UCSB Soc 1 Midterm

Sociological Imagination

A way of seeing, an analytic approach. You see the relationship between personal troubles and issues

Personal Troubles of Milieu

Occur within the immediate life of an individual and within their approximate milieu

Feeling Trapped

From the individual's standpoint, much that happens is a result of manipulation, management, and blind drift. People feel as if they have no control over what is going on in their lives

Public Issues of Social Structure

Matters that transcend these local environments of the individual and the range of our inner lives. An issue is a problem where some cherished value is threatened or at stake.

Social Structure

The organized pattern of social relationships and social institutions. A constellation of forces, not always visible, that guide and shape human thought.

Social Problems

State the values involved and the threat to these values. The felt threat to cherished values is at the base of all social problems

Freedom

Formulate available choices, argue them, and then choose

Practical Sociological Competence

A practical capacity to understand what's happening around us and to form and keep social relations with others. Everyone is born with this

Social Facts

Facts that are social in nature, social realities that are external to the individual. (Paying bills, taxes, etc.)

Practiced Sociological Competence

The accurate and effective exercise of the sociological imagination in order to formulate, address, and contribute to solving pressing social problems

False Consciousness

Failure to use sociological imagination. Occurs when people are unable to understand the larger social forces that cause their troubles

Research

The process in which we systematically answer questions

The Research Process

- Identify issue

- Develop question

- Define significance

- Find out what's already known

- Determine what kind of evidence is needed and how to collect it

- Collect evidence, analyze evidence, present evidence

Theoretical Thinking

Responds to general problems posed by human social life

Social Competence Involves...

Applying sociological imagination, match evidence to conclusion, identification of underlying assumptions, meeting ethical principles of research, answering the research question

Authorized Socio-Political Power

Organized and interested: some gain and some lose in systematic ways. Sets the term of order for which we act. Not "who" governs but "what" governs

Obedience to Authority

Secured through coercion and consent. Power is to get person B to do what person A wants, thinking that it will benefit him too

Coercion and Consent

Distinction not always clearly defined, choice is driven by necessity by relativity or advantage

Ideology

Cultural ensemble of beliefs, values, and commonsense that we are taught to think of as right, real, and just.

Social Roles

Expected routine behavior associated with a given status in society

Social Institution

Are the main context in which we are socialized and which the roles made available to us are allocated and designed. Teach us how to behave within these institutions

Resistance

The exercise of unwanted power. Can come in many forms, individual or mass, insurrections, rebellions, revolutions

Social Movements

Collectively withdraw consent to established institutions. Emerge when people who are questioning the status quo meet others who share similar beliefs with them

Unauthorized Socio-Political Power from Below

The power each person has to cooperate and recreate the power of the powerful or refuse to do so.

"The Perils of Obedience" Stanley Milgram

Experiment that tested how much pain someone would inflict on another person simply because he was ordered to by an experimental scientist. Authority always dominated

Socialization

The process through which people learn the expectations of the dominant society and its values

Military Industrial Complex

Permanent, self-reproducing arms economy

Empire of Bases

Vast network of aircraft carriers, naval and army bases, military airfields, etc. on every continent on the globe forming an empire

Revolution in Foreign Affairs

According to Johnson, between 1989 and 2002, America went from a foreign policy to a military empire.

Forks in the historical road to peace or militarism

Spanish/American War, WW1, WW2, end of Cold War

Significance of the Cold War

Military industrial complex was produced, transferred from representative power of democracy to military and security branches of government, transfer of wealth, bases being built

Military

Activities, qualities, and institutions required by a nation to fight a war in its' defense

Militarism

When military goals, values, and interests dominate a society.

Indicators of Militarism

Over-representation of military personnel, military becomes highest priority of government, military officials being in charge of decisions that they shouldn't have the power to make

Qualities of Militarism

Self-reproducing, offensive versus defensive, consumerist, creates client state

Civilian Militarism

Civilians anticipate war more eagerly than military officials and when a society prohibits military goals and values and tactics as unquestioned

Problems with Militarism

Expensive and unaffordable, promotes troubling values, dismantles division of labor between elected officials and military personnel, undemocratic, leads to more war

Demilitarization Strategies

Reduce US military spending, reduce global arm sales, shift budgetary priorities

C. Wright Mills

The Sociological Imagination

Charles Lemert

Social Things

Mary Romero

Maid in the USA

Trochim

Language of Research

Bell

Racial Preference Licensing Act

Brecher et al

Social Movements

Michael Parenti

Power and the Powerless

Feffer

Arms Down

Charles Johnson

Sorrows of an Empire

Oxfam

Afghan War Experience

Vine

Garrisoning Globe 2015

"Cul De Sac: A Suburban War Story"

Sociological Imagination Film

"A Day's Work, A Day's Pay"

Social Competence Film

"Quiet Rage:" The Stanford Prison Experiments"

Power and Resistance Film

"This Is Where We Take Our Stand"

War and Peace Film