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321 Cards in this Set

  • Front
  • Back
Sociology
The systematic study of the relationship between the individual and society and of the consequences of difference
Sociological Imagination
An awareness of the relationship between who we are as individuals and the social forces that shape our lives.
Private Troubles
Obstacles that individuals face as individuals rather than as a consequence of their social position.
Public Issues
Obstacles that individuals in similar positions face; also referred to by sociologists as "social problems"
Agency
The freedom individuals have to choose and to act.
Social Inequality
A condition in which members of society have differing amounts of wealth, prestige, or power.
Science
The body of knowledge obtained by methods based on systematic observation.
Natural Science
The study of the physical features of nature and the ways in which they interact and change.
Social Science
The study of the social features of humans and the ways in which they interact and change.
Theory
In sociology a set of statements that seeks to explain problems, actions, or behavior.
Anomie
The loss of direction felt in a society when social control of individual behavior has become ineffective.
Macrosociology
Sociological investigation that concentrates on large-scale phenomena or entire civilizations.
Microsociology
Sociological investigation that stresses the study of small groups and the analysis of our everyday experiences and interactions.
Functionalist Perspective
A sociological approach that emphasizes the way in which the parts of a society are structured to maintain its stability.
Conflict Perspective
A sociological approach that assumes that social behavior is best understood in terms of tension between groups over power or the allocation of resources, including housing, money, access to services, and political representation.
Interactionist Perspective
A sociological approach that generalizes about everyday forms of social interaction in order to explain society as a whole.
Applied Sociology
The use of the discipline of sociology with the specific intent of yielding practical applications for human behavior and organizations.
Clinical Sociology
The use of the discipline of sociology with the specific intent of altering organizations or restructuring social institutions.
Globalization
The worldwide integration of government policies, cultures, social movements, and financial markets through trade and the exchange of ideas.
According to C. Wright Mills, the sociological imagination focuses on the intersection between ?
history and biography.
What is the primary sociological lesson we learn from the hamburger as miracle example?
We take our interdependence and the knowledge we collectively share for granted.
In their attempts to describe the relationship between sociology and common sense, sociologists argue that?
sociology depends on systematic analysis through research whereas common sense does not.
Emile Durkheim's research on suicide found that ?
the more socially integrated someone is the less likely he or she is to commit suicide.
Karl Marx argued that in order to understand social order we must include anaylsis of ?
ownership of the means of production.
Which sociologist made a major contribution to society through his in-depth studies of urban life, including both Blacks and Whites?
W.E.B. Du Bois
What is the sociological term for the loss of direction felt in a society when social control of individual behavior has become ineffective?
Anomie
Thinking of society as a living organism in which each part of the organism contributes to its survival is a reflection of which theoretical perspective?
the functionalist perspective.
The career path with the specific intent of altering social relationships or restructuring organizations is known as ?
clinical sociology
Scientific Method
A systematic, organized series of steps that ensures maximum objectivity and consistency in researching a problem.
Operational Definition
Transformation of an abstract concept into indicators that are observable and measurable.
Hypothesis
A testable statement about the relationship between two or more variables.
Variable
A measurable trait or characteristic that is subject to change under different conditions.
Causal Logic
The relationship between a condition or variable and a particular consequence with one event leading to the other.
Independent Variable
The variable in a causal relationship that causes or influences a change in a second variable.
Dependent Variable
The variable in a causal relationship that is subject to the influence of another variable.
Correlation
A relationship between two variables in which a change in one coincides with change in the other.
Sample
A selection from a larger population that is statistically representative of that population.
Random Sample
A sample for which every member of an entire population has the same chance of being selected.
Validity
The degree to which a measure or scale truly reflects the phenomenon under study.
Reliability
The extent to which a measure produces consistent results.
Control Variable
A factor that is held constant to test the relative impact of an independent variable.
Research Design
A detailed plan or method for obtaining data scientifically.
Survey
A study generally in the form of an interview or questionnaire, that provides researchers with information about how people think and act.
