Soci 201 Final

Eugenics

Selective breeding (derived from agriculture) of humans to create a "super-human race" rid of "mental defectives"

2.2k people sterilized in Alberta under sexual sterilization act of 1928

Which groups were most often targeted with eugenics?

Intellectually impaired

Emotional problems or behavioural disorders

Criminals

Poor, not necessarily having any defects

Immigrants (were considered "feeble-minded")

Racism

The combination of prejudice (unfavourable, generalized beliefs to group) and discrimination (deny groups equal access to societal rewards)

Stereotyping

Exaggerate oversimplified images of the characteristics of social categories

Types of Racism (3)

Interpersonal: hate, polite, subliminal

Institutional: systemic, systematic

Cultural: everyday, ideological

Hate, polite and subliminal racism examples

Hate: using language you know is inappropriate, slurs

Polite: "was just a joke"

Subliminal: old people who genuinely don't think they are racist. there's illogical disjuncture in what they're saying vs. what they're doing (like iceberg)

Systematic racism vs. Systemic

Systematic: when gov. institutions intentionally discriminate against a group of people. Ex. police abusing their power

Systemic: Ex. restricting people for work due to their height and weight (is this necessary or is it actually excluding people of a certain group?)

Prejudice first -> Discrimination later

Solution?

Education of prejudice

From Robert K Merton?

Discrimination first -> prejudice later

Solution?

Sanctioning of unwanted behaviour

From Robert K Merton?

Lucious Outlaw's "Toward a Critical Theory of Race" (4)

1. we should examine why the term "race" never goes away, like how you invest in a career because it'll never go away

2. Unclear if "race" is from Arabic, Latin or German

3. First recorded in English by William Dunbar in a 1508 poem

4. "Race" was initially used to denote a class of person or things, not biological. It predates science

Darwin's thoughts

Darwin suggested genes determined if species could endure environmental changes -> Robert Dziekanski died of being tasered and police argued his heart was the reason why he died instead of the taser

Mendel's research

Mendel revealed bio traits were passed on like shuffled like a pack of playing cards. We don't look exactly like our parents.

Race is a social construction (ascribed/achieved)

It's an achieved status as much as it is an ascribed status because:

1. "Racial" classifications are arbitrary

2. Genetic differences between groups are small

3. Genetic differences are behaviourally insignificant (these differences are sociological, not physiological)

Three circles completely overlapping

These circles are racial groups and more accurate of our genetic differences and similarities. Much in common. Suggests there aren't groups because they're hardly different.

Three circles slightly overlapping

Differences are greater than commonality. Three different groups

W.I Thomas "Thomas theorem"

"If people define situations as real, they are real in their consequences"

The belief in race gives rise to interpersonal racism -> racist actions in everyday life

Everyday racism

Parts of our culture racism is embedded into. Suggests negative things like racist language, like "black" and "white"

Ideological racism

Claiming to believe in multiculturalism but hypocritical about it. Ex. making rcmp officers wear uniform but turbans cannot be part of it

Why do racial crimes occur? (biological)

Ethnic grouping is in our genes, primordialism (ethnic identities are rooted in shared traits), but this is FLAWED since people often hurt members of their own ethnic group or people of differences groups will work together in anti-racist campaigns

Why do racial crimes occur? (psychological)

Frustration-aggression theory, scapegoat, violence on the basis of race.

Hitler blamed Jews, Mac Lepine blamed women.

Some have authoritarian personalities

Why do racial crimes occur? (normative)

Prejudice passed down, socialized into children

Normative theory: Originating in functionalism. Prejudice is the result of group socialization. BUT ALSO Merton thought others were discriminatory before this, because of "success norms" and they blame others, causing racism

Why do racial crimes occur? (split market theory)

Edna Bonacich. Three groups in society:

1. Business/capitalists

2. Highly paid (white) labour

3. Lower paid (non-white labour)

Business class benefits from working class fighting -> discriminatory employment practices. Like how the proletariat is made of diverse groups.

