Sociology 101

Final Exam

Sociology

the systematic study of human society and social intervention

Sociological Imagination

the ability to see the relationships between larger individual experiences and the larger society

Socialization

the process by which we learn the ways of society and /or groups

Status

the social position a person holds within a social structure

Roles

the behavior expected of someone with a given status

Folkways

informal norms or everyday customs that may be violated without serious consequences within a particular culture

Mores

strongly held norms with moral and ethical connotations that may not be violated without serious consequences in a particular culture

Master Status

one that holds special importance, often shaping one's entire life

Power

the ability to exercise one's will over the others

Prestige

A positive position in society

Social Interaction

the process by which people act and react in relation to others

Achieved Status

Direct effort

Ascribed Status

Assigned

Empirical evidence

the information obtained through observation and documentation of certain behavior and patterns or through an experiment

Independent Variable

the variable assumed to be the cause of the relationship between variables

Dependent variable

the variable assumed to be caused by the independent variable(s)

Proletariat

the social class of wage-earners, those members of a society whose only possession of significant economic value is their labour power (their capacity to work)

Caste system

a system of social inequality in which people's status is permanently determined at birth caused by their parents' ascribed characteristics

Ethnic Pluralism

when the immigrating cultures retains their own cultural aspects. Groups are distinct but have equal standing.

Absolute poverty

a level of economic deprivation that exists when people do not have the means to secure the most basic necessities of life

Social Stratification

the hierarchical arrangement of large social groups based on their control of basic resources

Meritocracy

social stratification based on personal merit

Horizontal Social Mobility

the movement within the same range of prestige

Intergenerational Social Mobility

refers to changes in the social position of children relative to their parents

Intragenerational Social Mobility

refers to changes in social position within a person's adult life

Statist Perspective

the doctrine that the political authority of the state is legitimate to some degree

Power Elite Model

a small group of people who control a disproportionate amount of power, wealth, and privilege and access to decision-makers in a political system

Sacred

that which is set apart as extraordinary, inspiring awe and reverence; Embodied in ritual of ceremony

Profane

Ordinary elements of everyday life

Cult

Religious organization that is largely outside a society's cultural traditions

Sect

stands in defiance of the values of the larger society, emphasis upon conversion experience for the membership, intolerance for other religious organization, informal religions organization, less formalized worship, more liberal interpretation of religious doctrine

Totalitarian

a political system in which the state seeks to regulate all aspects of people's public and private lives

Authoritarian

a political system controlled by rulers who deny popular participation in government

Special Interest Group

people organized to address some social or economic issue, strong in nations with established political parties, employ lobbyist to work on their behalf

Kinship

refers to a social network of people based on common ancestry, marriage, or adoption

Polyandry

concurrent marriage of one woman with two or more men

Polygyny

concurrent marriage of one man with two or more women

Fertility

the number of children born in a population per year

Fecudity

maximum number of potential births

Infant mortality rate

number of deaths of infants less than 1 year old per 1000 births

Megalopolis

an urban area larger than a metropolis where several cities and towns have merged