Sociology Final

achievement gap

disparity on a number of educational measures between the performance of groups of students, especially groups defined by gender, race, ethnicity, ability, and socioeconomic status

intelligence

level of intellectual ability, particularly as measured by IQ (intelligence quotient) tests

emotional intelligence

the ability to identify, asses, and control the emotions of oneself or others

IQ (intelligence quotient)

a score attained on tests of symbolic or reasoning abilities

manifest function

planned, intentional consequences

latent functions

hidden, unstated consequences

dysfunction

Impaired or abnormal functioning

functionalist view of education

education is seen as performing a role in society

interactionist view of education

education shapes our view of reality, teaches us how to engage/interact with others

self-fulfilling prophecy

a belief that leads to its own fulfillment (effort matches expectation)

conflict view of education

education is an instrument of elite domination.

- push values; stifle individualism and creativity

- can easily push students towards failure

- perpetuates social inequality/division

theories of education: assimilation

- focuses on teaching common themes (e.g., common language, history, geography, etc.) to produce "affinity"

- uses "official" curriculum

theories of education: credentialism

emphasizes diploma more than actual skills

theories of education: hidden curriculum

- also called "critical", "Marxist" theory of education

- emphasizes social reproduction

hidden curriculum

the informal and unofficial aspects of culture that children are taught in school

Pierre Bourdieu: general info

- argued schools reproduce social class inequality by rewarding certain cultural norms over others

- concerned with the existence of cultural capital

- important concept: habitus

Pierre Bourdieu: cultural reproduction

the idea that social class inequalities are reproduced by schools

Pierre Bourdieu: cultural capital

the advantages that well-to-do parents usually provide their children

Coleman's study of between-school effects in American Education

- concluded that material resources provided in schools made little difference to educational performance

- "inequalities imposed on children by their home, neighborhood, and peer environment are carried along to become the inequalities with which they confront adult life at the end of school"

Kozol

still separate still unequal (rich kids are more likely to succeed than kids who grew up in financially unstable homes)

tracking

dividing students into groups that receive different instruction on the basis of assumed similarities in ability or attainment

"acting white" thesis

the thesis that black students do not aspire to or strive to get good grades because it is perceived as "acting white" (Ogbu, Fordham)

abstract and concrete atittudes

abstract attitudes are ideas that are consistent with mainstream societal views, while concrete attitudes are idea that are based on actual experience

cultural investigators

people who draw from both their home culture and mainstream culture to create an attitude that allows them to succeed

gender gap

the differences between women and men, especially as reflected in social, political, intellectual, cultural, or economic attainments or attitudes

stereotype threat

the idea that when African American students believe they are being judged not as individuals but a members of a negatively stereotyped social group, they will do worse on tests

stereotype promise

a phenomenon where being viewed through the lens of a positive stereotype may lead one to perform in such a way that confirms the positive stereotype, thereby enhancing performance

standardized testing

a situation in which all students take the same test under the same conditions

information poverty

the state of people who have little or no access to information technology, such as computers

cyberspace

electronic networks of interaction between individuals at different computer terminals

Race and Intelligence

Race and intelligence have no direct correlation; intelligence is best determined by culture and surroundings

Is Homeschooling a Substitute for Traditional Schooling?

population too varied to know

what are three reasons parents decide to homeschool their children?

1) concern about school environment

2) desire to provide moral instruction

3) dissatisfaction w/ academic instruction at other schools

secularization

A process of decline in the influence of religion.

liberation theology

An activist Catholic religious movement that combines Catholic beliefs with a passion for social justice for the poor.

churches

large bodies of people belonging to an established religious organization. The term is also used to refer to the place in which religious ceremonies are carried out.

sects

religious movements that break away from orthodoxy

denomination

a religious sect that has lost its revivalist dynamism and become an institutionalized body, commanding the adherence of significant numbers of people

cults

fragmentary religious groupings to which individuals are loosely affiliated but that lack any permanent structure

Marx on religion

- religion is a form of false consciousness, blinding people to the underlying causes of inequality

- alienation: the sense that our own abilities as human beings are taken over by other entities

Durkheim on religion

- religion is an important source of social solidarity

- defined religion in terms of a distinction between the sacred and the profane

Durkheim on religion: sacred

that which inspires attitudes of awe or reverence among believers in a given set of religious ideas

Durkheim on religion: profane

that which belongs to the mundane, everyday world

Weber on religion

- Weber analyzed the relationship between religion and the emergence of capitalism

- well-known work: "Protestant Ethic & the Spirit of Capitalism"

secular thinking

worldly thinking, particularly as seen in the rise of science, technology, and rational thought in general

religious economy

a theoretical framework within the sociology of religion that argues that religions can be fruitfully understood as organizations in competition with one another for followers

secularization: the sociological debate

basically, the disagreement is between supporters of the secularization thesis (who see religion as diminishing in power and importance in the modern world) and opponents (who argue that religion remains a significant force, albeit often in new and unfamiliar forms)

what did Marx call religion and why?

"opium of the masses" (religion is an escape); capitalism is the basis of religion, all other institutions support it; religion reinforces categorical identity

monotheism

belief in a single God

polytheism

belief in two or more gods

civil religion

a set of religious beliefs through which a society interprets its own history in light of some conception of ultimate reality

new religious movements

the broad range of religious and spiritual groups, cults, and sects that have emerged alongside mainstream religions

religious movements

associations of people who join together to seek to spread a new religion or to promote a new interpretation of an existing religion

charismatic

the inspirational quality of leaders that makes them capable of capturing the imagination and devotion of a mass of followers

world-affirming movements

religious movements that seek to enhance followers' ability to succeed in the outside world by helping them unlock their human potential

New Age movement

a general term to describe the diverse spectrum of beliefs and practices oriented on inner spirituality

world-rejecting movements

religious movements that are exclusive in nature, highly critical of the outside world, and demanding of their members

total institutions

groups who exercise control over their members by making them subsume their individual

world-accommodating movements

religious movements that emphasize the importance of inner religious life and spiritual purity over worldly concerns

religious nationalism

the linking of strongly held religious convictions with beliefs about a people's social and political destiny

disestablishment

a period during which the political influence of established religions is successfully challenged

evangelicalism

A form of Protestantism characterized by a belief in spiritual rebirth (being "born again").

fundamentalists

Evangelists who are highly antimodern in many of their beliefs and adhere to strict codes of morality and conduct

Martin Luther: "calling"

a destiny to which God calls you; work is a form of worship

Calvin: predestination

God pre-ordains who will and will not get saved

supernaturalism

the general idea that there's something divine outside of humans

animism

giving form/life to the divine "something"

theism

belief in a god or gods

Ethicalism

the adherence to certain principles to lead a moral life, as in Buddhism and Taoism

7 essential religious practices

Hindu

Buddhism

Confucianism

Taoism

Judaism

Christianity

Islam

Hindu

- oldest religion

- Caste (can't leave unless you reincarnate

- Karma (what goes around comes around; cycle)

- polytheistic

Buddhism

- found in Japan

- Buddha (prince, raised wealthy)

- Buddha nature: covered up with layers, essential spark of being

- 4 noble truths

What did Buddha say when people asked him who he is?

"awake"

4 noble truths of Buddhism

1) suffer

2) desire