Key Concepts in Sociology: A Comprehensive Collection

Key Concepts in Sociology

Sociological Approaches and Methods

The Sociological Approach

Systematic approach to studying society and social interactions.

Measuring Alienation

Amiko’s method: Operationalized measurement of alienation.

Capitalism and Exploitation

Marx’s argument: Capitalism operates by exploiting workers and reinvesting the surplus.

Suicide and Social Connection

Durkheim’s study: Suicide rates were higher for populations that were less socially connected.

Symbolic Interactionism

Weber’s verstehen led to the development of symbolic interactionism.

Analyzing Debates

Faisal’s method: Content analysis of debates.

Socialization and Culture

Resocialization

Bess’s experience: Resocialization.

Operant Conditioning

Example: A child is punished for breaking rules and rewarded for ‘good’ behavior.

Production of Culture

Marjorie’s study: Reflects the production of culture perspective.

Subcultures

Adam’s likely area of study: Subcultures.

Cultural Marxism and Hegemony

Domination by prevailing ideas is central to cultural Marxism’s understanding of hegemony.

Cultural Imperialism

Canadian cultural protection policy is a response to cultural imperialism.

Postmodernist Critique of Science

Ahmed’s potential criticism: Postmodernist perspective on science.

Social Structures and Inequality

Achieved Status

Jaspreet’s achieved status: Sergeant in the RCMP.

Bureaucracy and Work Roles

Weber’s theory of bureaucracy emphasizes the separation of person from work role.

Queer Theory

Queer theory destabilizes natural categories.

Deviance

Primary vs. secondary deviance: Initial act vs. further acts as part of a deviant identity.

Socio-Legal Perspective on Policing

Police use discretion to solve problems, according to the socio-legal perspective.

Transactional Character of Deviance

Luckenbill’s theory is relevant to analyzing murder cases.

Moral Panic

The Mods and Rockers conflict contributed to the concept of moral panic.

Social Control

Not a form of social control: A man is diagnosed with a contagious disease.

Gender Inequality and Unpaid Work

Consequence of women’s unpaid work: Men tend to earn higher wages than women.

The Quiet Revolution

Refers to changes in Quebec society.

Technology, Social Change, and Globalization

Technology and Social Context

Sociological emphasis: Technology does not exist without social context.

Piketty’s R > G

Meaning: Rate of return on investments is greater than the growth rate of the economy.

Gender as Social Construction

Varying ideas about masculinity support the view of gender as a social construction.

Patriarchy

Patriarchy reinforces male privilege.

Culturalism

Ernesto’s argument about immigrant incomes aligns with culturalism.

Interculturalism vs. Multiculturalism

Quebec’s interculturalism emphasizes French as the language of public life, distinct from multiculturalism.

Systemic Racism in Policing

Example: More officers in non-white neighborhoods.

Symbolic Interactionist Research

Example question: What is Canadian identity?

Religion and Belonging

“Believing without belonging” in Canada: Identifying with a religion at census time, but little church contact.

The Raelians

Finding: Emphasized individual choice.

Functional Definitions of Religion

Meredith McGuire focuses on what religion does for the social group and individual.

Social Reproduction

Unpaid labor supporting families is key to social reproduction.

Women’s Labor Activism

Challenge in the 1970s: Recognition from the union.

Temporary Foreign Workers

Consequence: More vulnerable to risks and exploitation.

Informal Economy

Venkatesh’s book highlights the importance of the informal economy for marginalized people.

The Sharing Economy

Early examples like Wikipedia featured collaborative work without being paid for it.

Frame Alignment

Agnes’s change in the animal rights group exemplifies frame alignment.

Inclusive Social Movements

Challenge: Difficult to hold together over the long term.

Studying Right-Wing Movements

Tetrault’s methods: Talking to participants and analyzing discourse.

Sovereign States

Weber’s definition: Monopoly over the legitimate use of force.

Canada in World Systems Theory

Unusual aspect: Economic dependence on exporting natural resources.

Institutional Isomorphism

Example: Developing countries restructuring laws.

Standardization of Time

Essential for modern world functioning.

World Society Perspective

Explains why state institutions take similar forms globally.

Vertically Integrated Companies

Own production, distribution, and exhibition enterprises.

Political Economy of Media

Amikha’s focus on Canadian media reflects the political economy perspective.

Streaming Platforms and Canadian Content

Controversy surrounding platforms like Netflix: Support for Canadian content.