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AS Sociology > Introducing Sociology > Flashcards

Introducing Sociology Flashcards

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Sociology 101 flashcards
1
Q

Culture refers to…

A 
Language
Beliefs
Values and norms
Customs
Dress
Diet
Roles
Knowledge 
Skills
The way of life of a society
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2
Q

What is identity?

A

How individuals see and define themselves and how other people see and define them.

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3
Q

Social institutions are…

A

The various organised social arrangements which are found in societies
E.g. School

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4
Q

Describe social structure

A

Social structure refers to the social institutions and social relationships that form the ‘building blocks’ of society

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5
Q

Value freedom is…

A

When sociologists should try not to let their prejudices and beliefs influence the way they carry out their research and interpret evidence

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6
Q

Objectivity is…

A

When sociologists should approach their research with a clear open mind - a willingness to consider all the evidence, and to have their work available for scrutiny and criticism by other researchers.

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7
Q

What are roles?

A

Patterns of behaviour which are expected from individuals in society

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8
Q

Role models are…

A

People’s patterns of behaviour which others copy and model their own behaviour on.

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9
Q

What is role conflict?

A

Conflict between two or more roles at the same time. e.g. Mother and teacher - the two roles should not collide, do not bring your work home and do not mother the students

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10
Q

Values are…

A

General beliefs about what is right or wrong, and about the important standards which are worth maintaining and achieving in any society or social group.
E.g. Privacy, respect for human life.

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11
Q

What are laws?

A

Official legal rules formally enforced by the police, courts and prisons, involving legal punishments if the rules are broken
E.g. Law against murder

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12
Q

Norms are…

A

Social rules which define the correct and acceptable behaviour in a society or social group to which people are expected to conform
E.g. Knocking on a door before entering

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13
Q

What are customs?

A

Customs are norms which have lasted for a long time and have become a part of society’s tradition
E.g. Kissing under the mistletoe at Christmas, lighting candles at divali

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14
Q

Difference between norms and values

A

Norms are much more precise, they put values into practice.

E.g. The norm that someone should not enter before knocking reflects the value of privacy.

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15
Q

Social control is…

A

Various methods used to persuade or force individuals to conform to the dominant social norms and values of a society, used to prevent deviance.
E.g. Law, school rules, peer pressure.

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16
Q

What is deviance?

A

Failure to conform to social norms.

E.g. Skipping class, going against the law.

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17
Q

What are sanctions?

A

Rewards and punishments by which social control is achieved and conformity to norms and values enforced.

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18
Q

Positive sanctions are…

A

Various kinds of rewards.

E.g. Gifts of sweets or money from parents to children for doing well at school

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19
Q

What is socialization?

A

The lifelong process of learning the culture of any society

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20
Q

Negative sanctions are…

A

Various kinds of punishment.

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21
Q

Define social class.

A

A group of people who share similar economic situation such as a similar occupational level, income and ownership of wealth.

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22
Q

Income is…

A

A flow of money which people obtain from working, from their investments or the state

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23
Q

Wealth is…

A

Property in the form of assets which can in general be sold and turned into cash for the benefit of the owner.

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24
Q

What are life chances?

A

Life chances are the chances of getting things defined as desirable and avoiding those defined as undesirable

25
Q

Social mobility is…

A 
The movement of groups or individuals up or down the social hierarchy. 
E.g. Working class to middle class.
26
Q

Upper class consists of…

A

Owners of the means of production.

Marx’s bourgeoisie.

27
Q

Working class consists of…

A

Manual workers. Factory work or labouring work.

28
Q

Middle class consists of…

A

Those in non manual work. Jobs performed in offices and involve paperwork or computer work

29
Q

Status refers to…

A

The role position someone occupies in society but more commonly refers to the amount of prestige or social importance a person has in the eyes of other members of a group or society.

30
Q

Ascribed status is…

A

Status given by birth.

E.g. Born into royalty or fame.

31
Q

Achieved status is…

A

Status that is worked for. Achieved by your own efforts and talents.
E.g. Footballer, musician.

32
Q

Ethnicity refers to…

A

The shared culture of a social group which gives its members a common identity in some ways different from that of other social groups

33
Q

The underclass consists of…

A

Long-term unemployed. Cut off from society, at the bottom of the hierarchy.

34
Q

A minority ethnic group is…

A

A social group which shares a cultural identity which is different from that of the majority population of a society

35
Q

Define gender

A

Gender refers to the culturally created differences between men and women which are learnt through socialisation.

36
Q

Define sex

A

Sex refers to the biological differences between men and women.

37
Q

A perspective is…

A

A way of looking at something.

38
Q

Define sociological perspective.

A

A sociological perspective involves a set of theories which influences what is looked at when studying society.

39
Q

What is structuralism?

A

A perspective which is concerned with the overall structure of society, and sees individual behaviour mounded by social institutions like the family, education system , the mass media and work.

40
Q

What is a macro approach?

A

A macro approach focuses on the large scale of structure of society as a whole rather than on individuals.

41
Q

What is functionalism?

A

A sociological perspective which sees society as made up of parts which work together to maintain society as an integrated whole.

42
Q

Functional prerequisites are…

A

The basic needs that must be met if society is to survive.

43
Q

A value consensus is…

A

A general agreement around the main values and norms of any society.

44
Q

What is Marxism?

A

A structural theory of society which sees society divided by conflict between two main opposing social classes, due to private ownership of the means of production.

45
Q

Ideology is…

A

A set of ideas, values and beliefs that represents the outlook, and justifies the interests of a social group.

46
Q

Surplus values are…

A

Extra values added by workers to the products they produce, after allowing for the payment of their wages, and which goes to the employer in the form of profit.

47
Q

What is the bourgeoisie?

A

Capitalists. Class of owners of the means of production in industrial societies whose primary propose is to make profits.

48
Q

What is the proletariat?

A

Social class of the workers who have to work for wages as they do not own the means of production.

49
Q

Labour power refers to…

A

Peoples capacity to work. People sell their labour power to the employer in return for a wage and if the employer buys only their labour power and not the whole person.

50
Q

Class conflict is…

A

The conflict that arises between different social classes. It is generally used to describe the conflict between the bourgeoisie and proletariat in Marxist views of society.

51
Q

What is the ruling class?

A

The social class of owners of the means of production whose control over the economy gives them power over all aspects of society enabling them to rule over society.

52
Q

What is the dominant ideology or ruling class ideology?

A

The set of ideas and beliefs of the most powerful groups in society which influences the ideas of the rest of society.

53
Q

Define false consciousness

A

Failure by members of a social class to recognise their real interests

54
Q

What is class consciousness?

A

An awareness in members of a social class of their real interests.

55
Q

Define communism.

A

Communism refers to an equal society without social classes or class conflict in which the means of production are the common property of all.

56
Q

Social action theories are…

A

(Or interpretivist approaches) are perspectives which emphasise the creative action which people can take rather than seeing them as simply passive victims of social forces outside them.

57
Q

Determinism is…

A

The idea that people’s behaviour is mounded by their social surroundings and that they have little free will, control or choice over how they behave.

58
Q

Define micro approach.

A

A micro approach focuses on small groups or individuals rather than on the structure of society as a whole.

59
Q

Symbolic interactionism is…

A

(More commonly known as interactionism) A sociological perspective which is concerned with understanding human behaviour in face to face situations come to be defined in particular ways through their encounters with other people.

AS Sociology (2 decks)

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