SOC 100 UIUC Exam 1

Sociology

study of human society

Chicago School

Empirical research to show that people's social and physical environments shape their behaviors and personalities

Modern theories of sociology

functionalism, conflict theory, feminist theory and critical race theory, symbolic interaction, social construction

Functionalism

social institutions and processes in society exist to serve some important function to keep society running

Conflict Theory

conflict between competing interests is the basic, animating force of social change

Feminist theory

- related to conflict theory - most social arrangements can be explained by the way that they preserve male privilege at the expense of women

Critical Race theory

- related to conflict theory - most social arrangements can be explained by the way that they preserve white privilege at the expense of people of color

symbolic interactionism

face to face interactions create the social world; that the way that we act with each other and interpret each other's actions is what defines society

Social Construction

Things exist because people believe they exist, and institutions and people behave in accordance with rules and norms.

Social institutions

networks of structures in society that work to socialize the groups of people within them. (family, education system etc)

Social identity

The way that individuals define themselves in relationship to groups they are a part of (or in relationship to groups they choose not to be a party of).

Deductive research

theory, develop hypothesis, make empirical observations (collect data), analyze data

Inductive research

begins with empirical observation, build theory based on observations, correlation through comparative cases

Dependent variable

the outcome that the researcher is trying to explain

independent variable

The factor that the researcher believes has a causal impact on the outcome

operationalization

method for measuring variable

Quantitative research

survey, demography, content analysis

Qualitative research

participant observation, interviews, ethnography, historical methods, content analysis

Food desert

Living in a neighborhood where you don't have access to fresh and nutritious food.

Media

Any Vehicle For The Communication Of Information

Domination

use of force

Hegemony

Compliance

Media encourages (hegemony or domination)?

hegemony (compliance)

Media may be a source of images that encourage _________

dissent

Deliberate, Short term effects

Advertising: to buy products

Deliberate, Long term effects

Public Service Announcements: change behavior

Unintended, Short term effects

video games: violent behavior

Unintended,long term effects

desensitization: less sensitive to violent and sexual images

Media & stereotypes

the media can create or reinforce ethnic, racial, gender, religious, or other stereotypes

Culture

a society's set of beliefs, traditions, and practices.

Ethnocentrism

your culture is better than all other cultures

Cultural relativism

Recognize differences across cultures without passing judgment or assigning values

Material culture

Constructed Environment (architecture, food, entertainment, fashion etc)

Non-material culture

ideology (Values, Beliefs, Behaviors, Social Norms)

Values

abstract ideals that dominate in a society

Norms

rules for social life

socialization

Process by which a person internalizes the values, beliefs, and norms of a society and learns to function as a member of that society

Cultural Scripts

Modes of behavior and understanding to make sense of our interactions with others (ex: gender roles)

Subcultures

A group united by sets of values, traits, behavior patterns, shared symbols (Distinguished from others within the same culture or society.)

Reflection Theory

Translates our values and beliefs into our rituals and our practices.

Silk Road

Drug marketplace, creator though he could liberate through technology

Development of Self

Our sense of self emerges from our ability to assume the point of view of others and imagine how those others see us

Development of "other"

Internalized sense of the total expectations of others in a variety of settings

Privacy

Drawing a Boundary Around the Self and Protecting It From the "Other"

SuperVision

When book talks about privacy it says: the boundary is getting more permeable

Mechanisms for developing sense of self

games, technology

Agents of Socialization

families, peers, schools, surveillance

Biometric Screening

measurement of physical characteristics. Schools use it to track attendance, library books, food consumption in cafeteria

Significance of Police in Schools

Positives: deter crimes, role models
Negatives: school to prison pipeline, problems in school taken more seriously and students are more likely to go to prison

Testing

testing is a form of surveillance (ex: standardized testing)

Total institutions

An institution in which one is totally immersed and that controls all the basics of day-to-day life (prison)

Resocialization

A change in the values, beliefs, or norms through an intense social process (parenthood, new jobs, total institutions)

Role theory

Most everyday activity is the acting out of socially defined categories

Components of role theory

status, roles, roles and statuses

Status

Position in society that comes with a set of expectations

Ascribed status

one we are born with and unlikely to change

Achieved status

one we have earned through individual effort

Roles

Norms, roles, behaviors, and personality characteristics that are attached to a particular status

Roles and Statuses

Individuals may occupy different statuses, Individuals may play one or more roles within each status

Role conflict

Occurs when the roles associated with one status clash with the roles associated with a different status

Role strain

occurs when roles associated with a single status clash

Gender Roles

Set of behavioral norms associated primarily with males or females in a given group or system

Social construction of reality

People give meaning or value to ideas or objects through social interactions. An ongoing process that is embedded in our everyday interactions

Symbolic Interactionism

Micro-level theory based on the idea that people act in accordance with shared meanings, orientations, and assumptions. Meanings are the products of social interaction.

Dramaturgical Theory

Erving Goffman. Social life is a theatrical performance in which we are all actors on metaphysical stages with roles, scripts, costumes and sets

Ethnomethodology

An approach to studying human interaction that focuses on the ways in which we make sense of our world, convey this understanding to others, and produce a mutually shared social order

Groups

groups are the building block of society

identity constructed in groups

we build our sense of self from how others interact with us

dyad

a group of two

symmetrical through mutual dependence

employees depend on the paycheck, but employers depend on the labor

Slavery and dyads

not a dyad, the relationship has to be voluntary

Triad

third person joins dyad, more stability less intimacy

Third person roles: mediator

conflict resolver

Third person roles: Tertius Gaudens

the person who profits from disagreement with others

Third person roles: Divide and Conquer

the person who purposely breaks up the other two

Asch test

line test, influence of groups caused people to pick the wrong answer

In-group

powerful group

out-group

stigmatized, or less powerful groups

reference groups

a group that makes us understand our relative position in society

Social capital

The information, knowledge of people or ideas, and connections that help individuals enter pre-existing networks or gain power in them

organizations

An organization is any social network that is defined by a common purpose

Organizational Structure

The ways in which power and authority are distributed within an organization.

Organizational Culture

Shared beliefs and behaviors within a social group

isomorphism

Organizations come to resemble other organizations that face similar environmental conditions.

Primary groups

families

Secondary groups

work, fixed roles