Sociology Flashcards
1
Q
Religion
A
Unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things
2
Q
Profane
A
Lack of respect for things that are meant to be sacred.
Things that are not considered sacred or religious, everyday mundane and ordinary things.
3
Q
Animism
A
The religion that believes in the divinity of nonhuman beings, like animals, plants, and objects of the natural world
4
Q
Sacred
A
Things that are set apart from society as extraordinary, inspiring awe, and deserving of reverence.
5
Q
Monotheism
A
Belief that there is only one god.
6
Q
Polytheism
A
Belief in many gods and their worship.
7
Q
Protestant Ethic
A
Followers of Protestant Reformation emphasized a disciplined work ethic, this-worldly concerns, and a rational orientation for life
8
Q
Cult
A
An organized group of people who together act out religious feelings, attitudes, and relationships; worship or beliefs tend to be in opposition to dominant society or unusual. Tends to be a new or emerging religion such as early Christianity, early Islam or early Mormonism.
9
Q
Sect
A
An exclusive, highly cohesive group of ascetic religious believers. Worship and beliefs are still mostly in opposition with the dominant culture. Sects usually last longer and are larger and more institutionalized than cults.
10
Q
Church
A
A formally organized, institutionalized religious organization with formal and traditional religious doctrine, beliefs, and practices. Beliefs are congruent with the dominant society. Church membership is larger than a sect.
11
Q
Ecclesia
A
A professionally trained religious organization governed by a hierarchy of leaders that claims everyone in the society as a member. Political alignment tends to exist between church and state officials, so that the ecclesia represents the official church of the state.
12
Q
5 Major World Religions
A
- Buddhism
- Hinduism
- Islam
- Judaism
- Christianity
13
Q
Beliefs
A
statements to which members of a particular region adhere
14
Q
Rituals
A
practices required or expected of members of a faith
15
Q
Religious Experience
A
feeling or perception of being in direct contact with ultimate reality or of being overcome with religious emotions
16
Q
Durkheim and religion
A
Division of labor
spirit of discipline
attachment of social groups
autonomy of self-determination.
17
Q
Durkheim:
A
God basically represents community or society
18
Q
Moral Community
A
Network of those to whom we recognize an ethical connection through the demands of justice, the bonds of compassion, or sense of obligation.
19
Q
Components of Religion
A
Religious Rituals
Religious Beliefs
Religious Experience
20
Q
Role of Religious Symbols
A
They indicate the religious diversity of Americans serving in the armed services and in the U.S. at large
21
Q
Born Again
A
a Christian who has experienced a distinct, dramatic conversion to faith in Jesus
A religious conversion or experience that leads to a renewed commitment to one’s faith.
22
Q
Integrative function of religion - Societal Glue
A
Durkheim believed religious bonds often transcend personal and divisive forces
Provides ultimate values and ends for people to hold in common
23
Q
Religion and social support
A
Religion allows us to “do something” about calamities we face
Encourages us to view personal misfortunes as relatively unimportant
24
Q
Religion and social change - Weber and Religion
A
Weber sees religion as a force for social change. Economic factors, along with necessary beliefs and attitudes, are the driving force for social change.
Ascetic form of 19th Protestantism critical in
development of capitalism
25
Functions of Religion
- Answering questions about the ultimate meeting, purpose of life, and why people suffer.
- Providing emotional support / comfort
- Uniting believers in a community that shares values and connects
-Providing guidelines for life
- Controlling behavior
- Helping people adapt to new environments
- Providing support for government
- Spearheading social change on occasion.
26
Spirit of Capitalism
Emerged as general cultural trait
Weber argued it is a set of values, the spirit of hard work and progress.
27
Social Control Conflict View - Marx and Religion
Marx: religion impeded social change
People focus on other-worldly concerns
– Religion drugged masses into submission by offering consolation for harsh lives on earth
– To whatever extend religion influence social
behavior, it reinforces existing patterns of
dominance and inequality
28
Symbolic Interactionist Perspective on religion
sociological perspective that looks at how religion plays a role in our daily lives and how we interpret religious experiences.
focus on the micro aspects of religion and society, such as rituals, beliefs, religious experiences and community.
They are interested in how people use symbols to express and share their religious views and feelings.
