Mod 6/7

Question 1

Define the class system.

Answer 1

Class system: considered an open system with room for an achieved status; social ranking based primarily on economic position and often begins at birth

Question 2

Define the caste system.

Answer 2

a system of rigid social stratification characterized by hereditary status, endogamy, and social barriers sanctioned by custom, law, or religion.Ja

Question 3

Define the Clan system:

Answer 3

every individual is connected to a large network of relatives; duty to the clan is a lifelong obligation, marriage can cross clan lines, provides shared senses of identity

Question 4

Define the Davis-Moore Hypothesis/ Functionalist Stratification

Answer 4

every society requires people to fulfill all different kinds of roles; people must be compelled to fill all of these roles for society to function properly
Stability, group cohesion

Question 5

Stratification and Conflict Theory

Answer 5

Classes creates oppression; social stratification promotes capitalism and oppresses the poor
Gradually people in the same class begin to share class consciousness with one another: they all begin to act to protect their interests (workers’ unions, etc.)

Question 6

Define Marx False Consciousness.

Answer 6

belief that if they work hard enough they too can become a member of the bourgeoisie

Question 7

Define Symbolic Interactionism, Stratification

Answer 7

-Interested in how people maintain class distinctions and inequalities through social interaction
Interested in the use of status symbols
-Interested in social positions, not the individuals occupying them
Individuals are placeholders that fill positions temporarily
Egalitarian societies offer little incentive for people to try their best
People in current positions of power are the most qualified to be there

Question 8

Define Classism:

Answer 8

bias, prejudice, and the discrimination on the basis of social class (results in blaming the victim rather than blaming the system)

Question 9

Define Absolute Poverty:

Answer 9

definitions refer to lack of basic necessities (calculated based on the the cost of goods and services essential for survival, then use this number to decide whether someone is in absolute poverty)

Question 10

Define Relative Poverty:

Answer 10

emphasize inadequacy compared to average living standards (grounded that any definition of poverty should be used to assess social, physical, and mental factors; the feelings of being disadvantaged)

Question 11

Define Pink Ghetto.

Answer 11

women dominate the non-manual sector

Question 12

Define Social Differentiation:

Answer 12

division of people into categories based on social characteristics (but NOT in a hierarchical way, no implicit ranking)

Question 13

Define Social Stratification:

Answer 13

division of people based on rank (status hierarchies); the lower the position, the fewer resources, awards, and opportunities (these are social facts/arrangements done by people THEY ARE NOT NATURAL)

Question 14

Define Social Inequality:

Answer 14

long term, significant differences in access to rewards, opportunities, goods, and services for individuals within a group within society (patterns of advantage/disadvantage) feature of society, not a feature of the individuals within them

Question 15

Define Systemic Oppression:

Answer 15

systemic, differential treatment of subordinate groups by dominant groups organized around class/race etc…(institutional power, rooted in notions of superiority or inferiority)

Question 16

What are the 3 driving factors of hate crimes?

Answer 16

Sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, and religion are the three determining factors in hate crimes

Question 17

Define microaggression.

Answer 17

everyday slights, indignities, and insults that marginalized minorities receive on a daily basis (done unconsciously but occurs due to implicit bias)

Question 18

Define the Myth of Scarcity.

Answer 18

resources are limited and must be allocated under a system of competition (meritocracy

Question 19

Define Pecuniary emulation:

Answer 19

describes a person’s economic efforts to surpass a rich person’s socio-economic status

Question 20

Define structural mobility, individual mobility, and intergenerational mobility.

Answer 20

Structural Mobility: the structure of society changes and therefore the social mobility changes (pandemics, etc.)
Individual mobility: mobility due to one’s efforts
Intergenerational mobility: children gain or decrease in social status over the span of their lives

Question 21

Define the numerical outlier.

Answer 21

unusual observations; very high or very low

Question 22

Define LICO.

Answer 22

low income cutoff (assessment of low income) (greater share of income is spent on basic necessities for survival)

Question 23

Define the individualist vs. structuralist focus of poverty.

Answer 23

Individualistic Approaches: emphasize agency in poverty; people themselves are responsible for their welfare (meritocracy, ignores systematic inequality in education and other resources)
Structural Focus: recognizes the inequality of the structure, not the individual;

Question 24

Define conspicuous consumption.

Answer 24

the purchasing of expensive goods and services primarily for the purpose of putting wealth on display.

Question 25

Define the the embourgeoisement thesis

Answer 25

interaction between class and consumption; working class adopts consumption patterns of middle class