Social Problems Midterm: Claims, Inequality, Race, Gender & Religion

What does sociology study?

How society is organized and how that organization affects people's behavior.

What is social structure?

The boundaries people confront when making individual and collective decisions.

What are social institutions?

Central elements of society, such as the healthcare system, political system, or filmmaking industry.

What is the sociological imagination?

Thinking about your life in relation to the social structure and institutions that shape it.

What methods do sociologists use to answer questions?

Interviews, ethnography or observation, surveys, machine learning or data science, and statistical analysis.

How does an objectivist approach identify a social problem?

An issue must meet an objective standard of harm.

How does a subjectivist approach identify a social problem?

An issue seems harmful according to people's values or worldviews.

What does the social construction approach examine?

Who claims that something is harmful and how they argue for that claim.

Does socially constructed mean fake?

No. Social constructions can have real consequences.

What is a social problems claim?

An argument that something harmful is happening.

What are the three parts of a social problems claim?

Grounds, warrants, and action steps.

What are grounds?

Naming or describing the problem, usually by asserting a fact.

What are warrants?

Moral or emotional appeals explaining why people should care.

What are action steps?

The proposed response to the problem.

Does identifying a statement as grounds prove it is true?

No. Grounds can include true or false assertions.

Identify the grounds in the AI environmental example.

The claim that increased AI use contributes to climate change.

Identify the warrant and action steps in the AI environmental example.

Warrant: environmental protection matters. Action steps: regulation and changes in individual behavior.

What are the stages of the social problems process?

Claimsmaking, media coverage, public reaction, policymaking, social problems work, and outcomes plus backlash.

What is a counterclaim?

An argument against another claim.

Two groups agree a problem exists but propose different solutions. What do they dispute?

The action steps or conclusions.

What does disagreement about what counts as terrorism illustrate?

Disagreement about the boundaries of a social problem.

What is the social problems marketplace?

Competition among claims for limited time, attention, money, and resources.

How do claims spread?

Through news, social media, word of mouth, and advertisements.

Why does the audience matter to a claimsmaker?

An effective claim uses language, examples, values, and action steps that make sense to its intended audience.

What is framing?

Presenting a social problem in a particular way through selected grounds, warrants, and action steps.

What is frame bridging?

Linking compatible but previously unconnected frames.

What is the course example of frame bridging?

Connecting claims about AI use to existing environmental concerns.

What is frame extension?

Broadening a frame beyond its original concerns to attract new audiences.

What is the difference between frame bridging and frame extension?

Bridging connects compatible frames. Extension expands a frame's concerns.

How should you evaluate a claimsmaker?

Consider who they are, their goals, their evidence, and the oversight of their work.

What strategies does the lecture recommend for evaluating claims?

Use library resources, lateral reading, media bias charts, and the AllSides checklist.

What are examples of media bias listed in the slide image?

Sensationalism, unsubstantiated claims, opinions presented as facts, bias by omission, and word choice.

Does the AllSides bias chart establish a source's accuracy?

No. The displayed chart says its ratings reflect perspective, not accuracy or credibility.

Why do people make social problems claims besides solving problems?

To sell things, win elections, gain support for policies, hold power, or maintain the status quo.

How does the lecture define a moral panic?

A purposefully constructed mass expression of fear about something portrayed as harmful.

What is a folk devil?

The person or group blamed or scapegoated for the alleged threat in a moral panic.

What does the Salem example illustrate in the lecture?

A panic can punish women who depart from traditional gender norms.

Is there one exact moment when a claim becomes a moral panic?

No. Multiple falsehoods combined with emotional escalation are a warning sign.

How can media literacy help prevent moral panics?

Watch for sensationalism, compare sources, look for primary evidence, and pause before sharing claims.

What is structural inequality?

The unequal organization of society and distribution of resources, including power, wealth, and prestige.

What is stratification?

Structured inequality between groups, where some groups have more resources than others.

Through what mechanisms does structural inequality operate?

History, laws and policies, and institutional practices, which connect to individual beliefs and behavior.

How does structural inequality shape social problems claims?

It shapes how people understand harm, how many resources claims receive, and often the severity of harm.

What is positionality?