29
Colonialism
foreign power maintains
political, social, economic, and cultural
domination for an extended period
30
World Systems Theory
In world systems theory, poor nations that have limited industrialization and uneven distribution of urbanization, that are exploited by core nations and semi-peripheral nations for their raw materials and inexpensive labor.
31
Globalization
worldwide integration of
government policies, cultures, social
movements, and financial markets
through trade and exchange of ideas
32
Global Stratification
the unequal distribution of wealth, power, prestige, resources, and influence among the world’s nations
33
Industrializing Country
developing country or a less-developed country, is a nation with a low standard of living, undeveloped industrial base, and low Human Development Index relative to other countries. Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico...
34
Industrialized Country
countries that developed a strong industrial base, and are characterized by high levels of economic development and a high standard of living. United States of America
35
Core Nations
In world systems theory, a powerful industrial nation that dominates the global economic and political system [similar to the Center Core nations in Dependency Theory]
36
Semi-periphery (peripheral core)
nations that are not powerful enough to dictate economic and political policy but are sources of raw materials and an expanding middle-class marketplace which exploits peripheral nations, and is exploited by core nations.
37
Periphery (peripheral)
Peripheral nations are economically poor and primarily agricultural, the exploitation from core nations and semi-peripheral nations limits development and thus perpetuates their poverty.
38
Dependency Theory
Asserts that global economic and social inequality is caused by the historical exploitation by wealthy powerful nations appropriating resources from the least powerful poorer nations while limiting access to technology thus keeping the least powerful dependent on the most powerful.
39
Multiple-nuclei Theory
all urban growth does not radiate out from a central district
40
Medicalization of Society (Conflict Approach)
– Medicine is regulating mechanism as well
as a “healing profession”
– Greatly expanded domain of expertise
– Problems viewed using a medical model
– Retains absolute jurisdiction over health care
41
Inequalities in Health Care
Systematic differences in the health status of different population groups.
42
Brain Drain
immigration to U.S. and other
industrialized nation of skilled workers,
professionals, and technicians
43
Health Disparities
unfair gaps in health outcomes among different groups of people
44
Social Determinants of Health
The non-medical factors that influence health outcomes.
45
Social Epidemiology
study of how social factors affect health and disease in populations
study of distribution of disease, impairment, and general health status across a population
46
Sick Role ( Functionalist Approach )
Being sick” must be controlled so that not
too many people are released from their
societal responsibilities
societal expectations about attitudes and behavior of a person viewed as being ill
47
Labeling Approach to health
The designations healthy and ill generally
involve social definition
Labels associated with illness commonly
reshape how others treat us and how we
see ourselves
48
Dependency Theory
sociological perspective that argues that developing countries are exploited and oppressed by developed countries
- International division of labor
- Class Distinction
-Global Capitalism
49
Incidence
number of new cases of a specific disorder occurring within a given population during a stated period of time, usually a year
50
Prevalence
number of cases of specific disorder that exist at a given time
51
Mortality Rate
incidence of death in a given population.
52
Morbidity Rate
disease incidence figures presented as rates or number of reports per 100,000 people
53
Life Expectancy
Number of years a person can expect to live
54
Health Expectancy
The average number of years that a person can expect to live in 'full health' by taking into account years lived in less than full health due to diseases and/or injury.
Expected years of life in good health
* Expected years of life free from limitation of
activities
* Expected years of life free from selected chronic diseases
55
Epidemiological Transition
* Impacts kinds of disease and health conditions affecting countries ( First demographic transition )
* Refers to transition of population from health conditions primarily involving
infectious disease to health conditions primarily involving chronic disease ( Epidemiological transition )
56
Overall Physical and Mental Health
Health as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity.
57
Social Class and Health
People in lower classes have higher
rates of mortality and disability
58
Race / Ethnicity and Health
Health profiles of racial and ethnic groups
reflect social inequality in U.S.
59
Gender and Health
Women experience higher prevalence of
many illnesses but tend to live longer when
compared with men
60
Age and Health
Most older people in U.S. have at least one
chronic illness
61
Demography
The scientific study of population.
62
Fertility
The level of reproduction in a society.
63
Mortality
The incidence of death in a given society.
