U3 Sociology 202 NCSU

Religion defined

A system of community shared beliefs and rituals that are oriented towards some sacred supernatural realm/scripture.

Sacred

Anything that is regarded as part of the supernatural rather than ordinary world.

Profane

Refers to the ordinary elements of everyday life.

Sociological approach to religion

The study of how religion interacts with society. How beliefs, practices, and organizations are shaped by cultural values, social structure, and human behavior.

Elements of Religion

Religion is institutionalized, a feature of groups, based on beliefs considered sacred, establishes values and moral proscriptions, sets behavioral norms, and provides answer to the meaning of life.

Religion in the U.S.

One of the most religious places in the world, views religion to solve social problems, important for identity.

Rise of religious “nones”

3/10 US citizens align with no religion they are atheists, agnostics, etc.

Monotheism

One god/diety

Polytheism

Worship of multiple deities/gods.

Patriarchal Religion

Religion where there is male dominated leadership and roles based upon tradition and scripture.

Matriarchal Religion

Women hold the central role/goddesses

Fundamentalism

A conservative religious doctrine that favors restoring traditional religion. Focuses on strict interpretation and adherence to religious doctrine. Reject religious pluralism and secular humans.

Secular Belief

Belief that one does not need belief of god to have a fulfilling life.

Major Functions Of Religion

Social solidarity and cohesion, provision of meaning, social control, and psychological support.

Emile Durkheims View of Religion

Social phenomenon that serves as a source of social cohesion and moral order.

False Consciousness

By promising salvation or portraying suffering of virtuous religion deflects attention from marital inequality.

Karl Marx View on Religion

A way for the working class to deal with their opression and inequality.

Dominant religion for dominant class

Can justify the power of dominant groups and discourage others from challenging injustice.

Challenge of Marx’s arguement

Religion emphasizes social, political, and economic justice for the poor and oppressed.

Symbolic Interactionism Theory

Importance of meaning and how that meaning emerges through social interaction.

Religious Socialization

Focuses on how people become religious, can be more dramatic than regular socialization.

Sociological Definition of Family

A group of people related by blood, marriage, adoption, or chosen bonds who provide emotional, social, and economic support.

Monogamy

Marriage that joins two people together.

Polygamy

Situation where a person can have more than one spouse at a time.

Extended Families

Families where more than two generations of the same kinship live together.

Nuclear Families

Consist of only the parents and their claimed dependants. 

Reasons for Nuclear Families

geographic and social mobility, individualism, advantage in economics

Multigenerational Living

Has quadrupled since 1971 and risen extremely upward since the 2007 great recession.

Cost of raising a child

300-400K Expectations, digital age, mental health concerns.

Functionalists view vital functions

Regulation of sexual behavior, socialization, social placement, and emotional support.

Conflict View

Families can reinforce/reflect inequalities (male dominance, violence)

Causes of Divorce

Individualism, lack of commitment, domestic violence, more broadly accepted, stress.

Economy

Social institution that organizes a societies production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.

4 factors that made the economy a distant social institution. (Think revolutions)

Agricultural technology, specialized work, permanent settlement, trade.

Industrial Revolution Mid 1800s

Changed economy in 5 ways. New sources of energy, centralization of work in factories, manufacturing and mass production, specialization, wage labor.

Information Revolution

By 1950’s post industrial economy: a productive system based on service work and high technology, computer technology, and reduced labor.

Significant changes from the information revolution

Tangible products to ideas, mechanical skills to literary skills, from factory work to almost anywhere work.

AI & automation revolution

2000’s-now shift from human info and service to that of computer programs and AI. Caused loss of privacy, face to face bond, and gaps.

5 major consequences of AI & automation revolution

Global divison of labor, increasing number of products through global assembly line- national government no longer controls the economic activity that takes place within their border, small number of businesses operating internationally now control the vast share of the world economic activity, globalization of the economy raises concerns about the rights and opportunities of laborers.

Structural Unemployment

Unemployment caused by a mismatch between the skills workers posess and the skills the job needs.

Structural Unemployment Caused

Technological advances, industry deadline, lack of education, geographic mismatch, consumer demand.

Primary

Draws raw materials from natural environment

Secondary

Transforms raw materials into manufactured goods.

Teritory

Services rather than goods, 80% of U.S. economy is in service work.

Capitalism

Economic system in which natural resources and the means of producing goods and services are privately owned.

Laissez-faire

Economic philosophy that advocates minimal government intervention in the free market.

An Ideal Capitalist economy has 3 distinctive features.

Collective ownership of property, pursuit of personal profit, competition and consumer choice.

Socialism

Economic system in which natural resources and the means of producing goods and services are collectively owned.

Distinct features of socialism

Collective ownership of property, pursuit of collective goals, government control of the economy.