Interview
A face-to-face or telephone questioning of a respondent to obtain desired information.
Questionnaire
A printed or written form used to obtain information from a respondent.
Quantitative Research
Research that collects and reports data primarily in numerical form.
Mean
A number calculated by adding a series of values and then dividing by the number of values.
Median
The midpoint, or number that divides a series of values into two groups of equal numbers of values.
Mode
The single most common value in a series of scores.
Qualitative Research
Research that relies on what is seen in field or naturalistic settings more than on statistical data.
Observation
A research technique in which an investigator collects information through direct participation and/or by closely watching a group or community.
Ethnography
The study of an entire social setting through extended systematic observation.
Experiment
An artificially created situation that allows a researcher to manipulate variables.
Experimental Group
The subjects in an experiment who are exposed to an independent variable introduced by a researcher.
Control Group
The subjects in an experiment who are not introduced to the independent variable by the researcher.
Hawthorne Effect
The unintended influence that observers of experiments can have on their subjects.
Secondary Analysis
A variety of research techniques that make use of previously collected and publicly accessible information and data.
Content Analysis
The systematic coding and objective recording of data, guided by soem rationale.
Code of Ethics
The standards of acceptable behavior developed by and for members of a profession.
Value Neutrality
Max Weber's term for objectivity of sociologists in the interpretation of data.
The first step in any sociological research project is to:
Define the problem
An explanation of an abstract concept that is specific enough to allow a researcher to measure the concept is a(n)
Operational Definition
In sociological and scientific research, a hypothesis:
is a testable statement about the relationship between two or more variables.
The variable hypothesized to cause or influence another is called the:
Independent Variable
The degree to which a measure or scale truly reflects the phenomenon under study is known as:
Validity.
Which research technique do sociologists use to ensure that data are statistically representative of the population being studied?
Sampling.
Ethnography is an example of which type of research design?
Observation
In the 1930s, William F. Whyte moved into a low-income Italian neighborhood in Boston. For nearly four years, he was a member of the social circle of "corner boys" whom he describes in Street Corner Society. His goal was to gain greater insight into the community established by these men. What type of research technique did Whyte use?
Participant Observation
The unintended influence that observers of experiments can have on their subjects is known as:
the Hawthorne effect.
According to Max Weber, researchers should not allow their personal feelings to influence the interpretation of data. He referred to this as:
Value Neutrality.
Culture
The totality of our shared language, knowledge, material objects, and behavior.
Society
The structure of relationships within which culture is created and shared through regularized patterns of social interaction
Cultural Universal
A common practice or belief shared by all societies.
Sociobiology
The systematic study of how biology affects human social behavior.
Innovation
The process of introducting a new idea or object to a culture through discovery or invention.
Discovery
The process of making known or sharing the existence of an aspect of reality.
Invention
The combination of existing cultural items into a form that did not exist before.
Diffusion
The process by which a cultural item spreads from group to group or society to society.
Material Culture
The physical or technological aspects of our daily lives.
Non-material Culture
Ways of using material objects, as well as customs, ideas, expressions, beliefs, knowledge, philosophies, governments, and patterns of communication.
Technology
Cultural information about how to use the material resources of the environment to satisfy human needs and desires.
Cultural Lag
A period of adjustment when the non-material culture is still struggling to adapt to new material conditions.
Language
A system of shared symbols; It includes speech, written characters, numerals, symbols, and nonverbal gestures and expressions.
Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
The idea that the language a person uses shapes his or her perception of reality and therefore his or her thoughts and actions.
Non-Verbal Communication
The use of gestures, facial expressions, and other visual images to communicate.
Value
A collective conception of what is considered good, desirable, and proper--or bad, undesirable, and improper--in a culture.
Norm
An established standard of behavior maintained by a society.
Formal Norm
A norm that generally has been written down and that specifies strict punishments for violators.
Laws
Formal Norms enforced by the state.
Informal Norm
A norm that is generally understood but not precisely recorded.