64
Thomas Robert Malthus - Theory on population growth and food supply
world’s population growing more
rapidly than the available food supply
65
Demographic Transition
theory that societies progress from a pre-modern regime of high fertility and high mortality to a post-modern regime of low fertility and low mortality.
Initial pretransition period characterized
by high fertility and high mortality
* Transitional period in which mortality first
declines followed by decline in fertility
* Posttransition period in which both
fertility and mortality are low
First demographic transition
66
Marx’s critique of Malthus
For Marx, Malthus's theory naturalizes the process of social reproduction specific to capitalism.
no special relationship between world population and supply of resources
67
Neo-Malthus Perspective
stresses birth control and sensible use of resources
– Ehrlich: The Population Bomb
Fear of a large population size could lead to humanitarian and ecological disaster.
68
Census
enumeration, or counting of a population
69
Vital Statistics
records of births, deaths, marriages, and divorces gathered through a registration system maintained by government
70
Birth Rate
number of live births per 1,000 people in a population in a given year
71
Total Fertility Rate
average number of children born alive to any woman, assuming she conforms to current fertility rates
72
Death Rate
number of deaths per 1,000 people in a population in a given year
73
Infant Mortality Rate
number of deaths of infants under one year of age per 1,000 live births in a given year
74
Life Expectancy
median number of years a person can be expected to live under current mortality conditions
75
Population Growth Rate
difference between birth and deaths, plus the difference between immigrants and emigrants
76
Community
A spatial or political unit of social organization that gives people a sense of belonging.
77
Preindustrial City
permanent settlements free from dependence on crop cultivation
– Reliance on animal power
– Modest levels of surplus
– Problems in transportation and storage of food
– Hardships of migration to the city
– Dangers of city life
78
Industrial City
more populous and complex than predecessors
79
Urbanism and Urbanization
relatively large, permanent settlement leading to distinctive patterns of behavior
Urbanism is the study and practice of how people live and interact in cities and urban areas.
urbanization is the process by which large numbers of people become permanently concentrated in relatively small areas, forming cities
80
Squatter Settlements
place where the residents don’t have legal rights over the land
81
Mega-cities
Very large city, typically a population of 10+ million people
82
Human Ecology
interrelationships between people and their spatial settings and physical environments
83
Urban Ecology
focuses on relationships as they emerge in urban areas
84
Concentric zone theory
center, or nucleus, of a city is the most highly valued land and each succeeding zone surrounding the center contains other types of land which are valued differently
85
Education
process of learning in which some people consciously teach while other adopt social role of learner
86
Functionalist View of Education
* Transmitting Culture
* Promoting Social and Political Integration
* Maintaining Social Control
* Serving as an Agent of Change
87
Manifest Functions of Education
Socialization
Social control
Social placement
Transmitting culture
Promoting social and political integration
88
Latent Functions of Education
Unemployment prevention
Child care
peer relationships
conformity to peer norms.
89
Conflict Perspective of Education
Education is instrument of
elite domination
– Schools socialize
students into values
dictated by the powerful,
stifle individualism and
creativity, and promote
relatively insignificant
change
90
Hidden Circulum
standards of behavior deemed proper by society are taught subtly in schools
91
Tracking
practice of placing students in specific curriculum groups on basis of test scores and other criteria
92
Cultural Transmission
How we learn from others in our society or culture
93
Credentialism
increase in the lowest level of education needed to enter a field
94
Meritocracy
social system in which success and status in life depend primarily on individual talents, abilities, and effort
95
Gatekeeping
The process through which information is filtered for dissemination.
96
Contest Mobility
A system of social mobility in which all individuals are seen as participants in a race where elite status is the end goal.
97
Sponsored Mobility
A system of social mobility where elite individuals in a society select recruits to induct into high-status groups.
98
Politics
who gets what, when, and how
99
Power
ability to excercise one's will over others
100
Force
actual or threatened use of coercion
to impose one’s political dissidents
101
Influence
exercise of power through process of persuasion
102
Authority
institutionalized power recognized by people over whom it is exercised
103
Traditional Authority
legimate power conferred by custom and accepted practice
104
Legal rational Authority
power is made legimate by law
105
Charismatic Authority
power is made legimate by leader's exceptional personal or emotional appeal to their followers
106
Power Elite
society ruled by a small group of individuals who share common set of political and economic interests ( Marx )
small ruling elite of military,
industrial, and governmental leaders ( Mill )
Stresses roles played by elites of
corporate community and leaders
of policy-formation organizations
– In electoral arena, two coalitions
* Corporate-conservative
* Liberal-labor ( Domhoff )
107
Pluralist Model
competing groups within community have access to government, so no single group can dominate
108
Democracy
Rule by the people.