The Vertical Mosaic (Porter)

Merton's ideas. Porter examined class structure of Canadian society. State policies created a vertical mosaic with charter groups at the top and entrance groups below them

Merton and Conflict

He was a functionalist and examined societal norms. His causal analysis saw the struggle to accumulate wealth in society is because of prejudice and discrimination. Immigrants are blamed for the poor economic experienced by memebrs of the proletariat. Resulting in Chinese head taxes, sysetmic dscrimination, continous voyage clause (exclusionary rules)

Charter vs entrance groups

Charter: Colonized the country and set up rules for others if they attempt to enter canada

Entrance: immigrant and minority ethnic groups

Rushton and race science

Three races: Negroids, Caucasoids and Mongoloids (asian people)

Flawed and racist science

Sex, gender definitions

Sex: biological traits of men and women

Gender: social, cultural and psychological traits linked to males and females

The sexual continuum

The living world is a continuum. Kinsey did research study from uni students with sexual behaviour.

Majority of men engage in premarital and prostitute sex, some in extramarital.

Half of women in premarital, some in extra, didn't check for prostitute

Sexual continuum chart

Sexual behavior

homo experience 37% M and 13% F

rating of three (bi) 11.6% M and 7% F, 4% previously married F

exclusively homo 10% M and 1-3% F

David Reimer

Sexual reassignment as a child. Sex is physical and gender is social. Sex and gender are continuous traits rather than binary "black and white" traits.

"Nature rarely deals with discrete categories"

Essentialism thinks (3), similar to?

Brain studies - left hemi w language, right w visual and spatial skills.

Sociobiology - passing on genes resulting in gender differences

Freud - males experience oedipus complex and women electra complex

Also similar to religious devotion

Social constructionism

Gender is social, was impacted by war & conquest, capitalism and agriculture, and separation of public & private spheres

Critique of essentialism in history

They ignore historical and cultural variability of gender and sexuality.

Ex. margaret mead and arapesh are egalitarian, rape rates vary across cultures, societies change without genetic change

Critique of essentialism in differences

Gender differences are declining rapidly.

ND in verbal abilities, math slightly favours females, minor spatial differences

Critique of essentialism in genes

Sociobiologists haven't identified the supposed genes that differ the genders

Critique of essentialism in exaggeration

They exaggerate to the degree to which gender differences are unchangeable. They ignore the role of power in gender differences.

Meanwhile, more egalitarian societies reduce age gaps in mf relationships.

Aggresiveness in essentialists

look at the diagram.

But the differences between male and female aggressiveness is actually small, men are less aggressive than 1/2 of all women

Economic inequality (5)

Double work day (women do this)

Sex segragation

Sex typing (sterotyping)

Glass-ceiling (corporate 1% is a homogenous group with few women)

Nonstandard work (women often in part-time, temp, seasonal, self-employed)

Social inequality (3)/ Gender stratification

Aka the patriarchy

Gender stratification where men hold greater:

power -> ability to impose one's will on others

prestige -> social ranking & respect

wealth -> economic resources for necessities

Women involvement in labour force (3)

They have become involved due to...

1. increase in the demand for service sector workers

2. decrease in num of children born

3. family finances

Why women earn less income than men (4)

1. Gender differences in the characteristics that influence pay rates

2. women are involved in sex-segregated, non-standard work

3. discrimination. ex. nursing

4. devaluing of women's work

Wage gap fact + how it's measured

1. 2018 women earned 87 cents per dollar of men. wage gap shrinking?

It's measured by women annual earnings of ft and pt workers (69 cents), annual earnings of ft workers (75 cents) and hourly wages of ft (87 cents)

There is a wage gap regardless of how you measure it

Political power in Canada for women

Kim Campbell was the only pm who inherited it after Mulroney stepped down.

Only 11 female premiers in Canadian history.

MLA Sandra Jansen experienced assault from PC party members.

Socialist feminism sources of oppression (2 + fact)

Two sources of women's oppression

1. capitalism

2. patriarchy

Marxian approach!!

Socialist feminists think (4)

1. Eliminate/substantially alter capitalism and patriarchy to free women

2. capitalists benefit from women's work, including moms, but don't pay for it

3. State intervened with social programs (raising federal debt)

4. Laws of the state can be change for positive social change in society

Radical feminists think (7)

1. Capitalism has little to do with female oppression

2. women are oppressed since they're women

3. the state is male state

4. men, by nature, are aggressive and dominate women

5. the state is the enemy

6. Also, !! equality in mf relationships is impossible, hetero sex is rape !!

7. Personal is political -> being concerned w looks as a woman brings other woman down and shows weakness

Intersectionist (4)

Oppression exists in many forms, is cumulative

"White women feminism"

Gender is social construct

Activism based on outlining how gender is socially construction can eliminate inequality

Social self and social images

Psychologists examine personality, sociologists examine the social self consisting of I (active part of self), ME (internalized society expectations) and GO (broader society norms).

