Sociology
social science that studies human society and social behavior
Social Structure
the people in a society considered as a system organized by a characteristic pattern of relationships
Culture
the attitudes and behavior that are characteristic of a particular social group or organization
Social Change
significant alteration over time in behavior patterns and culture, including norms and values
Sociological Imagination
ability to see the connection between the larger world and our personal lives
Socialization
the adoption of the behavior patterns of the surrounding culture
Institutions
Complex social organizations such as governments, economies, and education systems
Vital Needs
What we need to enjoy a basic life.
1. Good Job
2. Housing
3. Food and Safety
4.Education
5. Environment
6. Health Care
7. Safety and Security
8. Infrastructure
9. Voice in Decision Making
Vital Needs as a Social Problem
Jobs- Losing jobs because we are sending them overseas. We have a very high unemployment rate. Minimum wage does not pay for everything.
Housing- Foreclosures, homelessness
Food Security- Food Stamps
Education-1/3 of all schools did not pass the safety st
Unemployment
the state of being unemployed or not having a job. Highest unemployment rate in the world. Majority of people are part time workers working minimum wage which does not pay the bills.
Real Wages
wages as compared to the cost of living
Job Insecurity
the feeling that you can lose your job anytime. seasonal jobs, for every new job there are 50 applicants.
Bankruptcies, Foreclosures
People cannot afford to live in their houses anymore.
Health Care Reform
This was a 1993 health care reform package under the Clinton Administration that required each US citizen and permanent resident alien to become enrolled in a qualified health plan. President Clinton set up a task force led by his wife to come up with a c
Infrastructure
the basic structure or features of a system or organization
Weapon Sales
We are the largest weapon dealer in the world. We sell to all other countries including dictators in conflict, democracies who do not need the weapons.
Stratification
the act or process or arranging persons into classes or social strata. Titanic. People on the top are high class and they survive. Its hard to move up.
Non-material Culture
the beliefs practices, aesthetics, and values of a group of people
Material Culture
The art, housing, clothing, sports, dances, foods, and other similar items constructed or created by a group of people.
Conventional Wisdom
ideas or beliefs that the majority of people in the society holds without even questioning. How does it help those in power?, common beliefs or ideas that most people hold true
Annenberg Study
Largest study of TV viewers, heavy watchers are nor more valued. anxious, angry and afraid. more likely to support things like the death penalty.
Value Neutrality
Max Weber's term for objectivity of sociologists in the interpretation of data
Corporations
SEPARATE PEOPLE.1868 the 14th amendment was ratified. No STATE should deprive a person from their life, liberty and property. Protecting newly freed slaves. 1886 the Santa Fe Railway sued the county claiming they were a person and the county was taking aw
Fracking
inject high pressure water/sand into shale-gas comes up out of ground-very salty water(other contaminates) 5x saltier than ocean water, form of extracting natural gas from the earth. very dangerous.
Revolving Door
The cycle in which a person alternately works for the public sector and private sector, thus blurring the individual's sense of loyalty. Telling the other people in the sector the secrets.
Military Industrial Complex
Eisenhower's term for the close ties between the defense industry and the Pentagon that might influence government policy.
Criminal Justice Industrial Complex
Prison as a political force as it is profitable to some
Capitalism
an economic system based on private property and free enterprise,
Monopoly Capitalism
Control of the market, not by governments, but by gigantic corporations or cartels. EX. Wal-mart
Who Rules America?
Democracy" But really it is just the rich who rules america. They put in all their money to politicians and other corporations to get what they want. They are getting richer while the poor are getting poorer.
Allegory of the Cave
story in which people can only see what is in front of them, but when one of them is released and shown the truth he is blinded but then sees and when he returns and tries to tell the others, they laugh, but it is his duty to spread the truth.
Oligarchy
a goverment ruled by a few powerful people
Plutocracy
a political system governed by the wealthy people. (What America essentially has)
Class Conflict
the ongoing struggle between the bourgeoisie (owners) and the proletariat (working) classes. The poor want more and the rich want more. The rich get it because they have the money.
Deregulation
the removal of some government controls over a market
Tort Reform
legislation that limits the nature of personal injury lawsuits, either by restricting the type of suit, who can be sued, or the amount of damages.. want to not be liable for what they did wrong.
Subsidies
government loans, grants, and tax deferments given to domestic companies to protect them from foreign competition
Bailouts
a government assistance to a company that is going out of buisness or into debt
Privatization
Process of converting government enterprises into privately owned companies
Power Elite
c. wright mills' term for the top people in u.s. corporations, military, and politics who make the nation's major decisions
Lobbying
attempting to influence policy makers
Campaign Financing
refers to all funds that are raised and spent in order to promote candidates, parties or policies in some sort of electoral contest, the rich are not allowed to give the politician the money directly so instead they make ads and etc so that the politician
Media Corporations
Over 90% ov media is owned by Disney, Viacom, Time WArner, News Corm, Bertelsmann, and GE. ALL the airwaves once belonged to us the people and we gave it over to the cable companies which are now rich and charging us for something that was once ours.
Wealthfare
Government subsidies to the non-poor.
Gov't giving money to the poor, although it is NOT enough. Gov't aid.
Service Sector
The sector of the economy that provides services--such as health care, banking, and education--contrast to the sector that produces goods.
Financial Wealth
the value of all of one's financial assets minus all financial liabilities. Sometimes called wealth for short.
Poverty Line
amount of yearly income a family requires to meet its basic needs, according to the federal government. people spend 1/3 of money on food. not poor if you are single and make over 11,000, Family of four 24,000... NOT ENOUGH MONEY TO LIVE OFF OF.
