Unit Exam 3 Flashcards
Education
The social institution through which society provides its members with important knowledge, including basic facts, job skills, and cultural norms and values
Formal education
Schooling with trained teachers in a formal setting
Informal education
Skills, learning at home, learning from media
Schooling
Formal instruction under the direction of specially trained teachers
Less choice of information learned
Schools are closely tied to other her institutions
Functions of Schooling- SF Analysis
Socialization
Cultural Innovation
Social integration
Social Placement
Socialization
Transmission of basic skills, values, and norms
Schools are the first place children interact with differences
Learn cultural values
Cultural Innovation
Fostering creativity that can lead to social change
Through research at universities technological and cultural Innovation is made
Social Integration
Integrating diverse people into one group
Individuals form social networks which become important in the future
Social Placement
The enhancement of meritocracy, placing people according to merit
Rewards hard work and Intelligence to enhance upward social mobility
Latent Functions of Schooling
Linking ppl of marrigable age
Childcare for working parents
Reducing competition for scarce job- eliminates individuals from pursuing jobs that they are not suited for
S-I approach to schooling
Self fulfilling prophecy
Expectations of students impact their performance
Linked closely to labelling theory
Social Conflict Analysis of Schooling
Social Control
Standardized Testing
Tracking
Social Controls
Teaches individuals how to behave in society
Reproduces social inequalities that exist
Teaches children to be a good worker
Earning rewards for effort
Standardized Testing
Test cultural adaptation rather than actual knowledge
People who have access to technology have more access to knowledge
Tracking
Assigning students to different types of educational programs
Gifted directed to high end jobs
Sizer: Ways in which Bureaucratic Schools Undermine Education
Rigid Uniformity- schools highlight the dominant culture through standardization
Numerical ratings- success defined by numbers
Rigid Expectations- expectations for age levels stifle creativity
Specialization- classes taught to have one person specialize in one area
Little Individual Responsibility- responsibility for transmitting knowledge is on the teacher
Structural Barriers
Graduation Rates- public v private schools
Grade inflation- rewarding students for any work even if it isn’t done well
No zero policy- based on the theory that student should be given every opportunity to succeed; giving a 0 discourages the student from trying
Race
Socially constructed category of people who share biologically transmitted traits that members of a society consider important
Usually determined by physical markers
Multiracial
Mixture of multiple races
Most people in the world are multiracial
Ethnicity
Shared cultural heritage (language, religion, ancestry)
Self determined- may be ascribed but must be asserted by the individual
Group member form their identity based on belonging in a group
Racialization
The process of developing an individual or group racial identity (socially constructed)
Results in stratification
The way we racialize ourselves and the way others racialize us may differ
The Thomas Theorem
Things we deem as real become real in their consequences
Ethnicity in Canada
Over 200 ethnic groups and about 16% self identify as a visible minority (2006)
By 2031, 1/3 of people will identify as a visible minority in Canada
Prejudice
A rigid and unfair Generalization about an entire category of people
Mental construction
Tend to be inflexible, based on incomplete information
Stereotypes
A simplified description applied to every person in some category
Attitude
Can become manifested in behaviour
Create thoughts of group membership
Discrimination
Practices that deny members of a particular group equal access to resources and rewards
Behaviour
Denying access to societal rewards of power, prestige, and education
Minority Groups
Groups that are denied equal access to resources and rewards
Based on power dynamics in the society
Social Distance Scale of Measuring Prejudice
Measures how closely people are willing to interact with members of some category
Bogardus- created a 7 point scale to measure prejudice
From the outer circle to the inner circle
Racism
The belief that one racial category is innately superior or inferior to another
Societies define superior and inferior races
Usually attributes behaviours to biology
Racism becomes dangerous when it becomes a strict hierarchy
Intersecting Variable
Relationships exist between racism, sexism, and immigration
Scapegoat Theory
As individuals or groups start to compete for scare resources, we see groups begin to discriminate in order to get the resources
We see more of this in times of economic trouble
Authoritarian Personality Theory
Authoritarian personalities tend to see things in black and white and are more likely to express racism
These people are set in traditional ways, ignore opposing ideas, negative view of human nature
Socialization Theory
Prejudices are learned like any other behaviour through socialization
Conflict Theory
Racial and ethnic conflict come from the unequal distribution of power in society
Those who have power try to keep power at the expense of the less powerful
Institutional Discrimination/Racism
Types of discrimination that are embedded in the structure of the society
Systemic Racism
Directly targets racial groups to give them unequal access
Often the intent is to be neutral but it ends up being discriminatory
Personal Racism
Racism expressed in everyday interactions between individuals; can be intended or unintended
Pluralism
All cultures are equally valued within the dominant culture
Assimilation
One way absorption of culture- dominant culture imposes itself on the subdominant culture
Segregation
Removing subcultures from the dominant culture; moving the groups apart (physically and culturally)
Genocide
One way removal of certain cultural or racial groups from the society
Multiculturalism in Canada
1971- became and official government policy
In policy all races and cultures are equal
Family
A social institution found in all societies that unites people in cooperative groups to oversee the bearing and raising of children
A set of social relationships that work to reproduce social life on a daily and generational basis
Also includes social groupings who function as a family with no biological connection
Kinship
A social bond based on blood, marriage, or adoption
Family Unit
A social group of two or more people related by blood, marriage, or adoption who live together
Endogamy
Marriage between people of the same religious, ethnic, or racial category
Exogamy
Marriage from different categories
Marriage
A legally sanctioned relationship, usually involving economic cooperation as well as sexual activity and childbearing, that people expect to be long lasting
