Sociology is concerned with understanding how society is structured and how social relationships develop. It examines patterns of behavior, cultural norms, and institutions that shape everyday life.

Culture encompasses the norms, values, beliefs, and practices that are common to a group of people. It shapes how individuals interact in society and understand their world.

Socialization is the lifelong process through which people acquire the language, norms, and values of their community. It plays a key role in shaping individual identity and behavior.

Functionalism views society as a complex system in which various parts work together to promote stability and order. It stresses the importance of social institutions such as family, education, and government in maintaining societal equilibrium.

Deviance involves behaviors that violate social expectations or norms. Understanding deviance helps sociologists analyze how societies define acceptable behavior.

C. Wright Mills coined the term 'sociological imagination' to describe the ability to see the connection between personal experiences and larger social forces. His work emphasizes understanding personal troubles within the context of public issues.

Conflict theory examines the competition for resources and power struggles that exist between different social groups. It highlights how inequality and social divisions contribute to social change and conflict.

Surveys are a fundamental tool in quantitative research as they allow for the collection of numerical data from a large sample. This method facilitates statistical analysis and helps in generating generalizable results.

Symbolic interactionism focuses on the meanings created through everyday interactions and the symbols used in communication. It posits that society is constructed through the subjective interpretations of these interactions.

Social capital is the benefit individuals gain from their social networks and relationships. It can offer support, information, and access to opportunities within a community.

Social stratification refers to the hierarchical arrangement of individuals based on factors like wealth, power, and status. It explains how unequal distributions of resources affect opportunities and outcomes in society.

Primary groups, such as family and close friends, offer intimate, personal relationships with strong emotional ties. In contrast, secondary groups are larger and revolve around specific goals or activities with more impersonal interactions.

Functionalists believe that deviance plays a role in reinforcing the boundaries of acceptable behavior. By reacting to deviance, society reaffirms its norms and values, thereby strengthening social cohesion.

Conflict theory focuses on how power differentials and dominant ideologies perpetuate social inequality. It scrutinizes the interests of powerful groups and how these ideologies legitimize and reinforce their advantages.

Social order is maintained when societal institutions, norms, and values work collectively to guide individual behavior. This integration helps to minimize conflicts and allows for predictable interactions within society.

Intersectionality provides a framework for understanding how various aspects of identity - such as race, gender, and class - interact to shape experiences. This comprehensive analysis reveals complex patterns of privilege and oppression that might be overlooked when examining categories in isolation.

Social constructionism posits that many of the categories we consider natural, such as race and gender, are actually created through social processes and collective agreement. This perspective challenges the notion that these categories have an inherent, biological basis.

Ethnographic research involves immersive observation, allowing researchers to capture the subtle nuances of cultural practices. This method provides a rich, qualitative insight into how communities live and interact on a daily basis.

Critical theory challenges conventional assumptions about social order by highlighting the role of power imbalances and systemic inequality. It questions whose interests are served by maintaining the status quo and seeks to expose hidden forms of oppression.

Social media has revolutionized the way individuals communicate by creating new platforms for interaction. It offers opportunities for building social capital while simultaneously having the potential to reinforce existing social inequalities.