SOCI 101 Final Exam

Disease

A pathological condition with identifiable signs or symptoms, often studied in terms of its social distribution and meaning.

Epigenetics

The study of how external or environmental factors can alter gene expression without changing DNA itself.

Health disparities*

Unequal health outcomes across different populations due to factors like race, class, or geography.

Illness

The subjective experience of being unwell, shaped by cultural meanings and social context.

Medical model*

An approach that frames health issues as biological and individual, often overlooking social factors.

Medicalization

The process of labeling normal life variations or problems as medical conditions requiring treatment.

Morbidity

The rate or incidence of disease within a population.

Mortality

The rate of death within a population.

Roseto effect*

Health benefits observed in a socially cohesive community, illustrating the power of social support.

Sick Role

A concept describing the rights and responsibilities of those who are recognized as ill in society.

Social determinants of health

The conditions in which people live, work, and age that affect health outcomes.

Social gradients of health*

The concept that health outcomes improve incrementally with higher socioeconomic status.

Social model*

A view that emphasizes how social structures and environments impact health more than biology alone.

Stress*

A physiological and emotional response to perceived challenges, linked to social and health outcomes.

Weathering hypothesis

Theory that chronic stress causes premature aging and health deterioration, especially in marginalized groups.

Anthropocene

Epoch in which human activity is the dominant influence on climate and the environment—linked to industrialization and ecological crisis.

Anthropogenic climate change

Global climate change driven by human activities like fossil fuel use and deforestation.

Epistemology

The study of how we know what we know; foundational to debates in science and knowledge production.

Global warming

The observed rise in Earth’s average temperature due to increased greenhouse gas emissions.

Normal science

Scientific research conducted within the bounds of an accepted framework or paradigm.

Paradigm

A dominant set of theories and practices that guide scientific research within a field.

Paradigm shift

A fundamental transformation in scientific thinking when prevailing theories can no longer explain anomalies.

Risk society

A concept describing how modern societies are increasingly preoccupied with future risks, especially those of technological or environmental origin.

Sociology of knowledge

A field that examines how social factors shape what is accepted as knowledge or truth.

Thomas Kuhn

Philosopher of science known for his theory of paradigm shifts and how science evolves through revolutions.

Attention economy*

A system where human attention is treated as a scarce commodity and monetized by digital platforms.

Divide et impera

Strategy of 'divide and conquer' where power is maintained by fostering conflict between subgroups.

Dyad

A group of two people—the simplest form of social relationship.

Embeddedness

The extent to which ties in a social network are reinforced through indirect relationships.

Isomorphism

The process by which similar organizations evolve to resemble one another due to shared conditions or pressures.

Large groups

Groups with formal structure and status differentiation, often found in institutions like schools or companies.

Mediator

A third party in a triad who helps resolve conflict between the other two members.

Organization

A structured social group with a defined purpose and boundary from the wider society.

Party

A multifocal group defined by multiple simultaneous interactions, different from a unifocal small group.

Reference group

A group used to evaluate or understand one's own position or behavior in society.

Robert Putnam

Sociologist known for Bowling Alone, where he argues that declining social capital and community participation in the U.S. has led to increased isolation and weakened democracy.

Small groups

Groups marked by face-to-face interaction, lack of formal structure, and a unifocal focus.

Social capital

The resources and advantages gained from social networks and connections.

Social network

A web of social ties connecting individuals to others through various forms of relationships.

Social network analysis (SNA)*

The study of social structures through nodes (individuals) and ties (relationships).

Strength of weak ties

Granovetter’s theory that indirect or weaker social ties can provide new information or opportunities.

Strong tie*

A close, emotionally intense relationship such as family or best friends.

Tertius gaudens

Latin for 'the third who rejoices'; someone who benefits from conflict between others in a triad.

Tie

The connection or relationship between individuals in a social network.

Triad

A group of three people, more complex than a dyad due to potential alliances and conflict.

Weak tie*

A less close relationship that often provides access to novel resources or information.

Alternative social movements

Movements targeting limited change for a small group (e.g., MADD).

Classical model

Theory that social movements emerge from societal strain and psychological distress.

Coalescence

The second stage of a social movement where it begins to organize and mobilize resources.

Collective action

Action that diverges from social norms and is undertaken by a group.

Contagion theory

Theory that collective behavior spreads through a crowd like a virus due to emotional influence.

Convergence theory

Theory that collective action arises when people with similar ideas gather.

Emergence

The first stage of a movement when people become aware of a problem.

Grassroots organization

A movement that starts locally with community members and lacks centralized leadership.

Institutionalization

The final stage where a movement becomes formalized, bureaucratic, or mainstream.

Modernity

Social period marked by rationality, bureaucracy, and shifting group affiliations.

Political process model

Theory that social movements succeed when political conditions and opportunities are favorable.

Post-modernity

Social relations characterized by questioning the notion of progress and history

Premodernity

Period of society with traditional norms, low division of labor, and close social ties.

Redemptive social movements

Movements targeting radical personal change in specific individuals (e.g., religious rehab).

Reformative social movements

Movements aiming for limited change across society (e.g., environmental policy).

Resource-mobilization theory

Theory that movements need material and organizational resources to succeed.

Revolutionary social movements

Movements seeking total and radical transformation of a society.

Social movement

Purposeful, organized collective action seeking change or resisting it.

Conflict theory

Sociological perspective focusing on power struggles and inequality between groups competing over scarce resources.

Emile Durkheim

Founding sociologist who studied social cohesion and anomie; emphasized how norms and institutions maintain societal stability.

Functionalism

Theoretical approach that sees society as a complex system where each part contributes to the whole’s functioning and stability.

Gender

A social construct defining roles, behaviors, and expectations associated with masculinity and femininity in a given society.

Ideology of individualism*

Belief that success or failure is entirely due to personal choices, ignoring structural or systemic inequalities.

Judith Butler

Philosopher and gender theorist known for arguing that gender is performative—shaped by repeated actions, not biology.

Karl Marx

Theorist who analyzed class conflict, capitalism, and the role of economic systems in shaping social life and inequality.

Kimberle Crenshaw

Legal scholar who coined 'intersectionality' to describe how race, gender, and other identities intersect to shape discrimination.

Max Weber

Sociologist who explored bureaucracy, rationalization, and the link between Protestant ethics and the rise of capitalism.

Pierre Bourdieu

French sociologist who introduced concepts like social capital, habitus, and cultural capital to explain power and inequality.

Positivism

Scientific approach based on observable, measurable facts; emphasizes empirical data and objectivity in studying society.

Qualitative methods

Research methods focused on understanding meaning and experience through interviews, observations, or text analysis.

Quantitative methods

Research methods involving numerical data and statistical analysis to study patterns and relationships in society.

Race

A socially constructed category used to classify people based on perceived physical differences with real social implications.

Social construction

Theory that our understanding of reality, including concepts like race or gender, is shaped by social processes and interaction.

Social control

Mechanisms a society uses—laws, norms, institutions—to regulate behavior and maintain social order.

Sociological imagination

C. Wright Mills' idea of connecting personal experiences to broader social and historical forces.

Strands of feminism*

Different feminist approaches including liberal, radical, intersectional, and socialist, each with unique focuses on gender inequality.

Symbolic interactionism

Perspective that focuses on how individuals create and interpret symbols and meanings through social interaction.

W.E.B. Dubois

Pioneering sociologist and civil rights activist who studied race, double consciousness, and helped found the NAACP.

Social determinants of health

Conditions like income, education, housing, and neighborhood environment that shape people's health outcomes and access to care.