exam4sociology

Family

set of people related by blood, marriage, or some other agreed-upon relationship, or adoption, who share primary responsibility for reproduction and caring for members of society.

Nuclear Family

A married couple and their unmarried children living together.

Extended Family

family in which relatives- such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. live in the same house together.

Monogamy

marriage to only one person at a time

Serial Monogamy

A form of marriage in which a person may have several spouses in his or her lifetime, but only one spouse at a time.

Polygamy

A form of marriage in which a person may have several spouses simultaneously

Polygyny

A form of marriage where one man has more than one wife

Polyandry

A form of marriage where one woman has more than one husband

Patriarchy

society in which men dominate decision making.

Matriarchy

society in which women dominate decision making.

Egalitarian

authority pattern in which spouses are regarded as equals.

Machismo

sense of virility, personal worth, and pride in one's maleness.

Familism

pride in the extended family expressed through the maintenance of close ties and strong obligations to kinfolk outside of the immediate family.

Religion

unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things

Sacred

elements beyond everyday life that inspire awe, respect, and even fear.

Profane

ordinary and commonplace elements of life, distinguished from the sacred.

Ecclesia

religious organization that includes most members of society and is recognized as the national or official religion.

Denomination

large organized religion that is not officially linked to the state or government.

Protestant work ethic

view that a person's duty is to achieve success through hard work and thrift.

Liberation Theology

use of church in a political effort to eliminate poverty, discrimination, and other forms of injustice from a secular society. Advocates of this religion are often times related to Marxism.

Plessy V. Ferguson

court case that set the precedent for racial segregation in schools was allowed.

Mills V. Board of Education

court case that set the precedent for desegregation in schools.

Credentialism

emphasis on certificates or degrees to show that a person has a certain skill, has attained a certain level of education, and has met job qualifications.

Education

social institution through which a society's children are taught basic academic knowledge, learning skills, and cultural norms.

No child left behind

act that requires all states to test students in prescribed grades, with the results of those tests determining eligibility to receive federal funding.

Capitalism

economic system in which the means of production are held largely in private hands and the main incentive for economic activity is the accumulation of profits.

Socialism

economic system under which the means of production and distribution are collectively owned.

Communism

economic system which all property is community owned and no social distinctions are made on the basis of people's ability to produce.

Monarchy

form of a government ruled by a single member of a royal family, usually a king or queen.

Dictatorship

government where one person has nearly total power to make and enforce laws.

Totalitarianism

virtually complete government control, and surveillance over all aspects of a society's social and political aims.

Rational-Legal Authority

power made legitimate by law.

Oligarchy

form of government in which a few individuals rule.

Charismatic Authority

power made by a leader's exceptional personal or emotional appeal to their followers.

Traditional Authority

legitimate power conferred by custom and accepted practice

Laissez-Faire

form of capitalism under which people compete freely with minimal government interference in the economy.

Representative Democracy

form of government in which individuals are selected to speak for the people

Politics

"who gets what where and when", words by Harold Lasswell

Power

ability to exercise one's will over another.

Democracy

form of government that provides all citizens with an equal voice or vote in determining state policy