Mores
Norms deemed highly necessary to the welfare of a society.
Folkways
Norms governing everyday behavior, whose violation raise comparatively little concern.
Sanction
A penalty or reward for conduct concerning a social norm
Dominant Ideology
A set of cultural beliefs and practices that legitimates existing powerful social, economic, and political interests.
Subculture
A segment of society that shares a distinctive pattern of mores, folkways, and values that differs from the pattern of the larger society.
Argot
Specialized language used by members of a group or subculture.
Counterculture
A subculture that deliberately opposes certain aspects of the larger culture.
Culture Shock
The feelings of disorientation, uncertainty, and even fear that people experience when they encounter unfamiliar cultural practices.
Ethnocentrism
The tendency to assume that one's own culture and way of life represent what's normal or are superior to all others.
Cultural Relativism
The viewing of people's behavior from the perspective of their own culture.
What do sociologists refer to as the structure of relationships within which a culture is created and shared through regularized patterns of social interaction?
Society
People's need for food, shelter, and clothing are examples of what George Murdock referred to as:
Cultural Universals
What is an invention?
Combining existing cultural items into a form that did not exist before.
What term do sociologists use to refer to teh process by which a cultural item spreads from group to group or society to society?
Diffusion
Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
Language shapes our perception of realty.
Values represent ______, whereas norms provide guidelines for shared ___________.
Beliefs; Behaviors
What type of norms are deemed highly necessary to the welfare of a society, often because they embody the most cherished principles of a people?
Mores
Which term describes the set of cultural beliefs and practices that help to maintain powerful social, economic, and political interests?
Dominant Ideology
Terrorist groups are examples of:
Countercultures
What is the term used when one seeks to understand another culture from its perspective, rather than dismissing it as "strange" or "exotic"?
Cultural Relativism
socialization
The lifelong process through which people learn the attitudes, values, and behaviors appropriate for members of a particular culture.
self
A distinct identity that sets us apart from others.
looking-glass self
A theory that we become who we are based on how we think others see us.
"I"
The acting self that exists in relation to the "Me".
"Me"
The socialized self that plans actions and judges performances based on the standards we have learned from others.
significant other
An individual who is most important in the development of the self, such as a parent, friend, or teacher.
symbol
A gesture, object, or word that forms the basis of human communication
role taking
The process of mentally assuming the perspective of another and responding from that imagined viewpoint.
generalized other
The attitudes, viewpoints, and expectations of society as a whole that a child takes into account in his or her behavior.
dramaturgical approach
A view of social interaction in which people are seen as theatrical performers.
impression management
The altering of the presentation of the self in order to create distinctive appearances and satisfy particular audiences.
face-work
The efforts people make to maintain a proper image and avoid public embarassment.
cognitive theory of development
The theory that children's thought progresses through four stages of development
gender role
Expectations regarding teh proper behavior, attitudes, and activities of males and females.
rite of passage
A ritual marking the symbolic transition from one social position to another.
life course approach
A research orientation in which sociologists and other social scientists look closely at the social factors that influence people throughout their lives, from birth to death.
anticipatory socialization
Processes of socialization in which a person "rehearses" for future positions, occupations, and social relationships.
resocialization
The process of discarding former behavior patterns and accepting new ones as part of a transition in one's life.
total institution
An institution that regulates all aspects of a person's life under a single authority, such as a prison, the military, a mental hospital, or a convent.
degradation ceremony
An aspect of the socialization process within some total institutions, in which people are subjected to humiliating rituals.
midlife crisis
A stressful period of self-evaluation that begins about age 40.
sandwich generation
The generation of adults who simultaneously try to meet the competing needs of their parents and their children
social interaction
The shared experiences through which people relate to one another
social structure
The way in which a society is organized into predictable relationships.
status
The social positions we occupy relative to others.
ascribed status
A social position assigned to a person by society without regard for the person's unique talents or characteristics.
achieved status
A social position that is within our power to change.
