Definition of sociology
The scientific study of human life and the social causes and consequences of human behavior
Personal troubles (micro)
Occur within the character of the individual and within the range of his/her immediate relationship with others; can be solved by the person
Public issues (macro)
Some value cherished by the public feels threatened
Functionalist perspective
Examines the functions or consequences of the structure of society (using a macro perspective and focusing on how society creates and maintains social order); roles
Conflict perspective
Considers how society is held together by power and coercion for the benefit of those in power; social class
Feminist perspective
Defines gender as a source of social inequality, group conflict, and social problems; anti-patriarchy
Symbolic interactionist perspective
Focuses on how we use language, words and symbols to create and maintain our social reality
Social problem
A social condition or pattern of behavior that has negative consequences for individuals, our social world, or our physical world
Globalization
The process of increasing trans-border connectedness - whether economically, politically, environmentally, or socially - poses new challenges and opportunities to understanding and solving social problems`
Subjectivity of social problems
How a problem becomes defined as a problem
Objectivity of social problems
Acknowledging that a particular social condition negatively affects human lives
Social policy
The enactment of a course of action through a formal law or program
Wealth
The value of assets owned by a household at a point in time; gross assets (the total value of the assets someone owns) and net worth (the value of assets owned minus the amount of debt owned)
Income
The money earned from one's work,
Absolute poverty
A lack of basic necessities, such as food, shelter, and income
Relative poverty
A situation in which some people fail to achieve the average income or lifestyle enjoyed by the rest of society
Poverty guidelines
Used to determine family or individual eligibility for federal programs such as Head Start and the National School Lunch Program
Functionalist perspective of poverty
Not everyone in a society can and should be equal; poverty is a product of our social structure
Conflict perspective of poverty
Inequality is inevitable, but for different reasons than the functionalist perspective - it is systematically created and maintained by those trying to preserve their advantage over the system
Feminist perspective of poverty
The drive to maintain male dominance and the patriarchal family is assumed to be the principle force shaping the formation, implementation, and outcomes of U.S. welfare policy
Symbolic interactionist perspective of poverty
Draws attention to how class differences are communicated through symbols, how the meaning of these symbols is constructed or constrained by social forces, and how these symbols reproduce social inequality
Social stratification
The ranking of individuals into social strata or groups
Social inequality
Inequal distribution of resources, services, and positions
Life chances
Access provided by social position to goods and services
Race
A group or population that shares a set of genetic characteristics and physical features
Ethnic groups
Groups that are set off to some degree from other groups by displaying a unique set of cultural traits, such as their language, religion, or diet
States with the highest rate of foreign born individuals
California, New York, Texas, Florida, and New Jersey; twelve percent of the 12% population is foreign born
Country/countries where the majority of American immigrants are from
Mexico and other Latin American countries
Functionalist perspective of race/ethnicity
The differences between racial and ethnic groups are largely cultural; assimilation is the solution (minority group members become part of the dominant group, losing their original distinct group identity)
Conflict perspective of race/ethnicity
The dynamics of racial and ethnic relations diving groups while maintaining a dominant group
Feminist perspective of race/ethnicity
Focuses on the experiences of women and other marginalized groups in society; intersects with multiculturalism
Symbolic interactionist perspective of race/poverty
Race is a social construct; we learn about race and ethnicity of white, black, latino, asian, native american, and immigrants through our social interaction
Global immigration as a social problem
Threat of terrorism, increased number of hate crimes, and a growing gap between the rich and the poor
De facto segregation
A subtle process of segregation that is the result of other processes, such as housing segregation, rather than because of an official policy
Ethnocentrism
The belief that one's own group values and behaviors are right
Racism
The belief in the inferiority of certain racial or ethnic groups, often accompanied by discriminations
Segregation
Physical and social separation of ethnic or racial groups
Duties of men and women
There are no societies in the world where men and women perform the same duties
Women's earnings vs. men's earnings
On average, working women earn 77 cents for every $1 working men earn
Leading occupations of women
Secretaries, administrative assistants, child care workers, receptionists, information clerks, teaching assistants, etc.