Mass media pressures women to conformity. (Barbie?)

Matthews (3)

The Body Beautiful: Adolescent Girls and Images of Beauty. Matthews found:

1. girls were not passive victims of beauty images

2. looking better means access to social groups & power

3. women are each other's harshest critics

Matthews four groups

4 groups in lethbridge, ab

1. elite: power, spend lots of time on looks, secure, happy

2. wannabees: insecure, agitated about social status

3. life in the middle: not into beauty norms, enjoyed hobbies

4. fringe: marginalized, unhappy, dislocated from others

Richard Dawkins

An atheist who thought atheists are the last acknowledged oppressed group in society. Put "probably no God" messages on buses in Canada, US, UK

Religion

system of meaning for interpreting the world. unified system of beliefs with a supernatural referent

Humanist perspective

Ex. communism.

Human-centered, often science-based, "life has no meaning so we have to give it meaning, we develop theories and test them w scientific methods

Whither Religion

Dr. Reginald Bibby. Alberta is not the bible belt of Canada (East Coast/Atlantic IS), second highest rate of "no religion" responses. Canadians are trying to figure out life, few turn to religion. Traditional religion doesn't seem to connect some people with spirituality they need.

There is a revival in gen z?

Marx and Opium (5)

1. Religion/God is human creation

2. Religion is "opium of people"

3. Religion maintains unequal, expoitative society

4. delays inevitable communism (from capitalism to egalitarian)

5. !! religion will eventually fade away

PEOPLE BECAME RELIGIOUS FROM DEPRIVATION caused by capitalism

Durkheim and "Holey" answers (4)

1. Religion is a social.human connection

2. Religion contributes to collective conscience

3. Religion identifies this as sacred and profane

4. Religion will continue to impact people & behaviour, functional for society

"gap-filling function" for society. RELIGION MADE BY SOCIETY

Durkheim functions of religion (6)

1. Fosters cohesion.

2, Offer support during crises.

3. Addresses ultimate questions. ex. afterlife?

4. Provides social service. ex. Mustard Seed

5. Legitimizes political authority.

6. Influences social change.

Weber and "Spirit" (4)

1. Weber wrote The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism

2. We should examine religion w how it affects the ways we behave

3. Religion has been instrumental in shaping modern capitalism

4. Religion creates power for some leaders

Personal Religiosity (4 dimensions)

Bibby argues we should consider these dimensions to assess its impact on us:

1. Belief (in God)

2. Practice (prayer)

3. Experience (see or speak directly to God)

4. Knowledge (of the Bible, etc.)

Findings (religion) (4)

1. 8/10 believe in God

2. 7/10 believe in life after death

3. 6/10 pray at least once a month

4. Moreso for Canada, 1/4 consider religion to be "very important" to them

Collective religiosity

Durkheim said we need to know how people behave collectively. We can interpret religions as splintering from other churches (church-sect typology) or an organizational approach

The Organizational Approach (5), skid-row

Bibby's "organizational approach"

Assessing religion in terms of:

1. the sources of members

2. goals of the group

3. norms and roles use to establish people

4. sanctions to ensure conformity

5. its overall "success"

A "skid-row" mission is a religious leader trying to take poor people into their religion -> typically fails

Conflicting findings on religion

On personal dimensions, religion appears to be doing quite well. Collectively, seems to be in jeopardy

Sources of Religiosity (not the same as causes?)

What causes people to become religious:

1. Reflection. 80% of people reflect on life's big questions

2. Socialization !! necessary !!, ex. following parents who attended church

3. Deprivation (not really a cause)

Religion in Canada (3)

1. High religious tolerance and separation of church w state

2. Most followers w Catholic and Protestant, declining now w catholics, protestants slightly increase

3. Islamic, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist increasing due to immigration

Fragmented Gods (book) (4)

1. Canadians are turning to "fragments" of traditional religions

2. They're not leaving traditional organizations in favour of alternatives

3. They're not following "electronic church" on tv

4. Fate of religion depends on religious groups meeting needs of Canadians.

Reiman and Leighton

Crime is best understood as a "carnival mirror", distorted image of crime that's portrayed in media and govt stats

Characterized criminal vs reality

Young, poor, black, urbanized male

Reality is most pervasive & costly crimes are from upper class "white collar criminals" who conceal it better.

