Sociology Flashcards
Absolute Poverty
the state of existence of those who have so little income that they can barely stay alive
Achieved Status
is a changeable status that is acquired on the basis of how well an individual performs a particular role
Bourgeoisie
according to Marx, is one of the two main classes in the capitalist mode of production. The owners of the means of production
Caste System
is a closed stratification system, most common in India, with strict rule regarding the type of work that members of different castes (the strata of Indian society into which people are born) can do
Circulatory Mobility
us the occupational mobility that occurs within a society when better-qualified individuals move upward to replace those who are less qualified and who must consequently move downward
Class
is a position in an economic hierarchy occupied individuals or families with similar access to, or control over, material resources
Class Conflict
according to Marx, is conflict between classes within a mode of production. it eventually leads to the evolution of a new mode of production
Class Consciousness
according to Marx, is the recognition by members of a class of their shared interests in opposition to members of another class
Class Structure
is the relatively permanent economic hierarchy comprising different social classes
Closed Stratification System
a stratification system in which little or no social mobility occurs, because most of all statuses are absorbed
Contradictory Class locations
according to Wright, are the locations within a class structure populated by occupational groupings with divided loyalties (managers)
Exclusion
according to Parkin, is the organized effort by privileged, more powerful groups to maintain their advantaged position
Stratification: Fuctionalism
views social organization as analogous to a biological organism in which the parts (or organs) exist because of the functions they perform in maintaining the whole. In this theory, stratification exists because of vital functions it presumable performs in maintaining social equilibrium
Intergenerational Occupational Mobility
refers to an individual’s occupational mobility, wither upward or downward, in relation to her or his parents’ occupational status
Intragenerational Occupational Mobility
refers to an individual’s occupational mobility, either upward or downward, within his or her own lifetime
Life-Chances
according to Weber, are the opportunites (or lack thereof) for a higher standard of living and a better quality of life that are available to members of a given class
LICO
the poverty line - an estimate of the income level below which a person or family might be considered to be living in relative poverty. It is defined by Stats Canada as the level of income at which more than 63 percent of income is spent on basic necessities
Means of Production
accoridng to Marx, are one of the main components of a mode of production, consisting of the technology, capital investments, and raw materials used in production
Meritocracy
a society in which most of all statues are achieved on the basis of merit (how well a person performs a given role)
Mode of Production
according to Marx, is the system of economic activity in a society, comprising the means of production and the social relations of production
Occupational Status Attainment
refers to the process whereby an individual attains a particular occupational status and the factors that influence that process
Open Stratification System
a stratification system in which merit, rather than inheritance, determines social rank
Petite Bourgeoisie
according to Marx, is a secondary class within the capitalist mode of production, including independent owners/producers and small-business owners
Power
is the ability to impose one;s will on others
Proletariat
according to Marx, is one of the two main classes in a capitalist mode of production, comprising workers who exchange their labour for wage
Social Closure
according to Weber and Parkin, refers to the methods used by relatively powerful groups to maintain their unequal access to status and resources, and to exclude others from such access
Social mobiliy
is the process whereby individuals, families or other groups move up or down a status hierarchy
Social Relations of Production
according to Marx, are one of the main components of a given mode of production - specifically, the relationships between the main classes involved in the production
Social Stratification
refers to persistent patterns of social inequality perpetuates by the way wealth, power and prestige are distributed and passed from one generation to the next
Status
is a culturally and socially defined position that a person occupies in a group
Structural Mobility
refers to the occupational mobility in a society resulting from changes in the occupational structure
Surplus Value
according to Marx, is the value of goods in excess of the cost of production, which takes the form of profit when the product is sold
Usurpation
according to Parkin, is the effort of excluded groups within a stratification system to gain power and advantages at the expense of more powerful groups
Working Poor
are individuals who work but whose income leaves them below the poverty line
Compulsory Heterosexuality
is the assumption that individuals should desire only members of the opposite sex
Essentialists
observe male-female differences in sexual scripts, the division of labour at home and in the workplace, mate selection, sexual aggression, jealousy, promiscuity, fidelity, and so on. They then interpret these differences as natural and universal (inevitable)
Gender
encompasses the feelings, attitudes, and behaviours that are associated with being male or female as conventionally understood
Gender Identity
refers to identification with, or a sense of belonging to, a particular sex, biologically, psychologically and socially
Gender Roles
comprise the repertoire of behaviours that match widely shared expectations about how males and females are supposed to act
Hostile Environment Sexual Harrassment
involves sex jokes, comments, and touching that interfere with work or create and unfriendly work environment
Queer Theory
denies the existence of stable sexual orientations and argues that when we use terms like “herterosexual”, “gay”, etc, we are adopting official or at least socially acceptable labels that fail to capture the fluidity and variability of people’s actual identities and performances
Sex
refers to being born with distinct male or female genitalia and a genetic program that releases either male or female hormones to stimulate the development of one’s reproductive system
Sexual Pluralism
assesses sexual acts only by their meaning for the participants
Sexual Scripts
are assumptions that guide sexual behaviour by telling us who we should find attractive, when and where it is appropriate to be aroused, what is sexually permissible and how to behave sexually
Sexuality
involves actions that are intended to produce erotic arousal and genital response
