Sociology-Module 1-Chapter 1

Applying an imaginative thought process to sociological problems; the ability to "think oneself away" from the routine/familar to see things from a different perspective.

to develop a greater awareness and understanding of cultural differences.

Durkheim leaned toward functionalism, believing sociologists must study social facts and that for a society to function over time all its parts must work in harmony to achieve organic solidarity.
Karl Marx believed in the materialist conception of history and that modern change revolved around capitalism
Weber believed in the importance of economic factors and ideas and values for social change.

A theoretical approach which emphasizes the role of symbols and language as core elements of human interaction. Strengths: directs our attention to the detail of interpersonal interaction and how that detail is used to make sense of what others say and do. Weaknesses: Concentrates too much on things that are small in scope.

Theoretical perspective based on the idea that social events can best be explained in terms of the functions they perform/contributions they make to society. Merton distinguished between manifest (those intended by the participants in a specific social activity) and latent (consequences of social activity participants are unaware of) functions.

Like Marxism, feminism makes a link between sociological theory and political reform. However, feminist sociologists argue that women's lives and experiences are central to the study of society and believe in gender relations and inequality being important determinants of social life, while Marxism does not.

Macro analysis is good for helping us understand the big picture of a business or organization, but not to understand how the organization works from the inside/each individual's contribution to the business. Micro analysis is useful for understanding how large businesses or organizations function from a interpersonal perspective, but not for understanding how the business works as a whole.

Yes. However, it differs from the natural sciences because sociologists seek to produce objective knowledge.

Sociologists ask factual research questions, which raise issues concerning matters of fact. They also ask comparative questions, concerned with drawing comparisons between different human societies for the purposes of sociological theory or research. They ask developmental questions, ones that are asked when looking at the origins and path of development of social institutions form the past to present. Last theoretical questions, posed by sociologists when seeking to explain a particular range of observed events.

1. Define the problem 2. review the literature, 3. formulate a hypothesis, 4. select a research design, 5. carry out the research, 6. interpret your results, 7. report the research findings.

So that the research does not pose risks to the subjects they wouldn't usually face and to make sure the gains of the research outweigh the risks of the subjects.

researchers will often combine two or more methods in their work, where each method is used to check or supplement the material obtained from the others.