The practical skeptic : core concepts in sociology

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