Sociology Unit 2

Secularism

Government should exist separately from religion

Emile Durkheim

All religions distinguish between ordinary “profane” things and supernatural “sacred” things

Karl Marx

Religion is the opium of the masses

Hidden Curriculum

Social norms and values taught in school that are not part of the official lesson plan

Symbolic Interactionalism

The social construct of a sport

Militainment

Entertainment that glorifies the military through video games, movies

Patriotic Correctness

Social pressure to support all national symbols and all military interventions

Military Industrial Complex

Questionable alliance between military, defense contractors, and congress.

Deviance

Behavior deemed inappropriate or dangerous to people with power

Deterrence theory

Deviance results when there are insufficient punishments for deviance, and insufficient rewards for conformity

Functionalism of Deviance

Deviance brings members of society together by reaffirming moral boundaries

Labeling theory

What is considered deviant depends on the audience and the social context rather than the act

Strain Theory

Deviance occurs when culturally approved goals cannot be reached through culturally approved means

Control theory

People’s relationships, commitments, values, norms, and beliefs, encourage them not to break the law

Differential Association theory

People learn to be deviant when more of their associates favor deviance than favor the conformity

Conflict theory for Deviance

Laws and criminal justice system are tools used by those in power to maintain power

Black Codes

Laws targeting African Americans for jail and lease to corporations

Criminal justice system

Police, Courts, and Prison system

Racial profiling

Blacks and hispanics are far more likely to be pulled over and searched than whites

Public defenders

Clients who used them are more likely to be convicted and receive longer prison sentences.

Prosecutors

White dominated industry; whites are more likely to have changes dropped than blacks

Mandatory minimums

Required sentence without judge discretion, 3 strikes and you’re out

Private (for Profit) prisons

Geo group, corrections corporation of America, Core Civic. California prisoners made $2 a day to fight fires

Street crime

Crime that takes place in public places

White Collar crime

Crime committed by respectable people of high status in the course of their occupation

Price fixing

Rigging prices rather than competing costs 60 billion dollars a year from consumers

Securities Fraud

2001, shareholders lost 11 billion because it lied about quarterly money

Life Chances

The opportunities one has to be socioeconomically successful during their lifetime

What percentage of people below poverty are children?

39.2%

What percentage of people below poverty are under 25 years old?

49%

What percentage of people under poverty are senior citizens?

9.5%

What percentage of people below poverty are men?

25%

What percentage of people below poverty are women?

36%

What percentage of people below poverty are physically disabled?

12%

What percentage of people below poverty are homeless?

10%

Working poor

People who hold full or part time jobs but still live in poverty

Crisis medicine

Treating people’s illnesses after becoming ill

Preventative medicine

Steps taken to prevent illness like exercise and medicine.

Core Nations

High income nations

Semi peripheral nation

Middle income nations

Peripheral nations

Low income nations

Conflict theory of global stratification

Wealthy nations exploit poor nations

How do wealthy nations exploit poor nations?

Child labor, Walmart factories are horrible, Blood diamond workers, Coltan mines