Soc 100 1, 2, 6, 7

what is sociology?

The study of human society, social behaviour, and the influence of structures and institutions

Who are the founding fathers of sociology?

Emile Durkheim

Karl Marx

Max Weber

What did Karl Marx believe

That society is divided into the bourgeoisie (capitalists) and proletariat (working class); this conflict drives social change and economic development.

What did Durkheim contribute?

Concept of “social facts”, “anomie”, and studied how social structures influence behaviour.

Wrote Suicide and how social integration affects suicide rates.

What was Max Weber’s focus?

Understanding subjective meanings, culture, and history in shaping social behaviour.

He cared about why people did the things that they did.

Interpretive Sociology

understanding the meaning behind the behaviour. Associated with Max Weber. It emphasizes the subjective experience of individuals and the importance of social context.

Who is Harriet Martineau?

Early female sociologist who critique injustice in Society in America and advocated for social reforms regarding gender and class issues.

Decolonizing Society

Incorporating Indigenous and non-Western ways of knowing into sociological thinking to challenge Eurocentric perspectives and promote social justice.

Sociological Imagination

Connecting personal experiences to larger social patterns (C. Wright Mills) that allows individuals to understand the relationship between personal troubles and public issues.

Social Structure

Patterns of social relations that shape behaviour and are organized within a society, influencing how individuals interact and are positioned within various social hierarchies.

Social Institution

Stable structures like family, school, religion that guide behaviour

Quantitative research

uses numerical data like questionnaires and surveys

Qualitative research

non-numerical data like interviews and observations

Reliability

consistency of results

validity

how well the research reflects the real world

5 goals of sociological research

enumeration

prediction

explanation

debunking

social justice

CARE principals

Collective benefit, Authority to control, Responsibility, Ethics (guiding Indigenous data soverignty)

Social Stratification

Hierarchical system of inequality based on class, socioeconomic status (SES), and power

Class Consciousness

awareness of one’s shared class position and interests

Alienation according to Marx

Workers being disconnected from the product, process, coworkers, and self

Cultural Capital

Non-financial assets like taste, education, and demeanor that signal class

Intergenerational mobility

changes in social class between different generations in a family

Eg. parents were a factory worker and now you’re a doctor

Intragenerational mobility

changes in social class within your own lifetime.

Eg. Minimum wage at 18 but corporate exec by 40

Market Basket Measure (MBM)

calculated income required to meet basic needs and community needs

social determinants of health

factors like income, education, and job security that affect well-being

Biomedical Model of Health

focus on physiological and genetic factors affecting health

behavioural health model

individual lifestyle choices like diet, exercise, and smoking that affect health

biopsychosocial model of health

biological, psychological, and social factors affecting health

social exclusion

individuals/groups are unable to participate fully in society, impacting their well-being

absolute poverty

income is too low to meet basic survival needs like food, water, etc

relative poverty

income meets basic needs but lives well below the societal standard of living

Low-Income Cut-off (LICO)

income threshold where a family is likely to spend more on necessities than the average family

Low Income Measure (LIM)

defines low income as half the median household income for a household of similar size

poverty line

socially agreed income level considered the minimum acceptable standard of living

underemployment

working a job that does not use one’s skills or education level fully, often due to lack of opportunities

Sex vs. Gender

Sex: biological markings

Gender: social/cultural identity

Gender inequality

differences that exist in education, income, etc based on a person’s gender identity

Hegemonic masculinity/femininity

culturally dominant gender norms

Masculine = strong

feminine = nurturing

two-spirited

Indigenous term combining a masculine and feminine spirit/identity

genderfluid

gender identity that changes over time and environment

Genderqueer

gender identity that exists outside/beyond the binary

Performativity (Judith Butler)

Gender is something we do rather than just something that we are. The idea of gender is performed through repeated actions.

Eg. buying blue cards vs pink cards for gender reveals

feminist theory

gender is socially constructed, not biologically constructed. This causes inequalities based on gender not sex.

Intersectionality (Kimberle Crenshaw)

The overlapping of social inequality and identity which create experiences of oppression or privilege

Eg. A black women is ignored in health care. She faces racism and sexism.
Eg. Layers of the gender pay gap

IPV (Intimate partner violence)

emotional, physical, sexual abuse by a romantic partner

Photovoice

allowing marginalized people document their own experiences via photos

Anomie (Durkheim)

state of normlessness where individuals feel disconnected from the collective consciousness of society

Operationalization

process of defining abstract concepts into measurable terms

participant observation

qualitative research method where the researcher observes and participates in the daily life of a group

conspicuous consumption

practice of buying expensive goods to display wealth and social status

What did Pierre Bourdieu say about class

cultural capital (like mannerisms) is learned and passed on, reinforcing class distinctions

structural mobility

class movement due to societal/economic shifts that create or eliminate jobs

exchange mobility

class movement where one person would move up while another moves down

primary labour markets

stable, well-paying jobs with benefits

secondary labour markets

low-wage, insecure jobs with little mobility

hidden homelessness

people who are technically homeless but stay with friends/family instead of shelters or public spaces

second shift

the unpaid labour women do at home after finishing their paid workday