Module 6 Flashcards

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1
Q

Social Group

A

-A collection of people who regularly interact with one another on the basis of shared expectations concerning behavior or who share a sense of common identity
~Many of us are members of multiple social groups at the same time

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2
Q

Social aggregate

A

-Random collection of people
~Not the same as a social group
*A crowd waiting in line outside of a theater at a bus stop

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3
Q

Social category

A

-Not a social group
~Sharing a common characteristic such as gender or occupation without necessarily interacting or identifying with one another

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4
Q

Elements of Social Structure: Groups

A

-Human groups are largely the product of social construction, yet groups provide a core sense of identity

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5
Q

Max Weber and Social closure

A

-The aility of groups to exclude outsiders or ‘undesirables’ from participating
~People who belong to the same social group identify with each other
~Enables the exclusion of nonmembers

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6
Q

Types of human groups

A

-Religion, race, ethnicity, gender, class, national membership, education, occupation, birth cohort, etc.

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7
Q

Primary groups

A

-Group that are characterized by intense emotional tie, face-to-face interactions, intimacy, and enduring relationships
~Enforce conformity
*Friendships and family

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8
Q

Secondary groups

A

-Group characterized by large size and by impersonal fleet relationships, is usually a formal relationship
~Sport teams, workplace, college classroom

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9
Q

In-group

A

-Group to which one feels loyalty and respect; a group that “we” belong to
~”Us”

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10
Q

OUt-groups

A

-Group toward which one feels antagonism and contempt- “those people”
~Them

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11
Q

Reference group

A

-A group that provides a standard for judging one’s attitudes or behaviors
~You do not need to be a member of your reference group

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12
Q

The effect of groups size

A
  • Dyads

- Triads

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13
Q

Dyads

A

-Consist of 2 people very intense ties but unstable. To survive, it needs attention and cooperation

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14
Q

Triads

A

-More stable, 3rd person relieves some pressure on the other members

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15
Q

George Simmel and group size

A

-As a group increases in size, the intensity of relationships decrease, but overall stability increases

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16
Q

Organization

A

-An identifiable membership that engages in concerted collective action to achieve a common purpose/goal
~They are key element of modern societies

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17
Q

Formal organization

A

-Rationally designed to achieve its objectives, often by means of explicit rules, regulations, and procedures
~Modern social life would not exist without the formal organization

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18
Q

Institutional Isomorphism

EXAM

A

-Organizations in the same field tend to become increasingly similar to each other over time

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19
Q

Coercive Isomorphism

A

-Informal and formal pressure from government or culture

~Americans with Disabilities Act and compliance

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20
Q

Normative isomorphism

A

-Voluntary organizations that form around the professionalization of an activity/profession
~The American Medical Association

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21
Q

mimetic Isomorphism

A

-Uncertainly is a powerful force that encourages imitation or modeling (imitating parts of organizations visible in environment)
~Online classes and outsourcing

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22
Q

Max Weber

A

-Saw the expansion of the bureaucratic form as an inevitable feature of modern societies

23
Q

Bureaucracy

A

-The rule of officials
~All large-scale organizations are bureaucratic
~Bureaucray is founded on the concept of ration-legal authority, which means the authority that a person possess is based on his/her position in a organization rather. Not based on charisma or tradition

24
Q

The Ideal Type

A

-A “pure type” constructed by emphasizing certain types of a social item that do not necessarily exist in reality

25
Q

Characteristics of bureaucracy

A
  • Hierarchy of authority
  • Formal rules and record keeping
  • Impersonality
  • Division of labor
  • Technical qualification/tenure
26
Q

Hierarchy of authority

A

-Positions organized in hierarchical form with a clear chain of command

27
Q

Formal rules and record keeping

A

-Rules that govern the conduct of officials at all levels of the organization. Cover rights and duties and provides a paper trail

28
Q

Impersonality

A

-Uniform application of rules and controls

29
Q

Division of Labor

A

-Specific allocation of responsibility based on functional specialization

30
Q

Technical qualifications/tenure

A

-People selected for a job based on technical competence (basis of training, qualifications, education, etc.) Career professionals

31
Q

Criticism of Bureaucracies

A

-Max Weber

~Rationalization spreads throughout society, to the improvement and detriment of modern life

32
Q

The Iron Cage

A

-People become trapped in a prison of rules and regulations that denies humanity, creativity, and autonomy
~Technocratic thinking: always trying to find the most efficient means to achieve whatever end

33
Q

Irrationalities of Rationality

A

-Waste and incompetence
-Trained incapacity
-Goal displacement
~Extreme example
*Nazi Germany extermination camps. goal was to kill as many people as possible in the most efficient manner. New level of dehumanization

