Culture, Status, and Networks

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering the core concepts of culture, status, and social networks as presented in the Sociology II lecture notes.

Culture

The knowledge, language, values, customs, and material objects that are passed from person to person and from one generation to the next in a human group or society.

System of shared meaning

A definition of culture as a mechanism people create to solve real-life problems, such as communicating or leading a meaningful life, transmitted across generations.

Language

An important part of culture that facilitates communication and problem solving, containing ideas about race, class, and gender that change as perceptions evolve.

Material culture

The physical creations that members of a society make, use, and share, including everything from zippers to satellites in space.

Nonmaterial culture

The abstract human creations of society that influence people’s behavior, such as language, beliefs, values, rules of behaviors, and family patterns.

Popular Culture

Beliefs, practices, and objects mass-produced and mass distributed, including music, films, and social media, with power to shape public opinion and perception.

Body culture

Culture carried in our bodies as a product of regular and routine interaction, influencing how people move, take up space, make sounds, or physically respond.

Manspreading

An example of body culture related to how people move and take up space.

Macro level

The level of social structure involving societal systems of stratification where culture is learned.

Meso level

The level of social structure involving intermediate groupings like organizations, networks, and subcultures where culture is learned.

Micro level

The level of social structure involving individual interactions where culture is learned.

Abstraction

The capacity to create symbols or general ideas that carry meaning as a cultural solution to real-life problems.

Cooperation

The capacity to create a complex social life by establishing norms or generally accepted ways of doing things.

Norms

Generally accepted ways of doing things; when enforced by the state, these become laws.

Production

The capacity to make and use tools and techniques that improve the ability to take desired resources from nature.

Status

A recognized social position, such as teacher or student, and a relative position in hierarchies of power, prestige, and resources.

Effective claim to social esteem

The definition of status provided by Max Weber.

Status groups

Social positions ranked and organized by legal, political, and cultural criteria based on perceived or actual differences.

Network

Any system that can be expressed in terms of some type or types of relationship among some set of nodes.

Edges

The term used to refer to the relationships in a network system.

Nodes

The entities in a network, which are often individuals but can also be organizations or nations.

Personal networks

Networks that focus on one person and their specific connections.

Full networks

Networks that focus on a group of persons and all their connections.

Homophily

The tendency for similarity to breed connection, meaning people are more likely to form relationships with similar others.

Reciprocity

The concept of mutual exchange in relationships, which contrasts with unequal exchange.

Triadic closure

Connections made through mutual contacts that help researchers understand relationships over time.

Tertius gaudens

A term meaning 'the third who benefits,' where a third party gains power when two other actors remain disconnected or in competition.

Interviews

A research method used to provide insights into experiences, beliefs, identities, and interpretations in their own voices.

Interview themes

Recurring meanings and patterns identified during the analysis of interview data.

Structured interviews

A format of interviewing where researchers ask predetermined questions.

Semi-structured interviews

A flexible interview format that uses a set of questions but allows for probing and follow-up.

Double coding

The process where several people code interview transcripts for themes to address the subjectivity of data interpretation.

Soli Dubash

The instructor for SOC150 Introduction to Sociology II at the University of Toronto.

Midterm Exam format

A test consisting of $3$ short answer questions to be completed in $2\,hours$.

Midterm Exam timeframe

A test that can be taken any time between $9\,am$ and $6\,pm$, though starting after $4\,pm$ provides less than $2\,hours$.

Final Exam date

Thursday, August 20th at $7PM$.

Final Exam format

An assessment consisting of $4$ short answer questions with a duration of $2\,hours$.

Critical News Analysis Step 1

A pass/fail assignment due July 7 worth $5\%$ where students propose an article, argument, and two readings.

Critical News Analysis Step 2

An assignment due July 21 worth $10\%$ focused on structuring paragraphs with evidence.

Critical News Analysis Step 3

A pass/fail assignment due July 28 worth $5\%$ involving writing a formal introduction and conclusion.

Critical News Analysis Full Draft

The complete draft of the paper worth $20\%$ due on August 4.

Epistemology

The methods focus of Lecture 1, 'Social Physics & Social Facts'.

Ontology

The methods focus of Lecture 2, 'Power & Inequality'.

Ethnomethods & Phenomenology

The topics covered in Lecture 3, 'Human, All Too Human'.

Skeptical Realism

The methods focus of Lecture 4, involving history and comparison.

Evidence Triangulation

The methods focus of Lecture 8, 'Organizations & Institutions'.

Trace Data

The focus of Lecture 11, 'A Brave New (Digital) World', alongside focus groups.

Cultural constraint

The way culture makes individuals think or feel some actions are too challenging, impossible, or inappropriate.

Cultural enablement

The way culture makes individuals feel they are good at certain things or comfortable making 'the right' choices.

Office Hours

Held by Soli Dubash on Tuesday and Thursday from $2$ to $3\,pm$.