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J - SOC 203 > Thinking About Social Problems > Flashcards

Thinking About Social Problems Flashcards

1
Q

What was the purpose of the Martin Luther King Jr. quote in class?

A

To illustrate that to understand social problems, we need a certain understanding. If not, we slip into ignorance.

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2
Q

Social problems are defined by a combination of ___ and ___ criteria that varies.

A

Objective, subjective.

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3
Q

Social problems vary across…

A

Societies, individuals and groups, and historical periods.

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4
Q

Give an example of how social problems differ across societies.

A

In some societies, marijuana is not a problem.

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5
Q

Give an example of social problems differ among individuals and groups.

A

How different people lean towards different political designations (conservative or liberal).

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6
Q

What are objective elements of a social problem?

A

An actual social condition that exists independent of our perception.

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7
Q

How do we often become aware of a social problem?

A

Personal experience, media, and education.

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8
Q

What are the subjective elements of a social problem?

A

Based on beliefs that certain social conditions are harmful to society, and that those social conditions should and can be changed.

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9
Q

What are Claims-Making Activities?

A

Strategies and actions that individuals or groups undertake to define social conditions as social problems that require remedy.

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10
Q

Are Claims-Making Activities objective, subjective, or both?

A

Both.

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11
Q

Claims-Making Activities often use ___ as an advocate for change.

A

Mobilization.

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12
Q

Define “Social Problem.”

A

A social condition that a segment of society demonstrates to be significantly harmful to members of society and in need of remedy.

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13
Q

Define “Sociology.”

A

Involves looking for and looking at social patterns in social variables, social institutions, and social interactions.

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14
Q

What are the three aspects to the framework of sociology?

A
  1. Concepts.
  2. Sociological perspectives.
  3. Methods.
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15
Q

How does the framework of concepts apply to sociology?

A

Social structure and culture meet and create society, which can also contribute to social problems.

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16
Q

How does social structure help us understand social problems?

A

The way society is organized into different parts can help us to understand the root causes of social problems.

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17
Q

Who was fascinated with the way structure contributed to social problems?

A

Emile Durkheim.

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18
Q

Emile Durkheim would describe social problems as phenomena arising from problems with social structures that occur as…

A

Objectively identifiable social facts.

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19
Q

What is an example of something that is affected by objectively identifiable social facts?

A

Suicide rates.

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20
Q

Social structure is organized in ___.

A

Layers.

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21
Q

Name the layers of social structure.

A
  • Institutions is the outer layer.
  • Within that is social groups.
  • Within that is statues.
  • Within that is roles.
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22
Q

What are social institutions?

A

An established and enduring pattern of social relationships.

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23
Q

List some traditional social institutions.

A

Economy, family, religion, education, and politics.

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24
Q

List some contemporary social institutions.

A

Sport, military, medicine, science and technology, and mass media.

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25
Q

What is a common depiction of social institutions? What is an accurate one?

A

Pie shape. Complex venn diagram.

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26
Q

Give an example of two social institutions that can overlap to cause a social problem.

A

Economics becoming too close to education. Donations where the donors get to decide curriculum.

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27
Q

What are the two types of social groups?

A

Primary and secondary groups.

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28
Q

What are primary groups?

A

Family and very close friends.

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29
Q

What are secondary groups?

A

Relationships we have with our boss, or with teachers.

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30
Q

What are social statuses?

A

Position a person occupies within a social group.

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31
Q

___ ___ defines our social identities.

A

Social status.

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32
Q

What is an ascribed social identity?

A

Something that is on you. For example, princes are born into royalty.

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33
Q

What is an achieved social identity?

A

Something that you become. For example. Mark Zuckerberg as CEO of Facebook.

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34
Q

What is a Master Status?

A

The most significant status in a person’s identity.

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35
Q

What are social roles?

A

Rights, obligations, and expectations associated with a status.

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36
Q

Roles help guide our ___, and allow us to predict the behaviour of others.

A

Behaviours.

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37
Q

What are the 4 elements of culture?

A
  1. Beliefs.
  2. Values.
  3. Norms.
  4. Symbols.
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38
Q

What are beliefs?

A

Definitions and explanations about what is assumed to be true.

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39
Q

What are values?

A

Social agreements about what is considered to be right and wrong.

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40
Q

What are norms?

A

Socially defined rules of behaviour.

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41
Q

Give examples of norms.

A

Folkeays, mores, laws, and sanctions.

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42
Q

What is normlessness?

A

Anomie.

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43
Q

What is anomie?

A

Normlessness.

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44
Q

What are folkways?

A

Things that people do, such as using a certain fork to eat your salad. You will not be shamed for breaking these.

