SOC 1000 Final Exam Study Guide

Deviance

Any action, belief, or characteristic that represents a violation of social norms (socially constructed)

Crime

Violations of formally enacted laws (two parts -- the act itself and criminal intent)

Social Control (Informal & Formal)

Attempts by society to regulate our thoughts and behavior (Informal - praise/scolding a child; Formal - jail, fines, other forms of punishment for more serious forms of deviance)

Functions of Deviance (Durkheim)

All societies are characterized by deviance. Deviance is functional and contributes to a stable and orderly society (helps us clarify norms/values, establishes moral boundaries, brings people together, lead to social change).

Strain Theory (Types of Strain)

Deviant behavior is an outcome of the stress (strain) individuals experience when they're unable to achieve culturally valued goods. The types of strain are innovators, ritualists, retreatists and rebels.

Primary Deviance

Minor acts of deviance that have little to no effect on how we see ourselves.

Secondary Deviance

More serious acts of deviance that alter how others see us and how we see ourselves.

Stigma

A powerfully negative label that changes one's self-concept and social identity (secondary deviance).

Medicalization of Deviance

The transformation of moral and legal deviance into a medical condition (alcoholism, drug addiction, gambling addiction).

White Collar Crime

Crime committed by people of high social positions in the course of their occupations (embezzlement, business fraud, bribery, fraud).

Hate Crimes

Criminal acts against a person/property by someone motivated by racial or other bias. Expressions of hostility toward someone's race, ethnicity, religion, ancestry, sexual orientation or physical disability.

Crimes Against Persons

Crimes that direct violence or the threat of violence against others.

Crimes Against Property

Crimes that involve the theft of property belonging to others.

Victimless Crimes

Violations of law in which there are no obvious victims other than the individual committing the crime (illegal drug use, prostitution, gambling).

Felonies

Serious crimes that are punishable by a year or more in prison.

Misdemeanors

Minor offenses punishable by imprisonment of less than one year.

Criminal Justice System

Formal social control. Punishment for more serious forms of deviance.

Plea Bargaining

Arrangement between a prosecutor and defendant in which the defendant pleads guilty to a lesser charge in exchange for a more lenient sentence.

Probation

Those convicted of less serious crimes may be released into the community under supervision.

Parole

Supervised early release of someone currently in prison.

House Arrest

An alternative to prison where the offender is confined to their home and monitored electronically 24 hours a day.

School to Prison Pipeline

Disproportionate tendency of minors from disadvantaged backgrounds to become incarcerated as the result of increasingly harsh school and municipal policies.

Social Stratification

System of ranking categories of people in a hierarchy.

Caste System

Social position based on ascription (birth). Little to no social mobility.

Pure Social Class System

Social class position based purely on personal effort/ability.

Meritocracy

Based partly on ascription (birth) and effort. Born into a particular social class but your position may vary over the course of your lifetime.

Status Consistency

Degree of uniformity in a person's social standing across various dimensions of social inequality. Caste system -- high consistency, social class systems/meritocracies -- low consistency.

Davis Moore Thesis

Social stratification has beneficial consequences for society. The greater the functional importance of a position, the more rewards attached to that position. The most important jobs in society are rewarded the highest salaries, the most prestige, power, and other perks.

Socio-Economic Status

Composite ranking based on class, status, and power

Conspicuous Consumption

Buying and using products because of the "statement" they say about our social position.

Income

The earnings we receive from work or investments.

Wealth

The total value of money and other assets, minus outstanding debts (what you OWN - what you OWE).

Power

The ability to get others to do what you want them to do despite resistance.

Occupational Prestige

Degree of respect or prestige associated with the job you do.

Social Mobility

Upward or downward movement in social class position. May change during a person's lifetime, further blurring boundaries between social classes.

Upper-Upper Class

The top 1% of the population. Membership is based on birth, inherited wealth ("old money"), live in old, exclusive neighborhoods, children attend private schools and prestigious colleges/universities.

Lower-Upper Class

The top 3-4% of the population. Working rich ("new money"), live in large homes in prestigious neighborhoods, vacation homes, children attend private schools and go to "good" colleges.

Middle Class

Largest social class (40-45% of the population). More racially/ethnically diverse than upper class, broken into upper and average middle class.

Working Class

34% of the total population. Blue-collar jobs and supervision by managers/supervisors. Fewer benefits like medical insurance, little to no wealth accumulation over the life course. Vulnerable to financial hardships. Only 20% earn a college degree.

Lower Class

Earn low incomes making their lives insecure and difficult. 20% of the population. Less than 15% earn a college degree. Slightly more than 40% own their homes typically in least desirable neighborhoods.

Intragenerational Mobility

Change in social class position over the course of your life.

Intergenerational Mobility

Upward/downward mobility of children compared to their parents.

Horizontal Mobility

Flat mobility or changing jobs at the same level.

Relative Poverty

Not having as much as those in your group.

Absolute Poverty

Life-threatening lack of resources (healthy, nutritious affordable foods, clean drinking water, sanitation, affordable housing).

Working Poor

Full-time workers unable to earn enough to lift themselves out of poverty.

Gender Stratification

The unequal distribution of wealth, power, and privilege between men and women.

Pink Collar Jobs

Someone working in the care-oriented career field or in fields historically considered to be women's work.

Feminization of Poverty

Single women who head a household and are raising children.

Second Shift

The disproportionate amount of housework that women perform in addition to working a full-time job.

Gender Wage Gap

The difference between median earnings of men and women relative to median earnings of men.

Comparable Worth

The worth that a position has to a company.

Gender-Based Violence

Harmful acts directed at an individual based on their gender.

Quid Pro Quo

Sexual harassment that is obvious and direct. When a superior seeks sexual favors from a worker in return for some type of job benefit.

Sexual Harassment

Comments, gestures or physical contacts of a sexual nature that are deliberate, repeated, and are unwelcome.

Hostile Work Place Harassment

Exists when the harassment is so severe and pervasive that it alters your ability to do your job.

Race

Socially constructed category of people who share biologically transmitted traits that members of a society consider important (skin color, hair texture, facial features, body shape).

Ethnicity

A shared cultural heritage (language, religion, cultural traditions/practices, dress, food customs).

Stereotypes

Exaggerated generalizations about an entire category of people.

Prejudice

Rigid and unfair generalization about an entire category of people (prejudgment or attitude).

Discrimination

Unequal treatment of various categories of people.

Racism

Belief that one racial category is innately superior or inferior to another. The most powerful and harmful form of prejudice.

Xenophobia

The fear of strangers.

Institutional Discrimination

Bias that is built into the operation of society's social institutions (schools, hospitals, police, workplace, etc.). Although most social institutions and social structures are not intentionally designed to discriminate on the basis of race, they may have an unintended discriminatory effect.

Racial Profiling

The discriminatory practice by law enforcement officials of targeting individuals for suspicion of crime based on the individual's race, ethnicity, religion or national origin.

Pluralism

Coexistence of many groups without any groups losing their individual qualities.

Assimilation

Process of minority group members adopting the characteristics, beliefs, and values of the dominant group, leaving behind the group's former traditions, practices, and language.

Segregation

Physical and social separation of majority and minority groups.

Genocide

Systematic and active strategy of eliminating an entire group of people through warfare, murder and other acts of violence.

Majority-Minority Patterns of Interaction

Pluralism, assimilation, segregation, genocide.