34
Q

Iron law of Oligarchy

A

-Inevitable tendency for large-scale bureaucracies to become ruled undemocratically by a handful or people
~Democratic purpose become subordinate to the needs of the dominating group or leadership
~Examples
*US Congress stalling out bills for political gain
*Companies laying off thousands of workers to appease shareholders even when it is turning a profit

35
Q

Social Institutions

A

-Are a group of social positions (specific statuses and roles) connected by social relations in order to satisfy a specific social need
~Social institutions are critically important to the reproduction and well-being of a society
~Social institutions change over time and adjust to changes in the social structure
~Are critical mechanism that creates “social cohesion” and “Social Solidarity”

36
Q

Primary social institutions that Sociologist study

A
  • Family
  • Education
  • Religion
  • Economy
  • The State
37
Q

New social institutions

A
  • The Media
  • Military
  • Transnational Corporations
38
Q

Family

A

-A group of individuals related to one another by blood ties, marriage, or adoption, with adult members being responsible for the upbringing of children
~Primary agent of socialization
~Kinship: a relation that links individuals through blood ties, marriage, or adoption
*Varies across time and space

39
Q

Nuclear Family

A

-A family group consisting of a wife, a husband, and dependent children
~Traditional idealized family

40
Q

Traditional idealized family

A

-Mom is homemaker and dad is the bread winner

41
Q

Extended family

A

-A family consisting of more than two generations of relatives living either within the same household
~The extended family household is the norm on industrializing and the least industrialized nations

42
Q

Marriage

A

-At its most basic level requires a couple here in the US
~This represents that dominant norms of Euro-American culture, but this has never been universal across human societies
~Shaped by legal and social processes
~Monogamy
~Polygamy

43
Q

Monogamy

A

-A form of marriage in which each married partner in allowed only one spouse at any given time
~Serial monogamy common in Western societies of getting a divorce and remarrying to one spouse again

44
Q

Polygamy

A

-A form of marriage in which a person may have two or more spouses simultaneously

45
Q

Average age of first marriage

A
-Men
~1960
*22.8
~2010
*28.2
-Women
~1960 
*20.3
~2010
*226.1
46
Q

Marriage and family in the US

A

-High marriage rates in the US 90% of adults in the mid-fifties have been married at least once

47
Q

People are increasingly delaying when they first marry. Why?

A
  • Cohabitation
  • Education of women
  • Women’s labor force participation
  • Modernization and secularization of attitudes
48
Q

Education

A

-The transmission of society’s norms, values, and knowledge base by means of direct instruction
~Throughout much of human history, it occurred informally
~It is absolutely necessary for the survival of society
~Educational institution both directly and indirectly exposes young people to the lessons they will need to learn to become players in other major social institutions

49
Q

Credentialism

A

-Describes how acces to desirable jobs and social status depends on possession of a certificate or diploma certifying completion of formal education
~US society has become a credentialed society
~Degrees and diplomas determine one’s credentials for a job, even if the work involved has nothing to do with the education received

50
Q

Functionalist approach

A

-Durkheim
~Modern societies are complex, with specialized yet interdependent institutions (organic solidarity)
*Education as a social institution socializes members wile promoting social solidarity

51
Q

Assimilation

A

-The official curriculum is used to promote national unity

~Official curriculum promotes feelings of nationalism and is instrumental in the development of nation-state societies

52
Q

The Conflict Perspective

A

-Social reproduction occurs whereby schools help perpetuate social and economic inequalities across generations rather than reducing social stratification
~Schooling in Capitalist America

53
Q

Schooling in Capitalist America, 1976 by Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis

A

-Schools not only teach reading, writing, and arithmetic; also “prepare individuals to function without complaint in a hierarchical structure of a modern corporation”
~Emphasis is placed on obedience and “playing well with others”
-Used statistical data to demonstrate parental economic status passed to children, as least in part through unequal educational opportunity
-Modern school system primarily a reflection of expanding capitalist enterprises. Schools facilitate the ruling class’s need to exploit a docile or cooperative workforce

54
Q

Symbolic Interactionist Perspective

A

-Rosenthal and Jacobsen (1968)
~Teachers perceptions towards the label of “gifted”
*Teachers intentionally misinformed about the intelligence test scores of students
*Class students were randomly assigned the “gifted” label
*Findings: Those labeled “gifted” soon outperformed their piers
-The Rist Research
~Concluded that each child’s journey through school was determined by eighth day of kindergarten (Rist 1970, 2007)