CORNELL NOTES

SHEET

Chapter 1 – Sociology: Perspective, Theory, and Method

Essential Question 1: How does the sociological perspective helps us understand how society shapes our everyday lives?

QUESTIONS

NOTES

What is sociology?

What are the elements of the sociological perspective that allows us to “see” how society shapes our everyday lives?

How does Durkheim’s study on suicide help us understand society’s influence on human thinking and behavior?

What is the sociological imagination?

How does the sociological imagination explain the connection between the individual and society?

SUMMARY:  Write 4 or more sentences describing specific learning from these notes.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

CORNELL NOTES

SHEET

Chapter 1 – Sociology: Perspective, Theory, and Method

Essential Question 2: How are the origins of sociology linked to historical social changes?

QUESTIONS

NOTES

Identify and explain the 3 significant social changes that influenced the development of sociology.

Who was Auguste Comte? Explain how he saw sociology as the product of 3 stages of historical development.

What is positivism? Why is it considered a scientific approach to sociology?

How is contemporary sociology viewed differently from Comte’s positivism?

SUMMARY:  Write 4 or more sentences describing specific learning from these notes.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

CORNELL NOTES

SHEET

Chapter 1 – Sociology: Perspective, Theory, and Method

Essential Question 3: How does sociological theory explain social behavior?

QUESTIONS

NOTES

What is theory?

What contributions did the following key people make to the development of sociology?

August Comte, Robert Merton, Peter Berger, Karl Marx, Harriet Martineau, George Herbert Meade. C. Wright Mills, Herbert Spencer, Jane Addams, W.E.B. Du Bois

SUMMARY:  Write 4 or more sentences describing specific learning from these notes.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

CORNELL NOTES

SHEET

Chapter 1 – Sociology: Perspective, Theory, and Method

Essential Question 4: How do sociologists conduct research to learn about the social world?

QUESTIONS

NOTES

Describe the positivist (scientific) orientation to sociology.

How is a concept, variable, and measurement related?

What does it mean to operationalize a variable?

What are the different types of descriptive statistics?

What is the role of reliability and validity in a research study?

How do correlation and cause explain a relationship between variables?

SUMMARY:  Write 4 or more sentences describing specific learning from these notes.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

CORNELL NOTES

SHEET

Chapter 1 – Sociology: Perspective, Theory, and Method

Essential Question 4 contiued: How do sociologists conduct research to learn about the social world?

QUESTIONS

NOTES

Describe the interpretive orientation to sociology.

What are the differences between the positivist orientation and interpretative orientation to doing sociology?

Explain Weber’s concept of verstehen. Why is subjectivity important in research? How does the interpretative orientation support the use of subjectivity in research?

SUMMARY:  Write 4 or more sentences describing specific learning from these notes.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

CORNELL NOTES

SHEET

Chapter 1 – Sociology: Perspective, Theory, and Method

Essential Question 4 continued: How do sociologists conduct research to learn about the social world?

QUESTIONS

NOTES

Describe the critical orientation to sociology.

What questions to critical sociologist asks that are different from those using a positivist approach?

Explain the importance of change in the critical orientation to sociology. How does the critical orientation to sociology challenge Weber’s belief in the need for objectivity in research?

How does critical sociology support political action?

SUMMARY:  Write 4 or more sentences describing specific learning from these notes.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

CORNELL NOTES

SHEET

Chapter 1 – Sociology: Perspective, Theory, and Method

Essential Question 5: What are the ethical concerns in sociological research?

QUESTIONS

NOTES

How does gender affect research?

What are the ethical guidelines that impact sociological research?

SUMMARY:  Write 4 or more sentences describing specific learning from these notes.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

CORNELL NOTES

SHEET

Chapter 1 – Sociology: Perspective, Theory, and Method

Essential Question 6: What influences the choice for the type of research method to use when doing sociology?

QUESTIONS

NOTES

What is a research method?

What are the essential elements of experimental research?

What are the essential elements of survey research?

What are the essential elements of participant observation

What are the essential elements of using existing sources?

What are the 10 steps in sociological research?

SUMMARY:  Write 4 or more sentences describing specific learning from these notes.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________