SOCY 101 Final Exam

Power according to Marx

economy and money = power

Power according to Weber

class and status group = power

Power according to Bourdieu

social, cultural, economic, and symbolic capital = power

Social Capital

who you know

Cultural Capital

what you know about the world

Economic Capital

wealth

Symbolic Capital

how you display your capital through physical objects

Regime Types

anarchy, dictatorship, monarchy, authoritarian (fascism, totalitarianism, theocracy, oligarchy), communism, democracy

State

a set of institutions designed to maintain order in a territory and protect its population from other states

• include governments, military, judges (law)/police,

The Social Contract - Hobbes

a way for people to seek peace as they are self aware of their flaws

Basic Functions of the State - Hobbes

they preserve order and provide security against other states

Basic Functions of the State - Campbell and Hall

Hobbes + provide a sense of belonging for their citizens

Historical Definition of a State

defined by physical geography and a restriction of movement

Current Definition of a State

defined by economic and institutional power and military power

Empires (Historical)

a group of states under a supreme authority, power through conquest → power determined by size

Determinants of State Strength - Campbell & Hall

level of involvement with civil society (taxes, resource extraction, development) paired with a strong presence of shared national sentiment

Anarchy

ruled by none

Dictatorship

ruled by one, lots of repression and propaganda

Monarchy

ruled by one, hereditary succession

Authoritarianism

ruled by some, lack of political pluralism and suppression of resistance

Fascism

ruled by some, state controls media and institutions

Totalitarianism

ruled by some, fascism but with no economy

Theocracy

ruled by some, a government in which religion is the tool for power

Oligarchy

ruled by few

Communism

ruled by some, state owns infrastructure

Regime

a method of governing with clear limits bound by rules

Democracy

ruled by many, can be representative, liberal, social, etc.

Canada’s Regime Type

representative democracy

The Welfare State

prioritizes the wellbeing of its citizens by influencing markets and social forces striving for equality

• started in the great depression

The Three Categories of Welfare State Benefits

cash, goods & services, regulation

How Welfare is Provided

public sector (government programs), private sector (mental health services & supports), non-profits/community sector (publicly or privately funded), informal sector (benefits exchanged between close friends or families)

Gøsta Esping-Andersen

welfare theorist, categorized welfare states as regime types

Things the Shape Welfare States - Esping-Andersen

• mobilizing the working class

• formation of political groups and coalitions between them

• past reforms shaping institutionalization of preferences and political behaviour

Types of Welfare States

liberal, conservative, social-democrat (least commodified)

Liberal Welfare States

most stratified, most commodification, the market is the dominant provider

Conservative Welfare States

moderate levels of stratification and commodification, the family is the dominant welfare provider and the state will only intervene if necessary

Social-Democrat Welfare States

low levels of commodification and stratification, welfare is considered a right and the state is responsible for providing it

Degree of Stratification

level of inequality in a given welfare state

Degree of Commodification

level of welfare that the individual is responsible for

Gender and the Welfare State - Orloff

the welfare state shapes gender relations (gendered divisions of labour, compulsive heterosexuality, ideals of motherhood), welfare reduces and contributes to gender inequality, the study of welfare states should acknowledge the role of gender

Substantive Definition of Family

based on blood (shared genetic heritage) and by law

Sociological Definition of Family

based on bonds

Kinship

the general state of being related to others which is a culturally learned concept, is not necessarily biological therefor it differs from the substantive definition of family

Functionalism and the Family

focuses on what family does for its members and society, 6 functions

The 6 Functions of Family

reproduction, socialization, protection, regulation of social behaviour, affection & companionship, provision of social status

Conflict Theory and the Family - Engels

family is the ultimate source of inequality as they play a role in transferring power, property, and privilege, men still typically hold more power than women in the family

Symbolic Interactionism and the Family

interested in the way relationships form, the internet has changed patterns of courtship → people are now more likely to meet people online (dating apps)

Childless vs. Childfree

an individual’s wellbeing doesn’t differ drastically if they have a child vs. if they don’t, wellbeing is more dependent on societal norms (e.g. stigma that comes with not having children), satisfaction may also depend on cultural context

