SOCIAL CLASS AND SOCIALIZATION REVIEW

SOCI 101 Final Review Notes

Exam Structure

  • Parts of the Exam:
    • 1. Multiple Choice:
    • Focused only on post-midterm content (social class to end of term).
    • 2. Essay:
    • Cumulative, allowing choice in response format.
    • Use three to four topics to craft an answer, potentially hinted by exam question.

Important Exam Information

  • Materials:
    • Bring multiple pens/pencils (pencil grades cannot be contested).
    • UBC ID is mandatory.
  • Location & Time:
    • Check on Workday: Academics → Registration and Courses → Final Exam Schedule.
  • Preparation:
    • Memorize key people, terms, concepts, and theories.
    • A general understanding is insufficient for scoring above 75%.

Social Class and Social Stratification

  • Definition:
    • System by which society ranks categories of people hierarchically.
  • Principles of Stratification:
    1. Trait of Society: Not based on individual differences.
    2. Ascribed Privileges: Influences from birth, not personal talents.
    3. Generational Distribution: Social position passes from parents to children.
    4. Universality and Variability: While always present, inequalities vary in type and degree across societies.
  • Beliefs in Inequality:
    • Inequality is often regarded as fair in collective consciousness.

Social Class in Canada

  • Canada is considered highly stratified despite its reputation for equality:
    • Income vs. Wealth:
    • Income: Earnings from work/investments.
    • Wealth: Total asset value minus debts.
  • Economic and Political Impact:
    • Distribution of wealth influences political outcomes; a small wealth-holding group can manipulate the agenda, undermining democracy.

Social Stratification Terms

  • Social Mobility:
    • Change in social hierarchy position.
    • Closed System: Minimal position change, e.g., caste system.
    • Open System: More opportunities for mobility, e.g., class system.
    • Caste System: Ascriptive status dictates future opportunities.
    • Class System: Mixing of birth status and individual achievement.
    • Meritocracy: Ideological belief in purely merit-based stratification (has yet to be realized practically).
    • Status Consistency: Uniformity in social standing across various dimensions.
    • Primogeniture: Law requiring property to descend to the eldest son.

Socialization

  • Definition: Lifelong process through which individuals develop their human potential and learn culture.
  • Agents of Socialization:
    1. Family: First agent teaching values and beliefs.
    2. School: Expands social worlds and imparts social statuses' significance.
    3. Peer Groups: Allow independence from adult supervision, shaping interests.
    4. Mass Media/Social Media: Transmit societal values and norms, influential in shaping public perception.

Total Institutions

  • Definition: Settings where individuals are isolated and resocialized by administrative staff.
  • Characteristics:
    • Total life control, supervised daily activities, and formal rules dictate inmate routines.
  • Examples: Prisons, military, nursing homes, psychiatric wards.

Types of Total Institutions

  1. Care Institutions (e.g., orphanages, nursing homes): For incapable or harmless members, under rules.
  2. Threatened Community Members (e.g., psychiatric wards): Involuntary confinement due to self-harm risk.
  3. Protective Institutions (e.g., prisons): Safeguard society against threats.
  4. Instrumental Task Institutions (e.g., military, work camps): Voluntary participation subject to regulations.
  5. Normative Task Institutions (e.g., religious retreats): Segregate and discipline members from mainstream society.

Dramaturgy and Presentation of Self

  • Concept: Individual interactions are performance-based, akin to actors on stage.
  • Performance Elements:
    • Costume: How individuals dress.
    • Props: Objects carried during interactions.
    • Demeanor: Tone of voice, gestures.
    • Set: Environment of the interaction.

Culture

  • Definition: Encompasses thinking, actions, and physical objects embodying a people’s lifestyle.
  • Material vs. Non-Material Culture:
    • Material Culture: Physical objects.
    • Non-Material Culture: Ideas and cultural constructs.
  • Culture Shock: Discomfort when adapting to unfamiliar cultural settings.

Symbols in Culture

  • Definition: Items carrying specific meanings within a culture.
  • Language as Symbol: Communicates ideas and preserves culture through generations.
  • Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis: Language shapes how individuals perceive the world.

Modernity and Culture

  • Definition: Changes initiated by the Industrial Revolution.
  • Impact of Modernity:
    • Increased diversity of values and beliefs, weakening traditional ties and promoting social freedoms.

Political Behavior and Authority

  • Government Power: Maintains authority through perceived legitimacy and acceptance, not mere force.
  • Types of Authority:
    • Traditional Authority: Based on longstanding cultural respect.
    • Charismatic Authority: Derived from personal charisma, inspiring loyalty and obedience.
  • Routinization of Charisma: Transforming charismatic authority into stable bureaucratic systems after a leader's demise.