LL

SOC 204 Final

Family

  1. Marriage - A legal and/or social contract between two people, historically tied to family formation. Trends include decreased stigma for pre-marital sex, delayed marriage, and higher expectations.

  2. Homogamy/Assortative Mating - The tendency to select partners with similar traits (age, education, race, income). More common in opposite-sex couples due to a larger pool of potential partners.

  3. Cohabitation - Living together in a sexual relationship without marriage; increasingly common, especially among younger and liberal individuals.

  4. Singlehood - Implicitly linked to delayed marriage and increased cohabitation; rising at certain life stages.

  5. Polygamy - Having multiple spouses; practiced in 78% of cultures.

    • Polygyny - One man with multiple wives (more common).

    • Polyandry - One woman with multiple husbands (rare, 1% of cultures).

  6. Bigamy - The crime of marrying one person while still legally married to another.

Race/Ethnicity

  1. Social Construction of Race - Race is a superficial difference socially constructed as important, historically used to justify discrimination.

  2. Ethnicity - A shared culture (language, religion, traditions). Panethnicities are broad ethnic categories like "Asian American" or "Latinx."

  3. Institutional Racism - Systemic racism embedded in society, exemplified by white privilege and exclusionary social networks.

  4. Redlining - The practice of denying mortgages to minority communities, limiting generational wealth accumulation.

  5. Pluralism (Salad Bowl) - Minority groups maintain their cultural distinctiveness while coexisting.

  6. Assimilation - Minority groups adopting the dominant culture; sometimes forced, as seen in historical immigrant assimilation efforts.

  7. Amalgamation - The merging of dominant and minority groups to form hybrid cultures.

Stratification

  1. Stratification - The hierarchical organization of society based on wealth, income, education, and power.

  2. Caste System - Fixed social ranks assigned at birth with no mobility (e.g., India’s traditional caste system).

  3. Class System - Social rank based on income, education, and occupation, allowing for potential mobility.

  4. Income vs. Wealth - Income is money earned over time; wealth includes accumulated assets (real estate, stocks, etc.).

  5. Social Mobility - The ability to move between social classes.

  • Intragenerational Mobility - Movement within one's lifetime.

  • Structural Mobility - Entire groups shifting social positions.

  1. Poverty in the U.S. - Defined by income thresholds; minimum wage often does not provide a livable income.

  2. Functionalist View on Stratification - Encourages hard work and justifies existing inequality.

  3. Conflict Theory on Stratification - Wealth is socially created; the system benefits those who control resources.

  4. Symbolic Interactionism on Stratification - Economic barriers are also cultural; people engage in conspicuous consumption to signal status.

  5. Global Stratification - The uneven distribution of wealth worldwide, influenced by technology and history.

  6. Measuring Global Stratification - Measured through GDP per capita, Human Development Index (HDI), and income inequality metrics.

Technology

  1. Digital Divide - Unequal access to technology based on class, race, and geography, reinforcing inequality.

  2. Knowledge Gap - A consequence of the digital divide where some have greater access to information.

  3. Social Media Perceptions - Younger people and liberals tend to view social media more positively; conservatives cite misinformation and bias concerns.

  4. Social Media vs. Traditional Journalism - Lacks verification standards; traditional journalism follows fact-checking protocols.

  5. Newshole - The space left for news after advertisements are placed, influencing media content.

  6. Functionalist View on Media - Media provides entertainment and socialization.

  7. Conflict Theory on Media - Focuses on media control by elites and digital surveillance.

  8. Symbolic Interactionism on Media - Media consumption shapes identity, humor, and communication styles.

Deviance and Crime

  1. Deviance - A violation of established contextual, cultural, or social norms. Deviance is not always immoral and can highlight issues. It is socially constructed and changes over time.

  2. Crime - Behavior that violates an official law. Distinctions exist between violent and non-violent crimes, street crimes, and corporate crimes.

  3. Labeling Theory - Deviance is determined by societal reactions rather than the act itself. Includes primary deviance (minor norm violations) and secondary deviance (affecting self-concept and behavior).

Sanctions

  1. Sanctions - Societal enforcement of rules through positive (rewards) or negative (punishments) responses.

  2. Formal Sanctions - Punishments or rewards given by official authorities.

  3. Informal Sanctions - Social reactions like shaming or awkwardness for norm violations.

Sociological Perspectives on Deviance

  1. Functionalism - Deviance challenges norms, reinforces rules, and can result from blocked opportunities (strain theory).

  2. Conflict Theory - Links deviance to inequalities in power and economic conditions.

  3. Symbolic Interactionism - Examines how behavior is constructed as deviant.

Crime Data

  1. Uniform Crime Report (UCR) - Law enforcement-reported data.

  2. National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) - Surveys victims directly to address underreporting.

  3. Crime Rate vs. Public Perceptions - Crime rates have declined, but public fear of crime remains high due to media influence.

Power and Authority

  1. Power - The ability to influence others, categorized into coercive, legitimate, and expert power.

  2. Authority - The recognized right to exercise power, including traditional, charismatic, and legal-rational authority.

  3. Forms of Government - Includes democracy, monarchy, authoritarianism, and totalitarianism.

  4. Voting Patterns in the U.S. - Influenced by age, race, education, and political engagement.

Social Movements

  1. Value-Added Theory - Explains social movements as requiring structural conduciveness, strain, generalized beliefs, and mobilization.

  2. Protest Cycle - Waves of activism, including movements like Black Lives Matter and climate protests.

  3. Reform Movement - Seeks to change specific aspects of society without overthrowing it.

  4. Revolutionary Movement - Aims for complete societal transformation and often involves overthrowing existing institutions.

  5. Religious Movement - Centered on spiritual or moral change, often based on faith-based ideologies.

  6. Alternative Movement - Focuses on individual or lifestyle changes rather than widespread societal shifts.

  7. Resistance Movement - Opposes changes or policies, working to maintain the status quo or revert to previous conditions.