109
Dictatorship
autocratic form of government which is characterized by a leader, or a group of leaders, who hold governmental powers with few to no limitations.
110
Autocracy
A system of government in which absolute power is held by the ruler, known as an autocrat.
111
Fascism
an authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization.
112
Kleptocracy
a society or system ruled by people who use their power to steal their country's resources
113
Oligarchy
a power structure under which a small group of elite individuals, families, or corporations control a country
114
Theocracy
"rule by God" or by religious leaders who claim divine guidance
115
Representative Democracy
A form of democracy in which people vote for representatives who then vote on policy initiatives.
116
Authoritarianism
blind submission to authority, as opposed to individual freedom of thought and action.
117
Totalitarianism
form of government that attempts to assert total control over the lives of its citizens
118
Plutocracy
rule by the wealthy, either directly or indirectly, through policies and systems that favor them
119
Socialism
means of production and distribution owned collectively rather than privately owned
120
Economic System
social institution through which goods and
services are produced, distributed, and
consumed
121
Capitalism
economic system in which means of production are held largely in private hands
122
Collective Behavior
a group of people bypassing the usual norms that guide their behavior and doing something unusual
123
Collective Mind
Gustave LeBon’s term for the tendancy of
people in crowd to feel, think, and act in extraordinary ways
In a crowd, people can feel:
* Anonymous and not accountable for what they do.
* Develop feelings of invincibility, think that they can do almost
anything.
* Can be swept up with almost any suggestion.
124
Collective Impulse
Robert Park’s term for a back-and-forth communication between the members of a crowd whereby a “collective impulse” or contagion suggestion is transmitted from person to person
125
The Acting Crowd
an excited group that moves toward a goal. This model still dominates today’s police manuals on crowd behavior.
**Tension or unrest** – a background condition of tension or unrest. Distrubed about some condition of society, people are restless apprehension and vulnerable to rumors and suggestions.
**Exciting event** – an event that is so starling that people become preoccupied with it.
**Milling** people standing or walking around ,talking about the exicting event.
**Common object of attention**– people’s attention becomes fixed on some aspect of the event which causes collective excitement.
**Common impulses** a sense of collective agreement about what should be done merges.
126
Forms of Collective Behavior
Riots
Panic
Moral Panic
Rumors
Fads and Fashions
Urban Legends
127
Social Movements
organized collective activities to bring about or resist fundamental change in an existing group or society
128
Relative Deprivation
conscious feeling of negative discrepancy between legitimate expectations and present actualities
– People must feel they have right to goals
– People must perceive they cannot attain
their goals through conventional means
129
New Social Movement
organized collective activities that address values and social identities as well as quality of life
130
Social Change
significant alteration over time in behavior patterns and culture
131
Cultural Lag
period of maladjustment when nonmaterial culture is still struggling to adapt to new material conditions
132
Four Types of Social Movements
Alternative Social Movements
- operates at an individual level and advocates for minor change
Reformative Social Movements
- at a societal level these movements advocate for minor or moderate changes or reforms in society instead of radical changes
Redemptive Social Movements
- operates at the individual level and advocates for radical changes in the individual to redeem the person
Transformative or Revolutionary Movements
- these movements seeks to transform the social order and replace it with a new version of the good society
133
New Urban Sociology
considers interplay of local, national, and worldwide forces and their effects on local space
134
Credential Society
A society that views credentials (e.g., certificates, degrees, and diplomas) as essential for employment in certain jobs, serving as evidence of the ability to perform specialized tasks.
135
Secularization
process of making something or someone less religious or influenced by religion
136
Post Industrial city
global finance and electronic flow of information dominate the economy
137
Interactionist Approach to Health
Studies roles played by health care professionals and patients
Asserts patients may play an active role in positive or negative health
