Exam 4 (Modules 11 - 13) Flashcards
What is the difference between power and authority?
Power is the ability to control the behavior of people.
Authority is power perceived as legitimate by society.
What are the three types of authority?
- Traditional: Kings, Queens, Emperors, religious dignitaries. Based upon tradition – the way things have always been done.
- Charismatic: Some leaders of movements, religious prophets. Based upon the personality of the individual.
- Rational–legal: Elected officials, bureaucrats, based on written documents such as manuals, bylaws, and constitutions. Its reference point is not the individuals involved, but the relationship between statuses.
Where does the state fit in terms of power and authority?
While other social institutions (such as the family or religion) or organizations (such as the workplace) or people may have power over us, the state exercises power over the society as a whole. It trumps the other bases of power.
The differences between the types of political systems?
Monarchy: A political system in which
power resides in one person or family and
is passed from generation to generation
through lines of inheritance.
Authoritarianism: A political system
controlled by rulers who deny popular
participation in government.
Totalitarianism: A political system in which the state seeks to regulate all aspects of people's public and private lives. This involves the denial of what we might term basic human rights, such as free speech and freedom of the media.
Democracy: A political system in which
the people hold the ruling power either
directly or through elected representatives.
Structural Functionalist Perspective on the Government
The functions of government:
- maintain law and order
- plan and direct society
- meet social needs
- handle international relations
Conflict Theory Perspective on the
Government
Conflict Perspectives: Elite Models
- Power in political systems is in the hands of a small group of elites and the masses are relatively powerless (C. Wright Mills, “The Power Elite”).
- Decisions are made by the elites based upon their interests.
- The needs and concerns of the masses are not often given full consideration by the elite.
Voting patterns in the United States in terms of participation and political party supported?
- Over the past 40 years, less than half the voting-age
population has voted in nonpresidential elections. Under 60% even vote in presidential elections. - Men tend to vote republican
- Women tend to vote democrat
- Whites tend to vote republican
- Every other race- ethnicity tends to vote democrat
- Older people tend to vote republican
- Young people tend to vote democrat
Characteristics of Socialist Economies
Three distinctive features:
- Public or collective ownership of businesses and property.
- Pursuit of collective goals.
- Government control of the economy.
What is meant by a “profession” as opposed to a “job”?
Five Characteristics of Professions
- Theoretical and specialized knowledge
- Autonomy
- Authority
- Altruism – community rather than self-interest orientation
Structural Functionalist Perspectives on the Social Institution of the Family
Four Functions of Families
- Care and socialization of children
- Economic and psychological support for members.
- Regulation of sexual activity.
- Provision of social status and reputation.
Conflict Perspectives on the Social Institution of the Family
Conflict Perspective
1. The traditional family is patriarchal and
subjugates women to the authority of men
Conflict Perspectives on the Social Institution of the Family
Conflict Perspective
- The traditional family is patriarchal and
subjugates women to the authority of men
The topic of cohabitation (its prevalence, its impact on the probability of divorce)
- Refers to two people who live together in a romantic relationship without being legally married.
- Cohabitation has become the norm in America
- Living together before marriage does not appear to lower divorce rates.
- A recent study of 11,000 cohabitating couples found that there was a 70% marriage rate for those who remained in the cohabiting relationship for at least 5 years.
- However, of those who married their partner, 40% became divorced within just ten years.
What is meant by “divorce”, what is its prevalence and how is its incidence different between groups?
- The legal process of dissolving a marriage that
allows former spouses to remarry if they so
choose. - The divorce rate for first marriages is about
50% - If you are a reasonably well-educated person with a decent income, come from an intact family, and are religious, and marry after age twenty-five without having a baby first, your chances of divorce are very low indeed.
Paul Bohannan’s Stations of Divorce and apply to an example
These stations are:
(1) Emotional
(2) Legal
(3) Economic
(4) Co-parental
(5) Community
(6) Psychic
What is monogamy?
- A marriage between two partners, usually a
woman and a man. - Through a pattern of marriage, divorce, and
remarriage, some people practice serial
monogamy—a succession of marriages in which a person has several spouses over a lifetime but is
legally married to only one person at a time.
What is polygamy?
The marriage of a person of one sex to two or more members of the opposite sex.
Structural Functionalist Perspectives on Education
- Socialization
- Social control
- Social placement
- Change and innovation
- Latent functions (childcare, occupy youth, establishment of potential marriages)
Conflict Theory Perspectives on Education
- Education reproduces existing class relationships through:
◦ Tracking of students early in their academic careers
◦ Unequal funding is a source of inequality in education. - Access to colleges and universities is determined not only by academic record but also by the ability to pay.
What is the family of orientation versus the family of procreation?
- Family of orientation is the family into which a person is born and in which early socialization usually takes place.
- Family of procreation is the family a person forms by having or adopting children.
What is meant by the nuclear and the extended families?
- An extended family is composed of relatives in
addition to parents and children. - A nuclear family is composed of one or two
parents and their dependent children.
In what ways do the roles of husband and wife reflect traditional gender roles?
- On average, husbands are two years older than their wives
- 78% of wives have lower levels of education than do their husbands
- 96% of all stay at home parents are women
- Wives are more than twice as likely to be involved in
eldercare responsibilities than are their husbands
What are endogamy and exogamy?
- Endogamy (or homogamy) is the practice of marrying within one’s own group.
- Exogamy (or heterogamy)is the practice of marrying
outside one’s own social group or category.
How is the high school drop-out rate related to race and ethnicity?
Drop-out Rates
Total: 4.7%
White: 3.9%
American Indian/ Alaskan native: 4.4%
Asian: 4.7%
Black: 5.5%
Hispanic: 6.5%
What is the largest religious denomination in the United States?
Catholic
Structural Functionalist Perspectives on Religion
Religion Provides Positive Functions for Society:
- Providing meaning and purpose to life.
- Promoting social cohesion and a sense of belonging.
- Providing social control and support for important norms.
Conflict Theory Perspectives on Religion
- Religion is an “ideology” used to control the oppressed classes.
- “Religion is the opium of the masses” (Karl Marx)
