Soc 001 - Final Exam

race

socially constructed category composed of people who share biologically transmitted traits considered important by members of a society

ethnicity

shared cultural heritage

minority

any category of people distinguished by physical or cultural difference that a society sets apart and subordinates

the largest minority group in the US

hispanics

prejudice

negative attitudes or unfair generalizations toward a category of people

stereotypes

simplified description applied to every person in some category

social distance

how closely people are willing to interact with members of some category

racism

belief that one race is innately superior to all others

discrimination

unequal treatment of minority categories

institutional discrimination

bias built into the operations of our institutions

thomas theorem

things become real in their consequences

pluralism

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

assimilation

process by which minorities gradually adopt patterns of the dominant culture

segregation

physical and social separation of categories of people

de jure segregation

segregation by law

de factor segregation

segregation based on informal norms

hypersegregation

having little contact of any kind with people beyond the local community

genocide

systematic killing of one category of people by another

conflict perspective on race

prejudice is used as a tool by powerful people to oppress others

scapegoat theory

prejudice comes from frustration among dominant categories that are also themselves disadvantaged

scapegoat

person or category of people typically with little power, whom people unfairly blame for their own troubles

authoritarian personality

personality traits where people rigidly conform to conventional cultural values

culture theory

some prejudice is found in everyone

gender

refers to the personal and social positions that members of a society attach to being female or male

social construct

idea that has been created and accepted by the people in a society

masculine

having qualities or appearance traditionally associated with men

feminine

having qualities or appearance traditionally associated with women

gender stratification

the unequal distribution of wealth, power, and privilege between men and women

matriarchy

form of social organization in which females dominate males (rare in history)

patriarchy

form of social organization in which males dominate females

sexism

belief that one sex is innately superior to the other (justification of patriarchy)

gender roles

attitudes and behaviors that a society links to being male and female

liberal feminism

individuals should be free to develop their own talents and pursue their own interests

socialist feminism

capitalism increases patriarchy by concentrating wealth and power in the hands of a small number of men

radical feminism

believe that patriarchy is so firmly entrenched that even a socialist revolution would not end it

social institution

organized patterns of beliefs and behavior that are centered on basic social needs

cultural universal

general practices found in every cultural such as sports, food preparation, and funeral ceremonies

functional prerequisites

tasks that a society must perform in order to survive

five functional prerequisites

replacing personnel, teaching new recruits, producing and distributing goods and services, preserving order, and providing/maintaining a sense of purpose

family

a social institution found in all societies that unites people in cooperative groups to care for one another, including any children

nuclear family

family composed of two parents and their children (aka conjugal family)

extended family

family composed of parents, children, and other kin

monogamy

marriage that unites two partners

serial monogamy

a person may have more than one spouse in their lifetime, but only one spouse at a time

polygamy

marriage that unites a person with two or more spouses

polygyny

form of marriage uniting one man and two or more women

polyandry

form of marriage uniting one women with two or more men

homogamy

marriage between people with the same social characteristics

kinship

social bond based on common ancestry, marriage, or adoption

descent

assigns people to kinship groups according to their relationship to the father or mother

bilateral descent

a kinship system in which both sides of a person's family are regarded as equally important

patrilineal descent

a system of tracing descent through the father's side of the family

matrilineal descent

a system of tracing descent through the mother's side of the family

patrilocality

live with or near the husband's family

matrilocality

live with or near the wife's family

neolocality

married couple lives far apart from both sets of parents

blended families

families composed of children and parents that have a combination of biological and non-biological ties

one-parent families

families with a single parent

gay & lesbian families

families characterized by the unity of same-sex couples

singlehood

people living alone and staying single

structural functional analysis of family

families are functional and perform many important social tasks

social-conflict and feminist analysis of family

families are a reflection of the inequality or wealth and power found within larger society

inheritance

passing on wealth to kids

symbolic interaction analysis of family

family offers opportunity for intimacy, build emotional bonds, parents are authority figures

social exchange approach to family

describes courtship and marriage as forms of negotiation, dating allows assessment of advantages and disadvantages of potential spouses

arranged marriages

alliances between two extended families of similar social standing and usually involve an exchange not just of children but also of wealth and favors

four stages of family life

courtship/romantic love, ideal/real marriage, child rearing, family in later life

romantic love

affection and sexual passion toward another person

infidelity

sexual activity outside marriage

"sandwich generation"

baby boomers who spend time caring for their children and their aging parents

social change

transformation of culture and social institutions over time

cultural lag

material culture changes faster than nonmaterial culture

invention

produces new objects, ideas, and social patterns

discovery

when people take notice of existing elements in the social world

diffusion

the spread of people, products, and information from one society to another

collective behavior

activity involving a large number of people that is unplanned, often controversial, and can bring about change

crowd

temporary gathering of people who share a common focus of attention and who influence one another

mob

when a crowd turns violent, a highly emotional crowd that pursues a violent or destructive goal

riot

a social eruption that is highly emotional, violent, and undirected

rumor

unconfirmed information people spread informally by word of mouth or by using electronic devices

fashion

social patterns favored by a large number of people

fads

unconventional social pattern that people embrace briefly but enthusiastically

social movement

organized activity in which people set out to encourage or discourage social change

claims making

process of trying to convince the public and public officials of the importance of joining a social movement to address a particular issue

deprivation theory

social movements arise among people who feel deprived of something like income, safe working conditions, political rights, etc.

relative deprivation

perceived disadvantage arising from some specific comparison

mass society theory

social movements attract socially isolated people who join a movement in order to gain a sense of identity and purpose

resource mobilization theory

links the success of any social movement to the resources that are available to it, including money, human labor, and the mass media

culture theory of social movements

social movements depend not only on money and other material resources but also on cultural symbols

new social movements theory

points out distinctive character of recent social movements in postindustrial societies

four stages of social movements

emergence, coalescence, bureaucratization, decline

emergence

occurs as people think all is not well

coalescence

social movement defines itself and develops strategy for attracting new members

bureaucratization

movement becomes established

decline

resources dry up; group faces overwhelming opposition; members achieve goals and lost interest

disaster

event that is generally unexpected and that causes extensive harm to people and damage to property

natural disasters

floods, earthquakes, hurricanes

technological disasters

widely regarded as an accident; more accurately the result of our inability to control technology

intentional disaster

one or more organized groups intentionally harm others

modernity

changes brought about by the industrial revolution