The practical skeptic : core concepts in sociology

Description

Cover Page......Page 1 Half Title Page......Page 2 Copyright Page......Page 3 Contents......Page 4 Preface......Page 11 Introduction......Page 16 So, What Is Sociology?......Page 17 The Value of Sociology to Students......Page 18 Tips for Studying Sociology—and an Invitation......Page 19 Chapter 1 Responding to Chaos: A Brief History of Sociology......Page 20 Inquiries into the Physical World......Page 21 Technology, Urbanization, and Social Upheaval......Page 25 The Origins of Modern Sociology in France: Émile Durkheim......Page 28 Excerpt: Émile Durkheim, From Suicide (1897) and The Rules of the Sociological Method (1904)......Page 29 The Origins of Modern Sociology in Germany: Ferdinand Tönnies, Max Weber, and Karl Marx......Page 31 Excerpt: Ferdinand Tönnies, From Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft (1887)......Page 32 Karl Marx......Page 35 The Origins of Modern Sociology in England: Herbert Spencer......Page 37 Sociology in the United States......Page 38 Box: One Small Step for Sociology......Page 40 Chapter Review......Page 41 Stop & Review: Answers and Discussion......Page 42 The Focus on the Social......Page 44 Box: Agency and Structure......Page 49 Skepticism......Page 50 Box: Nail Down That Distinction Between Manifest and Latent Functions!......Page 52 Chapter Review......Page 53 Stop & Review: Answers and Discussion......Page 54 Chapter 3 Science and Fuzzy Objects: Specialization in Sociology......Page 55 Dividing Up the Task......Page 57 The Functionalist Paradigm......Page 58 The Symbolic Interactionist Paradigm......Page 59 Which Paradigm Is Correct?......Page 60 Levels of Analysis: Microsociology and Macrosociology......Page 61 Chapter Review......Page 62 Stop & Review: Answers and Discussion......Page 63 Chapter 4 Who's Afraid of Sociology?......Page 64 The Empirical World and Inconvenient Facts......Page 65 Ethnocentrism......Page 67 Avoiding Ethnocentrism Can Be Difficult......Page 69 Cultural Relativism......Page 71 Stop & Review: Answers and Discussion......Page 72 Concepts and Constructs......Page 73 Variables......Page 74 Hypotheses......Page 76 Kinds of Variables: Independent Versus Dependent......Page 78 Kinds of Relationships: Directionality......Page 80 Operational Definitions......Page 81 Tables and Figures......Page 83 A Note on Common Statistics......Page 87 Correlation Versus Causation......Page 89 Chapter Review......Page 90 Stop & Review: Answers and Discussion......Page 91 Two Traditions: Quantitative and Qualitative Research......Page 96 First Things First: The Lit Review......Page 97 The Survey......Page 99 Types of Survey Questions......Page 100 Box: Six Guidelines for Crafting Survey Questions......Page 102 Observation......Page 103 Artifacts......Page 105 Content Analysis......Page 106 The Importance of Triangulation......Page 107 Box: Ethnography......Page 108 Sampling......Page 111 Box: Ethics and Social Research......Page 112 Chapter Review......Page 113 Stop & Review: Answers and Discussion......Page 114 Chapter 7 Culture......Page 116 Symbols......Page 117 Language......Page 118 Norms......Page 119 Sanctions......Page 120 Box: The Power of Informal Sanctions......Page 121 Box: What Do Americans Value?......Page 122 Box: Ideology......Page 123 How It Adds Up......Page 124 Culture as a Product of Action......Page 125 Culture as a Conditioning Element of Further Action......Page 126 Box: Varieties of Cultural Wisdom......Page 127 Social Institutions......Page 128 Subcultures and Countercultures......Page 129 Idiocultures......Page 131 Chapter Review......Page 133 Stop & Review: Answers and Discussion......Page 134 Statuses......Page 136 Roles......Page 138 Tricky Situation 2: Status Inconsistency......Page 139 Tricky Situation 3: Role