The Sociology of Religion

concerned with how individuals, institutions, and cultures understand religion and how these interpretations penetrate public culture and individual lives

3 Things that Religion Shapes

individual behaviour, national policy, international policy

Forms of Religion

Ecclesia, Denomination, Sects, Cults

Ecclesia

a religious organization that includes most/all members of a society

Denomination

a large and organized religion that isn’t linked to the state or government

Sect

a small religious group that’s broken away from another religious organization to renew what it considers the “original vision” of the faith, small and extreme (e.g. mormons)

Cults/New Religious Movements (NRM)

a small and alternative faith that is completely disconnected from other religions

Parsons’ Definition of Integration

the coordination, adjustment, and regulation of relationships among various actors within the social system (a key societal need that ensures society’s survival)

Conflict Theory and Religion - Marx

religion provides a false consciousness among disadvantaged people lessening collective political action and is a distraction from revolutionary potential, religion promotes social stability and perpetuates inequality

The Protestant Ethic - Weber

religion and capitalism are inherently intertwined → the values of protestantism and the ideals of capitalism coincide → working hard and accumulating wealth is a sign of salvation leading to the accumulation of wealth for no reason and boom you’ve got capitalism

Secularization Thesis

the heavily debated thesis that religion will decline around the world resulting in more and more secular states (controversial)

5 Assumptions of Western Secularism - Wendy Brown

• secularism generates religious neutrality

• secularism is equally available to all religions

• secularism generates tolerance as mutual respect among religions

• secularism is culturally neutral

• secularism generates gender freedom and equality

Wendy Brown - Secularization Main Points

secularization upholds Christian values and can actually promote Islamophobia and be used to control Muslim women’s bodies

Structural Functionalism and the Family - Comte, Durkheim (Mitchell)

family is a social institution that performs essential functions for society to ensure its stability → functions: reproduction & socialization, economic support, emotional support

Conflict Theory and Families - Marx & Engels (Mitchell)

focuses on inequality and power relations in the family, theorists discussed relationship between modes of production and types of family, families reproduce labour power and thus benefit capitalists

Communal Families (according to Marx & Engels)

egalitarian

Patriarchal Monogamous Families (according to Marx & Engels)

based on private property

Domestic Labour (Conflict Theory & Families)

viewed as a natural role for women, a major source of women’s oppression

A Political Economy View of Family Life

families are encouraged to consume goods and services → commodification of parenting through increased home births & remedies which detracts from publicly funded healthcare, plastic toys in fast-food meals

Feminist Approaches to Family

• an emphasis on the female experience

• gender as an organizational concept seen as a set of relations imbued with power and inequality

• gender and family relations must be studied from various socioeconomic and cultural perspectives

• there is not a single unitary definition of family

• inequality exists and should be eliminated

The Symbolic Interactionist Perspective of Family - Cooley, Herbert Mead, Blumer (Mitchell)

internal family relationships and interactions are reciprocal acts and respond to each other → family is created through interaction

The Family Development Perspective - Duvall (Mitchell)

family members accomplish developmental tasks as they move through stages in the family life cycle

The Life Course Perspective of Family

how historical time and place shapes lives → Basic concepts: cohort & generation, transition, trajectory, linked lives, life event, turning point

Other Perspectives on Family

ecological theory, family system theory, biosocial theory, double ABCX model

The Sociology of Religion According to Marx

religion is dependent on social and economic relations, religion is a form of alienation and disguises exploitation in a capitalist society → religion persuades people to think social upheaval is natural and part of a plan and bro argues that societal problems cannot be tackled until religion is removed from societal institutions

The Sociology of Religion According to Weber

religious aspects of life reflect material, aspect of religion can be considered separate from the rest of society, relationship between religion and society depend on time and place and can only be studied in its historical and cultural context

The Sociology of Religion According to Durkheim (functionalism)

binding qualities of religion reinforce formations of society, functionalist perspectives → religion binds people together, believed religious aspects of society should be allowed to evolve alongside everything else and will be present as long as it performs a necessary function

