Chapter 2 Flashcards
absolute poverty
poverty calculated in absolute material terms. to exist in absolute poverty is to be without sufficient nutritious food, clean and safe shelter, access to education, etc.
anomie
term for a societal state of breakdown or confusion, or a more personal one based on an individual’s lack of connection or contact with society
average
a statistical figure determined by adding up the numbers for a given phenomenon and dividing the sum by the number of individuals in the statistical population
best practices
strategies with a demonstrated history of achieving desired results more effectively or more consistently than similar methods used either in the past by a particular organization or other organization in the same industry
case study approach
a research design that explores a social entity or phenomenon by examining a single representative case or a few selected examples
causation
the relationship between cause and effect
content analysis
a study of a set of cultural artifacts or events by systematically counting them and interpreting the themes they reflect
correlation
a mutual relationship or interdependence among variables
cultural artifact
an item produced for mass cultural consumption, with value to a researcher engaged in content analysis. cultural artifacts can include books, articles, websites, advertisements, and other items created to be seen but not specifically studied
dependent variable
a variable that is assumed to be affected by an independent variable
direct correlation
a relationship between two variables in which an increase (or decrease) in one causes the same change in the other
discourse analysis
an approach to analyzing a conversation, a speech, or a written text. the scope of discourse analysis has broadened recently to encompass entire academic disciplines, such as sociology and political philosophy
disjuncture
a gap between knowledges produced from two or more different perspectives
ethics
the honourable moral principles that govern sociological research, including respect for the privacy and the rights and concerns of the research subjects
experiential
based on or acquired through one’s own experience
fact
something that has been observed, and that as far as can be proven is believed to be true
genealogy
a form of discourse analysis that involves tracing the origin and history of modern discourses (eg. the importance of light skin in South Asian cultures)
hypothesis
a statement that is testable and that proposes a specific relationship between or among variables
independent variable
a variable that is believed to have some effect on another variable
informant
a person knowledgeable in their own culture who provides their views of the culture to an outside researcher
informed consent
the process whereby fully informed research subjects indicate their understanding and acceptance of the research conditions and formally agree to be studied
insider perspective
the viewpoint(s) of those who experience the subject being studied or written about
institutional ethnography
a form of ethnography that challenges the need for a neutral stance in sociological research, claiming instead that any institution or organization can be seen as having two sides: one representing the ruling interests of the organization, one representing the interests of those working for the organization
inverse correlation
a relationship between two variables in which an increase in one variable causes a decrease in the other
low income job cut-off
a measure of poverty derived by calculating the percentage of a family’s income spent on food, clothing, and shelter
Market Basket Measure
an estimate of the cost of a specific basket of goods and services for a given year, assuming that all items in the basket were entirely provided for out of the spending of the household. having an income lower than the MBM is considered low-income
mean
a statistical figure usually calculated in the same way as the average, but for some purposes determined by taking the sum of the highest and lowest figures only and dividing the two
median
the number in the middle in the set of data
narratives
stories that reflect the lives and views of the tellers
negative correlation
same thing as inverse correlation
operational defintion
the definition of an abstract quality (eg. poverty) in such a way that it can be counted for statistical purposes
Orientalism
a romanticized discourse about the Middle East and the Far East constructed by outsider “experts” from the West
outsider perspective
the viewpoint(s) of those outside of the group or culture being studied
participant observation
a form of research in sociology and anthropology that entails both observing people as an outsider would and actively participating in the various activities of the studied people’s lives
positive correlation
same thing as direct correlation
positivism
the belief that every rational assertion can be verified for scientific proof
poverty
a state of doing or being without what are considered essentials
poverty line
the arbitrary dividing point, usually based on household income, that separates the poor from the rest of society
qualitative research
the close examination of characteristics that cannot be counted or measured
quantitative research
the close examination of social elements that can be counted or measured, and therefore used to generate statistics
relative poverty
a state of poverty based on comparison with others in the immediate area or country
research methodology
the system of methods a researcher uses to gather data on a particular question
ruling interests
the interests of an organization, particularly its administration, or the interests of those who are dominant in society, particularly when these trump the interests of the individual
ruling relations
the conformity of workers to the rules and practices of the organization they work for; ruling relations are activated when the workers fulfill the organization’s ruling interest
semi-structured interview
an informal, face-to-face interview designed to cover specific topics without the rigid structure of a questionnaire but with ore structures than an open interview
spurious reasoning
the perception of a correlation between two factors that are wrongly seen as cause and effect
statistics
a science that, in sociology, involves the use of numbers to map social behaviour and beliefs
theory
an attempt to explain something that has been observed
third variable
a variable that explains the connection or correlation between two other variables
triangulation
the use of at least three narratives, theoretical perspectives, or investigators to examine the same phenomenon
variable
a factor or element that is likely to vary or change according to circumstances governing it
voice
the expression of a viewpoint that comes from occupying certain social location
