Social Science Resource Guide Flashcards

Vocabulary practice flashcards generated from social science lecture context covering cultural interactions, population geography, demographic and epidemiological transition models, Malthusian perspectives, and migration patterns.

Cultural appropriation

Occurs when elements of a marginalized culture are adopted by a dominant group, often out of context, while ignoring the original cultural significance.

Cultural imperialism

The imposition of a dominant nation's culture, values, and language on a less influential society.

Acculturation

Assimilation to a different culture, typically the dominant one, where individuals adopt new cultural features while still practicing traditions from their origin.

Assimilation

A process where large parts of, or even all of, the features of a minority culture are lost or absorbed into the host culture.

Syncretism

A cultural response in which cultural aspects are blended and exchanged rather than replaced.

Multiculturalism

A state in which several distinct cultural or ethnic groups coexist within a society without blending.

Transculturation

The process where cultures interact and blend to create new, hybrid cultural forms rather than simply adopting or replacing one another.

Traditional tribal Polynesian tattoos

A cultural trait that tattoo artists often avoid applying on individuals without that background unless authorized by a tribal elder.

Salad bowl analogy

A metaphor used to describe multiculturalism where cultures remain distinct rather than blending into one unified whole.

Ethnocentrism

An attitude toward cultural differences that views other cultures through the lens of one's own culture.

Cultural relativism

An attitude toward cultural differences that views other cultures through the perspective of the other culture's own lens.

Folk culture

A type of culture that reflects local traditions and remains mostly centered in particular areas, preserving uniqueness.

Pop culture

A type of culture that reflects global trends that diffuse rapidly and contributes to placelessness.

Placelessness

The loss of uniqueness of place in the cultural landscape, often driven by the rapid diffusion of pop culture.

Sequent occupancy

Traces of layered cultural influence left by multiple cultures in the same place across time.

Centrifugal force

A dividing force within a cultural landscape or society, such as social instability.

Centripetal force

A unifying force within a cultural landscape or society, such as a shared language.

Toponym

A place name that reflects cultural legacies, historical processes, and a strong sense of place.

Long lot survey

A historical land survey method dividing land into narrow parcels stretching back from linear features like rivers or roads.

Township and range survey

A land survey system that divides land into square grid units based on baseline and meridian lines.

Metes and bounds survey

A system of land description using physical features, local geography, distances, and directions to define boundaries.

Relocation diffusion

The spread of a cultural trait or feature through the physical movement of people from one place to another.

Expansion diffusion

The spread of a cultural trait outward from a hearth, categorized into hierarchical, stimulus, and contagious diffusion.

Hierarchical diffusion

A category of expansion diffusion where an idea spreads from authority nodes or central key figures down to others.

Stimulus diffusion

A category of expansion diffusion in which the underlying principle of a trait spreads but is modified to fit the new culture.

Contagious diffusion

A category of expansion diffusion characterized by the rapid, widespread diffusion of a trait throughout a population.

Maladaptive diffusion

Occurs when cultural traits reach a new culture but are not well adapted to the new environment or society.

Year 1804

The approximate year when the world's total human population first reached one billion.

Industrial Revolution

An eighteenth- and nineteenth-century period of rapid industrial expansion that expanded access to resources and extended human lifespans.

Medical Revolution

A twentieth-century period marked by advancements in healthcare and disease treatments that significantly expanded human lifespans.

Green Revolution

A twentieth-century period of rapid agricultural progress featuring chemical fertilizers, high-yield crop seeds, and advanced irrigation.

Irish Potato Famine

A mid-nineteenth-century wave of mass starvation, disease, and emigration in Ireland caused by potato blight and English colonial policies.

Potato blight

A rapid-spreading fungus that decimated Ireland's essential potato crop during the mid-nineteenth century.

Livability

A measure of how well a place's natural and built environment supports human life.

Midlatitude lines

Latitudinal regions spanning from about $65^\text{o}$ north to about $45^\text{o}$ south of the equator where most human populations settle.

Suburban sprawl of Los Angeles

An example of physical geography influencing settlement, where development occurs in spacious valleys and coastal regions rather than foothill and mountain regions.

Nile River valley

An ancient region of settlement chosen for its access to fresh water for trade and the high fertility of its soil.

Chain migration

Occurs when immigrants move to a new place to follow specific family members or to link with an existing community network.

Ethnic enclave

A neighborhood or area where immigrants who share an ethnic or cultural identity live in densely populated centers.

Global scale of analysis

A geographic view that reveals overall global population clusters, such as those in South Asia and Southeast Asia.

National scale of analysis

A geographic perspective revealing population distribution within a specific country, such as China's dense eastern half.

China's regional population distribution

A geographic pattern where China's eastern region is much more densely populated than its western half.

Regional or local scale of analysis

A geographic perspective revealing how population spreads at a city or county level, clustering near urban centers.

Arithmetic density

A measurement of population density calculated by dividing the total population of a place by its total land area.

Physiological density

A population density measure calculated by dividing the total population in an area by its arable land.

Agricultural density

A population density measure calculated by dividing the number of farmers in an area by its total arable land.

Arable land

Land that is suitable and usable for growing crops.

Subsistence farming

An agricultural practice common in developing countries like Brazil and Nigeria where farmers grow crops and raise livestock mainly to feed themselves and their families.

