Intro to Soc Midterm Review

Culture

The entire way of life for a group of people, learned and passed through socialization.

Ethnocentrism

The evaluation of other cultures based on the standards of one's own culture, often leading to viewing other cultures as abnormal.

Cultural Relativism

Understanding other cultures on their own terms without judgment based on one's own culture.

Material Culture

The physical objects associated with a cultural group, such as tools, machines, and artwork.

Symbolic Culture

The non-material aspects of culture, including beliefs, values, norms, and communication styles.

Values

Shared beliefs about what a group considers worthwhile or desirable, guiding the creation of norms.

Norms

Rules regarding acceptable and appropriate behavior within a culture, which can be formal or informal.

Folkway

A loosely enforced norm involving common customs that ensure smooth social interaction.

More

A norm with moral significance, closely related to core values, often with severe repercussions for violations.

Taboo

A deeply ingrained norm that evokes strong feelings of disgust or horror when violated.

Sanctions

Positive or negative reactions to behavior that help establish social control and increase conformity to norms.

Cultural Diversity

The variety of specific cultures within a society, despite shared general cultural elements.

High Culture

The culture associated with society's elite, often distinguished by its exclusivity and sophistication.

Popular Culture

Cultural markers that are widespread and commonly accepted in society.

Subculture

A group within society differentiated by its distinctive values, norms, and lifestyle, coexisting with the main culture.

Counterculture

A group that openly rejects and may actively oppose society's values and norms.

Cultural Change

The transformation of cultural elements due to globalization, cultural leveling, and cultural diffusion.

Socialization

The process of learning and internalizing the values and norms of one's social group.

Agents of Socialization

Entities that impress social norms upon individuals, such as family, media, and education systems.

Primary Socialization

The initial process of learning basic skills necessary for survival in society.

Secondary Socialization

Learning appropriate behaviors in group situations beyond primary socialization.

Resocialization

The process of replacing previously learned norms and values with new ones during life transitions.

Self Identity

The ongoing process of self-development and defining personal identity in relation to the world.

George Herbert Mead

A sociologist who emphasized the social self, which is shaped by the reactions of others.

Charles Horton Cooley

Introduced the concept of the looking-glass self, where self-perception is influenced by social interactions.

Dramaturgical Perspective

Viewing social life as a stage where individuals perform roles in front of an audience.

Status

A position in society that comes with a set of expectations.

Role Conflict

Occurs when the roles associated with one status clash with those of another status.

Social control

Formal and informal mechanisms used to increase conformity

Critical theory hypothesis

Window of time where primary socialization occurs

Concerted cultivation

Parents actively assess and develop their children’s talents and interests

Example of concerted cultivation

Black middle class families socialize their kids around fine art by getting them into art organizations and collecting art

Anticipatory socialization

Process of learning how to plan the way to behave in new situations

Adult socialization

Socialization that occurs as an individual takes on adult roles

What is sociology

Study of social LCC on human behavior

What does LCC acronym mean

Sociology studies social Life, Change, and Causes

What does it mean to study institutions?

Study networks of structures in society that works to socialize groups of people, where we are socialized

Examples of institutions

Family, peer, school, media, religion, government, work

What is socialization

How you learn societal expectations and behaviors

Sociology vs other subjects

Anthro: past and present culture vs OUR CULTURE

Economics: choices vs choices made as result of society

Polisci: govt implementation vs how policies shape experience

Psych: individual behavior and mental processes, how social env affects individual vs how society impacts people

What are the BIG 3 Perspectives?

1. Structural functionalism

2. Conflict Theory

3. Symbolic Interactionism

What is structural functionalism?

Problems are connected and need to all be addressed to see equilibrium (part t

What is conflict theory?

Those in power fuel inequalities by ensuring they stay in power

What is symbolic interactionism?

We interpret things b

Metaphors for BIG 3

Conflict Theory: kid win toy and change rule to keep winning toy

Structural Functionalism: like a body, organs need to work together

Symbolic Interactionism: identity

How does $2 a book relate to BIG 3

1. Structural Functionalism: big problem is poverty but factors include TANF (change welfare), housing (unaffordable, not enough, bad landlords), unemployment (bad work conditions, lose hours and thus income, racist employers), bad home life (subject to abuse, mental illness) = chronic stress

2. Conflict Theory: rich are dominant and control the playing field for poor by enacting laws such as TANF, white are dominant and control hiring by more likely to choose white sounding workers

3. Symbolic Interactionism: story of Jennifer: her child was assaulted, had to keep moving around and depending on others because can’t afford own housing => powerlessness, story of Rae who was rejected from a bunch of jobs just because she was black

4 Types of Research

1. Survey (quantitative)

2. Ethnography (qualitative)

3. Interview (qualitative)

4. Content Analysis (qualitative)

Different types of surveys

Mail. Online, in person, phone

Problem with survey research

Self report = bias, some people might not be available to respond at certain time (demographic difference)

What is ethnography

Study people in their natural state

What is the problem of ethnography

Behavior might change when they are being observed (Hawthorne effect)

What is the problem with interview?

