Foundations of Sociology Exam

What is the definition of Sociology (according to Durkheim)?

The study of social facts

Social facts should…?

Be treated as “things” and studied empirically (using senses/studying the social world)

Social facts are…

External to individuals

Imposing and constricting

General throughout society

“Of their own kind.” (not just the sum of individual experiences)

Social facts can explain other social facts that are…

About the group

Outside the individual

Provide historical context

Define the Sociological Imagination.

The ability to see the impact of social forces on our private lives

What are the two types of troubles that impact people?

Personal Troubles and Public Issues

What are personal troubles?

Problems that affect an individual and the people they interact with regularly

What are public issues?

Problems that affect large numbers of people whose causes are social and not personal

(Ex. government shutdown)

What has to be true for the sociological imagination to be applicable?

It has to be related to a societal value/something we care about

What is social structure?

The “scaffolding of society”: the groups that order add predictability to our private lives

What are Rousseau’s opinions on inequality?

Its bad and the source of all of our social ‘ills’ (social problems)

At our core, humans are good, but our goodness can change based on how we’re raised

What are Rousseau’s 2 types of inequality?

1) Natural (age, strength, mind, etc.)

2) Social (unequal access to resources benefits some but not all)

What is Malthus’ views on inequality?

It yields efficiency and greater social organization

It’s ‘population control,’ and yields hierarchy

What is Ontological equality?

The idea that “everyone is created equal in the eyes of God” so material things don’t matter

What is equality of opportunity?

Inequality of condition is okay if everyone has the same chances

(“if the playing field is level, but the outcome is different, we’re ok”)

What is social stratification?

The unequal distribution of people across social categories that are characterized by a differential access to scarce resources

What are the two types of social stratification?

Caste System (ascribed status from birth- no mobility)

Class System (achieved status- high levels of mobility)

What are the two mechanisms of inequality?

1) Allocation of people into social categories

2) Institutionalized processes that allow the access to resources to be unequal

What is Marx’s theory of class?

There are 2 classes:
The bourjwazi (owners of the means of production)
The proletariat (worker bees)

What is Max Weber’s theory of class?

The 3 P’s:

Property= overall property/wealth owned

Prestige= one’s reputation

Power= the ability to influence someone’s decision based on stress/fear

What are Rojas’ 2 big social processes?

1)Violence: used to exclude people from social resources (not just physical)

2)Stigma: stigmatizing the “out” group with a consistent effort to suppress the marginalized

What is Pierre Bourdieu’s Theory of class?

Class is centered around:

Economic capital (Marx’s def. of power)

Social Capital

Cultural capital

HABITUS- basically social facts

What is Patricia Hill-Collins’ theory of class?

Centers around intersectionality and structural privilege/suppression

“The matrix of domination” (ie, intersectionality)

What is a meritocracy?

Where you earn what you get (the more you work, the more you get)

What is social mobility?

The ability to move up or down the stratification system/ economic ladder

What are the two types of Social mobility?

Exchange: mobility due to effort

Structural: mobility due to social forces beyond an individual’s control

According to Dornhoff- who rules America?

The top 1%

What is Network Analysis

How networks connect individuals

What are the 3 levels of Analysis

1) Individual

2) Institutional

3) Structural

What is the individual level of analysis?

How we know each other- school, clubs, boards,

What is the Institutional level of analysis?

corporate boards, policy planning, philanthropy

What is the structural level of analysis?

The way that society is structured to advantage the privileged and perpetuate classism

What is Sex?

Biology/bits/chromosomes

What is Gender?

Socially constructed and culturally rooted, based on expectations

What is “doing gender”?

Where we create gendered names, greetings, and romantic partners

it’s how we master/actualize our gender from moment to moment

What are the 3 cultures of Guyland?

1) Culture of entitlement (“I can do X because I’m a man”)

2) Code of silence (internal silence)

3) Culture of protection (protect masculinity at all costs)

What is Race?

A set of perceived physical characteristics, that are not rooted in biology

What is essentialist racial ideology?

the reciprocal relationship between the concepts “people are social constructs” and “reality is constructed”

What is racial formation?

Sociohistorical process by which racial categories are created, inhabited, transformed, and destroyed

What are Omi and Winant’s 4 key stages of structure?

Inhabited: we put people in boxes

Culture: we make up a culture surrounding said boxes

Transformed: labels can change

Destroyed: we destroy unused labels

What are 3 key validations of Steriotyping?

Correspondence: something on the outside is “linked to something on the inside.”

Learned: Stereotypes are learned and reinforced throughout life

Changed: We can change out perceptions about groups of people over time

What is the Thomas theorem?

If we label something as ‘real’, it and its effects become real too

What are transformative assets?

Bits of wealth that we get to move up and down the Economic and SES ladder

Key takeaways from the “A Woman’s Record” Reading

Women have less access than men

A high GPA’s value varies by sex (men=good, women=bad)

Key takeaways from the “Addressing Racial Inequalities in Higher Education” reading

Race us teh #1 indicator of the school types people go to (private, public, college degree, vs. high school)

What are the takeaways from ‘The Meritocracy Myth’

Meritocracy = you earn what you get

The concept of legacy admits very hardworking students getting rejected

Credentialing = looking for credentials that are unrealistic or not reflective of work/access to it is unequal

Some schools have less basic resources than others

Varsity Blues= people paying ivys to get their kids in