Variants of Socialism

State, democratic, market, democratic.

State Socialism

Government owns and directs production

Democratic Socialism

Combines democracy with social ownership and strong welfare systems ex: Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland.

Market Socialism

Retains market mechanisms but within a framework of social ownership or regulation ex: China.

Corporations

Economy is heavily influenced by a small number of corporations.

Conglomerates linkage

Giant corporations made up of many small ones

Interlocking linkage

Corporations linked through interlocking directorates or networks of people serve on the board instead of running themselves.

Aristotle

Believes everyone is a political animal. Valued resources and politics is all about who gets what, when, and how.

Sociological Interest of Political Institution in state

Analyzes the relationship between state and other social institutions ex: State and religion

Power

The ability to exercise influence and control over others

Max Weber

Wrote extensively on power and authority, argued power can be legitimate or illegitimate.

Legitimate Power and Authority

Power is legitimate if the people recognize that those who are applying it have the right to do so. Authority stems from power.

Illegitimate power

Considered to be if people believe that those applying power do not have the right to do so.

Coercion

Achieved by force

Webers types of authority

Traditional, charismatic, rational legal

Traditional Authority

Authority is legitimate by ancient custom. Competency(skill or ability) or policies of a ruler are not an issue.

Charismatic Authority

Power is legitimized by the unique or remarkable qualities of a specific leader.

Rational Legal Authority

Power is legitimized by explicit rules and procedures, defines rights, and obligations of procedures.

Monarchy

Form of government where a single person rules until they die or abdicates the throne; usually hereditary succession.

Oliogarchy

Political power is concentrated in the hands of a small elite group, obtained through political or economic might.

Dictatorship

Absolute power held by a single person.

Pluralist Model

Balance of power, various interest groups, linked to social functionalist paradigm.

Elite Model

Argues that a small group of elites wield disproportionate influence, privileged group linked to conflict paradigm. C. Wright Mills the power elite.

William Domhof

Ruling class view-small, wealthy elite—primarily the owners and executives of large corporations—dominates the United States. This group maintains its power through a network of social and organizational connections, including elite social clubs, policy-planning organizations, and campaign donations, which allows them to influence government decisions and shape public opinion in their self-interest

C. Wright Mills

Power elite:argues that a small, interconnected group of leaders from the economic, political, and military sectors hold disproportionate power in American society. This elite group, characterized by its shared backgrounds, interlocking positions, and a common worldview, makes key decisions that significantly impact the masses, effectively replacing a truly democratic system with a concentrated power structure. 

Limited Real Democracy

Elites largely set the agenda and control outcomes democratic institutions.

Interlocking Interests

Elites share common backgrounds, education, values, and social network.

Stability of Power

power circulates within the elite but does not extend broadly towards ordinary citizens.

Mass Apathy

Most citizens have little influence over major political decisions and become less engaged.

Importance of Education

Highly important to success in the U.S. sociologists are interested in who benefits the most from schooling.

Education

The social institution through which society provides its members with important knowledge, basic facts, job skills, and cultural norms/values.

Schooling

Refers to the formal institution under the direction of specially trained teachers.

1960 Mandatory Education Law

US law that states children must attend school until 16.

Credentialism

emphasizes degrees or certificates to show a person has certain skills or qualifications or level of education.

No child left behind act

Law that requires states to test students in designated grades

Functions of Schooling

socialization, cultural innovation, social integration,social placement, latent functions.

Socialization

Importance of passing on specialized knowledge

Cultural Innovation

Research leads to discovery and innovation that changes our lives

Social Integration

argues that school molds a diverse population into one society sharing norms and values.

Social Placement

schools identify talent and match instruction to ability

Latent Functions

additional functions beyond the curriculum

Conflict perspective on education

fundamentally challenge functionalists assumptions about education. focuses on ways schools cause and perpetuate social inequality.

Ways school causes perpetuate inequality

social control, standardized testing, tracking

Cultural Capital-education

collection of skills, knowledge, and behaviors that signal social competence-non financial social aspects

Johnathon Kozol’s Savage Inequalities

Children in America's Schools is a book written by Jonathan Kozol in 1991 that discusses the disparities in education between schools of different classes and races.

The American Family

Article by Stephanie Coontz, Industrialization, urbanization, the Great Depression, World War II, and the rise of women’s labor force participation all reshaped family life. Loss of nuclear family

Straggling in a Good Economy Patricia Cohen

American family has always been dynamic, resilient, and varied. The “traditional family” is a nostalgic myth, and understanding this history helps us create better, more realistic supports for families today.

Kindergarten as Academic Boot Camp by Harry L. Gracey

Gracey argues that kindergarten in the U.S. isn’t just a gentle introduction to school subjects, but functions much more as a socialization process