sociology master deck

UCR and National Crime Victimization Survey are.

-Most crime statistics come from the Uniform

Crime Report (UCR)

• Published by FBI since 1930's

• Based on info from law enforcement agencies

-National Crime

timization Survey

• Random survey of over 100,000 households.

• Over 60% of all crimes are not reported to police

Trends in crime (increasing? decreasing?)

decreasing

functionalist perspectives when it comes to crime/deviance

explain how crime serves a function (builds a

sense of community) and helps define non-deviant behavior as good. Praising the good, reduces the bad.

What is deviant may vary, but deviance is found is in all societies; deviance and the social response it provokes sustain the moral foundation of society; deviance may also guide social change.

There is nothing abnormal about deviance

• It exists in every culture - it is universal • Durkheim: it is a natural and inevitable part of all society.

Deviance is not all bad for society

• Deviance affirms cultural values and norms

• Responding to deviance clarifies moral boundaries and promotes unity

• Deviance encourages social change

Too much deviance can be dysfunctional

conflict perspectives when it comes to crime/deviance

explains how some groups are disadvantaged

and therefore more likely to be perceived and/or become criminal.

-Deviance reflects social inequality.

-People we commonly consider deviants

share the trait of powerlessness.

-The norms of any society generally

reflect the interests of the rich and the powerful.

• White collar crime, corporate crime

-Spitzer argues that deviant labels are

applied to people who interfere with the operation of capitalism.

Know the functions of punishment

1. Retribution

2. General deterrence

3. Incapacitation

4. Rehabilitation

white collar crime

unethical business practices committed by people in the course of their work lives

Merton's Strain Theory

Robert Merton:

-Social strain theory - people feel strain when exposed to cultural goals that they are unable to obtain

• Conformity (those who conform choose not to deviate. they pursue their goals to the extent that they can through socially accepted means)

Innovation (pursue goals they cannot reach through legitimate means by instead using criminal means), Ritualism (lower their goals until they can reach them through socially accepted ways. These members focus on conformity rather than attaining a distant dream) Retreatism (retreat and reject society's goals and means. ex: beggars and street people), Rebellion (rebel and replace a society's goals and means with their own. ex: terrorists or freedom fighters)

-The kind of deviance depends on whether a

society provides the means to achieve cultural goals

-The strain between our culture's emphasis on

wealth and limited opportunity gives rise to crime

Theorists that analyzed crime through biological similarities? (know the

names of the people)

Theorists that analyzed crime through biological similarities? (know the

names of the people)

Caesare Lombroso

• criminals could be identified by physical traits

William Sheldon

• body shape predicted criminality;

• Ectomorph, endomorph, mesomorph

Sheldon and Eleanor Glueck

• powerfully built sons grow up less sensitive toward others

No conclusive evidence linking genetics to criminality

What ethnic group has the war on drugs disproportionately impacted?

young African American men

Adam Smith and the "invisible hand" of the free market.

Where successful entrepreneuers and efficient producers would be rewarded and those with bad ideas competed out of business.

welfare state?

government agencies and programs that provides benefits

to the population

rational choice perspective

A perspective in social and economic theory that emphasizes the centrality of individual decision making based on how individuals think about their well-being. While there are a variety of different versions of the rational-choice perspective, all emphasize that individual action is the foundation of society and social order.

How have the types of jobs we have changed over time?

•Massive change from simplistic division of labor (hunting/gathering & agrarian societies) to complex division of labor (contemporary society).

•Characterized by specialization

What is voter apathy?

lack of care or interest in an election, ofter cause people not to vote

What things are correlated with voter

apathy?

Gender, age, and ethnicity

Who votes the most?

women vote more than men

family values perspective

the orientations people have toward family responsibilities

traditional

economic restructuring perspective

changes in the way the economy, firms and employment relations are organized

gender restructuring perspective

highlights the growing mismatch between the structure of job and the care taking needs of families.

Trends in divorce rate over the last decade

Children living with both biological parents fare better on average, but

difference in decline is related to family financial resources and degree of parental conflict before and after breakup

ASA's view on children raised by same-sex parents

• "Children fare just as well when they are raised by same-sex parents as when they are raised by opposite sex parents.

• This consensus holds true across a wide range of child outcome indicators and is supported by numerous nationally representative studies."

How does Durkheim define religion (sacred vs the profane) - know that Durkheim defined it for us this way.

-Religion is socially constructed.

-Through rituals, individuals set distinction between the sacred and the profane.

-Whenever humans confront uncertainty, we turn to our sacred symbols.

Are Men or Women more religious?

women are more religious

Who talked about religion being the "opiate of the masses"?

