s100 intro to sociology final

social institutions

patterns of enduring beliefs that organize the social world

politics

methods and tactics intended to influence government policy, policy-related attitudes, and activities

government

organized agency that exercises power and control in modern society through laws

power

the ability to control the actions of others

authority

the legitimate right to wield power

democracy

a political system in which all citizens have the right to participate

power elite

a small group of people in the top ranks of economic, political, and military institutions who make many of the important decisions in american society

pluralist model

a system of political power in which a wide variety of individuals and groups have equal resources and power ex. checks and balances

political polarization

the growing ideological divide between political groups, where individuals increasingly align with extreme positions rather than being in the middle

political ideology

the idea that political opinions and attitudes are linked together in a coherent system

affective polarization

ordinary americans increasingly dislike and distrust those from the other party

confirmation bias

seeking out people, media, and ideas that support what we already believe; rejecting as “wrong” anyone or anything that doesn’t fit what you believe

echo chambers

most of our close friends share the same views as us

political party

an organization that seeks to gain power in a government, generally by backing candidates for office who subscribe to the organization’s political ideals

education

the process through which academic, social, and cultural ideas and tools, both general and specific are developed

accountability

a rational theory of how schools should operate, based on constant monitoring of schools’ progress in meeting standardized goals

tracking

the placement of students in educational “tracks,” or programs of study

ex. AP classes

hidden curriculum

values or behaviors that students learn indirectly over the course of their schooling

achievement gap

on average, more privileged students do better and go further in school

school-to-prison pipeline

excessive punishment in school leads less privileged children to be more likely to end up incarcerated

the sick role

the social rights and obligations of an individual who is ill

morbidity rate

likelihood that an individual or group will experience illness

the stress scale

stress increases the risk of future illness; some groups experience disproportionate stress

cultural competence

acknowledging and incorporating a patient’s cultural background as part of the treatment process

• recognition that a patients beliefs shape their approach to healthcare

medicalization

the process by which problems or issues not traditionally seen as medical come to framed as such

demedicalization

some aspects of social life are no longer medicalized

fundamental cause theory

socioeconomic gradient in health is the result of unequal access to flexible resources

social change

the transformation of a culture over time

collective action

action that takes place in groups and diverges from the social norms of the situation

convergence

when like-minded people gather in the same place

contagion

when people conform to the behavior of others nearby

emergent norms

when a reaction to a novel situation creates a new norm

social movement

any social group with leadership, organization, and an ideological commitment to promote or resist social change

activism

any activity intended to bring about social change

4 stages of a social movement

1. public defines the problem

2. people begin to organize

3. movement becomes bureaucratized

4. movement begins to decline

cultural diffusion

social media helps social movements organize

ex. labor unions