Mechanized food production

An agricultural system typical of developed nations like Canada and Switzerland characterized by a low agricultural density.

South Asia population cluster

A major global population cluster including India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh characterized by high birth rates and agricultural, developing economies.

East Asia population cluster

A major global population cluster including China, Japan, and portions of Korea known for fertile river valleys, early urbanization, and rapid industrial growth.

European population cluster

A major global population cluster including Germany, France, and Russia characterized by moderate climates and early industrialization.

Apportionment

The process of allocating seats in the U.S. House of Representatives to states based on state population totals from the census.

Congressional districts

Political sub-divisions drawn within states based on population to determine representation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Political impact of population density

The principle that denser populations garner increased economic/cultural influence and greater priority for government services.

Resource allocation for young populations

Government policy priorities in developing nations focusing on improving education, childcare, maternal assistance, and entry-level jobs.

Resource allocation for aging populations

Government policy priorities in developed nations focusing on healthcare, senior residential options, and adequate pensions.

Rural-urban migration

The movement of people from rural areas to urban centers seeking increased job opportunities in service and industrial sectors.

Alternative energy in urban clusters

Energy generation methods such as solar-, wind-, and hydropower supported by dense population infrastructures.

Arch of Goodwill

A landmark located in Chinatown in Manila, Philippines, that reflects relocation and stimulus diffusion within an ethnic enclave.

Dependency ratio

The ratio of people who are too old or too young to support themselves relative to the working-age population, expressed as $n:100$.

Dependent population

The portion of a population consisting of young dependents (under 15) and aging dependents (65 and over).

Working-age population

The portion of a population aged 15 to 64 years that creates predictable economic productivity.

Age structure

The distribution of a population across different age groups.

Carrying capacity

The maximum population limit that a place's natural resources can support sustainably.

Greenhouse gases

Atmospheric components—including carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide—that trap heat radiating from Earth's surface.

Major urban greenhouse gas sources

High-emitting urban centers including Shanghai, Tokyo, Seoul, New York City, and Houston.

Extreme environmental avoidance

The human habit of avoiding settlement in deserts, steep mountains, impenetrable rainforests, and barren polar regions.

Population composition

The measurable characteristics of people in an area, including age, sex, race, income, education, and occupation.

Age-sex distribution

The relative quantity and age profile of males and females in a population.

Sex ratio

The number of men for every one hundred women in a given population.

Young dependents

Individuals aged fourteen and under who rely on others for economic support in education, healthcare, and childcare.

Working age

Individuals aged fifteen to sixty-four who contribute directly to economic productivity.

Aging dependents

Individuals aged sixty-five years and older who have extensive healthcare and social service needs.

United States Baby Boom

A period of high birth rates in the U.S. lasting from the mid-1940s through the mid-1960s fostered by post-World War II prosperity.

High-risk employment by sex

Occupational trends where men more frequently work in high-risk environments like the military, mining caves, and deep-sea drills.

Patriarchal society

A social system characterized by a structural preference for men over women, often creating artificial imbalances in age-sex ratios.

Population pyramid

A graphic model depicting the age-sex ratios of a specific population.

Vertical axis of a population pyramid

The y-axis of a population pyramid that displays age ascending commonly in five-year increments.

Horizontal axis of a population pyramid

The x-axis of a population pyramid that splits male proportions (typically left) and female proportions (typically right).

Expansive base of a population pyramid

A wide shape at the bottom of a population pyramid indicating rapid population growth from a high birth rate.

Tapered top of a population pyramid

A narrow top on a population pyramid representing high adult death rates and lower life expectancy.

Swell in the middle of a population pyramid

A bulge in the working-age cohort of a pyramid reflecting an economic boom and a large future aging pool.

Inverted population pyramid

An upside-down pyramid shape with a narrow base and broad top showing rapid population decline and an aging population.

Population profile of Ireland (2016)

A 2016 demographic profile showing a fairly high birthrate, a swelling aging workforce, and slight female longevity.

Population dynamics

The study of population fluctuations and their underlying causes, including birthrates, mortality rates, and migration.

Emigration

The process of leaving one's home country to live elsewhere.

Immigration

The process of moving to a new country with the intention of settling there.

Demographic transition model (DTM)

A model showing a progression across five demographic stages from high birth/death rates to low birth/death rates over time.

Demographics

Human population data from a specific place and time, including age, gender, ethnicity, income, education, and household structure.

Total fertility rate (TFR)

The average number of children born to a woman who survives her childbearing years.

Contraceptives

Methods or devices used to prevent pregnancy.

Crude birth rate (CBR)

A measure of the total number of live annual births per thousand people in a population.

Crude death rate (CDR)

A measure of the total number of deaths each year per thousand people in a population.

Infant mortality rate (IMR)

The estimated percentage or proportion of newborns in a population who die before reaching one year of age.

Natural increase rate (NIR)

The difference between the annual crude birth rate and crude death rate within a country, excluding migration.

Formula for NIR

The mathematical calculation defined as $\text{CBR} - \text{CDR}$.

Doubling time

The total amount of time required for a population to double in size given a constant growth rate.

Rule of 70

A formula used to estimate doubling time by dividing 70 by the natural increase rate percentage ($70 / \text{NIR}$).

India 2023 NIR calculation

Calculated in 2023 from a CBR of $16:1000$ and CDR of $7:1000$, yielding an NIR of $9:1000$ ($0.9$%).