Marx

What is civil religion?

a quasi-religious loyalty binding individuals in a

basically secular society

What is animism?

pagan beliefs

Functionalist view of education

education equips people to perform different functional roles in society; learn about individualism

Conflict theorists view of education

means of widening gaps in social inequality

Symbolic interactionism view of education

way that labeling theory is seen in action- see direct correlation to those who are in power and those who are labeled; labels are hard to "shake off" and can create self-fulfilling prophecies

Manifest functions of education

socialization, learning rules and norms of the society, teaching conformity to law and respect for authority and social placement

Latent functions of education

social networking, learning about social issues

Hidden curriculum

refers to the type of nonacademic knowledge that students learn through informal learning and cultural transmission

unspoken and unofficial norms, behaviors, and values in schools

Who are victims of street crime

Men (with the exception of rape)

• Young (teens & young adults)

• Minority

• Low income (3 times more likely to be robbed, more

likely to be assaulted)

Who commits street crime

⦿ Age

• Typically offender is between 18 - 25

• Age-crime curve

⦿ Gender

• Majority male

⦿ Social class

⦿ Race/ethnicity

Differential association theory

one becomes deviant if one associates with

deviants

Labeling theory

• Labels influence who becomes deviant and who

does not.

-Primary deviance (little effect on a person's

self-concept)

-Secondary deviance (person begins to take on a deviant identity)

Types of crimes

Crimes against the person

• direct violence or the threat of violence against others.

• Violent crime consists of actions—murder, rape, robbery, and

aggravated assault—involving force or the threat of force

against others.

• Hate crime - a criminal act against a person or person's

property by an offender motivated by racial or other bias

Crimes against property

Victimless crimes

• there are no readily apparent victims.

Occupational (white-collar) crime

• comprises illegal activities committed by people in the course of their employment or financial affairs.

Organized crime

• business operation that supplies illegal goods and

services for profit.

Corporate crime

• Illegal acts committed by corporate employees on behalf of the corporation and with its support

Internet crime

Political crime

• illegal or unethical acts involving the use of power by government officials or acts perpetrated against the government by outsiders seeking to make a political statement, undermine the government, or overthrow it.

Ecclesia

is a religious organization that is so

integrated into the dominant culture that it claims as

its membership all members of a society.

Church

is a large, bureaucratically organized

religious organization that tends to seek

accommodation with the larger society in order to

maintain some degree of control over it.

Denomination

is a large organized religion

characterized by accommodation to society but frequently

lacking in ability or intention to dominate society.

Sect

is a relatively small religious group that

has broken away from another religious

organization to renew what it views as the original

version of the faith.

Cult

is a loosely organized religious group with

practices and teachings outside the dominant

cultural and religious traditions of a society

Functionalist Perspective view on family

· The family performs vital tasks:

· Socialization

· Regulation of sexual activity

· Economic and psychological support

· Provision of social status

· Society depends on families

Functionalists emphasize the importance of the family in maintaining the stability of society and the well-being of individuals

Conflict Perspective view on family

· The family perpetuates social inequality

o Property and inheritance

o Patriarchy

o Racial and ethnic inequality

· Family plays a role in social inequality and access to resources and power

· Feminists emphasize inequality in families based on patriarchy rather than class

Symbolic-Interaction Perspective view on family

· Symbolic-interaction approach

o Examines roles of family members

o Explores how individuals shape and experience family life

o Symbolic interactionists focus on what people think and say and do within relationships

Know difference between family of orientation and family of procreation.

· Family of orientation: The family into which a person is born and in which early socialization usually takes place

· Family of procreation: the family that a person forms by having or adopting children

Monogamy

marriage that unites two partners

Polygamy

marriage that unites three or more

o Polygyny: man and 2+ women

o Polyandry: woman and 2+ men

Endogamy

marriage between people of the same social category

Exogamy

marriage between people of different social categories

Group in society most likely to remain single by choice

Black people

Overall the divorce rate is

decreasing

How many Christians in the world today

2.2 billion

Functionalist Perspective on religion

· Religion is a cultural universal found in all societies because it meets basic human needs and serves important societal functions.

o Meaning and purpose

o Social cohesion and a sense of belonging

o Social and support for the government

Conflict Perspective on religion

· Religion tends to promote conflict between groups and societies

· Karl Marx: religion is the "opiate of the masses"

· Max Weber: religion could be a catalyst to produce social change

Symbolic Interactionist perspective on religion

· Religion is socially constructed

· Religion provides a social meaning

Rational choice perspective on religion

· Religion is essentially a rational response to human needs

· Religion is a competitive marketplace. We shop around for the religious theologies, practices, and communities that best suit our needs

Secularization

the process by which religious beliefs, practices, and institutions lose their significance in society and nonreligious values, principles, and institutions take their place

What is the fastest growing group in America when it comes to religious affiliation?

Unaffiliated

Fastest growing religious group around the world

Islam

Social Stratification

- A socioeconomic system that divides society's members into categories ranking from high to low, based on things like wealth, power, and prestige.

