Sociology EOT 2

Culture

Society's way of life.

High Culture

Arts, music, literature

Popular culture

Fashion, Media, Adveristing

Socially constructed

Idea that something is made up by societies and are not natural

Identity

Our sense of who we are, what we see ourselves and the ways in which we think about our similarities/differences to others in society

Norms

Behaviours that societies expect of their members in particular situations

Laws

Rules, which ahve been formalised by the government that are used to order the way in which a society behaves.

Values

Shared standards by members of a culture about what is considered good or right. Values aare often used to judge others.

Status

A position that someone has in society. This can be ascribed status or achieved status.

Ascribed

Status that has been assigned to a person since birth which cannot be changed (fixed) and people have little control over (ex: Gender, age, ethnicity,...)

Achieved

Status that is earned/accomplished through effort (ex: Promotion at work)

Indigineous Americans

Example of people who gained status and respect over gift giving (in the past). This would be seen as insane nowadays.

Symbol

Something that carries meaning.

Role

a pattern of behavior that is expected of someone because of their status in society

Gender

the roles and expectations associated with being male/female

Age

a form of stratification (layers) based on how old people are. Age is looked at in stages, not numbers, e.g., chilldhood, adilthood. Each stage has differences in roles and expectations.

Ethnicity

the state of belonging to a particular group with a shared culture, including language, history and traditions

Social identity

An individual's perception (thoughts) about themselves, based partly on ideas about how others think about them

Role conflict

When the norms attached to two or more different roles are incompatiable (Ex: Working as a parent)

Stereotypes

An oversimplified set of ideas about a particular person or group.

Nature

the influence of biological factors on human behaviour

Nurture

the influence of society and culture on human behaviour

Biological determinists

Argues for nature

Social determinists

Argues for nurture

Feral children

wild children who have not been socialised (raised by humans, little to no contact with humans,...)

Relativity of culture

The idea that all cultures vary and change; culture is not fixed but relative to time and place.

Ostracise

Exclude someone from a group/community

Diverse

varied; culture diversity refers to the wide differences between human cultures

Globalisation

the complex process by which different cultures around the world are increasingly aware of, interact with and influence each other

Social control

Ways in which members of society are made to conform to norms and values

Socialisation

Process of learning norms and values of a culture

Agencies of socialisation

The groups and institutions which carry out the process of socialisation

Primary socialisation

process in which infants and young children learn the basic norms and values of their culture. This is the first and most important stage of socialisation, which usually takes place in the family during childhood. (Family)

Secondary socialisation

later socialisation, when peopel learn more specific norms for particular statuses and roles (Education, Peer groups, Religion, Media, Workplace)

Social class

A shared economic and social status (Working, Middle, Upper-class)

Nuclear family

A family containing a mother, father and a child/children

Formal curriculum

Content students learn to pass exams

Hidden curriculum

What learners learn in school, apart from content in lessons (ex: Following rules and the consequences of breaking them)

Formative years

Years which have a long lasting impact on a person's development

Peer groups

Made up of people who are the same age and status (could include friends but not all members are friends)

Peer pressure

the influence of a group of people of the same age and status, to force or persuade its members to conform (encourages people to act in ways that friends approve of)

Oral storytelling

In traditional societies, this method was the equivalent of the media (Ex: Children learn from messages in stories)

Social media

Internet based applications for sharing content/communicating online (ex: Instagram)

Divisive

Creating divisions among people

Higher authority

This makes religion a very effective form of socialisation because these values come from a higher authority (ex: God). Therefore, it may go unchallenged or not questioned.

Secularisation

Religion is seen as less important or plays a less important role

Canteen culture

Refers to people mixing and influencing each other, which leads to developing their own sets of norms and values in their workplace