SOCL120 - LCC Midterm Exam

Midterm Exam Study Guide for Intro to Sociology / SOCL 120 for Lansing Community College (LCC)

Agrarian Society

a society which relies on plow and wheel technologies to increase food production

Blaming the System

the social structure of society is held responsible for creating many social problems

Blaming the Victim

when harm is inflicted by one person to another person, the harmed person is held responsible for the harm done to them

Bourgeoisie

ruling class, owns the means of production

Conflict Perspective

a theoretical perspective that looks at the way inequalities contribute to social differences and perpetuate differences in power while creating social order

Culture 1

the symbols, language, norms, beliefs, values and material objects that are part of a society

Foraging Society

a society in which members acquire food and other necessities mainly by foraging, scavenging and hunting.

Functional Perspective

theoretical perspective that views society as a system of interconnected parts that function together to contribute to the stability of the whole society

Horticultural Society

a society which uses hand tools to grow a few specific crops in one location until the soil nutrients are depleted.

Industrial Society

a society which uses machines and factories as the primary mode of production

Macrosociology

focuses on the big picture, which usually means such things as social institutions, and social, political and economic change

Mechanical Solidarity

a form of solidarity formed when a society has little division of labor and a strong emphasis on group commitment leaving little room for deviance from group norms and beliefs

Microsociology

is the study of social interaction, action, and the construction of meaning in small groups

Organic Solidarity

a form of solidarity formed when a society relies on a large, complex and hierarchical division of labor, where cultural diversity and individualism are common

Pastoral Society

a form of society that relies on herding a specific species of domesticated animal for the purpose of milk and meat as food sources and for trade

Post

Industrial Society

Proletariat

working class, does not own the means of production and instead is oppressed and exploited by the bourgeoisie

Public Issues

when the source lies in the social structure and culture of a society that refers to social problems affecting many individuals

Social Group

two or more people who regularly interact on the basis of mutual expectations and who share a common identity

Social Institution

the patterns of beliefs and behaviors that help a society meet its basic needs

Social Location

your association in gender, race, social class, religion, and so forth in society

Social status

the position that someone occupies in society

Social Structure

patterned social interaction and social institutions through which a society is organized

Society

social interaction between people who share a common culture and social organization, who live in a defined geographic area

Sociological Imagination

the ability to see societal patterns that influence individual and group life

Sociology

the scientific study of social behavior and social institutions

Symbolic Interaction Perspective

is a micro approach that focuses on the interaction of individuals and on how they interpret their interaction according to the meaning things have for them

Causality

when one event, behavior, or belief will result in the occurrence of another, subsequent event, behavior, or belief

Content Analysis

a research method which applies a systematic approach to record and value information gleaned from secondary data as they relate to the study at hand

Correlation

when there is a relationship between variables, they are correlated

Dependent Variable

the variable that is affected by the independent variable

Experiments

are the primary form of research in the natural and physical sciences, but in the social sciences they are for the most part found in psychology

Hypothesis

a statement of the relationship between two variables concerning the units of analysis the researcher is studying

Intensive Interviewing

a research method in which the researcher sits down with the research subjects individually and questions them at great length

Independent Variable

the variable that affects the dependent variable

Literature Review

researcher examines other research studies and conclusions related to their research topic to help identify what is known and not known about their topic

Nonparticipant Observation

a research method in which the the researcher observes a group they are studying but does not participate in the group

Participant Observation

the researcher is part of the group they are studying

Population

the group being studied in research

Qualitative Data

non

Quantitative Data

survey data that is collected numerically

Random Sample

a sample that gives everyone in the population an equal chance of being in the study

Sample

a subset of the population of people in whom the researcher is interested

Secondary Data Analysis

analysis of existing or previously collected data

Scientific Method

a process that involves several research steps, including observation, hypothesis testing, analysis of data, and drawing conclusions

Steps of the sociological research process

(1) choose a research topic, (2) review the literature, (3) formulate a hypothesis, (4) design the research, (5) gather and analyze the data, and (6) draw conclusions and share results