Conflict......Page 140 Master Status......Page 141 Groups......Page 142 Primary and Secondary Groups......Page 143 Ideal-Type Bureaucracies......Page 145 Chapter Review......Page 148 Stop & Review: Answers and Discussion......Page 149 Chapter 9 Society and Social Institutions......Page 151 Societal Needs......Page 154 Institutions Are Generally Unplanned; They Develop Gradually......Page 157 Institutions Are Inherently Conservative; They Change, but Slowly......Page 159 A Particular Society's Institutions Are Interdependent; Because of This, Change in One Institution Tends to Bring About Change in Others......Page 162 The Statuses, Roles, Values, and Norms Associated with an Institution in One Society Frequently Bear Little Resemblance to Those in Another Society......Page 163 Social Change: The Trend Toward Increasing Specialization......Page 164 Stop & Review: Answers and Discussion......Page 165 Nature and Nurture: Biological and Social Processes......Page 167 How Socialization Works......Page 169 The Looking-Glass Self: Charles Horton Cooley......Page 170 The "I" and the "Me": George Herbert Mead......Page 172 Family......Page 175 School......Page 176 Mass Media......Page 177 Peer Groups......Page 178 The Workplace......Page 179 Box: Rites of Passage......Page 180 Resocialization and Total Institutions......Page 181 Chapter Review......Page 182 Stop & Review: Answers and Discussion......Page 183 The Relativity of Deviance (What We Already Know)......Page 184 Nonsociological Theories of Deviance......Page 186 The Collective Conscience and Structural Strain......Page 188 Egoism and Anomie......Page 189 Anomie and Modern Social Structure......Page 191 Responses to Anomie......Page 192 Learning to Be Deviant: Howard Becker's Study of Marijuana Use......Page 194 Learning to Smoke......Page 195 Learning to Perceive the Effects......Page 196 Learning to Enjoy the Effects......Page 197 The Societal Reaction Perspective: Labeling Theory......Page 198 Box: Ponder......Page 202 A Caution About Crime Data......Page 203 Deviance Is Not Immutable......Page 204 Gays in the Military......Page 206 Chapter Review......Page 207 Stop & Review: Answers and Discussion......Page 208 Chapter 12 Stratification and Inequality......Page 210 Caste Systems......Page 211 Estate Systems......Page 214 Box: A Year in the Life of the Peasant......Page 215 Class Systems......Page 217 Theoretical Conceptions of Class......Page 218 Box: Ponder......Page 219 Some Words About Slavery......Page 222 Social Mobility and Open Versus Closed Systems......Page 224 Chapter Review......Page 225 Stop & Review: Answers and Discussion......Page 227 Chapter 13 Inequality and Achievement: Social Class......Page 228 Box: The Matthew Effect......Page 232 Explaining Social Stratification......Page 233 Cultural Explanations......Page 234 Structural Explanations......Page 235 Box: Beyond Academics......Page 238 The Pygmalion Effect: The Power of Expectations......Page 242 The Fallacy of Hard Work......Page 243 Box: Ponder......Page 244 Social Mobility, Social Structure, and Social Change......Page 245 Box: Measuring Inequality......Page 246 Chapter Review......Page 247 Stop & Review: Answers and Discussion......Page 249 Chapter 14 Inequality and Ascription: Race, Ethnicity, and Gender......Page 252 Why a Dollar Is Not Always a Dollar......Page 253 "Racial Surtax" on Mortgages......Page 257 Prejudice......Page 260 Discrimination......Page 261 Discrimination and "Isms"......Page 264 The Social Construction of Minority Groups......Page 269 Gender......Page 272 Box: Sex or Gender?......Page 274 What to Do with What You've Learned?......Page 275 Chapter Review......Page 277 Stop & Review: Answers and Discussion......Page 278 Afterword......Page 281 References......Page 283 Credits......Page 293 Glossary/Index......Page 294