LESSON 1 SOCIOLOGY: AN INTRODUCTION 1.

Fill in the blanks with one appropriate term from the list below: social conditions Micro-level sociological imagination Macro-level Chicago school macro-level social surveys community human ecology Interactionism rational-choice Functionalism symbolic-interactionist conflict perspective Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber scientific revolutions progress empirical exchange questions groups science middle observations explain understand

Sociology is the _____________________ study of human societies and of human behavior in the _____________________ that make up a society. It is concerned with how_____________________ influence out lives as individuals. The ability to see the world from this point of view has been described as the _____________________. Sociologists study social behavior at three levels of complexity. _____________________ sociology deals with behavior that occur at the level of the individual and immediate others. The _____________________ level of sociological observation is concerned with how the social structures in which people participate actually shape their lives. _____________________ studies attempt to explain the social processes that influence populations, social classes and entire societies. The scientific discoveries of the 17th century led to the rise of the idea of _____________________, as opposed to the notion of human helplessness in the face of divine Providence. In the 18th century, _____________________ in Europe and North America completely changed the social order and gave rise to new perspectives on human social life. Out of this period of social and intellectual ferment came the idea of creating a _____________________ of human society. Sociology developed in Europe in the 19th century. During that formative period a number of outstanding sociologists shaped and refined the new discipline. Among them were _____________________, _____________________ and _____________________. In the 20th century sociology developed most rapidly in North America, spurred by the need for _____________________ information about social conditions. Numerous _____________________ were conducted around the turn of the century, and by the late 1920s two distinct approaches to the study of society had evolved at American universities. The _____________________ focused on the relationship between the individual and society, while the major East Coast universities leaned toward _____________________ analysis. Under the leadership of Robert Park and Ernest Burgess, the Chicago school developed an approach known as _____________________. This perspective emphasizes the relationship among social order, social disorganization, and the distribution of populations in space and time. Fundamental to this approach is the concept of

_____________________, meaning a population that carries out major functions within a particular territory. _____________________ is a perspective that views social order and social change as resulting from all the repeated interactions among individuals and groups. One version of this approach is _____________________ or _____________________ theory, which focuses on what people seem to be getting out of their interactions and what they contribute to them. Another version is the _____________________ perspective, which studies how social structures are actually created in the course of human interaction. _____________________ is concerned primarily with large-scale structures of society; it asks how those structures enable society to carry out its basic functions. In the decades since World War II this perspective has been strongly challenged by the _____________________, which emphasizes the role of conflict and power in explaining not only why societies change, but also why they hold together. None of the major sociological perspectives is fully independent of the others. Each emphasizes different _____________________ and different _____________________ about social life. Used in combination, they greatly increase our ability to _____________________ and _____________________ almost any aspect of human society. 2. For each of the following terms, identify the correct definition and enter the appropriate letter in the blank in front of the definition. a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i. j. k. l. sociological imagination social conditions sociology micro-level sociology macro-level sociology middle-level sociology scientific method human ecology interactionism functionalism conflict perspective power

___ 1. an approach to the study of society that focuses on patterns of social interaction at the individual level. ___ 2. a sociological perspective that emphasizes the relationships among social order, social disorganization, and the distribution of populations in time and space. ___ 3. a sociological perspective that emphasizes the role of conflict and power in society. ___ 4. an approach to the study of society that focuses on the major structures and institutions of society. ___ 5. an approach to the study of society that focuses on the ways in which a complex pattern of social structures and arrangements contributes to social order.

___ 6. an approach to the study of society that focuses on relationships between social structures and the individual. ___ 7. the ability to control the behavior of others, even against their will. ___ 8. the realities of the life we create together as social beings. ___ 9. a sociological perspective that views social order and social change as resulting from all the repeated interactions among individuals and groups. ___ 10. the process by which theories and explanations are constructed through repeated observation and careful description. ___ 11. according to C. Wright Mills, the ability to see how social conditions affect our lives. ___ 12. the scientific study of human societies and human behavior in the groups that make up a society. 3. Encircle the correct answer to each question, from the answers provided below. 1. Which of the following is a characteristic of society? a. it is the study of human societies b. it focuses on human behavior in groups c. it uses scientific research methods d. all of the above 2. A study of how people interact in telephone conversations would be an example of sociological research at the: a. micro level b. middle level c. macro level d. none of the above 3. Modern sociology originated in the scientific discoveries of the seventeenth century, which gave rise to a theory of: a. divine Providence b. human progress c. natural selection d. class conflict 4. The term sociology was coined by: a. Karl Marx b. Auguste Comte c. Emile Durkheim d. Robert Park 5. The early sociologists devoted much of their attention to: a. conducting social surveys b. studying pattern of behavior c. developing macrosociological theories d. analyzing census data

6. Karl Marx believed that the societies of his day would be transformed by: a. natural selection b. changing cultural values c. technological innovations d. violent revolutions 7. Which of the following early sociologists emphasized the importance of bureaucratic forms of social organization in modern societies? a. Auguste Comte b. Robert Park c. Max Weber d. Karl Marx 8. In the United States, the reform movements of the late 19 th and early 20th centuries gave rise to a demand for: a. empirical research b. macro-level analysis c. socialism d. sociology departments 9. The first black sociologist to gain worldwide recognition was: a. Jacob Riis b. Jane Addams c. Ernest Burgess d. W. E. B. DuBois 10. The distinctive orientation of the Chicago school was its emphasis on the relationships among social order, social disorganization, and the distribution of populations in space and time. This approach became known as: a. human ecology b. symbolic interactionism c. functionalism d. conflict theory 11. The sociological perspective that focuses on interpersonal behavior is: a. functionalism b. socialism c. interactionism d. none of the above 12. The study of how people learn to play certain roles and how those roles are used in the social construction of groups and organizations is called: a. human ecology b. symbolic ecology c. functionalism

d. conflict theory 13. The functionalist perspective is concerned primarily with: a. the large-scale structures of society b. the role of conflict in social change c. the micro-level of interaction d. the distribution of populations in space and time 14. The events of the World Wars, the Depression and the Holocaust have impetus to the sociological perspective known as: a. exchange theory b. symbolic interactionism c. functionalism d. conflict theory 15. Which of the following statements is correct? a. Each of the major sociological perspectives emphasizes different questions about social life. b. Much sociological research combines the insights of different perspectives. c. All of the major sociological perspectives are employed by modern sociologists. d. all of the above. 4. TRUE or FALSE: T/F 1. The term sociological imagination refers to the ability to see how social conditions affect our lives and our times. T/F 2. The revolutions of the 18th century produced drastic changes in the way people thought and acted as social beings. T/F 3. The social surveys of the late 18 th century and early 19th centuries were and attempt to apply conflict theory to the study of industrialization and urbanization. T/F 4. The Chicago school is closely associated with the development of the functionalist perspective in sociology. T/F 5. Symbolic interactionism is the study of the process by which social life is constructed out of mundane acts of social communications.