SOC100 UTM J.Baker

Sociology

the systematic study of human behaviour in a social context

social structure

stable pattern of social relations

Social Imagination

the ability to see the connection between personal trouble and social structure

C.Wright Mills theory

sociological imagination

Microstructure

social relations formed during face to face interactions (family + friends)

Mesostructure

social relations formed in organizations that involve people who are not acquainted and/or no face to face interaction (govt. bureaucracy + colleagues)

Macrostructure

social relations that lie above and beyond mesostructures (patriarchy)

global structure

-4th level of society

- surrounds and permeates us

(economic relations, worldwide travel and communication)

Democratic Revolution

people were responsible for organizing society and that humans can solve social problems

scientific revolution

the idea that conclusion must be based on solid evidence, not speculation

industrial revolution

rapid economic transformation with large scale application of science and technology to industrial processes

- creation of factories and formation of working class

Emilie Durkheim

argued that human behaviour is influenced by social facts or social relations

Durkheim and suicide

social solidarity is correlated to suicide rates

Social Solidarity

the bonds that unite the members of a social group

Functionalist Theory

human behaviour is governed by social structures based on shared values that contribute to social stability

Altruistic Suicide

suicide that occurs when the individual's actions are a reflection of the group's interest

anomic suicide

when norms dictating behaviour is vaguely defined

egotistic suicide

lack of integration of the individual into society due to week social ties

Karl Marx

Theorist that focused on social classes

Conflict Theory

tension in existing social structures, ready to cause social change

Class Conflict

the struggle between classes to resist and overcome the opposition of other classes

class consciousness

awareness of being a member of a social class

Max Weber

argues that manual workers and professionals stabilize society because they enjoy their high status and income

Symbolic Interactionism

how various aspects of social life convey meaning

People as agents

stresses people out to help create social circumstances

Feminism

claiming male domination and female subordination are determined by social convention and structure of power

research

Observing reality to assess the validity of a theory

dependent variable

the presumed effect in a cause and effect relationship

control group

not exposed to independent variable

experimental group

exposed to independent variable

Reliability

the degree to which a measure is stable and consistent over time

Validity

The ability of a test to measure what it is intended to measure

field research

observing people in their natural surroundings

detached observation

A method of observation in which the researcher observes as an outsider, from a distance, without getting involved.

Reactivity

artificially impressing a researcher because they know they're being watched

participant observation

observing face to face interactions for a long period of time in a person's life

high culture

consumed by upper class

dominant culture

the culture of the most powerful group in society

Subordinate Culture

contests dominant culture to varying degrees

Socialization

the lifelong social experience by which people develop their human potential and learn culture

secondary socialization

process of learning appropriate behavior within smaller sections of the larger society (like school)

self-fufilling prophecy

that a working class student will attract less attention from a teacher because they assume they won't succeed

Resocialization

changing the way an individual functions and disorients them from society

traditional authority

authoritative ruler or monarch

charismatic authority

authoritative by personal charisma

rational legal authority

authoritative based on written rules

institution

things humans value (education in Canada)

organization

brings ideas together (UofT)

Social mobility

- the upward or downward movement among class positions

- changes in occupation

- stratification

capitals needed for social mobility

-human (credentials)

-cultural (how people know you)

-social (who you know)

progressive taxation

as income increases, taxable income increases

white collar crime

financially motivated nonviolent crime committed by business and government professionals

role conflict

2 or more roles causing contradictory demands on a person

role strain

when incompatible demands are built into a single status that a person occupies

Bureaucracy

organization composed of many positions in a hierarchy

social group

group with 1+ networks of people who identify with each other

social category

group of people who share similar status but do not identify with each other

groupthink

group pressure to conform

conflict theory (crime)

if crime was easy, everyone would do it

recidivism rate

the percentage of released convicts who are rearrested

ascription-based stratification system

a system in which the allocation of rank depends on the features with which a person is born

Achievement-based stratification system

a system in which the allocation of rank depends on a person's accomplishments

core countries

-have the most power in the world economic system

-world's major sources of capital and technology

peripheral countries

the poor, largely agricultural countries of the world

- raw material and cheap labour

Pluralism

A state in which people of all races and ethnicities are distinct but have equal social standing

quid pro quo

harassment where sexual threats or bribery is made

hostile environment sexual harassment

harassment including sexual jokes, touching

polygamy

extends nuclear family horizontally, adding more spouses

extended family

extends nuclear family vertically, adding generations

profane

everyday world, showing no consideration to religion

sacred

religious transcendent world

Totems

objects that symbolize the sacred

rituals

connect to the sacred

Inequality of education factors

1) financial constraints

2) lack of cultural capital

3) streaming

Socioeconomic environment

most important determinant of health (education, childhood development, income, social status...)

Gini Coefficient

A measure of income inequality within a population

zero = complete equality

one = high inequality

latrogenisis

side effects of medical intervention (infection in hospital)

denier logic theory

science is flawed, political and ideological

Morbidity

acute and chronic illness

socialized medicine

a medical care system in which the government owns and operates most medical facilities and employs most physicians

- equal access to healthcare

holistic medicine

an approach to health care that emphasizes prevention of illness and takes into account a person's entire physical and social environment

- disease prevention

Media Imperialism

domination of a mass medium by a single national culture and the undermining of other national cultures

Media Convergence

the merging of traditional media with digital communication technologies such as telecommunications and the internet

breakdown theory

social movements emerge when traditional norms and patterns of social organization are disrupted

risk society

technology distributes environmental dangers to a population

technological determinism

the thought that technology is the main factor of shaping history

relative deprivation

gap between social rewards people receive vs. what they expect to to receive

resource mobilization

- The ways in which a social movement utilizes such resources as money, political influence, access to the media, and personnel.

- social movement crystallizes due to increasing organizational members and material

frame alignment

an individual's interests, values, and beliefs compliment their activities, goals, and ideologies of a social movement