Ex. fraud, cheating taxes, medical malpractice.

Crime is an illusion in our society

Norms, Deviance and Crime simply

Norms: expectations of human behaviour

Deviance: non-normative behaviour, violate norm

Crime: breaking a law

An act could be a crime and not deviant, deviant but not a crime

Consensus & conflict crimes

Consensus: harmful (mala in se) w harshest sanctions

Durkheim said w everyone in agreement, punishments are more severe

Conflict : less agreement w this definition (mala prohibita), not bad in itself necessarily

Deviance (social deviation & social diversion)

Social deviation is legal, stigmatized behaviour

Ex. mental illness, ex-convicts

Social diversion refers to how people appear to others. Ex. person w many piercings

Formal and Informal controls

Formal: control by state and its institutions

Informal: by friends, family, peers. Impacts you the most since you're socialized into this way of thinking

Most successful form of control is internalized self-control

Crime rates

We don't exactly know how much occurs each year.

Crime is a dark figure.

Of reported crime, 48% is property while 20% is violent.

The crime funnel (inverted triangle) (7)

All crime (detected/undetected)

Detected crime (reported/unreported)

Reported crime (founded/unfounded aka sufficient/insufficient evidence)

Founded crime

Crime taken to court (convicted/acquitted)

Convicted

Incarcerated

This is like a filtering process. State's definition of crime

Counting crime rates in Canada

They're only counting crimes reported to the police

Becker's thoughts

American criminologist

"Moral crusaders"/"busy bees" in society try to change others' behaviours. Must eliminate the serious evil that exists. At times this results in moral panic

Moral panics (5)

1. Concern: awareness group may be harmful

2. Hostility: "they" become folk devils

3. Consensus: large number of people are concerned about the group

4. Disproportionality: exaggerated fear

5. Volatility: arise and fade quickly

Moral panics look irrational in hindsight

Explanations of law (3)

Pluralists: laws reflect what society deems important. everyone has equal input to shape the laws and the state, we can all vote

Conflict theorists: people are not equal, wealthy people have power. bourgeoisie constructs the law while lower classes are criminalized

Postmodernists: criminal profile is skewed, society socially constructs crime, those who generate and disseminate crime news control the law. ex. visible minorities arrested more

Theories of why crime exists (5)

Strain, Merton's typology, learning theory, control theory, labelling

Strain

Grew out of functionalism.

Theorists like Merton claimed crime & deviance come from "rising expectations and falling realizations"

People feel strained since they're raised being told they must be successful and feel like they can't meet the expectation -> causes deviance

Merton's Typology (5)

acceptance of culturally induced goals (american dream) and ability to achieve

1. conformity(+/+): no strain?

2. innovation(+/-): most common

3. ritualism(-/+): not ambitious, have everything, ex. billionaire's child

4. retreatism(-/-): strained because not moving w society, ex. retreating from society due to mental illness or drugs

5. rebellion(+-/+-): rejects american dream and seeks their own, interested into alt ways of positive social change, ex. communism

Also, SA in society is none of the above

Learning theory (3)

1. people learn crime & deviance like any other behaviour

2. people learn by interacting w other deviants by "differential association", differential associates primarily refers to children

3. people learn to commit crimes and attitudes to accomplish it.

Motivated offender -> techniques of neutralization (ways people rationalize it) -> crime

Control theory

People are deviant because it's enjoyable.

People conform because they have been taught self-control by people around them

Girls are more controlled than boys

Labelling

Label influences actions. People behave deviantly when defined by society as such.

Labelling a person can draw them to act like that label.

Connects to how internalized self-control is the most successful form of control

Crime rates conclusions (3)

1. In Canada, they've decreased since 1991 but higher since the 60s

2. More crime in Western Canada than eastern

3. Canada has higher incarceration rate than India, Japan, Western Europe BUT much lower than Russia and USA