SOC100 Final

stereotypes (+ or -); a shortcut for making conclusions about a group of people, selectively

+ example: black athletes

prejudice is a

discrimination is the

the expression of racist attitudes or behaviors by individual people

racism built into customs and laws, penalizing people by race not just class

beliefs that assert the inferiority of one sex and justify discrimination on the basis of this inferiority

the privilege of heterosexual relationships in society

culture in which heterosexuality is accepted as the norm

belief that humans are subdivided into distinct groups that are different in their social behavior and innate capacities and that can be ranked as superior or inferior

genetically inherited characteristics

people sharing common origin and culture

How do social scientists view "race"

a convenient way to categorize people (example: white and asian grouped by continent)

a constantly evolving social construction, tied to gov't agendas and demographic shifts, inherently unstable

a group that is perceived this way and which carries resentment and is confining and oppressive

patricia hill collins

life chances are influenced not simply by class, race/ethnicity, gender, or sex but also
· education, age, religion, talent, beauty, intelligence, charisma or lack thereof

socio-cultural constructions maintained through social institutions like the family, religion, education, the state, military, health care, and the mass media

biologically male or female

masculinity and femininity

a socially disapproved  behavior - the violation of some agreed upon norm

some human behavior is inherently proper and good, while other behavior is obviously improper, immoral, and bad

socially constructed - deviance is not inherent in any particular act, belief, or condition

behavior that was once classified as deviant is now redefined as a psychiatric disease, disorder, or syndrome

corporate, financial type crimes - more economically costly

3 reasons white collar crime is not punished like street crimes

street crime and personal property crimes - more heavily punished

2 reasons street crimes (blue collar) are more heavily punished than white collar crimes

ranking systems for groups of people that perpetuate unequal rewards and life chances
(example: defaulting mortgage video)

stratification system based on inherited positions with little movement allowed across strata

groups of people who share a similar economic position in society based on their wealth and income

movement of people from one class to another

passive income (don't have to work)

largest group
important in defining US culture (moods, political direction, values)
upper and lower defined by status, profession, income

factory, clerical, low-paying sales jobs
HS education
hourly pay

working poor, minimum wage earners
chronically unemployed
absolute poverty vs. relative poverty

off the economic ladder
homeless, panhandlers

General trends in immigration

theoretical
perspective that views the structure of society as a source of inequality that
always benefits some groups at the expense of other groups

theoretical perspective that posits that social
institutions are structured to maintain stability and order in society

theoretical perspective that explains society
and social structure through and examination of the micro-level, personal, day
to day exchanges of people as individuals, pairs, or groups

reasons for immigration

Name a few social responses to immigration

people’s lives all around the world become economically, politically, environmentally,and culturally interconnected (travel, internet, media)

Cultural significance of ‘middle class’

private ownership of capital. Economic system which
production and distribution are privately or corporately owned

accommodations to make workers happy – private,
employer-based social welfare provisions (USA)

State ownership of capital (the state owns more) – People’s
Republic of China, Czech, East Germany

support legal entitlements (universal healthcare, access to
housing, workers compensation and education, childcare and elderly care). Pay a
lot of taxes but get more benefits. (Europe and Japan)

Name the 4 types of political economic systems

belief that poor people, resigned to their position in society, develop a unique value structure to deal with their lack of success

(don't benefit your own class) situation in which people in the lower classes come to accept a belief system that harms them; wealthy influence less wealthy to accept the system which socializes us through social
institutions (gov’t, media, law…)

Developing a sense of your own class. Class acting on behalf of itself (occupy wall street)

an organization of people committed to create, stop, or reverse social change

attempts to change limited aspects of a society but does not seek to alter or replace major social institutions; often seeking inclusion
(feminist or gay rights)

designed to prevent or reverse the changes sought or accomplished by an earlier movement (Taliban, ISIS)

an attempt to overthrow the entire system or a major institution such as government (Cuban revolution)

control of mating to ensure that “defective” genes of troublesome individuals will not be passed on to future generations

refers to people born at roughly the same time tending to experience life course events of social rites of passage (puberty, marriage, childbearing, death…)

refers to members of the same birth cohort also sharing a common history (place in time and the historical events the members live through) – WWII, 9-11…

we carry societal norms in our heads and act according to our social institutions. Socialization
makes us good citizens. We calculate the sanctions, risks, and benefits.

Name some social constructions of crimes and illegality