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45
Q

What are mores?

A

Things that people do, such as having relationships with family members, that illicit disgust from people.

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46
Q

What are laws?

A

Social norms backed by legislation.

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47
Q

What are symbols?

A

Cultural representations of reality. How we communicate meaning.

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48
Q

What is The Sociological Imagination?

A

The ability to see the connections between our personal lives and the social world in which we live.

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49
Q

Who came up with The Sociological Imagination?

A

C. Wright Mills.

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50
Q

The Sociological Imagination asks what the ___ of the problem is.

A

Root.

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51
Q

The Sociological Imagination is a constant back and forth between…

A

Individuals and society.

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52
Q

When someone is poor, what does The Sociological Imagination ask?

A

How society could have contributed to it.

53
Q

What are the 6 theoretical perspectives?

A
  1. Structural Functionalism.
  2. Conflict Theory.
  3. Symbolic Interactionism.
  4. Feminist Theory.
  5. Postmodern Theory.
  6. Queer Theory.
54
Q

What are theoretical perspectives?

A

A way of looking at the social world (lenses).

55
Q

Structural Functionalism is a ___ theory.

A

Macro.

56
Q

Whose name is associated with Structural Functionalism?

A

Talcott Parsons.

57
Q

What does Structural Functionalism say?

A

Elements of social structures are interconnected. Each part influences other parts (structures).

58
Q

Structural Functionalism says that everything has a ___.

A

Function.

59
Q

What are the two types of functions in Structural Functionalism?

A
  1. Manifest function.

2. Latent function.

60
Q

What is a manifest function?

A

The intended thing it meant to do.

61
Q

What is the manifest function of education?

A

To teach knowledge/skills.

62
Q

What is a latent function?

A

A side effect.

63
Q

What is a latent function of education?

A

To meet other people, and possibly find life partners.

64
Q

What perspective uses an organic analogy, and sees society as a body?

A

Strutural-Functionalist.

65
Q

According to the Strutural-Functionalist perspective, when things are not working well, they are dysfunctional, leading to…

A

Social problems.

66
Q

According to the Strutural-Functionalist perspective, when things are working well, they are functional, leading to…

A

Social stability.

67
Q

Social pathology perspective

A
  • There are sick social conditions.
  • Breakdown of social institutions.
  • Inadequate socialization.
68
Q

What is the remedy to social problems according to the social pathology perspective?

A
  • Socialize people.

- Moral education.

69
Q

Who is associated with the social disorganization perspective?

A

Durkheim.

70
Q

What is anomie?

A

The idea that rapid social change disrupts norms.

71
Q

According to the social disorganization perspective, the remedy to social problems is to…

A
  • Slow the pace of change.

- Strengthen social norms.

72
Q

Conflict Perspective.

A
  • Central features are conflict and struggle.
  • Different groups compete with one another.
  • Society described in terms of who has power and who benefits.
73
Q

Who is associated with the conflict perspective?

A

Karl Marx.

74
Q

Two types of conflict theories of social problems:

A
  • Marxist.

- Non-Marxist.

75
Q

What type of theory is conflict theory?

A

Macro.

76
Q

Macro-theory

A

Bird’s eye view. See the way society operates from a large scale perspective.

77
Q

Conflict theory says that there conflict between…

A

Those who are exploiters, and those who are exploited.

78
Q

The conflict in conflict theory is often described as being…

A
  • Bourgeoisie vs. proletariat.

- Bourgeoisie use power to control social institutions to their advantage.

79
Q

Marxist Conflict Theories.

A

Demonizes capitalism, corporate violence, and alienation as a the causes of conflict.

80
Q

Corporate Violence

A

Companies can make products that make us sick, but are still allowed to produce them.

81
Q

Alienation

A

Being alienated from what you produce.

  • Production line labour in an industrial world.
  • Less connection between buyers and sellers.
82
Q

According to Marxist Conflict Theories, what is the remedy to social problems?

A
  • Create a classless society.
  • Change work.
    • Decrease repetitive work.
    • Going back to smaller sawmills, family farms.
  • Increase controls on corporations.
83
Q

Non-Marxist Conflict Theories

A

Conflict is because of opposing values and interests. There is a struggle over meaning, recognition, and access to human rights.

84
Q

In Non-Marxist Conflict Theories, ___ is seen as independent of economic class, but is used to influence outcomes.

A

Power.

85
Q

Puttin’ People on the Moon by the Drive By Truckers describes a…

A

Marxist Conflict Perspective.

86
Q

Symbolic Interactionist Theories of Social Problems says that the condition needs to be…

A

Condition Defined and Condition Recognized is a Social Problem.

