soc 1 terms final

Politics

The ability of people or groups to gain access to government and use its power to influence society.

Nation State

Countries where people share a national language or culture.

Democracy

Political system in which people can directly vote for their representatives or on specific rules or policies.

Lobbying

Contacting elected representatives to argue for a particular position.

Activists

People who believe normal methods of exerting political influence are insufficient or illegitimate.

Social Movements

Groups organized to push for social change through contentious means, also called protest movements.

Revolutionary Movements

Social movements that lead to the fall of governments.

State

Ultimate authority within a geographical territory, with a monopoly on the use of force within that area.

Monopoly of Force

Having the only legitimate claim to use force.

Taxation

Using the force of government to collect funds that are used to pay for services.

Welfare States

States where a large part of the budget is spent on social services.

Policy

Rules, laws, and services provided by a government.

Democratic Society

Citizens or residents get to vote on who runs the state.

Direct Democracy

People vote directly on policies through a referendum.

Representative Democracy

People influence the state and its policies by voting for representatives.

Competitive Democracy

Voters have genuine opinions and alternatives when voting.

Aristocracy

Government ruled by royalty, i.e. kings and queens.

Political Parties

Networks of people and organizations that represent particular interests or positions.

Median Voter Model

Predicts that governments offer policies that reflect the preferences of voters in the center.

Elite Theory

Predicts that governments offer policies preferred by elites.

Pluralism Theory

Predicts that government policies will reflect the balance of power between various interest groups.

Suffrage

The right to vote.

Polling Tax

Fee charged for voting.

Literacy Test

Test of reading ability administered to determine who was allowed to vote.

Grandfather Clause

Laws passed in southern states restricting voting to those individuals whose grandfathers could vote.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Federal law that barred states from discriminating against black voters.

Liberal

Political position that supports more taxation so governments can provide a wider array of services.

Social Conservatives

Voters who emphasize religious values and oppose changing social roles.

Feminist Movement

Social movement aimed at improving the status of women and reducing gender-based discrimination.

Institutional Politics

Influencing politics in official and sanctioned ways.

Contentious Politics

Efforts to influence politics outside of the official and accepted system.

Grassroots

Structure where control of a social movement is local, and members don’t answer to a central leadership.

Social Norms

Unwritten rules guiding behavior.

Criminal

Person who violates the penal code.

Control Theory

Theory that claims deviance arises from a weakening of social connections.

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED)

Strategy to reduce crime through the design of buildings and physical space.

Social Cohesion

Degree to which we identify with and maintain rules and connections.

Climate Change

Warming of the earth and increases in extreme weather events.

Hyperpolluters

Those disproportionately responsible for environmental harms.

Tragedy of the Commons

Since everyone has access to the common resource, individual people may act selfishly and use too much of it.

Environmental Justice Movement

Focuses on the unequal distribution of environmental harms and environmental goods created by race and class.

Fridays for Future

Group coordinating tactics of skipping school on Fridays to protest inaction on climate change.