Nuclear Family
One or two parents plus children
Extended family
Nuclear family plus other kin
Functions of the Family
Socialization
Reproduction and the regulation of sexual activity
Social Placement
Material and emotional security
Critiques of S-F Approach to Family
Doesn’t speak to the diversity of families
Doesn’t acknowledge other institution that can provide these function
Ignores that in reproducing Family structures we are reproducing inequality
Talcott Parsons S-F Analysis
Men and women have complementary traits (instrumental men and expressive women)
Functions:
Primary socialization (early childhood socialization
Stabilization of personalities- function for adult members
Social Conflict Approach to Family
The Family contributed to inequality by:
Property and inheritance- keeps people in their class
Patriarchy- men control the economic position and sexuality of women
Race and ethnicity- individuals often marry in their own class
S-I Approach to Family
Opportunities for intimacy, shared activities, builds emotional bonds
How do individuals negotiate their roles in the family
Social Exchange- courtship and marriage as a negotiation to make the best deal on their partner
Crude Marriage Rate
Number of marriages per 1000 individuals
In Canada- 1972- 9.2, 2008- 4.4
Common Law
Living together with no intention of marrying
Has been increasing in recent years
Cohabitatiin
Living together for the purpose of marrying
Leads to higher rates of divorce on the whole
Total Fertility Rate
The estimate of the average number of children a woman will have in her lifetime
2005- 1.54
Replacement Rate
The number of children that a woman must have to maintain the population at the same Rate
2005- 2.1
Causes TFR and RR to be different
Women having children later in life
Women are doing more education and working more
Negative outlook on life lessens the children a person has
Average age of 1st child 2010- 29
Factors that lead to divorce
Rise of individualism Losing romantic love Women less dependent on men Outside stressors Less stigma around divorced Getting married as teens Both parties have less than a HS diploma Shorter dating period Religion makes you less likely to divorce
Cluttered Nest
Adult children living at home
Empty nest
Adult children moving out of the home
Sandwich generation
Caring for aging parents and children at home
Boomerang children
Children who have left home for a while and then return
Religion
A social institution involving beliefs and practices based on recognizing the sacred
S-F analysis of religion
Durkheim- what are the aspects of religion
Totems- an object in the natural world collectively defined as sacred
The sacred v the profane
The sacred is collectively defined and treated differently than the profane
3 Functions of Religion
Social Cohesion- binds people together
Social Control- believing in a larger power creates larger implications to deviance
Provides Meaning and Purpose
S-I Analysis of Religion
Religion a social construction
Women more religious, and poor more religious
historical/social context changes our views
If we believe the divine is involved in the world, it changes our interpretation of events
SC Approach to Religion
Opiate of the masses
Wealthy encourage the poor to be religious to prevent uprising
Religious groups affirm the patriarchy and division (racial, denominational)
Max Weber: Protestantism and Capitalism
Capitalism developed in protestant/ calvinist countries
Calvin’s three assumptions
1) Glorify God through your vocation
2)God is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent
3) God predestines people
Looking at these three beliefs, working hard and accumulating wealth is an indicator of God’s favour, therefore one should work hard
Liberation Theology
the combining of Christian principles with political activism, often Marxist in character
Often used to bring about social change
Religion in Canada- Trends
Privatized Religion Secularization Religious Nones Christian Identification Inter Group Feelings Immigration
Privatized Religion
religion is individual and personal- don’t push it
Secularization
Generally, people end up where they start/ are in their teen years
Western World- Secularization is growing
East- Christianity is growing
Religious Nones
Fastest growing “religious” group in WW
People who say they have no religion, but vary in beliefs
The Sunday Assembly
Christian Identification
Christian identification is dropping
2001- 76.6
2011- 67.3
Evangelicals continue to hold their own around 10%
InterGroup Feelings
Generally negative feelings across the board towards Muslims and Mormons, but varies from group to group
Immigration
Christianity is the leading religion among immigrants, though this is diminishing
Immigration is the current lifeline of Christianity
Most congregations are uniethnic
Causes of Decreased Involvement in Church
Reject exclusivity Life Transition Teenage Choice Too Busy Scandals/Hypocrisy Intellectual disagreement Interpersonal tension social ties *most are beyond the control of the church*
Greater Involvement in the Church if…
Community Marriage/Children Less exclusive change style/format Live the faith Location Less Busy
Sociology of Christianity- Frederich Nietzsche
You cannot understand the world rationally through the lens of an irrational religion
God is dead
intellectualism v religion
Determinism and Choice
what impacts the choices that humans make
free choice is going to be informed by worldview
in some religious worldview, free choice isn’t that free
Cultural Relativism and Moral Absolutes
every action is moral when looking at the time and place where it occurred
some things are always morally wrong
Critical Human Rights Perspective
doing right because god wants us to versus doing right because we are all humans and should do right
Demography
the study of the population
Demographics
the characteristics we see in a population
Fertility
Important in studying demography
the incidence of childbearing in a society’s population
Crude Birth Rate- # of live births per 1000 ppl per year
Mortality
the incidence of death in a society’s population
Crude Death Rate- # of deaths per 1000 ppl per year
Infant Mortality Rates
of infant deaths 1000 live births
Life Expectancy
lifespan of a country’s population, generally distinguished between men and women
Improved medical advances, nutrition, clean drinking water, birth control
Natural Population Growth
Only looking at fertility and mortality rate of an original population
Migratory Population Growth
Includes immigration and emigration, the net balance of the two
Pull factors- factors that attract immigration
Push Factors- factors that push ppl out of a country
Age Pyramid
A graph showing the distribution of ages in a population
Canada has an aging population
Canada’s Population Growth
Fertility rates are decreasing and mortality rates are increasing, causing decreasing natural population growth
migratory population is causing the increase/stability of the population in Canada
Malthusian Theory
Why should we care about Population?