The social and political context shaping how someone sees the world, influenced by their experiences.

What is implicit bias?

A subconscious positive or negative association between a group and certain characteristics.

What is internalized bias?

When members of a group absorb negative beliefs about their own group.

What is prejudice?

Preconceived beliefs, attitudes, or opinions about members of a group, described as explicit bias.

What is a stereotype?

A widely shared perception about a group's personal characteristics, tendencies, or abilities.

What is discrimination?

Harmful treatment based on implicit bias, prejudice, or stereotypes, concerning action or treatment.

How do stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination differ?

Stereotypes are generalized group images, prejudice is an attitude or judgment, and discrimination is treatment.

Can a system be structurally racist without everyone in it holding personal prejudices?

Yes, history, policy, and institutional practices can maintain racial inequality beyond individuals' explicit beliefs.

How does the lecture define race?

A human-created system for classifying and stratifying people mainly by skin tone and other visible characteristics.

What is ethnicity?

Shared culture, religion, history, or ancestry.

What two course examples show race is socially constructed?

US census categories changed over time; classification of Italian, Irish, and Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants as white changed.

What is structural racism?

Inequality produced through history, laws, policies, and institutional practices positioning white people as superior.

What is a racial ideology?

A way people understand race, including color-evasiveness, diversity, and anti-racist approaches.

What is color-evasiveness?

Avoiding seeing or talking about race, which can hide structural racism and allow discrimination to continue.

What is the diversity ideology discussed in class?

Celebrating racial difference while failing to confront the history of racism or ongoing structural discrimination.

What is an anti-racist approach?

Recognizing the harmful legacy of racism and actively working to dismantle it.

What is social class?

A group sharing a similar economic position based on income, wealth, education, and occupation.

How do income and wealth differ?

Income is money earned in a year; wealth is the total money someone would have if they sold their assets.

How do ascribed and achieved status differ?

Ascribed status is assigned at birth; achieved status depends on achievements, abilities, or effort.

What is social mobility?

Movement to a different social class, with upward mobility moving to a higher class and downward mobility to a lower one.

What are ideal types, and why does the lecture mention them?

Simplified models for understanding society; Gilbert's class categories are ideal types.

What is the myth of meritocracy?

The belief that hard work and talent alone determine success, overlooking unequal opportunities.

How does the college admissions example challenge meritocracy?

It connects SAT scores to parental income, showing wealthy families' advantages through paid preparation.

What is intersectionality?

An approach to understanding how multiple forms of inequality interact and can compound disadvantage.

What is the racial wealth gap?

Differences in accumulated wealth between racial groups, connected to structural racism in housing and employment.

How can housing inequality reproduce the racial wealth gap?

Unequal access to homeownership and lending restricts access to wealth-building opportunities.

How do resume studies investigate discrimination?

Researchers standardize application content and vary applicant characteristics, reporting more callbacks for white-sounding names.

How do sex and gender differ?

Sex concerns biological characteristics; gender concerns social and cultural meanings, roles, and expectations.

What are gender roles and gender socialization?

Roles are expectations about behavior according to gender; socialization is learning those expectations.

What examples show gender socialization beginning early?

Gender reveal messages and baby clothing link a child to expected colors, interests, and behavior.

What is the difference between cisgender and transgender?

Cisgender means gender identity corresponds to sex assigned at birth; transgender means it does not.

How do nonbinary, gender fluidity, and intersex differ?

Nonbinary concerns gender outside the binary; gender fluidity means identity is not fixed; intersex concerns sex characteristics outside typical classifications.

How does the lecture connect trad wives and anti-trans restrictions?

Both involve enforcing restrictive gender expectations, linking traditional roles for women with broader gender policing.

What are the motherhood penalty, fatherhood bonus, and second shift?

Motherhood penalty: workplace disadvantages for mothers; fatherhood bonus: increased earnings for fathers; second shift: unpaid chores alongside paid work.

How does Christianity operate structurally?

It shapes default cultural expectations, recognized holidays, and policy debates, extending beyond individual beliefs.

How does the lecture define white Christian nationalism?

A movement seeking an exclusively white, Christian United States, linking race, religion, and national belonging.