- A society's categorization of its people into rankings of socioeconomic tiers based on factors like wealth, income, race, education, and power.

- Hierarchical arrangement of large social groups based on their control over basic resources.

Global Stratification

- The unequal distribution of resources between countries.

- The wealth, economic stability, status, and power of countries across the world.

- Highlights worldwide patterns of social inequality.

- Refers to this unequal distribution among nations.

Dependency Theory

- A theory which states that global inequity is due to the exploitation of peripheral and semi-peripheral nations by core nations

- Explains global inequality in terms of the historical exploitation of poor societies by rich ones.

World Systems Theory

Modernization Theory

- A theory that low-income countries can improve their global economic standing by industrialization of infrastructure and a shift in cultural attitudes toward work.

- Explains global inequality in terms of technological and cultural differences between societies.

Socioeconomic Status (SES)

A composite ranking based on various dimensions of inequality.

1. Education

2. Occupation

3. Income

The Weberian model of social class (SES) is based on what 3 factors?

How class position and the extent of our income and wealth are determined by our work situation, or our relationship to the means of production

Ex. Capitalist (bourgeoisie);

Working (proletariat)

When looking how we are stratified, what did Karl Marx look at?

He agreed with Karl Marx that stratification causes social conflict. BUT he argued that it involves three dimensions of inequality:

1. Class Position - wealth

2. Status - prestige

3. Power

When looking how we are stratified, what did Max Weber look at?

Wealth

-The total value of money and other assets, minus outstanding debts.

-Distributed less equally than income.

Income

Wages or salary from work and earnings from investments (what's coming into your household).

Meritocracy

- An ideal system in which personal effort, or merit, determines social standing.

- Based on personal merit.

Absolute Poverty

The state where one is barely able, or unable, to afford basic necessities.

Relative Poverty

The state of poverty where one is unable to live the lifestyle of the average person in the economy.

GINI Coefficient

A measure of income inequality between countries using a 100-point scale, in which 1 represents complete equality and 100 represents the highest possible inequality.

Sex

A term that denotes the presence of physical or physiological differences between males and females.

Gender

A term that refers to social or cultural distinctions of behaviors that are considered male or female.

"Second Shift"

- Even though women have jobs, they still do the majority of housework.

- With women's entry into the labor force, the amount of housework performed by women has declined.

Patriarchy

A form of social organization in which males dominate females.

Matriarchy

A form of social organization in which females dominate males.

Race

A socially constructed concept/category composed of people who share biologically transmitted traits that members of a society consider important.

Ethnicity

A shared cultural heritage/descent; based on perceived cultural similarities.

Assimilation

The process by which a minority group and a majority group combine to form a new group.

Dominant Group

A group of people who have more power in a society than any of the subordinate groups.

Minority Group

Any group of people who are singled out from the others for differential and unequal treatment.

Individual Discrimination

Members of one race/ethnic/gender group that is intended to have a differential and/or harmful effect on the members of another race/ethnic/gender group.

Institutional Discrimination

Refers to the unjust and discriminatory mistreatment of an individual or group of individuals by society.

Segregation

Physical separation of two groupw

de jure segregation

Segregation that is enforced by law.

Ex. the apartheid movement of South Africa, where black South Africans were stripped of their civil rights and forcibly relocated to areas that segregated them physically from their white compatriots.

de facto segregation

- Segregation that occurs without laws but because of other factors.

- Cannot be abolished by nay court mandate.

Stereotype

Oversimplified ideas about groups of people.

Prejudice

Biased thought based on flawed assumptions about a group of people.

Discrimination

Prejudiced action against a group of people.

What are the trends of our racial/ethnic makeup in the US? How do we expect this to change in the next 50 years?

How does social context impact our health?

HEALTH is vital to the stability of the society. Therefore, SICKNESS is a sanctioned form of deviance.

What is vital to the stability of the society?

HEALTH is vital to the stability of the society. Therefore, SICKNESS is a sanctioned form of deviance.

What is a sanctioned form of deviance?

Sick Role (Talcott Parsons was the first to discuss this)

Patterns of expectations that define appropriate behavior for the sick and for those who take care of them.

A sick person has a specific role with both RIGHTS and RESPONSIBILITIES.

Ex. The sick person has not chosen to be sick and should not be treated as responsible for their condition. The sick person also has the right of being exempt from normal social roles; she is not required to fulfill the obligation of a well person and can avoid her normal responsibilities without censure.

A sick person has a specific role with both _______ and _____________.

Legitmation

The act of a physician certifying that an illness is genuine.

Information Asymmetry

Information about quality of doctors, hospitals, or clinics, and costs for individual medical procedures and tests is scare, difficult to obtain, and appear to vary widely across the country.

Other causes include:

- Research

- Systems of payment that create inefficiencies and contribute to high costs

- Malpractice