Functionalist perspective of gender
Gender inequality is inevitable because of the biological division of labor in the household
Conflict/feminist perspective of gender
Gender inequality exists because it benefits a group in power and with power to shape society - men
Social interactionist perspective of gender
This type of social categorization is important because it sets into motion the production of gender differences and inequality
Horizontal segregation
The separation of men and women into non-manual labor and men into manual labor sectors
Vertical segregation
The evolution of men into the best-paid and most desirable occupations in non-manual and manual labors sectors, whereas women remain in lower-paid positions with no job mobility
Sex
The fixed physiological differences between males and females
Gender
The difference between males and females determined by our society and our culture (social construction of masculine and feminine attitudes and behaviors)
Patriarchy
Society in which the powerful (often men) dominate the powerless (often women)
Sexism
Prejudice or discrimination based solely on someone's sex
The first country to establish laws against sexual orientation discrimination
South Africa
First state to recognize civil unions
Vermont
First state to legalize same sex marriage
Massachusetts
Functionalist perspective of sexual orientation
Examines how society maintains our social order; our most basic human behavior - our sexuality - is controlled by society's norms and values
Conflict/feminist perspective of sexual orientation
Heterosexuals are given the advantage in our society; heterosexism assumes that heterosexuality is the norm, encouraging discrimination in favor of heterosexuals and against homosexuals
Social interactionist perspective of sexual orientation
Sexual orientation is constructed within a social context; the process of how individuals identify themselves as homosexual and what scholars describe as part of the development of a gay identity, etc. is examined
Heterosexual couples' benefits
The U.S. grants 1,000 federal benefits to heterosexual couples
Sexual orientation
The classification of individuals according to their preference for emotional-sexual relationships and lifestyle
Homophobia
An irrational fear or intolerance of homosexuals
Institutional heterosexuality
Discrimination practiced by political or social institutions; bisexual or homosexual men, women, and their families are subject to social inequalities through practices of discrimination and prejudice, many of them surprisingly institutionalized in formal
Reasons why the population is growing
Mainly population aging (people, on average, are getting older/living longer)
Functionalist perspective of aging
Age helps maintain the stability of society by providing a set of roles and expectations for each particular age group or for a particular life stage
Conflict perspective of aging
The two groups at odds with each other are the young vs. the old; modernization theory of aging suggests that the role and status of the elderly declines with industrialization
Feminist perspective of aging
The standards of our culture create more problems for women than for men as they transition into their middle and later years
Social interactionist perspective of aging
Age is tied to a system of matching people and roles; for example, middle age - we share a definition of what it means to be middle aged, and there is an expectation that we need to assume a particular role once we are middle aged
Cohorts
Groups of individuals with similarities; the world's population is aging and age serves to distinguish acceptable behaviors
The most economically vulnerable
The very young and the elderly
Geriatrics/gerontology
The study of aging and the elderly
Definition of sociology
The scientific study of human life and the social causes and consequences of human behavior
Personal troubles (micro)
Occur within the character of the individual and within the range of his/her immediate relationship with others; can be solved by the person
Public issues (macro)
Some value cherished by the public feels threatened
Functionalist perspective
Examines the functions or consequences of the structure of society (using a macro perspective and focusing on how society creates and maintains social order); roles
Conflict perspective
Considers how society is held together by power and coercion for the benefit of those in power; social class
Feminist perspective
Defines gender as a source of social inequality, group conflict, and social problems; anti-patriarchy
Symbolic interactionist perspective
Focuses on how we use language, words and symbols to create and maintain our social reality
Social problem
A social condition or pattern of behavior that has negative consequences for individuals, our social world, or our physical world
Globalization
The process of increasing trans-border connectedness - whether economically, politically, environmentally, or socially - poses new challenges and opportunities to understanding and solving social problems`
Subjectivity of social problems
How a problem becomes defined as a problem
Objectivity of social problems
Acknowledging that a particular social condition negatively affects human lives
Social policy
The enactment of a course of action through a formal law or program
Wealth
The value of assets owned by a household at a point in time; gross assets (the total value of the assets someone owns) and net worth (the value of assets owned minus the amount of debt owned)
Income
The money earned from one's work,
Absolute poverty
A lack of basic necessities, such as food, shelter, and income
Relative poverty
A situation in which some people fail to achieve the average income or lifestyle enjoyed by the rest of society
Poverty guidelines
Used to determine family or individual eligibility for federal programs such as Head Start and the National School Lunch Program
Functionalist perspective of poverty
Not everyone in a society can and should be equal; poverty is a product of our social structure
Conflict perspective of poverty
Inequality is inevitable, but for different reasons than the functionalist perspective - it is systematically created and maintained by those trying to preserve their advantage over the system
Feminist perspective of poverty
The drive to maintain male dominance and the patriarchal family is assumed to be the principle force shaping the formation, implementation, and outcomes of U.S. welfare policy