Income
earnings from work or investments
Poverty Rate
The percentage of the population whose family income falls below an absolute level called the poverty line. 1 out of 6 people in the US are poor according to the poverty line. Clinton fixed the welfare to make it so they get less.
Welfare Reform
(WJC)"end welfare as we know it", poor ppl move from welfare to work, welfare payments to max of five years, welfare recipients engage in work within two years.
--You can still work full time and be poor. only 2% of families get help. not so generous in t
Deindustrialization
Process by which companies move industrial jobs to other regions with cheaper labor, leaving the newly deindustrialized region to switch to a service economy and to work through a period of high unemployment.
Moving jobs elsewhere because the company gets
Levels of Aid
What percentage of families get help.
Who benefits from poverty?
Benefits the owners because there is a lot of people who want the same jobs and they can easily fire someone because they "want more money". its easy to find a replacement.
Socialism
an economic system based on state ownership of capital
Concentration of Ownership
ownership of different and numerous media companies concentrated in fewer and fewer hands
Shared Monopoly
a condition that exists when four or fewer companies supply 50 percent or more of a particular market
EXAMPLE: FOOD INC, Only a few companies are in the meat industry.
Interlocking Directorates
the consolidation of rival enterprises, to ensure harmony officers of a banking syndicate were placed on boards of these rivals
Producer Networks
such retail power that it can control anything. "i want to sell my t-shirt to wal-mart but they only want to pay me a dollar.", Corporations own every aspect of an area and can demand the product be sold to them at a certain price or it won't be sold in t
R and D
Research and Development: Business or government activity that is purposely designed to stimulate invention and innovation
Automation
the act of implementing the control of equipment with advanced technology
EX: Replaces humans like the bathroom that cleans itself.
Job Flight or Offshoring
Sending jobs overseas because we can pay workers over there less and the corporations make more.
Downsizing
reducing a company in size by laying off workers and managers to become more efficient.. ANOTHER way to get more money.
Outsourcing
The procuring of services or products, such as the parts used in manufacturing a motor vehicle, from an outside supplier or manufacturer in order to cut costs. Internal or Domestic
Mergers
The joining together of two or more companies or organizations to form one larger one.
Acquisitions
the purchase of one organization by another. the acquired company ceases to exist as a separate entity and is absorbed under the name of the purchasing corporation
Net Worth
What you have minus what you owe
Financial Wealth
net worth minus net equity in owner-occupied housing
Severely Poor, Nearly Poor, Working Poor
Severely Poor. 1/2 of the poverty line.
Nearly Poor. At the poverty line
Working Poor. Working but still poor.
Fordism
principles for mass production based on assembly-line techniques, scientific management, mass consumption based on higher wages, and sophisticated advertising techniques, Created by Henry Ford when making the Ford vehicle. Speeds up the progress if everyo
Scientific Management
Fredrick Taylor, watch people with a watch and see how long it takes for a worker to do a certain task and fid out the exact time that that task should be done.
Democratic Institutions
characterized by free and equal participation in government or in the decision-making processes of an organization or group.
But are we really a democratic country?
Ways in which wealth undermines democratic institutions
The wealthy control everything with their money, everyone in this country in money hungry and it is proven through this. They give money to politicians and such to get what they want.
Campaign Financing
Campaign finance refers to the fundraising and spending that political campaigns do in their election races, the wealthy campaign for politicians so that they do things in their favor.
Regulatory Agencies
departments, bureaus, or independent agencies whose primary mission is to impose limits, restrictions, or other obligations on the conduct of individuals or companies in the private sector
Deregulation
The lifting of restrictions on business, industry, and professional activities for which government rules had been established and that bureaucracies had been created to administer.`
Tort Reform
legislation that limits the nature of personal injury lawsuits, either by restricting the type of suit, who can be sued, or the amount of damages
--Suing large corporations for selling and making dangerous products. getting a limit to how much they would
Telecommunications Act of 1996
legislation that overhauled the Federal Communications Act of 1934 by deregulating a range of communications technologies in effort to promote competition in the development and provision of telecommunications services.
--Digital Spectrum, 1000 channels w
Work Opportunity Tax Credit
2400 given to fast food industry for hiring a low income person
Town Hall Meetings
Use to actually be in a town hall and the people would come and speak.. a democracy. But now its all televised and we do not get to ask what we want.
PAC's
political action committee: committee formed by a special-interest group to raise money for their favorite political candidates
Trade Groups and Front Groups
TRADE GROUP: Organizations that represent a certain industry and does not hide it. They lobby based on that industry.
FRONT GROUP: Hidden behind a fake name. "Citizen for Better Healthcare" Sounds better and different than what it actually is.
Wealth Primary
Up until the 2008 election, the person who won the primary election was always the person who raised the most money. MONEY TALKS
Bailouts
The policy of supplying government support for corporations when they are in severe financial trouble. The Chrysler Corporation, for example, got a $1.5 billion bailout in 1980, and the savings and loan banks received at least $159 billion during the bail
Photo Ops
Staged opportunities for the media to photograph the candidate in a favorable setting. The candidate will be shown in a picture cleaning up a park when really they just posed for that picture to look better.
Citizens United
Supreme court ruling that lets the rich give as much money as they want and feed them into the political system as long as they are not giving the money directly to the politician.
Hedge Fund
a private investment organization that employs risky strategies that often made huge profits for investors
TARP
Troubled Assets Relief Program: bank side response to US economic crisis, initially turned down by congress then rewritten in-acting equity injectors in which the treasury takes preferred stock in banks and uses leverage to buy up bad debts (every dollar