Test #1 Flashcards
Social Problems
A social condition (such as poverty) or a pattern of beavior that harms individuals or people in a society
ex: crime, unemployment, pollution, discrimination, prostitution.
They are social in their causes, consequences, and sources of possible revolution
Structural-Functional Approach
Views society as a complex system whose parts work together.
-Promotes solidarity and stability
Social problems: when social institutions do not fulfill the functions they are supposed to perform or when dysfunctions occur
Social-Conflict Approach
Groups in society are engaged in a continuous power struggle for control of scarce resources
Value conflict theorists: social problems are conditions incompatible with group values (ex: speeding).
-Ideal vs. Real
-Ideal: values and beliefs people claim they hold
-Real: values and beliefs they actually follow
Critical-conflict theorists: social problems arise out of major contradictions inherit in the way societies are organized; such as class inequalities resulting from capitalism
-Inequalities related to race, class, gender, ethnicity are interlocking systems that result in social problems
Symbolic-Interaction Approach
Views society as the sum of the interaction of individuals and groups
Weber- “interpretive understanding”
George Mead- individual’s personality develops from social experiences
Symbolic interactionalists- study social problems; analyze process whereby certain behavior is a social problem
Macro-level analysis
looks at large scale social problems, organizations, social institutions
- large scale patterns of society
- ex: immigration, poverty
- social structures shape society as a whole
- theoretical approaches: structural-functional, social-conflict
Micro-level analysis
focuses on social interaction in specific situations
- ex: small groups, immigrants
- agency: ability to make choices and exercise a measure of control over one’s actions
Sociocultural evolution
Lenski’s theory
- historical changes in culture brought about by new technology
- technology: knowledge that people use to make a way of life in their surroundings
Hunting and Gathering/ Foraging
- use of simple tools
- hunt animals
- gather plants for food (wild food)
- no agriculture
- nomadic: moving as they use up an area’s resources or to follow migratory animals
- men hunt wild game
- women gather wild plants and care for kids
- egaltarian way of life
- equal access to resources
- shaman or medicine man
- no elected formal leaders
Pastoralism
subsistence system based primarily on animal husbandry
- breeding and raising of herd animals (cattle, yaks, reindeer)
- live of animal products
- found in marginal environments
- no agriculture becasue of droughts (no rain)
- good adaption to marginal areas
- increased social inequality
- nomadic: mobility is key to securing fresh pastures
Social stratification
system by which a society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy
- includes 4 principles:
- societal trait
- persists over generations
- universal but variable
- involves beliefs- justification
The class system
Social stratification based on birth and individual achievement
Characteristics: same education level, same level of job oppertunities, same social standing, same amount of political power
Social mobility: change in one’s position in the social heirarchy
Meritocracy: social stratification based on personal merit (achievement)
Intergenerational social mobility: upward or downward social mobility of children in relation to parents
Intragenerational social mobility: change in social position occuring during a person’s lifetime
U.S. Class System
Upper Class: 5% of population -upper-uppers/blue bloods/old money -lower-uppers/working rich/new rich Middle Class: 45% of population -upper-middles: $110,000 to 191,000/year -average-middles: $45,000 to 109,000/year Working Class: 30% of population -$25,000 to 44,999/year Lower Class: 14.5% of population -the working poor/the poor
Conspicuous Consumption:
- Noticeable, obvious, overt, visable conspicuous consumption
- act or practice
The Caste System
Social stratification based on ascription or birth; closed system (movement is not possible)
- Limits out-group social contacts
- Marriage is endogamous
- Strictly enforced traditionally
India Caste System
Every hindu is born into a particular caste which determines their positon in society regardless of wealth
Untouchables were lowest caste system.
-foced to perform unclean, polluting tasks such as cleaning dirty areas and street sweeping
-traditionally believed to be spiritually unclean(have to have impure blood)
-must keep away from certain village temples and shrines
-physical contact with lower castes is spiritually polluting
Hindu law of Varna:
-untouchables are polluting b/c of a wrong doing committed in a previous life
-bad behavior will condemn you to a lower caste in your next incarnation
Untouchables must:
-perform their tasks w/o complaint
-endure their position in hope their status will improve
-conduct themselves in a proper manner to reincarnate to a higher level
-eventually they’ll be free from all reincarnations and reach nirvana
Everyone knows your caste b/c of social markets, educational level, dress, language, last name
Japan Caste System
Two castes:
-Upper caste- majority of population
-Lower caste- Burukamin (village people)
Burakumin:
-largest minority group of Japan (2.5 mil people)
-racially identical to larger society, can’t tell a difference btwn. the two castes
-belief that they lack one rib
-role in society includes disposal of dead animals and humans (grave diggers), leather workers, street performers, slaughter of animals
-considered unclean, contagious and were shunned
-forced to live in segregated areas in the ghettos (1600’s) in Japan
-Family records known as Koseki record the location of family residence during this period
-Today, many burakumin have dispersed
-only way to tell if someone is a B, is learning the address of person’s ancestors during the feudal (tokugawa) period
-this is done by consulting the koseki records
-they try to conceal their identity by never talking about their ancestors
-they are discriminated against in hiring practices, they conducted background checks on all applicants to detect B. ancestry
-Social discrimination:
-prior to marriage, high status families hire private detectives to investigate a potential mate’s ancestry (if B. was found, wedding was off)
-Japanese women who married B. was disowned by family; this brought shame
-some who find out they are B. have committed suicide
-Gov. attempts to remedy the situation in 1880’s when they marked the end of the Tokugawa Era I, it became illegal to discriminate against them
-became forbidden to use terms Eta, Hinin, Burakumin
-scholarships, housing developments to B. neighborhoods
-Gov. denies there is a problem
-B. liberation league fights for their rights
