Chapter 1 Flashcards
Sociological imagination
Highlights how society affects the experiences we have and choices we make
Transforms personal troubles into social issues
Sociology
The study of human society
Society
People who live within same territory and Share patterns of behavior
Culture
Where is life including values beliefs and behaviors
Sociology key insight
Many personal troubles people face are really social issues
C Wright Mills
Used sociological imagination
involving
People feel that their lives are series of traps and cannot over come them
Social problems
Effects the well-being of some members of society and is a matter of public controversy
A social problem hurts people by causing them harm
Social constructionist approach
that social problems arise as people define conditions in need of change social problems have a subjective foundation
What plays a part in social construction of social problems
Objective facts and subjective perceptions
Claims making
convince others that an issue is a social problem I
Stages in social movement
Emergence, coalescence, formalization Decline
Emergence
Initial claims are made
Coalesence
Claims are publicized
Formalization
Claims recognized as part of political debate
Eight Statements of social problems
Result from ways in which society operates
Are not caused by bad people
Socially constructed as people define a condition as harmful or need to change
See problems differently
Problems change over time
Subjective values as well as objective facts
Social problems can be solved
Social problems are related
Theory
A statement of how and why specific facts are related
Theoretical approach
Basic image of society that guides theory and research
What are the 4 theoretical approaches
Structural functional
Social conflict
Feminist
Symbolic interaction
Structural functional approach
See society as a system of interrelated parts
Described as social institutions major spheres of social life or societal sub systems to meet human basic need
Social pathology theory
Structural functional theory treat social problems as disruption of society normal operation
Structural functional sociologists names
Herbert Spencer
Charles Darwin
Herbert Spencer
Poverty is the result of some people liking the ability of discipline to work
Charles Darwin
Survival of the fittest rich as society’s most successful members or are unable to keep up
Social disorganization
Problems arise when Society breaks down due to social change that occurs to rapidly
Social conflict approach
See society as divided by inequality and conflict
Social conflict sociologists names
Karl Marx
Chicago’s school
Type of structural functional theory linked problems not to deficient people but social disorganization
Social disorganization theory
Problems arise when society breaks down due to social change that occurs to rapidly
Dysfunctions
Negative functions of social patterns
Karl Marx
Believed that social problems or an evitable result of the normal operation of a capitalist economy
Capitalism
Economic system in which businesses are privately owned by people
Multi cultural theory
Siri under social conflict theory explains how social problems arise from racial and ethnic inequality
What critics say about social conflict approach
Overstating the extent of social divisions
Rejects scientific objectivity in favor of political activism
Feminist approach
Gender conflict approach
Feminism
Political movement that seeks the social equality of women in men
Feminism is like
Marxism and multiculturalism at six to change the status quo just as a challenge is the structural functional of your society
Criticisms of feminism
Over states quality and separates the sexes
Symbolic interaction theory
Say society as the product of individuals interacting with one another
Learning theory
Part of symbolic interaction
People learn troublesome attitudes and behaviors from others around them
Nannette Davis
Symbolic interaction theorist
People learn rolls one step at a time reaching the point where it becomes their livelihood and part of their social identity
Symbolic interaction
Explorers how people socially construct reality
Structural functional basic image of society
System of interrelated parts all of which contribute to its operation
Structural functional approach how do we understand problems
Societies basically good problems are the result of deficient people to rapid of change or dysfunctional consequences
Social conflict and feminist approaches image of society
Social conflict see society as a system of social any quality in which some categories of people benefit at the expense of others
Feminist approach highlights in equality between men and women
Social conflict and feminist approaches how do I understand problems
Problems result from inequality in terms of class Marxism gender gender conflict theory and feminism and race multiculturalism
Symbolic interaction what is the basic image of society
There’s social interaction we can struck the variable and changing reality to experience
Symbolic interaction How do we understand problems
People learn attitudes and skills for all patterns of behavior this approach explores how people may or may not define situations as problems
Barbara ehrenreich
Spent months working along. Low wage workers willingness to work hard is not enough to escape poverty
Lois benjamin
Investigated the problem of racial prejudice success provides no escape from racial prejudice
William Wilson
Poor living in Chicago People who live in poverty for many years deal with a host of social problems joblessness
4 major research methods
Survey
Field research
Experimental research
Secondary analysis
Survey
Research method in which subjects respond to items on a questionnaire for interview
Field research
Research method for observing people while joining them in every day activities
Experiment
Research method investigating cause-and-effect relationships under controlled conditions
Secondary analysis
Research method that makes use of data originally collected by others
Three tips that make you a critical reader
Researchers to find their terms
Researchers is never perfect
Researchers may spend their statistics
Social policy
Formal strategies that affect our society operates
To know if the policy works we must ask these questions three
How do we measure success
What are the cost of a policy or program
Who should get helped
Political spectrum
Continuing representing arrange a political attitudes from left to right
Three political sides
Conservatives liberals radicals
Conservatives
Conservatives is a political view the Pastores wisdom developed by countless generations
Respectful of traditions and tries to conserve what other generations have learned
Liberals
Think that people should be free from past to decide on their own questions on how to live
People are allowed to make choices for themselves
Radicals
Believes that the system should be changed right down to its roots
Society is responsible for any number of social problems
Social issues
Political debates involving moral judgments about how people should live
People who lean to the left
Social liberals they think people should be free to shape their own lives
Leaning right
Social conservatives are respectful of traditional values and went to conserve them
Economic issues
Political debates about how a society should produce and distribute material resources
Economic liberals
Lean to the left favor government regulation of economy in order to reduce inequality free market system works to the advantage of a select few the rich
Economic conservatives
Lean to the right they call for a smaller role in government in the economy The market not government officials can segues levels were fairly and efficiently
Social problems are socially constructed
Social stratification
Society system of ranking categories of people in a hierarchy social stratification produces social classes
Social classes
Categories of people who have similar access and resources and opportunities
Income
Salary or wages from a job for us earnings from investments in
Wealth
Value of all economic assets owned by a person and family minus any debts
Taxation
An important government policies that affects income inequality
Governments what is the tax on what we earn and buy for three major reasons
Provide the government with money to operate
To discourage types of behavior like drinking
Could be a tool to Redistribute income and reduce inequality
How does the government reduce economic inequalities
Progressive taxation
Progressive taxation
A policy that raises tax rates as income increases taking more from the rich and giving it to the poor Robin Hood Theory
Poverty line
An income level said by the US government for the purpose of counting the poor
What does the poverty line represents
A dollar amount of annual income below which the government defines a person or family as for eligible for government assistance
Feminization of poverty
The trend of women making up an increasing share of the poor
Who are the poor
Children white people women single mothers in rural areas
The working poor
Low wage work really pays much more than the federal Melissa nominee hourly wage
Reasons for not working
Health problems lacks of skills or confidence not being able to pay for childcare
Persistent poverty counties
Counties in the United States where the poverty rate has reached 20% and remain there for at least 30 years