master status
A status that dominates others and thereby determines a person's general position in society.
social role
A set of expectations for people who occupy a given social position or status.
role conflict
The situation that occurs when incompatible expectations arise from two or more social statuses held by the same person.
role strain
the difficulty that arises when the same social status imposes conflicting demands and expectations
role exit
the process of disengagement from a role that is central to one's self-identity in order to establish a new role and identity
group
Any number of people with shared norms, values, and goals who interact with one another on a regular basis.
primary group
A small group characterized by intimate, face-to-face association and cooperation
secondary group
A formal, impersonal group in which there is little social intimacy or mutual understanding.
in-group
Any group or category to which people feel they belong.
out-group
A group or category to which people feel they do not belong.
reference group
Any group that individuals use as a standard for evaluating themselves and their own behavior.
coalition
A temporary or permanent alliance geared toward a common goal.
social network
A series of social relationships that links individuals directly to others and through them indirectly to still more people.
avatar
A person's online representation as a character, whether in the form of a 2-D or 3-D image or simply through text.
social institution
An organized pattern of beliefs and behavior centered on basic social needs.
bureaucracy
A component of formal organization that uses rules and hierarchical ranking to achieve efficiency.
ideal type
An abstract model of the essential characteristics of a phenomenon.
alienation
Loss of control over our creative human capacity to produce,, separation from the products we make, and isolation from our fellow producers.
trained incapacity
The tendency of workers in a bureaucracy to become so specialized that they develop blind spots and fail to notice potential problems.
goal displacement
Over-zealous conformity to official regulations of a bureaucracy.
Peter principle
A principle of organizational life according to which every employee within a hierarchy tends to rise to his or her level of incompetence.
bureaucratization
The process by which a group, organization, or social movement increasingly relies on technical-rational decision making in the pursuit of efficiency.
McDonaldization
The process by which the principles of efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control shape organization and decision making, in the United States and around the world.
iron law of oligarchy
The principle that all organizations, even democratic ones, tend to develop into a bureaucracy ruled by an elite few.
classical theory
An approach to the study of formal organizations that views workers as being motivated almost entirely by economic rewards.
scientific management approach
Another name for the classical theory of formal organization
human relations approach
An approach to the study of formal organizations that emphasizes the role of people, communication, and participation in a bureaucracy and tends to focus on the informal structure of the organization.
Gemeinschaft
A close-knit community, often found in rural areas, in which strong personal bonds unite members.
Gesellschaft
A community, often urban, taht is large and impersonal, with little commitment to the group or consensus on values.
mechanical solidarity
Social cohesion based on shared experiences, knowledge, and skills in which things function more or less the way they always have, with minimal change.
organic solidarity
A collective consciousness that rests on mutual interdependence, characteristic of societies with complex division of labor.
hunting-and-gathering society
A preindustrial society in which people rely on whatever foods and fibers are readily available in order to survive.
horticultural society
A preindustrial society in which people plant seeds and crops rather than merely subsist on available foods.
agrarian society
The most technologically advanced form of preindustrial society. Members are engaged primarily in the production of food, but they increase their crop yields through technological innovations such as the plow.
industrial society
A society that depends on mechanization to produce its goods and services.
postindustrial society
A society whose economic system is engaged primarily in teh processing and control of information.
postmodern society
A technologically sophisticated, pluralistic, interconnected, globalized society.
social control
The techniques and strategies for preventing deviant human behavior in any society
sanction
A penalty or reward for conduct concerning a social norm.
conformity
The act of going along with peers--individuals of our own status who have no special right to direct our behavior.
obedience
Compliance with higher authorities in a hierarchical structure.
informal social control
Social control that is carried out casually by ordinary people through such means as laughter, smiles,and ridicule.
Formal social control
Social control that is carried out by authorized agents such as police officers, judges, school administrators, and employers.
law
Governmental social control
control theory
A view of conformity and deviance that suggests that our connection to members of society leads us to systematically conform to society's norms.
deviance
Behavior that violates the standards of conduct or expectations of a group or society.
stigma
A label used to devalue members of certain social groups.
crime
A violation of criminal law for which some governmental authority applies formal penalties.