87
Q

Symbolic Interactionist Theories are ___ theories.

A

Micro.

88
Q

Who is associated with Symbolic Interactionist Theories?

A

George Herbert Mead.

89
Q

George Herbert Mead said that…

A

Both definition and recognition of a condition must exist in order for it to be a social problem.

90
Q

When people define a situation as real, the situation will be real in its effects. What is this known as?

A

Thomas Theorem.

91
Q

Thomas Theorem

A

When people define a situation as real, the situation will be real in its effects.

92
Q

Give an example of the Thomas Theorem.

A

When people see colours of skin as a problem and they react and respond to this problem, these consequences, as well as racism, is real.

93
Q

What did Herbert Blumer encourage?

A

Understanding social problems through process which problems come to attention.

94
Q

Who encouraged understanding social problems through process which problems come to attention?

A

Herbert Blumer.

95
Q

Social Recognition

A

Process by which problem comes to attention.

96
Q

Give an example of how societal recognition came about.

A
  • Attawapiskat housing crisis.
    • Overcrowding, no heating, no insulation, no water, black old health concerns.
    • Theresa Spence made it known that these conditions existed.
97
Q

Social Legitimation

A

Recognition in media, schools, etc.

98
Q

Mobilization for Action

A

Concern leading to action (plans, laws, etc.).

99
Q

Labelling Theory

A

Social problems become problems when labelled as problems.

100
Q

Who is associated with labelling theory?

A

Howard Becker and Erving Goffman.

101
Q

According to labelling theory, what does resolution require?

A

Changing the meaning and definitions attached to labels.

102
Q

Feminist Perspectives

A

Women’s lives are missing or discounted in traditional sociology.

103
Q

Who is associated with feminist perspectives?

A

Harriet Martineau and Dorothy Smith.

104
Q

Standpoint Theory.

A

‘Gender’ central to analysis in relation to power at face-to-face level and social structural level.

105
Q

Who came up with Standpoint Theory?

A

Dorothy Smith.

106
Q

What are the ‘waves’ of feminism?

A
  • Late 1800s - early 1900s: Equality (voting, family).
  • 1960s - 1990s: Sexual and reproductive rights.
  • Mid 1990s - Present: Anti-colonial, anti-dualist, post-modern.
107
Q

Intersectionality

A

When things like race and gender begin to intersect with each other.

108
Q

Are postmodern perspectives micro or macro?

A

Neither.

109
Q

Who are the people associated with postmodern perspectives?

A

Jean-Francois Lyotard and Jean Baudrillard.

110
Q

Simulacra

A

Recreating a nostalgic society as hyper-reality.

111
Q

Who came up with simulacra?

A

Jean Baudrillard.

112
Q

Give an example of simulacra.

A

Disneyland, or GPS.

113
Q

How is GPS like a simulacra?

A

People would drive into a swamp of the GPS said so. It makes us believe that things are ok. Wool is being pulled over our eyes.

114
Q

What theory resists simple categorization?

A

Postmodern theory.

115
Q

What are some characteristics of postmodern theory?

A
  • Resists simple categorization.
  • Rejects linear history.
  • Rejects metanarratives.
  • Rejects rationalism in science.
116
Q

Why does postmodern theory reject linear history?

A

Not everything always gets better as history goes on.

117
Q

Why does postmodern theory reject narratives.

A

Theories that explain societies as a whole.

118
Q

Why does postmodern theory reject rationalism in science?

A

Things are not that simple.

119
Q

Postmodern Theory puts emphasis on…

A

People’s perspectives.

120
Q

Under postmodern theory, there is no single unified way to explain…

A

An external reality. Society should be understood as one of perpetual change.

121
Q

Queer Theory

A

Sex/gender model supports social problems of sexism, misogyny, and homophobia.

122
Q

Who is associated with queer theory?

A

Judith Butler, Michel Foucault, Aaron Devor.

123
Q

Who looked at gender as performed?

A

Aaron Devor.

124
Q

Intersectionality is important in which theories?

A

Queer and feminist theory.

125
Q

A social problem is an ___ social condition.

A

Identified.

126
Q

What is a problem with symbolic interactionist perspectives?

A

Social problems must be recognized. However, just because you got raped in the 1950’s, doesn’t mean it wasn’t rape.

127
Q

There is disagreement over the ___ and ___ to social problems.

A

Causes, solutions.

128
Q

Sociological Imagination

A

Enables us to see connections between our personal lives and the social world.

129
Q

Sociological perspectives provide the ___ to examine social problems.

A

Lens.

J - SOC 203 (24 decks)

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