your personal life. “We are not alone”

• Issue of gas prices (perspective vs. imagination)