Social desirability bias: people tend to choose socially acceptable answer

What is content analysis

Existing document to derive meaning

Breach vs Audit Experiment

Breach: investigates when people violate social norms in natural settings

Audit: experiment used to test for discriminatory behavior

What is the sociological imagination?

Connects personal troubles with public issues

Interaction between biography and history (personal and social change)

Make choices limited by social, historical, cultural, political, and economic factors

4 relationships between society and self in sociological imagination

1. Wellbeing: cherish values without threat

2. Crisis: Cherished values are threatened

3. Indifference: no values no threat

4. Unease: no values but threat

When does indifference usually happen?

After a time of great turmoil (ex after WWII) => normlessness

Cultural socialization in black middle class family

Middle class black family train kids to enjoy fine art, which is a form of cultural capital that can be exchanged for high class

Socialization of straightedge subculture

Lasting impact of living substance free= made people more open minded

What sociological concept does “Well Chris in Undies” and “CV/N and WOT/WT” stand for

1. Wellbeing (CVWOT)

2. Crisis (CVWT)

3. Indifference (NVWOT)

4. Unease (NVWT)

In sociological imagination relationships

What do sociologists study vs don’t study

Study = ideas that can be studied objectively, including common sense assumptions

don’t study= philosophy and morals

What are sociological theories

Propositions that seek to explain social world and predict future events

Other names for sociological theory

Approaches, schools of thought, paradigms, perspectives

What are the two recurrent themes in sociological theories?

Consensus and conflict

Consensus vs conflict

Consensus: what people bond over

Conflict: inequality and power

How and when did sociology emerge?

19th century after French and Industrial Revolution

• founded by Auguste Comte => study science of man using scientific approaches, work for betterment of society

How do functionalists describe society

Using functional or dysfunctional

Functional vs dysfunctional

Functional: contribute to group stability

Dysfunctional: disrupt social stability

Two types of functions

Manifest: intended, commonly recognized

Latent: unintended and often hidden m

How would you apply manifest and latent functions in institutions such as school?

Manifest: teach kids

Latent: socialize kids

Anomie

Concept of normlessness

How do you counteract anomie

Build social solidarity society agrees upon and works together to achieve

Mechanical solidarity

When people in society maintain similar values and engage in similar work (soup)

Organic solidarity

People in society are interdependent but have varying values and beliefs (salad bowl)

Spurious correlation

Relationship that seems to exist but is actually caused by external variable

Population vs sample

Population: people are the focus of rhe study

Sample: manageable number of subjects who represent a larger population

What does ASA do

American sociological association

Develops code of ethics to avoid bias and adhere to professional standards

Institutional review board

Meet regularly to review research proposals and make recommendations for how to protect human subjects at uni

Deviance

Behavior, trait, or belief that is different than the norm and causes negative reaction

Deviance vs crime

Crime is a violation of a norm that is a law

Normality of crime

Theory that says all society’s have deviance and crime and cannot be eliminated because they have distinct functions

Importance of normality of crime (AUU)

1. Affirm value and norms

2. Understand right and wrong

3. Unite individuals

Factors to consider when thinking about deviance

Impact on society and motive

Deviance varies based on SPD

• severity of public response

• Perceive harmfulness

• Degree of public agreement

Why is crime not always deviant

Ex: speeding and jaywalking are crimes but not deviant

Consensus crime

Widely seen as harmful to society and most individuals agree they are wrong

Social construction

Argus that knowledge is created and maintained by social interactions

Two step process for social construction

1. Categorize experiences and act on basis of info

2. Forget social origins of categories so they see them as normal/natural

Types of Deviance (NRDP)

Negative deviance

Rate busing

Deviance admiration

What is negative deviance

Nonconform negative evaluated (-, -)

Rate busting

Overconform but negatively evaluated (+, -)

Deviance admiration

Underconform but positive eval (-,+)

Positive deviance

Overconform, positive eval (+,+)

Examples for each type of deviance

Negative deviance: crime like serial killing

Rate Busting: getting a 1600 SAT

Deviance Admiration: Al Capone

Positive Deviance: Rosa Parks

How can you apply types of deviance to nondrinkers on wet campus?

Negative deviance: underconform to wet campus culture, you seen as prude

Rate busting: Overconform to law can’t drink underage, you seen as prude

Deviance Admiration: under conform to wet campus, people admire you not wanting to drink

Positive deviance: Overconform to law, people admire you not wanting to drink

Social control theory

Claims that individuals’ bonds and commitment inhibit deviance

Why do people see different issues as different types of deviance?

Functionalism: different deviance based on different norms and values

What question do social control theorists ask?

Why someone DOESN’T commit a crime

Correlation between social bonds and deviance according to social control theory

Increase social bond= decrease deviance