sociology final exam ~ key terms (chat simplified)

AGIL schema

Society has 4 basic needs: survive, set goals, stay united, and keep culture going.

Anomie

Feeling lost because there are no clear rules.

Capitalism

Businesses are privately owned and compete to make profit.

Culture

Shared beliefs, values, and ways of living.

Critical Sociology

Focuses on inequality and fixing unfair systems.

Dialectics

Change happens through conflict and struggle.

Disenchantment of the world

Moving from magic/religion to science and logic.

Dominant gender ideology

Belief that men and women are naturally different in roles.

Dynamic equilibrium

Society stays stable because everything works together.

Dysfunctions

Things that harm society.

Empiricism

Learning through observation and evidence.

Egoistic suicide

Suicide due to feeling disconnected from others.

Feminism

Focus on gender equality.

Functionalism

Society = system where everything has a purpose.

Labelling

People are defined by labels given to them.

Latent functions

Hidden/unintended outcomes.

Manifest functions

Intended outcomes.

Macro-level sociology

Big picture (whole society).

Micro-level sociology

Small interactions.

Patriarchy

Men hold most power.

Positivism

Studying society using science.

Rationalization

Life becomes more organized and efficient.

Social facts

Rules/norms that control behavior.

Social solidarity

What holds society together.

Sociological imagination

Connecting your life to society.

Symbolic interactionism

Focus on meanings in interactions.

Verstehen

Understanding others by putting yourself in their place.

Digital divide

Some people have tech access, others don't.

E-readiness

Ability to use digital information.

Gatekeeping

Media decides what news gets shown.

Knowledge gap

Some groups know more because of access.

Media globalization

Media spreads worldwide.

Misogyny

Hatred of women.

Narcotizing dysfunction

Too much media → people stop caring.

Planned obsolescence

Products made to break/be outdated.

Technophiles

Love technology.

Neo-Luddites

Against technology.

Achieved status

Status you earn.

Ascribed status

Status you're born with.

Bourgeoisie

Rich owners.

Proletariat

Working class.

Caste system

No mobility, stuck in class.

Class system

Can move between classes.

Conspicuous consumption

Showing off wealth.

Cultural capital

Knowledge/skills that help you succeed.

Downward mobility

Moving down in class.

Upward mobility

Moving up in class.

Meritocracy

Success based on effort.

Social mobility

Moving between classes.

Wealth vs Income

Income = money earned; Wealth = total assets.

Absolute poverty

Can't meet basic needs.

Relative poverty

Poor compared to others.

Core nations

Rich, powerful countries.

Peripheral nations

Poor countries.

Semi-peripheral nations

In-between.

Dependency theory

Poor countries stay poor because rich countries exploit them.

Modernization theory

Poor countries can become rich by developing.

Global inequality

Unequal wealth worldwide.

Deindustrialization

Jobs move to cheaper countries.

Underground economy

Illegal or unregulated work.