Symbolic interactionist perspective of poverty
Draws attention to how class differences are communicated through symbols, how the meaning of these symbols is constructed or constrained by social forces, and how these symbols reproduce social inequality
Social stratification
The ranking of individuals into social strata or groups
Social inequality
Inequal distribution of resources, services, and positions
Life chances
Access provided by social position to goods and services
Race
A group or population that shares a set of genetic characteristics and physical features
Ethnic groups
Groups that are set off to some degree from other groups by displaying a unique set of cultural traits, such as their language, religion, or diet
States with the highest rate of foreign born individuals
California, New York, Texas, Florida, and New Jersey; twelve percent of the 12% population is foreign born
Country/countries where the majority of American immigrants are from
Mexico and other Latin American countries
Functionalist perspective of race/ethnicity
The differences between racial and ethnic groups are largely cultural; assimilation is the solution (minority group members become part of the dominant group, losing their original distinct group identity)
Conflict perspective of race/ethnicity
The dynamics of racial and ethnic relations diving groups while maintaining a dominant group
Feminist perspective of race/ethnicity
Focuses on the experiences of women and other marginalized groups in society; intersects with multiculturalism
Symbolic interactionist perspective of race/poverty
Race is a social construct; we learn about race and ethnicity of white, black, latino, asian, native american, and immigrants through our social interaction
Global immigration as a social problem
Threat of terrorism, increased number of hate crimes, and a growing gap between the rich and the poor
De facto segregation
A subtle process of segregation that is the result of other processes, such as housing segregation, rather than because of an official policy
Ethnocentrism
The belief that one's own group values and behaviors are right
Racism
The belief in the inferiority of certain racial or ethnic groups, often accompanied by discriminations
Segregation
Physical and social separation of ethnic or racial groups
Duties of men and women
There are no societies in the world where men and women perform the same duties
Women's earnings vs. men's earnings
On average, working women earn 77 cents for every $1 working men earn
Leading occupations of women
Secretaries, administrative assistants, child care workers, receptionists, information clerks, teaching assistants, etc.
Functionalist perspective of gender
Gender inequality is inevitable because of the biological division of labor in the household
Conflict/feminist perspective of gender
Gender inequality exists because it benefits a group in power and with power to shape society - men
Social interactionist perspective of gender
This type of social categorization is important because it sets into motion the production of gender differences and inequality
Horizontal segregation
The separation of men and women into non-manual labor and men into manual labor sectors
Vertical segregation
The evolution of men into the best-paid and most desirable occupations in non-manual and manual labors sectors, whereas women remain in lower-paid positions with no job mobility
Sex
The fixed physiological differences between males and females
Gender
The difference between males and females determined by our society and our culture (social construction of masculine and feminine attitudes and behaviors)
Patriarchy
Society in which the powerful (often men) dominate the powerless (often women)
Sexism
Prejudice or discrimination based solely on someone's sex
The first country to establish laws against sexual orientation discrimination
South Africa
First state to recognize civil unions
Vermont
First state to legalize same sex marriage
Massachusetts
Functionalist perspective of sexual orientation
Examines how society maintains our social order; our most basic human behavior - our sexuality - is controlled by society's norms and values
Conflict/feminist perspective of sexual orientation
Heterosexuals are given the advantage in our society; heterosexism assumes that heterosexuality is the norm, encouraging discrimination in favor of heterosexuals and against homosexuals
Social interactionist perspective of sexual orientation
Sexual orientation is constructed within a social context; the process of how individuals identify themselves as homosexual and what scholars describe as part of the development of a gay identity, etc. is examined
Heterosexual couples' benefits
The U.S. grants 1,000 federal benefits to heterosexual couples
Sexual orientation
The classification of individuals according to their preference for emotional-sexual relationships and lifestyle
Homophobia
An irrational fear or intolerance of homosexuals
Institutional heterosexuality
Discrimination practiced by political or social institutions; bisexual or homosexual men, women, and their families are subject to social inequalities through practices of discrimination and prejudice, many of them surprisingly institutionalized in formal
Reasons why the population is growing
Mainly population aging (people, on average, are getting older/living longer)
Functionalist perspective of aging
Age helps maintain the stability of society by providing a set of roles and expectations for each particular age group or for a particular life stage
Conflict perspective of aging
The two groups at odds with each other are the young vs. the old; modernization theory of aging suggests that the role and status of the elderly declines with industrialization
Feminist perspective of aging
The standards of our culture create more problems for women than for men as they transition into their middle and later years
Social interactionist perspective of aging
Age is tied to a system of matching people and roles; for example, middle age - we share a definition of what it means to be middle aged, and there is an expectation that we need to assume a particular role once we are middle aged
Cohorts
Groups of individuals with similarities; the world's population is aging and age serves to distinguish acceptable behaviors
The most economically vulnerable
The very young and the elderly
Geriatrics/gerontology
The study of aging and the elderly