Social Constructionism
is the main alternative to essentialism. argues that gender differences are not the product of biological properties, whether chromosomal, gonadal, or hormonal. Instead, gender and sexuality are products of social structure and culture
Sociobiology
is a variant of essentialism. It holds that all human beings instinctively want to ensure that their genes get passed on to future generations. However, the different reproductive status of men and women means that they have had to develop different adaptive strategies. This gave rise to ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ patterns of behaviour that presumably became genetically encoded because of their adaptive role
Transgender
gender identity does not match sex assigned at birth. they blur widely accepted gender roles
Transsexuals
identify with the opposite sex than what was assigned at birth, causing them to change their appearance or resort to a sex-change operation
Alternative News sources
are representatives of social movements and of social advocacy groups whose points often diverge from those of dominant social groups and their representatives
Communication
denotes the transmission of knowledge, ideas, meanings, and understandings
Computer-mediated Communication
refers to a social interaction of information gathering through the use of computer technology
Critical Perspective
takes the view that the media reinforce dominant ideology and the position of the dominant class and other powerful groups. One variant sees dominance as more open to challenge and resistance than does the other
Cultivation Analysis
examines the long-term effects of television viewing on beliefs about social reality. People who watch TV a lot tend to see the world as a lot more violent and dangerous than it really is, and tend to be more fearful
Cultural Imperialism
involves one society’s media exerting and overwhelming and unilateral influence over another society’s culture
Dominant Ideology
comprises the interests, perspectives, viewpoints, and understandings of the dominant class and other powerful groups
Framing
the process of defining the boundaries of a representation and the organization of its contents. Pertains to the selection of what is included and excluded, what is accentuated, and what is played down.
Hegemony
is the exercise by the dominant class of cultural leadership by using the media to naturalize and universalize dominant ideology, and to absorb the challenge of alternative and oppositional points of view.
Horizontal Integration
the ownership of different outlets in a media chain for purposes of sharing resources
Interactive Media
are technologically mediated means of communication in which the flow of messages is two way - between actors who transmit and receive messages
Mass Media
are technologically mediates means of communication in which the flow of messages is largely one way, from a single point of transmission to a large, anonymous, dispersed audience of recievers
Multimedia Chains
are corporations that own and control a string of media operations or outlets in different fields of mass communication, such as TV, radio, magazines
Official News Sources
are authoritative voices that the media often use to define the meaning of an event of issue
Ordinary News Sources
are news sources that do not represent organizations or groups, and include eyewitnesses and victims of news events
Representation
the use of language, images or other means of communication to portray something in a coherent and meaningful way
Space-biased Media
enable communication over extended distances. The messages, however, are not long lasting. Promotes territorial expansion, secular beliefs, and military-political forms of power
Time-Biased Media
convey durable messages but are relatively immobile
Vertical Integration
refers to a media corporation’s ownership and control of the means of production at all stages of the production process
Contest Mobility
a form of educational competition in which most youths are grouped into the same school and exposed to the same curriculum, and in which relatively large numbers are directed to higher education
Credential Inflation
takes place when labour-market competition encourages individuals to acquire schooling, and employers raise required credential levels for reasons that are into connected to their needs for skilled employees
Hidden Curriculum
comprises elements of school content, such as rules, procedures, structures and norms, that can shape students in covert ways
Human Capital Theory
emphasizes how schooling can enhance productive skills and thereby generate wealth for both individuals and society
Professionalization
the process by which an occupation attempts to raise its social standing, often including the creation of formal educational credentials
Progressive Pedegogy
an educational movement that emphasizes student-directed learning, less structured curricula, and an emphasis of inspiring students to be intrinsically motivated in their studies
Selection
the process by which the structure of schooling feeds into broader patterns of social stratification
Sponsored Mobility
is a form of educational competition in which relatively few youths are selected early in life to enter elite universities
Families
was defined as a cohabiting man and a woman who maintain a socially approved sexual relationship and have at least one child. Now, it is defined more broadly to capture the wide range of family and structures we encounter - as sets of intimate social relationships that people create to share resources to ensure their welfare and that of their dependants
Family Wage
refers to the wage med traditionally received that was sufficient to support a family
Fertility Rate
is the number of live births per one thousand women of childbearing age
Income Support Payments
include cash transfers in the form of direct payments or tax deductions, and maternity and parental leave benefits. In Canada, the main forms of support include the Universal Child Care Benefit, the Canada Child Tax Benefit, the Family Supplement and Maternity and Parental Leave Benefits
Intergenerational Households
are families that include multiple generations such as grandparents, parents, and children living together
Marriage
was traditionally defined as a socially approved, presumably long term, sexual and economic relationship between a man and a woman involving reciprocal rights and obligations between spouses and between children. Today, many countries recognize common-law marriage and some allow marriages of the same-sex
Multi-Family Household
includes more than one nuclear family
Nuclear Family
father, mother and children living in a privatized household
Social Reproduction
refers to the physical, emotional and mental work of caring for others that is typically done in families
Transnational Families
families whose members are geographically separated for extended periods
Blended Families
include two parents and the child or children from their former marriages of intimate unions