Index Crimes
The eight types of crime reported annually by the FBI in the Uniform Crime Reports: murder, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny-theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson.
victimization survey
A questionnaire or interview given to a sample of the population to determine whether people have been victims of crime.
white-collar crime
illegal acts committed by affluent, "respectable" individuals in the course of business activities.
victimless crime
A term used by sociologists to describe the willing exchange among adults of widely desired, but illegal, goods and services.
organized crime
The work of a group that regulates relations among criminal enterprises involved in illegal activities, including prostitution, gambling, and the smuggling and sale of illegal drugs
transnational crime
Crime that occurs across multiple national borders.
anomie
Durkheim's term for the loss of direction felt in a society when social control of individual behavior has become ineffective
anomie theory of deviance
Merton's theory of deviance as an adaptation of socially prescribed goals or of the means governing their attainment, or both.
cultural transmission
A school of criminology that argues that criminal behavior is learned through social interactions.
differential association
A theory of deviance that holds that violation of rules results from exposure to attitudes favorable to criminal acts.
social disorganization theory
The theory that attributes increases in crime and deviance to the absence or breakdown of communal relationships and social institutions, such as family, school, church, and local government.
labeling theory
An approach to deviance that attempts to explain why certain people are viewed as deviants while others engaged in the same behavior are not.
societal-reaction approach
Another name for labeling theory
differential justice
Differences in the way social control is exercised over different groups.
substantive definition of the family
A definition of the family based on blood, meaning shared genetic heritage, and law, meaning social recognition and affirmation of the bond including both marriage and adoption
kinship
The state of being related to others.
bilateral descent
A kinship system in which both sides of a person's family are regarded as equally important
patrilineal descent
A kinship system in which only the father's relatives are significant.
matrilineal descent
A kinship system in which only the mother's relatives are significant.
extended family
A family in which relatives such as grandparents, aunts, or uncles- live in the same household as parents and their children.
nuclear family
A married couple and their unmarried children living together.
monogamy
A form of marriage in which one woman and one man are married only to each other.
serial monogamy
A form of marriage in which a person may have several spouses in his or her lifetime but only one spouse at a time.
polygamy
A form of marriage in which an individual may have several husbands or wives simultaneously
Polygyny
A form of polygamy in which a man may have more than one wife at the same time
Polyandry
A form of polygamy in which a woman may have more than one husband at the same time.
functionalist definition of families
A definition of families that focuses on what families do for society and for their members.
Patriarchy
A society in which men dominate in family decision making.
Matriarchy
A society in which women dominate in family decision making.
egalitarian family
An authority pattern in which spouses are regarded as equals.
endogamy
The restriction of mate selection to people within the same group.
exogamy
The requirement that people select a mate outside certain groups.
incest taboo
The prohibition of sexual relationships between certain culturally spyecified relatives.
homogamy
The conscious or unconscious tendency to select a mate with personal characteristics and interests similar to one's own.
machismo
A sense of virility, personal worth, and pride in one's maleness.
familism
Pride in the extended family, expressed through the maintenance of close ties and strong obligations to kinfolk outside the immediate family.
adoption
In a legal sense, a process that allows for the transfer of the legal rights, responsibilities and privileges of parenthood to a new legal parent or parents.
single-parent family
A family in which only one parent is present to care for the children.
cohabitation
The practice of living together as a male-female couple without marrying.
domestic partnership
Two unrelated adults who share a mutually caring relationship, reside together, and agree to be jointly responsible for their dependents, basic living expenses, and other common necessities.
education
A formal process of instruction in which some people consciously teach while others adopt the social role of learner.
hidden curriculum
Standards of behavior that are deemed proper by society and are taught subtly in schools.
teacher-expectancy effect
The impact that a teacher's expectations about a student's performance may have on the student's actual achievements.
