Sociology: Race, Gender, Family, and Social Movements

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering sociological concepts of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, family structures, social movements, and social change.

Minority Group

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

Model Minority

A stereotype applied to a minority group that is seen as reaching higher educational, professional, and socioeconomic levels without protest against the majority establishment.

Social Construction of Race

The idea that society creates racial categories and assigns meanings to them based on physical characteristics, ancestry, and cultural differences, rather than clear-cut biological categories.

Senate Bill 1070 (SB 1070)

Formally titled the 'Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act,' an Arizona law requiring police officers during a lawful stop, detention, or arrest to establish the immigration status of anyone suspected of being in the country illegally.

Socioeconomic Status

A group's economic and social position in society, commonly measured by income, education, and occupation; one of the four benchmarks that measure assimilation.

Spatial Concentration

The degree to which members of an ethnic or minority group live in particular geographic areas rather than being dispersed throughout society; an assimilation benchmark.

Language Assimilation

The process of adopting the dominant society's language; one of the benchmarks used to measure assimilation.

Intermarriage

Marriage between people from different racial or ethnic groups; serves as a benchmark for measuring assimilation.

Bracero Program

A federal guest-worker program that allowed Mexican laborers to enter the United States temporarily to work, primarily in agriculture and railroad maintenance, during and after World War II.

Discrimination

Prejudiced action against a group of people.

Prejudice

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

Stereotypes

Oversimplified ideas about groups of people.

Conflict Theory (Race and Ethnicity)

A theoretical perspective that examines how racial and ethnic inequalities result from differences in power and resources, and how dominant groups use power to maintain advantages and restrict opportunities for minority groups.

Structural-Functionalist Theory (Race and Ethnicity)

A sociological perspective examining how racial and ethnic relations affect social stability; it notes that while inequality creates conflict and disrupts society, racism historically functioned to benefit dominant groups while harming disadvantaged ones.

Symbolic Interactionist Theory (Race and Ethnicity)

A perspective examining how race and ethnicity influence identity and everyday interactions, and how stereotypes, symbols, and interpersonal encounters shape perceptions and treatment of different groups.

Amalgamation

The process by which a minority group and a majority group combine to form a new group, conceptualized by the 'melting pot' analogy where the combination of cultures results in an entirely new culture.

Pluralism

An ideal represented by the 'salad bowl' analogy, in which different cultures coexist, retain their individual identities, and contribute to the whole within a multicultural environment of mutual respect and acceptance.

Expulsion

The act of a dominant group forcing a subordinate group to leave a particular geographic area or the country entirely.

Genocide

The deliberate annihilation of a targeted, usually subordinate, group.

Segregation

The physical separation of two groups, particularly in residence, but also in the workplace and social functions.

Sexual Orientation

A person's physical, mental, emotional, and sexual attraction to a particular sex (male or female).

Sex

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

Gender

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

Gender Dysphoria

A diagnostic category in the DSM-5 describing the deep sense of unease, anxiety, or psychological distress experienced when a person's gender identity does not align with their sex assigned at birth.

Gender Identity

A person's deeply held internal perception of their own gender.

Queer Theory

An interdisciplinary approach to sexuality studies that critiques Western society's rigid splitting of gender and focuses on mismatches between anatomical sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation.

Kinsey Scale

A six-point rating scale developed by Alfred Kinsey that conceptualizes human sexuality as a continuum ranging from exclusively heterosexual to exclusively homosexual rather than a strict dichotomy.

Transgender

An adjective describing individuals whose sex assigned at birth and gender identity are not the same.

Obergefell v. Hodges (2015)

A landmark Supreme Court case ruling that the fundamental right to marry extends to same-sex couples, requiring all states to recognize same-sex marriages under the Fourteenth Amendment.

Loving v. Virginia (1967)

The Supreme Court case that declared antimiscegenation laws unconstitutional, striking down bans on interracial marriage across the United States.

Antimiscegenation Laws

Laws that criminalized interracial marriage and interbreeding between races, common in the American South during the Jim Crow era until struck down in 1967.

Endogamy

The practice of marrying someone within one's own social group, such as within the same religion, ethnic group, or social class.

Exogamy

The practice of marrying someone outside of one's own social group, such as from a different ethnic group, religion, or social class.

Physical Abuse

A form of child abuse involving deliberately causing physical harm to a child, such as hitting, kicking, or burning.

Emotional or Psychological Abuse

Behaviors that harm a child's emotional well-being, including constant criticism, threats, humiliation, or rejection.

Sexual Abuse

A form of child abuse involving a child in sexual activity or exploiting a child for sexual purposes.

Neglect

The failure to provide for a child's basic needs, including food, clothing, shelter, medical care, supervision, and emotional support.

Emergence

The initial stage of a social movement during which people first recognize a problem or social issue and become concerned about it.

Coalescence

The second stage of a social movement where people organize and work collectively to publicize the issue and accomplish their goals.

Bureaucratization

The stage of a social movement characterized by developing a formal organizational structure with established leadership, rules, and operational strategies.

Decline (Social Movements)

The final stage of a social movement where it decreases in influence or activity, whether through achieving its goals, losing public support, experiencing repression, or losing organization.

Reform Movements

Social movements that seek to change a specific part of society without completely transforming the entire social structure.

Revolutionary Movements

Social movements that aim to completely change or transform society and its fundamental structures.

Religious/Redemptive Movements

Social movements focused on internal, individual transformation, frequently through spiritual growth or religious beliefs.

Alternative Movements

Social movements that focus on limited, specific changes in individual behaviors or personal beliefs.

Resistance Movements

Social movements that seek to prevent or reverse changes occurring within society.

Social Change

The transformation of culture, behavior, social institutions, and social structures over time.