Unit 1: Social and Cultural Reproduction

Question 1

Johnson’s definition of culture

Answer 1

the accumulated store of symbols, ideas, and material products associated with a social system

Question 2

Socialization

Answer 2

the processes whereby individuals attain the behaviors, norms, beliefs, and ideologies that are needed for competent participation in society; how people are taught the norms and values of their group

starts immediately with family (explicit), then school/peer/civic groups

Question 3

Resocialization

Answer 3

when someone switches environments and has to relearn/adjust their knowledge and behaviors to fit into the new culture

ex: college, military

Question 4

Cultural Capital

Answer 4

the distinctions that develop between individuals and groups due to differences in access to education, family background, wealth, and occupation, giving them advantages and signifying an individual’s status in a group

ex: “proper” language usage, formal manners, art/theater/music taste

Question 5

Sociological Imagination

Answer 5

C.W. Mills: the expanding circles of influence that socialize and cultivate individuals ( self <= family <= community <= nation-state <= global)

History & Biography; history to public issues & biography to personal troubles; Personal Troubles & Public Issues

being able to identify these influences can help us address social issues

Question 6

Nested Analysis

Answer 6

Considers an issue across many levels of analysis from micro (self & small groups) to meso (organizations) to macro (big orgs/institutions/global)

Question 7

Social Institutions (definition)

Answer 7

Formal system of shared beliefs, behaviors, social norms, and structural components in society that organize main concerns and activities of social life (family, economy, gov/law, education, religion, + health/media)

Question 8

Discredited Stigma

Answer 8

differentness is known already/evident on the spot

Question 9

Discreditable Stigma

Answer 9

differentness is unknown and not immediately perceivable

Question 10

Greek Stigma (og)

Answer 10

term referring to bodily signs that expose something bad about the moral status of the signifier

Question 11

Christian Stigma (2)

Answer 11

term expanded to also become related to bodily signs of holy grace or physical disorder

Question 12

3 types of stigmas

Answer 12

physical deformities, character blemishes (weak will, dishonesty, mental illness), and tribal/lineage (race, nation, religion)

Question 13

Joyless Economy

Answer 13

modern consumer capitalism has turned us all into drug addicts where we constantly seek the dopamine thrill of a new purchase but it fails to satisfy and we try to keep buying more

Question 14

Five Traditional Institution

Answer 14

Government/Law, Family, Economy, Education, and Religion

Question 15

2 informal/new institutions

Answer 15

Health and Media

Question 16

Cultural Reproduction

Answer 16

the social process through which culture is reproduced across generations, especially through the socializing influence of major institutions

the processes by which we reinforce cultural capital and reproduce status traits in children – **schools used to pass along the ideas that support the privileged

Question 17

Front stage

Answer 17

people you’re trying to impress

Question 18

Back stage

Answer 18

people on your level/who see more of who you are

Question 19

Emotional labor

Answer 19

the process by which workers are expected to manage their feelings in accordance with organizationally defined rules and guidelines

Question 20

Emotional work

Answer 20

the effort involved in manipulating the emotion of oneself and others’ (princessing)

Question 21

Material culture

Answer 21

material products (burgers, guns, cowboy)

Question 22

Non-material culture

Answer 22

symbols and ideas (bald eagle, freedom, money)

Question 23

Four Types of Sociology

Answer 23

Academic, Critical, Policy, and Public

Question 24

Academic Sociology

Answer 24

Audience: other professionals
Differences: often paid/part of professional requirements

Question 25

Critical Sociology

Answer 25

Audience: other professionals (towards academics)
Differences: draws heavily on Marxist & other critical theories

Question 26

Policy Sociology

Answer 26

Audience: policymakers
Differences: often paid for & solicited by govt/NGOs

Question 27

Public Sociology

Answer 27

Audience: the public
Differences: takes many forms (letters to editors, journals, podcasts, etc)

Question 28

Dramaturgy

Answer 28

Erving Goffman: term/theory that refers to the way people actively work to manage the impressions they give (which they can control) and the impressions they give off (which they can’t control)

all social interaction is like theater – involves teams, props, scripts, stages
Why? done to match social expectations and/or self-image

Question 29

Conflict Theory

Answer 29

based on INEQUALITY/class struggle: macro soc theory that conflict is normal and shapes social life

Questions: What causes inequality? How does social change happen?
Marx/Weber; many offshoots (CRT)

Question 30

Structural Functionalism

Answer 30

based on VALUES/NORMS: macro soc theory that stability is the norm

Questions: How do societies function with competing values? How do social groups instill values?
Durkheim

Question 31

Agency

Answer 31

the power of an individual to make change in a society

Question 32

Covid and Impression management

Answer 32

Crisis blurs the lines and redefines the present experience, which changes what’s acceptable (dramaturgy: the stage changes in crisis)

ex: front/back stage blurred in covid => now okay to have messy hair, not wear bras, etc
forced to expose personal life (Zoom), was harder to maintain strict division => more tolerability
covid also caused declines in the self (more stress, less self-care/maintenance, lost things that defined us) => we had to adapt, used memes as outlet

Question 33

Impression Management

Answer 33

part of Goffman’s Dramaturgy theory; micro level theory and part of symbolic functionalism

trying to maintain a character/front and give (off) impressions to people so they view you a specific way

Question 34

Symbolic Interactionism

Answer 34

micro level theory that analyzes how human shape each other in one-on-one or small group interactions (small piece of society)