tracking
The practice of placing students in specific curriculum groups on the basis of their test scores and other criteria.
correspondence principle
The tendency of schools to promote the values expected of individuals in each social class and to prepare students for the types of jobs typically held by members of their class.
credentialism
An increase in the lowest level of education required to enter a field.
substantive definition of religion
The idea that religion has a unique content or substance relating to the sacred that separates it from other forms of knowledge and belief.
sacred
Elements beyond everyday life that inspire respect, awe, and even fear.
profane
The ordinary and commonplace elements of life as distinguished from the sacred.
functionalist definition of religion
The idea that religion unifies believers into a community through shared practices and a common set of beliefs relative to sacred things.
religious belief
A statement to which members of a particular religion adhere.
fundamentalism
Rigid adherence to core religious doctrines, often accompanied by a literal application of scripture or historical beliefs to today's world.
sect
A relatively small religious group that has broken away from some other religious organization to renew what it considers the original vision of faith.
established sect
A religious group that is the outgrowth of a sect, yet remains isolated from society.
new religous movement (NRM) or CULT
A small, alternative faith community that represents either a new religion or a major innovation in an existing faith.
secularization
Religion's diminishing influence in the public sphere, especially in politics and the econmy.
protestant ethic
Max Weber's term for the disciplined commitment to worldly labor driven aby a desire to bring glory to God, shared by followers Martin Luther and John Calvin
liberation theology
Use of a church, primarily Roman Catholocism, in a political effort to eliminate poverty, discrimination, and other forms of injustice from a secular society.
Power
The ability to exercise one's will over others even if they resist.
Force
The actual or threatened use of coercion to impose one's will on others
influence
The exercise of power through a process of persuasion
authority
Institutionalized power that is recognized by the people over whom it is exercised.
traditional authority
Legitimate power conferred by custom and accepted practice.
rational-legal authority
Authority based on formally agreed-upon and accepted rules, principles, and procedures of conduct that are established in order to accomplish goals in the most efficient manner possible.
industrial society
A society that depends on mechanization to produce its goods and services.
economic system
The social institution through which goods and services are produced, distributed, and consumed.
capitalism
An economic system in which the means of production are held largely in private hands and the main incentive for economic activity is the accumulation of profits.
laissez-faire
A form of capitalism under which people compete freely, with minimal government intervention, in the economy.
monopoly
Control of a market by a single business firm.
socialism
An economic system under which the means of production and distribution are collectively owned.
communism
As an ideal type, an economic system under which all property is communally owned and no social distinctions are made on the basis of people's ability to produce.
mixed economy
An economic system that combines elements of both capitalism and socialism.
informal economy
Transfers of money, goods, or services that are not reported to the government.
deindustrialization
The systematic, widespread withdrawal of investment in basic aspects of productivity, such as factories and plants.
downsizing
Reductions in a company's workforce as part of deindustrialization.
offshoring
The transfer of work to foreign contractors.
politics
In Harold Lasswell's words, 'who gets what, when, and how'
political system
The social institution that is founded on a recognized set of procedures for implementing and achieving society's goals
monarchy
A form of government headed by a single member of a royal family, usually a king, queen, or some other hereditary ruler.
oligarchy
A form of government in which a few individuals rule.
dictatorship
A government in which one person has nearly total power to make and enforce laws.
totalitarianism
Virtually complete government control and surveillance over all aspects of a society's social and political life.
democracy
In a literal sense, government by the people.
representative democracy
A form of government in which certain individuals are selected to speak for the people.
elite model
A view of society as being ruled by a small group of individuals who share a common set of political and economic interests.
power elite
A small group of military, industrial, and government leaders who control the fate of the United States.
pluralist model
A view of society in which many competing groups within the community have access to government, so that no single group is dominant.
war
Conflict between organizations that possess trained combat forces equipped with deadly weapons.
terrorism
The use or threat of violence against random or symbolic targets in pursuit of political aims.
