Sociology 250

Inequality

the unequal distribution of valued goods and opportunities

Critical Thinking

thinking reflectively and productively, as well as evaluating the evidence

human agency

an individual's ability to make choices and either better themselves or worsen

Standpoint

Awareness of our social location, and acknowledge our bias.

Life Chances

the opportunities people have to provide themselves with material goods, positive living conditions, and favorable life experiences

Social Systems

Groups to which we belong that serve as an organizing structure in society.

Old Fashioned Inequality

belief in a groups biological inferiority that there should be segregation

Paradox of Democratic Capitalism

The way capitalism works, where there will always be poor due to cheap labor needed for the economy to support the upper class.

Symbolic Inequality

Belief that a groups cultural values and behaviors conflict with ones own

Ingrained Inequality

Institutionalized laws, practices, etc., that systematically favor certain groups and discriminate against owners

Example of Old Fashioned Inequality

KKK/White supremacy

Example of Symbolic Inequality

"It's not that I don't like Black people, I do, it's just they always sag their pants".

Example of Ingrained Inequality

Police Department Height Requirement (shorter/smaller people were excluded from being a police officer, because they weren't the ideal height).

contact hypothesis

an interactionist perspective which states that in cooperative circumstances, interracial contact between people of equal status will reduce prejudice

micro

Small problems or solutions in a bigger picture.

Macro

Large problems or solutions

Interpersonal Oppression

between individuals oppression

hypo descent

one drop of black blood makes you black

internalized oppression

when a member of an oppressed group believes and acts out the stereotypes created about their group

Institutionalized oppression

Oppression that comes from institutions of power in our society such as government and corporations.

social structure

external factors outside of one's control that shape their lives of the individual

Mezzo

Medium problems or solutions

Culture

Beliefs, customs, and traditions of a specific group of people.

socially constructed

Values or norms that are invented or "constructed" in a culture; people learn these and follow the conventional rules

Hegemonic

culturally dominant belief in a culture

oppression

when one group has power over another through exploitation

exploitation

one groups dependence on a lower group to stay in power

social location

one person's or several's social place within the race, gender, etc. hierarchies.

racial formation

how social, political and economical forces determine how important racial categories are

roles

rules attached to a type of social position

privilege

A special favor, right, or advantage given to a person or group.

reformed perspective of diversity and inequality

another modernized version of discrimination

example of reformed perspective of diversity and inequality

involuntary relocation

what is a sociologist

someone who studies the functions of society

what is a psychologist

someone who studies the functions of the mind

resources

anything valued in society

primary social systems

class, race, gender, sexuality

secondary social systems

age, religion, physical ability, physical stature

premises of the American Dream

equality of opportunity, reasonable adaptation of success, individual responsibility of success, success as virtue; failure as sin

American dream

belief that anyone can be anything as long as they work hard enough

intersections

theory and method of research that focuses on understanding social life at the cross-points of two or more social systems

meritocracy

system where one's success depends on how hard they work

social scientist

someone who studies the aspects of society and human relationships

social work

those who interact with society, concerned with meeting the basic needs of families, individuals, communities, etc.

what is the purpose of the IAT

measures strength of association between stereotypes, concepts and evaluations

four characteristics of stratification

relational, invisible, unintentional, cyclical

weber's steps for addressing inequality

vision, understanding, action

In Understanding Race, Class, Gender, & Sexuality, Weber recounts her experience as a tennis player.  She concludes that her _____ was an obstacle.

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Social class

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Yet after a match with a Black female player, Weber recognizes that she has advantages based on her ____.

Race

According to Weber, a benefit of studying race, class, gender, and sexuality is recognizing that we have limiting views of ourselves.

True 

social contrustion theory

what we see real is the result of human interaction