Sociology 201 Midterm 2 Dumas

culture

the relationship between individuals and society

shared customs, morals, values, knowledge, language and material objects passed down over time to help us deal with real life problems

distinguishes us from animals

non-material culture

the values, beliefs and traditions

material culture

tangible artifacts and physical objects

features of culture

learned, shared, transmitted, cumulative, human

How culture survives: Cooperation

the ability to construct social norms and laws

How culture survives: Abstraction

the ability to use symbols such as language

Building blocks of Culture: Norms

specification of appropriate behaviour

Building blocks of Culture: Laws

codified norms

Building blocks of Culture: Sanctions

Rewards and punishments

Building blocks of Culture: Values

general beliefs of right and wrong

Sunmer Norms: Folkway

customary behaviour. Ex. opening the door for someone, taking hat off at the dinner table

Sunmer Norms: Mores

carry serious moral condemnation. Ex. cheating on spouse, incest, stealing, nudity in public

cultural relativism

assumes every culture has intrinsic worth

Ethnocentrism

the belief that one's own group or culture is superior to all other groups or cultures

Rationalism

mcdonaldization (george ritzer) adopting characteristics of fast food places, lose family aspects like having a meal together

Consumerism

the nag factor

Cultural Freedom

- multiculturalism provides minorities w rights

- globalization: increased trade,communication, production

- rights revolution: 1918 declaration of Human Rights, compensation for past injuries

- postmodernism: an electric mixing of elements from different times and places, the erosion of authority, the decline of consensus about core values

cultural constraint

includes rationalization and consumerism

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

Language is an important symbolic system. If language is lost, the entire culture is put at risk. Our language determines our thought.

Language and Gender: women

use more modifiers and tag questions, larger vocabulary for cooking, colours, textures, food, clothing and parenting. more open.

Language and Gender: Men

interrupt, give directions, express opinions, use "I" statements, use judgmental adjectives, make references to quantity, use incomplete statements (nice job), less open talk more at the beginning of a relationship

Subculture

groups in society with their own views, norms, folkways, and mores. Ex. china town, chinese culture in canada.

Counterculture

subcultures in the opposition of dominant culture. Ex. KKK, white supremacists, environmentalists, terrorists, revolutionists.

who is capable of culture

only humans are capable.

Nancy Davis Reaction to social class: Resistance

denying that you can change your status

Nancy Davis Reaction to Social Class: Paralysis

Refusing to do anything about it, feel like there is nothing you CAN do.

Nancy Davis Reaction to Social Class: Rage

anger towards yourself and others when not taken seriously

income

refers to the economic gain attained by wages, salaries and income transfers from the government income does not equal wealth

wealth

the accumulated assets of goods such as buildings, land, farm, house, factories etc. wealth does not equal income

income inequality

stats canada uses the median incomes from canada which means the mean will be lower. People with extreme income high or low will not tip the scale causing inequality of tax, financial aid etc.

Wealth Inequality

the top 2 Canadians have more than 11 mil combined. the top 20% of Canadians own 67% of all wealth

hegemony

the domination of one state over its allies, why does 1% control working class?

Christopher Sarlo - Poverty

true poverty is "stomach stretching poverty" he says you confuse poverty with lack of middle class amenities. The truly impoverished do not have coffee, jam, ketchup, tv, and DVD players. He believes we exaggerate the level of poverty in Canada. BUT poverty is defined differently in wealthy countries

Child Poverty

roughly 1.2 million chrildren living in poverty. Approximately 50% (60% on reserves) and 15 of all other children are considered relatively impoverished in 2016.

absolute poverty

refers to an inability to attain the basic necessities of life. (Basic needs Measure). Ex. food, clothing, shelter (most common way of measure)

Relative Poverty

Refers to an inability to secure an average standard of living. They are considered deprived relative to others. Ex. cant afford to have internet access, electronics. Low Income Cutoff Point

relative poverty line

if you spend more than 55% of your income on common necessities you are relatively impoverished

Consequences of Relative Poverty

delayed vocabulary development, poor health and hygiene, poor nutrition, Absenteeism and low scholastic achievement, Behavioural and mental problems (crime/deviance), Low housing standards, greater likelihood of being poor in adulthood. Endless cycle.

What group likely to be impoverished

people under 25

women

single parent families

non whites

people with disabilities

74% of single parent females under 25 are considered poor

open social stratification

If you put in effort there is a way to change your status. Ex. Canada

closed social stratification

Ex. cost system in india, whatever you're born into is what you have your whole life. no possibility of change

Meritocracy

regardless of social class standing in canada, you get what you deserve / what you've earned

ascribed status

born with, doesnt change throughout your life. Ex. Royalty, skin colour, eye colour

Achieved status

you have somewhat control over your status. Ex. career, education, citizenship

What are the four main explanations for Inequality

Structural Functionalism (Davis and Moore)

Conflict Theory (Marx, Erik Ohlin Wright, Max Weber)

Feminisms

Symbolic Interactionism

Structural Functionalism - Davis and Moore

1949 post wwII

believed society was held together by consensus not based upon conflict

inequality is functional for society

eliminating inequality would be harmful

inequality will continue because it is functional and necessary

believed we lived in a meritocracy (people get what they earn)

