Midterm Part I Flashcards
What are the levels of globalization?
Economic - Social arrangements for the production, exchange, distribution and consumption of goods and services on a world wide basis
Political - People and nation states being woven together
Cultural - cultural globalization or americanization
Sociology is
the systematic study of human society and the behaviour of people in society
What is society
A group of people in a specific territory who share a common set of behaviours, beliefs, values, material objects, and social institutions that exist as a coherent system.
“Values”
Ideas of what is good, important, right, fair and just
“material objects”
Cultural meanings are always attached to material objects which intern allows these meanings to be further reproduced
How do we interact with material objects within our society?
As a result of being a member of a society we make sense of material objects in specific ways and use them in a meaningful way in that society
Define a social institution
Something with distinctive patterns and implicit rules of behaviour that exist in relatively the same form across wide spans of time, representing established and widely accepted ways of doing something
-creates “institutional imperative”, compelling thoughts/actions to go in particular ways
“deals with patterned behaviours in particular social spaces shaped by power dynamics”
Social Institutions
What determines “degree of power”?
The various resources that one has access to and/or acquires/accumulates that affords them benefits within dominant social institutions.
Knowledge, Affluence, Health etc
What are some social institutions?
Hockey, Sport, educational institutions, work, family, cultural, religion. Pretty much anything that has defined or undefined sets of rules where people interact socially.
What is the PURPOSE of sociology
To debunk the myth of nature, demonstrating that human beings even when they believe they are acting out of natural instincts are in fact regulated by complex and historically specific social structures and cultural norms.
“Cultural Norm”
Socially determined do’s and don’t in a society decided by people (usually those in power). Norms orient behaviour, but are not the same as morals/ethics
What does “social structure” do?
Operates to assign social status (hierarchy) and provide access to those resources of power. Social structure can enable or constrain depending on your position
What are the benefits of privilege?
Material: Opportunities related to education, employment, net worth, resources
Social: Presumption of confidence, intelligence and capability
Psychological: Not having to spend time or energy working about triggering a negative reaction of feeling. Feeling in place within own society.
Describe the idea of “Naturalization”, what is the problem with this?
- When the way people think/act/behave/relate to others is explained as being rooted in nature and not based on social/economic/political/cultural factors
- When reality is seen as nature its beyond human power to control and change