peace
The absence of war, or more broadly, a proactive effort to develop cooperative relations among nations.
social inequality
A condition in which members of society have different amounts of wealth, prestige, or power.
stratification
A structured ranking of entire groups of people that perpetuates unequal economic rewards and power in a society
ascribed status
A social position assigned to a person by society without regard for the person's unique talents or characteristics.
achieved status
A social position that a person attains largely through his or her own efforts.
slavery
A system of enforced servitude in which some people are owned by others as property.
caste
A hereditary rank, usually religiously dictated, that tends to be fixed and immobile.
estate system
A system of stratification under which peasants were required to work land leased to them by nobles in exchange for military protection and other services. Also known as feudalism.
class system
A social ranking based primarily on economic position in which achieved characteristics can influence social mobility.
social mobility
Movement of individuals or groups from one position in a society's stratification system to another.
open system
A social system in which the position of each individual is influenced by his or her achieved status.
closed system
A social system in which there is little or no possibility of individual social mobility.
horizontal mobility
The movement of an individual from one social position to another of the same rank.
vertical mobility
The movement of an individual from one social position to another of a different rank.
intergenerational mobility
Changes in the social position of children relative to their parents.
intragenerational mobility
Changes in social position within a person's adult life.
capitalism
An economic system in which the means of production are held largely in rivate hands and the main incentive for economic activity is the accumulation of profits.
bourgeoisie
Karl Marx's term for the capitalist class, comprising the owners of the means of production.
Proletariat
Karl Marx's term for the working class in a capitalist society.
class consciousness
In Karl Marx's view, a subjective awareness held by members of a class regarding their common vested interests and need for collective political action to bring about social change.
dominant ideology
A set of cultural beliefs and practices that helps to maintain powerful social, economic, and political interests.
false consciousness
A term used by Karl Marx to describe an attitude held by members of a class that does not accurately reflect their objective position.
class
A group of people who have a similar level of economic resources.
status group
People who have the same prestige or lifestyle, independent of their class positions
party
The capacity to organize to accomplish some particular goal.
cultural capital
Our tastes, knowledge, attitudes, language, and ways of thinking that we exchange in interaction with others.
prestige
The respect and admiration that an occupation holds in a society
esteem
The reputation that a specific person has earned within an occupation.
socioeconomic status (SES)
A measure of class that is based on income, education, occupation, and related variables.
income
Wages and salaries measured over some period such as per hour or year.
wealth
The total of all a person's material assets, including savings, land, stocks, and other types of property, minus his or her debt at a single point in time.
absolute poverty
A minimum level of subsistence that no family should be expected to live below.
relative poverty
A floating standard of deprivation by which people at the bottom of a society, whatever their lifestyles, are judged to be disadvantaged in comparison with the nation as a whole.
underclass
The long-term poor who lack training and skills
life chances
The opportunities people have to provide themselves with material goods, positive living conditions, and favorable life experiences.
digital divide
The relative lack of access to the latest technologies among low income group, racial and ethnic minorities, rural residents, and the citizens of developing countries.
Modernization
The far reaching process by which nations pass from traditional forms of social organization toward those characteristic of post-industrial Revolution societies.
Colonialism
The maintenance of political, social, economic, and cultural dominance over a people by a foreign power for an extended period.
NeoColonialism
Continuing dependence of former colonies on foreign countries.
world systems analysis
A view of the global economic system as one divided between certain industrialized nations that control wealth and developing countries that are controlled and exploited.
dependency theory
An approach contending that industrialized nations continue to exploit developing countries for their own gain.
globalization
The worldwide integration of government policies, cultures, social movements, and financial markets through trade and the exchange of ideas.
multinational corporation
A commercial organization that is headquartered in one country but does business throughout the world.
gross national income (GNI)
The total value of a nation's goods and services.
borderlands
The area of common culture along the border between Mexico and the United States
remittances
The monies that immigrants return to their families of origin. Also called remesas.
human rights
Universal moral rights possessed by all people because they are human.