Believed racism served a purpose in society. say that crime, famine, assault is rationalized and will better the planet

intrinsic

how the job makes you feel in the longrun, the satisfaction of the work you do

extrinsic

financial benefits, healthcare, vacations, is this what makes you work harder

Conflict Theory - Karl Marx

two groups in society, the haves and that have nots. the social relationships to the means of production refer to people's position in society (ie proletariat and bourgeoisie in capitalist societies)

surplus value is the amount appropriated by the bourgeoisie. The proletariat is exploited and experiences alienation. The "law of accumulation" suggests that as the bourgeoisie obtains more wealth, the proletariat will eventually have no money to purchase products - the system collapses

what social scientist believed that authority would crumble and so would inequality

Karl Marx

Alienation

Durkheims idea of anomie, normless.

Karl Marx

believed profit was a dirty word, profit came from the poor, theft

Conflict Theory - Erik Ohlin Wright

There are more than two classes in contemporary capitalist societies based upon: control of the means of production, control of the labour of others, purchase of the labour of others, sale of one's labour.

In the conflict theory pyramid by Erik Ohlin Wright what is the order from top to bottom

capitalist class (owns means of production)

managerial class (controls the labour of others)

small business class (purchases the labour of others)

working class (sells labour, petty bourgeoisie)

Conflict theory Wright vs Marx

Marx- Bourgeoisie on top 10%, proletariat the rest

Wright- Capitalist, managerial class, small business class, working class

Conflict Theory - Max Weber

one factor cannot explain social stratification

we should take a multidimensional approach to social stratification including class, status and party

society will be increasingly controlled by bureaucrats

inequality will continue

Feminisms

Liberal (encourages females to have equal voice in voting and society)

Radical (looked at equal pay for women in the workplace)

Socialist (dual systems)

Postmodern (relevant today, the idea of women not having to be so feminine in todays society, they shouldn't have to do their hair or wear makeup)

Hawthorne effect

People act differently when they know they are being watched in a lab setting.

Agents of socialization

Family

Schools

Peer groups

Mass media

Wilson

He pioneered sociobiology; the study of how biology affects social behavior. War, peace, envy and cooperation are believed to be rooted in out genes.

The Harlows

They studied the effects of social isolation on rhesus monkeys. Found that isolation caused hostility and fear.

Freud

Claimed that personality traits cluster and are submerged in the unconscious. Used the terms; Id, superego and ego. Compared the mind to an iceberg.

The ID

The pleasure principle. Demands immediate gratification.

Superego

Personal conscience. The part of the mind that has internalized society's norms.

Ego

Reality principle. Balances the ID and the superego.

Piaget

A physiologist that studied children's development. According to him the stages are:

Sensorimotor

Pre-opertional

Concrete operational

Formal operational

Kohberg

Came up with three stages for moral development.

Pre conventional

Conventional

Post conventional

Gilligan

Believed that moral development is gendered. Was critical of Kolberg

Cooley

Sociologist best known for the 'glass looking self' a person grows from the way they are seen by others.

Mead

He came up with three aspects of the social self. the Me, I, and Generalized Other. As well as stages of child development:

Egocentric stage

Imitative

Play

Game

Goffman

He described that we are all actors in a play and our true selves are backstage. The dramaturgical approach.

Material culture

Tangible physical objects

Non-material culture

intangible, values beliefs and traditions.

Building blocks of culture

Values, norms, laws and sanctions.

Folkways

Customary behavior. Coined by Sumner

Mores

Serious norms but not the law. Term coined by Sumner

Norms

Standards of behavior or generally accepted ways of doing things.

Sapir-Whorf hypothesis

Language determines thoughts. It is an important symbolic system.

Subcultures

Groups with distinctive values, norms, folkways and more.

Counter cultures

Cultures that oppose the dominant culture

Ethnography

The detailed description of a particular culture of ways of life, or the written results of a participant observation study.

Determinism

The belief that everything happens the way it does because of destiny.

Voluntarism

We alone control our destiny.

Socialization

The social process whereby people undergo development by interacting with the people around them.

Gender socialization

The process by which individuals learn to become masculine or feminine according to the expectations set by society.

Adult socialization

The process by which adults take on new statuses and acquire new and different social identities.

Anticipatory socialization

Beginning to take on the norms and behaviors of a role you aspire to but do not yet occupy.

Taking on the role of the other

Anticipating in advance how others will see and react to you. It is an essential skill the children must develop to be effective members of society.

Abstraction

The human capacity to create symbols in order to classify experience and generalize from it.

Cooperation

The human capacity to create a social life by establishing norms.

Production

Creating material and non-material culture

Language

A system of symbols strung together to communicate thought

Primary group

A small group that is characterized by intimate, face-to-face association, and cooperation. Such as parents.

Significant others

People who are of central importance to the development of the self. Such as parents.

The self

A sense of individual identity, allows us to understand ourselves and differentiate ourselves from others.

Latent functions

The invisible and unintended effects of social structures.

Manifest functions

The visible and intended effects of social structures