Sociology
Sociology is the study of human society, social behavior, and group interactions. It examines structures, institutions, and relationships from personal to global levels.
Key Terms
- Feminism
- Postmodernism
- Functionalism
- Marxism
Feminism
Feminism in sociology theorizes about gender inequality, analyzing the power structures, norms, and assumptions that subordinate women; it focuses on understanding women's experiences and social positions while advocating for social, economic, and political equality between women and men, freedom over bodies and representation, and justice regarding gender-based violence and marginalization.
Postmodernism
Postmodernism in sociology is a theoretical perspective questioning accepted ways of thinking and perceiving reality, rejecting grand theories for understanding society, and focusing on pluralism, ambiguity, fragmentations, and localized narratives and identities constructed by discourse and power relations. Postmodern sociologists analyze how language, symbols, and texts shape fluid social identities and relationships.
Functionalism
Functionalism is a sociological theory that sees society as a complex system with interconnected parts that work together to promote solidarity, stability, and well-being; it focuses on the functions various elements of society serve to keep society running. Functionalists examine the purposes social institutions like family, education, and religion serve to meet society's needs.
Marxism
Marxism is a sociological theory based on the ideas of Karl Marx that focuses on the concepts of social class, means of production, exploitation, oppression, and revolution as driving forces in history and society. Marxists analyze social stratification, the conflicts between social classes, and systems of inequality
Frequent Asked Questions
- The Uniform Crime Reports (UCR), compiled annually by the FBI, is the primary source of official crime data, based on crimes reported by law enforcement agencies.
- The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) is a self-report study gathered annually by interviewing randomly selected U.S. households about their experiences of crime, including crimes not reported to the police. The NCVS typically reports a higher rate of crime than the UCR.
- Criticism of Official Statistics (OCS): Interpretivist sociologists argue that OCS are a social construction. They reflect the decisions of groups like the general public, victims, police, and judges, rather than measuring the true amount of crime.
- A ‘dark figure‘ of unreported and unrecorded crime exists. For every 100 crimes committed, only about 47 are reported to the police, and 27 are actually recorded.
The family functions to reproduce and socialize children, meet members’ emotional and material needs, regulate sexual behavior and partnerships, provide social status and inheritance, educate informal roles and behaviors, maintain connections between generations, and confer legal rights and responsibilities regarding children and spouses’ care, assets, and medical decisions.
- Criminology is the systematic scientific study of crime, criminals, and the criminal justice system.
- Deviance is behavior that violates social norms and generates a negative social reaction. It is a broader concept than crime, covering violations of social norms such as folkways, mores, or codified law.
- Crime is behavior that violates official law and is punishable through formal sanctions
Sociologist Émile Durkheim believed that deviance is a natural and inevitable part of all societies.
From a functionalist perspective, deviance serves positive social functions: it clarifies rules, strengthens social bonds among people reacting to the deviant, and can help lead to beneficial social change.
There may be bias in careers advice and/or in allocating work placements; girls and boys may be encouraged to consider different career paths based on gender stereotypes.
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