Social Problems Flash Cards Chapter definitions

Chapter 1-15 Umes Sage Vantage 1-3 completed next chapter 4

core commitments of sociology

Two obligations that come with gaining a sociological perspective

culture

The rules, values, beliefs, and material goods created by members of our society

social constructions

Ideas or beliefs based on social perceptions that vary from society to society and over time

social problems

Social conditions perceived to be problematic by groups of people

social scientific research process

Steps that all social scientists must take to ensure that their research takes advantage of previous findings, is as unbiased as possible, does not cause harm, and can be replicated by other researchers

social structure

The way a society is set up as a system through certain rules, laws, interactions, and expected behaviors

sociological eye

Allows you to see beneath the surface of society and recognize social patterns

sociological imagination

The ability to connect personal experiences with public issues and the broader social and historical context

cultural capital

Informal knowledge, tastes, and preferences learned in a specific social class that help convince others that you belong in that class

Davis–Moore hypothesis

The viewpoint that inequality is good for society because it ensures people are rewarded more for doing more complex, difficult jobs

economic inequality

The income and/or wealth gap among individuals, groups, or countries

globalization

The process of creating a world economy with few restrictions on trade

health

Physical, mental, and social well-being

income

Money received through paid work, rental property, government payouts, and the like

intragenerational mobility

Upward or downward movement in social class within an individual’s lifetime, such as a middle-class employee who loses their job and eventually falls into the lower class

meritocracy

A society in which greater economic rewards go to people who work the hardest and do the best work

mobility

The ability to move up or down in social class

negative wealth

Owing more than the value of what you own

neoliberalism

A political/economic perspective promoting free, unrestricted trade

redistribution policies

Laws or procedures that allow the government to move money/resources from one group of people to another (and/or to public institutions) to reduce economic inequality

social capital

Connections to people who can help you access jobs or other positions to advance in society

social class

One’s position in a hierarchical society, defined by education, occupation, and income, and in which upward or downward movement may occur

social class reproduction

Remaining in the social class into which you were born because of structural factors that make mobility more difficult

social reproduction theory

A theoretical perspective that characterizes schools as organizations that reproduce social stratification, helping society function but also benefiting some more than others and making that inequality appear fair

social structure

The way a society is set up as a system through certain rules, laws, interactions, and expected behaviors

stratified

Separated into ranked groups with different levels of material goods, prestige, and power

color-blind racism

The assertion that race no longer matters and that any persisting racial inequalities are best explained by individual efforts or imagined cultural traits

controlling images

Intensely familiar racial stereotypes reinforced by media representations and political discourse, which influence public policy and perpetuate racial inequality

double consciousness

African Americans’ dual awareness of who they know themselves to be and how others see them according to racial stereotypes and expectations

economic capital

Material resources, including income, property, and wealth

ethnicity

A cultural category marking shared traditions and communities, which may be based on religion, national origin, or other cultural practices

gentrification

A process that occurs when wealthier (and therefore often whiter) people buy dilapidated homes in poor communities, thereby pushing out working-class and poor communities (usually of color)

Jim Crow laws

Laws established by former Confederate states that effectively guaranteed second-class citizenship for people of color, limiting the citizenship rights and emancipation that the 14th Amendment had provided

microaggressions

Common, seemingly innocent statements or questions that reflect racial biases and perceptions about a group’s intelligence and worth

prejudice

Individual biases and belief systems that attribute characteristics to a group of people so that we prejudge group members

race

A category of identity that is determined by the society that surrounds it; in the United States, this includes Black, White, Asian, Latinx, and Native American

racial discrimination

The differential treatment of people based on their race

racial profiling

Using race to screen for problematic individual behaviors

racialization

The process of assigning people a race, along with the personality, behavioral, and social characteristics associated with that race, based on physical or cultural cues (e.g., skin color or speech patterns)

racism

A system of advantage and disadvantage based on race; these advantages and disadvantages exist because of institutional, historical, ideological, economic, and political forces.

redlining

Policies that made the racial composition of a neighborhood a central variable in determining its value and therefore determining the eligibility for mortgage loans in those areas

social movements

Collective actions meant to influence social change

voter suppression

Efforts to limit the voting potential of a given population through indirect measures

White flight

When White families move after people of color move into their neighborhood, for fear of living by Black and Brown people or that their homes will lose much of their value when the neighborhood becomes racially integrated