The Sociology of Religion According to Parsons (functionalism)

believed that social order should be underpinned by religious values, religion serves as an integrative force

European Views of Religion

secularization thesis has its roots here, treat their churches as public utilities rather than as completing firms → they are simply social institutions

Pentecostalism (geographic perspectives of religion)

traditional forms of Christianity competing with innovative expressions of the faith

3 Religious Social Movements

catholicism, global pentecostalism, fundamentalism

Tracking/Streaming

putting people in certain curriculum based on test scores → those in support argue that it allows students to advance within their capabilities in order to keep them interested in education

• POC are disproportionately placed on ‘applied’ routes

• people in applied streams are more likely to drop out of high school and have a lower highest level of education

• how well teachers expect students to do correlates to how well they’ll actually do (Pygmalion effect)

Credentialism

an increase in the lowest level of education needed to break into the job force → university is the new high school

Subsystems within The Race Discrimination System - Reskin

Residential and School Segregation, Education, Labour Market, Housing and Mortgage Markets, Credit and Consumption Markets, Health Services, Discipline Incarceration and the Criminal Justice System

Vulnerabilities that Come From Online Learning

lack of access to internet access and/or devices, absence, social well-being bye bye, lack of childcare, lack of extracurriculars, mental health support gone, disability and medical services and support also gone

Bureaucracy - Weber

the most common type of formal organization

Ideal Type

the perfect most pure form of bureaucracy

Elements for an Ideal Type

division of labour, hierarchy of authority, written rules, impersonality, employment based on technical qualifications

Bureaucratization

the process where institutions increasingly rely on technical rational decision making in the pursuit of efficiency

Mcdonaldization - Ritzer

the wide ranging process of rationalization occurring across Western capitalist societies → principles of fast food companies being emulated by other organizations

Components of Mcdonaldization

efficiency, predictability, calculability (quantity over quality), substitution of non-human tech, control

The Scientific Management Approach to the Labour Process - Winslow Taylor (Approach 1)

emphasized the maximum work efficiency and productivity through scientific planning of the labour process, breaking down industrial processes into smaller tasks, micromanagement

The Birth of the Assembly Line (Approach 2) - Ford

took the Winslow Taylor’s approach as inspiration to design his auto manufacturing plant, increased division of labour for the sake of mass production

Critiques of Taylorism & Fordism

scientific management approaches create low trust systems in which jobs are set by management, there is little/no employee autonomy, workers are closely supervised and surveilled

Solution to Critiques of Taylorism & Fordism

high trust systems which employs a human relations approach prioritizing the role of people, communication, and participation in work

Alternatives as we Shift Away from Assembly Line Work

decentralization of work into non-hierarchical teams (increased collaboration), flexible production & mass customization, spreading global production, more open operational structures

Gender & The Workplace: The Feminine Mystique - Frieden

written in the post WWII era when women returned to the home after being a significant part of the workforce, interviewed women who were dissatisfied with their lives despite being told they were living the image of happiness, the proposed solutions to this were to remove women’s rights (chat what) and medicate them → led to the second wave of feminism

• dubbed ‘the problem with no name’

The Gender Wage Gap in Canada - Acker

despite women representing the majority of labourers and educated people, they are still paid less than men → gender inequality is built into organizations

The Feminine Mystique (def.)

the myth of femininity being the end goal and source of happiness

Reasons why a Theory on Gender and Organization is Needed - Acker

• organizational practices contribute to gendered segregation of work

• organizations also contribute to income and status inequality between men and women

• organizations are one of the spaces where images of gender are created and reproduced

• masculinity is a product of organizational processes and pressure

• a feminist goal is to make organizations more democratic and in support of humane objectives

Processes which Gender Organizations - Acker

• the construction of division alone gender lines

• the construction of symbols that promote these divisions

• individual interactions

• the production of gender identities

• the production of social structures

Criminology

the body of knowledge regarding crime as a social phenomenon, includes

• law making processes

• law breaking processes

• reaction to law breaking processes