Understanding Culture, Society and Politics

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from the lecture notes.

Culture

The customs, beliefs, social forms, and traits that define a racial, religious, or social group; includes both material and non-material aspects.

Material Culture

Tangible, human-made objects and artifacts such as food, clothing, houses, and other physical creations.

Non-Material Culture

Intangible elements learned or observed, such as folkways, behavior, gestures, customs, and beliefs.

Society

A group of individuals defined by social interaction or a shared geographic or social territory; rooted in the Latin word socius meaning companion.

Politics

Affairs of governance and the exercise of power over a human community; from the Greek word politika meaning affairs of the cities.

Cultural Change

Modification of a society through innovation, invention, discovery, or contact with other societies.

Social Change

Alteration of mechanisms within the social structure, including symbols, behavioral rules, social organization, or value systems.

Political Change

Significant changes in the world’s political systems, reflecting the magnitude and variety of political transformations.

Evolution (in Social Sciences)

Gradual development and transformation of language, culture, institutions, and politics over time within a society.

Language

A system of communication used by a group, including spoken, written, and sometimes sign forms.

Arts

Creative expressions such as literature, music, visual arts, theater, and performance that reflect culture.

Chimpanzee

A species of great ape (Pan troglodytes) closely related to humans and often studied in anthropology.

Apartheid

A policy or system of segregation and racial discrimination, historically associated with South Africa.

Status

A position or rank within a social hierarchy that an individual holds.

Socialization

The process by which individuals learn and internalize the norms, values, and behaviors of their culture.

Alienation

A feeling of estrangement or separation from others, oneself, or society.

Church

An organized religious institution or community.

Government

The system or group of people governing an organized community or state.

Law

A system of rules recognized and enforced by a country or community.

Justice

Fairness and the quality of being just, often in the context of laws and institutions.

President

The elected or appointed head of state or leader of a country or organization.

Democracy

A system of government by the people, typically through elected representatives and equal participation.

Social Science

The discipline that studies identity, culture, society, and politics; includes anthropology, sociology, and political science.

Anthropology

The study of humanity, past and present, including cultural and biological aspects.

Sociology

Systematic study of groups, societies, and social behavior; examines social connections, institutions, and norms.

Political Science

The study of the nature, causes, and consequences of collective decisions and political actions within cultures and institutions.

Social Organization

Study of social institutions, social inequality, mobility, religious groups, and bureaucratic structures.

Social Psychology

Study of how human nature and social processes affect individual behavior and responses to social stimuli.

Applied Sociology

Sociology aimed at practical applications to human behavior and organizational problems.

Population Studies

The study of population size, growth, demographics, composition, migration, and related changes.

Human Ecology

The study of how social organizations influence population behavior and interactions with the environment.

Sociological Theory and Research

Development of theoretical tools and methods to explain sociological issues scientifically.

Archaeology

The study of past human societies through material remains such as artifacts, fossils, and bone fragments.

Cultural Anthropology

The study of human cultures, beliefs, practices, technologies, economies, and social organization.

Physical Anthropology

The biological and behavioral study of humans, including relations to non-human primates and extinct relatives.

Linguistic Anthropology

The study of the relationship between language and culture, biology, and human behavior.

Applied Anthropology

Using anthropological knowledge and methods to identify and solve real-world social problems.

International Relations

The study of political relationships between nation-states, including diplomacy, conflict, and cooperation.

Comparative Politics

The cross-country study of political systems to analyze similarities and differences.

Political Theory

Oldest field in political science; examines ideas about fairness, justice, equality, and political ideology.

Political Methodology

Qualitative and quantitative methods used to study politics, often linked with econometrics.

Public Administration

The implementation of government policy and the study of civil service and public sector management.

Political Economy

The study of production, trade, law, and government, and their distribution of wealth and resources.