Population grows geometrically (2,4,8,16)
Food and other production grows arithmetically (2,4,6,8)
Result: we will outgrow our resources
Suggested restraint and forced sterilization
Demographic Transition Theory
population patterns reflect a society’s level of technological development
1) Agrarian Stage- high BR, high DR
2) Early Industrial- High BR, decreasing DR
3) Mature Industrial- Declining BR and DR
4) Postindustrial- natural population growth is relatively low and stagnant due to financial realities of large families
Low Growth North
Zero Population Growth- level of reproduction that maintains population at a steady rate; seen in postindustrial societies
High Growth South
birth rates have fallen but not below the level of growth
History shows that raising the status of women is a key element in changing birth rates
Urbanisation
concentration of humanity into cities
Capitalism is vital to urbanization
Urbanism as a way of life- Ferdinand Toonies
As people move to cities, communities are developed where people look to others needs above their own
Then, their view changes and the individuals needs take precedence over the needs of society
S-F Analysis of Urbanization
Emile Durkheim
Mechanical Solidarity- bonds based on commonality (found in rural communities)
Organic Solidarity- social bonds based on specialization and interdependence (urban communities)
S-I Analysis of Urbanization
Blasé attitude- coping mechanism to deal with rapidly changing society and conflicting information
How do individuals find their place and create their own personality in a communal society
In a large city, people shut down and filter information which is bad for mental health
Metropolis
a large city that socially and economically dominates an urban area
includes a major city and surrounding suburbs
Suburb
urban areas beyond the city boundaries
As industrialization occurs, so do social problems, and so the wealthy move to the suburbs
Urban Sprawl
Spreading of an urban centre due to increased space wants
leads to:
-increase in taxes
-services are closely linked to the income of an area; negatively impacts the inner city
Gentrification
the movement of the middle class into the working class space Ruth Glass the middle class is moving back from the suburbs into the working class space to be close to work forces the working class out as living prices increase
Social Change
Transformation of culture and social institutions over time
It is:
1) Ongoing- the challenge is that not all institution change at the same time
2) Intentional or unintentional
3) Controversial
4) Occurs at different levels
Causes of Social Change
Culture- norms, values, and attitudes change
Conflict- results in a new way of thinking, whether through compromise or domination
Ideas and inventions
Demographic Change
Social Movement
an organized activity that encourages or discourages social change- key is claims making
Claims Making
the process of trying to convince the public of the importance of a social movement or social issue
Alternative Social Movements
least threatening; limited change for a limited number of people; present and alternative way of being
Redemptive Social Movement
selective focus, radical change, need to change what we are doing to save society
Relative Deprivation Theory
When there is a gap between rewards individuals should get and rewards they actually get there is an idea of relative deprivation
When people feel this relative deprivation, people will mobilize for social change
Resource Mobilization Theory
Social Movements emerge when disadvantaged people are able to marshal the resources that are needed to bring about change
Resources can be unions, celebrities, authority figures
Frame Alignment Theory
When groups can align with other groups that are sympathetic in order to have people align with groups similar to them
Strategies: reaching out to other organizations, elevating importance of positive beliefs about the movement, stressing the likelihood of success
New Social Movements
focus on quality of life, world peace, environment
They are new in terms of:
-their goals (which appeal to humanity)
-the people they attract (young people, mainstream and marginalized)
-their global focus
Modernity
changing social patterns resulting from industrialization
Modernization
the process of social change that began with industrialization
Changes include:
from traditional community to individualism
growth of personal choice
increasing diversity
ways of thinking are more future directed
Loss of Community- Ferdinand Toonies
With modernization comes the loss of human community
Modernity brings about impersonal relationships
Individuals are intrinsically wired to look out for individual goals