Survey

collection of data from questionnaires

Variable

any feature or factor that may differ among the units of analysis that a researcher is studying, such as age, gender, social class, race

Artifacts

material objects that constitute a society's material culture

Beliefs

ideas or convictions that people hold to be true, based in science, mythology, folklore or religion

Counterculture

a group whose values, beliefs and norms directly oppose those of the larger culture and even reject it

Cultural diffusion

the process of ideas, norms and values moving across cultural borders

Cultural lag

when people's behavior does not reflect the regular usage of the latest technologies

Cultural relativism

the belief that we should not judge any culture as superior or inferior to another culture

Culture

the symbols, language, norms, beliefs, values and material objects that are part of a society

Culture shock

the uncomfortable or bewildered feeling we might have when immersed in a new culture

Discoveries

when something completely new is observed or found

Dominant Culture

the norms and values of the dominant group within a society

Ethnocentrism

the tendency to judge another culture by the standards of our own and to believe that our own culture is indeed superior to another culture

Folkway

standards of behavior that regulate daily activity but that are considered less important than mores

Formal norm

laws and mores are standards of behavior considered the most important in any society

Gestures

movements of the hands, arms, or other parts of the body that are meant to convey certain ideas or emotions

Informal norms

folkways and customs are standards of behavior that are considered less important but still influence how we behave

Inventions

when something new is created from things that already exist

Language

A set of symbols used for communication and which makes society possible

Laws

standards of behavior considered the most important in any society which are encoded by political entities and enforced by agents of the state, such as the police and the courts

Material culture

all of society's physical objects

Mores

standards of behavior considered the most important in any society, typically encoded in law or moral standards

Nonmaterial culture

symbols, values, and beliefs, verbal and nonverbal communication

Norms

standards and expectations for behavior

Sapir

Whorf hypothesis

Subculture

a group that shares the central values, beliefs and norms of the larger culture but still retains certain values, beliefs and norms that make it distinct from the larger culture

Symbols

things that stand for something else and that often evoke various reactions and emotions

Values

judgments of what is good or bad, desirable or undesirable

Agents of Socialization

arenas in which we interact and in which the socialization process happens (e.g., schools, neighborhood, families, etc.)

Degradation ceremony

a ceremony, ritual or encounter in which a total institution's resident is humiliated, often in front of the institution's other residents or officials

Dramaturgy

the idea that we can understand social interaction as if it were a theatrical performance.

Front Stage

our more public face where we deliver our performance

Gender Socialization

the process by which people learn gender role expectations, as deemed appropriate by their society

Hidden curriculum

what conflict theorists call part of the schooling process that gets children accept, without questioning the cultural values of the society in which the schools are found

Impression Management

individual's routine attempts to convey a positive impression of themselves to the people with whom they interact

Life course

what are commonly referred to as stages of life (e.g., childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age)

Looking

glass self

Peer pressure

strong influence by peers in a group to affect the behavior of a member

Racial Socialization

the messages and practices concerning the nature of a person's racial or ethnic status as it relates to identity, interpersonal relationships and position in the social hierarchy

Radicalization

the process of developing extremist ideologies and beliefs

Resocialization

a process in which people learn new values, norms, etc. (e.g., military, going off to college, etc.)

Rite of Passage

events that mark an individual's transition from one status to another

Role of the othe

when children pretend to be other people in their play and in so doing learn what these other people expect of them

Self

one's identity, self

Socialization

the process by which people learn their culture

Total institutions

organizations in which members are cut

Achieved Status

a status you achieve at some point after birth that is understood as a position you have more control over

Ascribed Status

the status that someone is born with and has little control over

Diffusion of Responsibility

a behavior pattern where people are less likely to act if they think others will

Dyad

a two

Groupthink

a behavior pattern when people go along with the desires and views of a group against their better judgments

In

Group

Out

Group

Master Status

a person's primarily social identity or the status that is most important in their status set