SOC101 FAQs

SOC101 - Introduction to Sociology FAQs By

Question: What is sociology?

Answer: The truth is, there can be several definitions of what sociology is. The rather clinical definition, according to Webster's dictionary, is "the study of the development and structure of society and social relationships."" Textbooks usually describe sociology as "the scientific study of human society and social behavior" or something very similar to that. These are the formal definitions of sociology.

Question: How do sociologists do their research?

Answer: Sociologists do research in basically one of two ways: qualitatively and quantitatively. Doing research qualitatively means one would get data by observing human interaction (and sometimes participating in those events yourself), doing interviews, or studying documents or other sources of data first-hand. Quantitative work involves using statistical procedures and mathematical programs to come up with various numerical measures of the issue one is trying to analyze.

Question: What is social work?

Answer: Social work is the profession of helping individuals, families, groups or communities to enhance or restore their capacity for social functioning and creating societal conditions favorable to that goal.

Question: What are the functions of families?

Answer: Families reduce competition for spouses. They also regulate the division of labor on the basis of gender. Families also meet the material, educational and emotional needs of children.

Question: What subjects or issues do sociologists deal with?

Answer: Human society itself is so complex and multidimensional; sociologists themselves deal with a wide variety of specific subjects and issues. A short list would include such issues as popular culture, the uses of language, social institutions, bureaucracies, social deviance and crimes, human sexuality, class differences, racial and ethnic differences, gender differences, marriages and families, education, religion, economics and capitalism, types of political governments, social movements, population changes, and technology. Again, this is only a partial list of subject’s sociologists study.

Question: What is status quo?

Answer: The existing conditions or circumstances. There are always those who are interested in maintaining the status quo since they are doing well due to it and others who oppose the status quo since it tends to exploit them or puts them in a disadvantaged position.

Question: What Is Culture?

Answer: Culture refers to the beliefs, values, behavior and material objects that, together, form a People’s way of life. Culture has two basic components: nonmaterial culture, or the intangible creations of human society, and material culture, the tangible products of human society.

Question: Why is sociology important?

Answer: It's important because what we're dealing with here is the nature of human society and the social environment that we're all a part of. Sociology frequently deals with some of the most critical and controversial issues concerning us today. No matter how we may feel about these issues or even about each other, we can probably all agree that society is constantly changing and that the need to understand each other is more crucial now than ever. In this sense, that is where sociology and sociologists can hopefully contribute some useful knowledge and wisdom.

Question: How is sociology different from anthropology?

Answer: Both sociology and anthropology study societies and cultures. Traditionally, anthropology was more likely to study hunting and gathering, herding, fishing, and other nonindustrial societies, while sociology tended to focus more on industrial and post-industrial societies. There is also a whole division of anthropology called physical anthropology which examines teeth, bones, and other archeological evidence. Today, anthropologists may study aspects of contemporary culture in all types of societies. They are more likely than sociologists to use qualitative methods of research and less likely to use quantitative methods. Some sociologists use both qualitative and quantitative data. Not all sociologists pay a lot of attention to culture, but most social anthropologists could never ignore culture.

Question: What is the function of kinship?

Answer: Vertical Function: Kinship systems provide social continuity by binding together a number of generations Horizontal Function: Kinships provide social solidarity and continuity within the same generation as well.

Question: How many residence patterns are there?

Answer: The most common types of residence patterns evidenced around the world are: Patrilocal: the couple can live with or near the relatives of the husband’s father (most prevalent) Matrilocal: the couple can live with or near the relatives of the wife’s father Avunculocal: the couple can live with or near the husband’s mother’s brother Ambilocal or bilocal: the couple can live with or near the relatives of either the wife or the husband Neolocal: Where economic circumstances permit, the couple can also establish a completely new residence of their own.

Question: What is Gender stratification?

Answer: Gender stratification contrasts the status assigned by different cultures on the basis of gender. It is important to release that status is itself a multidimensional notion involving issues of economic, social and political empowerment. Stratification on the basis of gender is a common phenomenon.

Question: What is theory?

Answer: A theory suggests a relationship between different phenomenons. Theories allow us to reduce the complexity of reality into an abstract set of principles, which serve as models to compare and contrasts different types of realities.

Question: Name and explain important types of societies?