HSP3U1 Sociology Notes PDF

Socialization Family ​ Cultural capital: The non-financial assets that help people succeed in the world ​ Gendered socialization: Starts upon parents deciding a gendered name ​ Race socialization: The process of learning behaviours, values, and attitudes associated with racial groups...

Socialization Family ​ Cultural capital: The non-financial assets that help people succeed in the world ​ Gendered socialization: Starts upon parents deciding a gendered name ​ Race socialization: The process of learning behaviours, values, and attitudes associated with racial groups ​ Class socialization: Similar to race socialization, but impacted depending on social class ​ Anticipatory socialization: The social process where people learn to take on the values and standards groups that they plan to join School ​ Hidden curriculum: An education in norms, values, and beliefs that are passed along during schooling ​ 4 peer group categories at school: Nerds, jocks, leading crowd, burnouts Total Institution ​ A process in where: ○​ Places are cut off from the outside world and face strict rules regarding behaviour (military, boarding school, etc.) ○​ Residents are controlled in all aspects ○​ Previous identities replaced with new norms ○​ Residents are forced to conform and behave formally ○​ Residents undergo rituals that strip previous identity Sociology: An Introduction Social Institutions: ​ People who come together for fulfill the needs of society ​ Essential to a society’s needs and helps build it ​ Govern the behaviour and expectations of individuals ​ Can be changed or altered ​ Examples: schools, governments, banks, legal systems, healthcare services ​ Social variables: how people are different from one another ​ Sociology examines patterns in social variables, institutions, and interactions Origins of Sociology: Ibn Khaldun ​ Widely considered as the first sociologist ​ Focused on how societies worked ​ His studies examined different types of societies, their histories, cultures, and economies ​ Developed a systematic approach to studying different types of societies such as tribes, cities, nations, and economies Development of Modern European Sociology ​ Occurred throughout Europe during the 1800s (particularly, Germany, France, and Britain) ​ During this time, efficiency rises, more people live in urban areas, living conditions worsen, access to resources and jobs improve ​ Society experiences the following effects: -​ Industrial Revolution: Mass production in factories -​ Urbanization: Migration from rural to urban areas to work in factories -​ Increase of Population: Caused by advances in medicine and better access to funds -​ Changes in Class Structure: The idea of lower, middle, and upper classes emerge from capitalism Herbert Spencer ​ Created the term “survival of the fittest” to justify social inequalities ​ Believed those with wealth and power were deserving of it ​ Founder of Social Darwinism ​ His beliefs are what is now known as Scientific Racism ​ His beliefs justified genocides, nationalism, colonialism, eugenics, and race studies ​ Believed poor people were deficient ​ TLDR: “People deserve the circumstances they are in” Types of Sociology ​ Focus on historical, political, economic, and feminist perspectives ​ 2 ways to distinguish types of sociology: sociology by approach, sociology by audience Structural Functionalism (Macro) ​ Identifies different societal structures and their purposes to society ​ Similar to studying biology: the body parts and their functions ​ Important sociologists: Emile Durkheim, Robert Merton, Talcott Parsons ​ Generally not used as it does not explain conflict/social changes fully Robert Merton ​ Functionalism has three types of functions any structure can produce: -​ Manifest Functions (intended, easily recognized) -​ Latent Functions (unintended, unrecognized) -​ Latent Dysfunctions (unintended, produces negative consequences) Conflict Theory (Macro) ​ Has the following assumptions: -​ Conflict exists in all large societies -​ Class systems have existed in every society -​ Contestation -​ Society either will or should be changed Symbolic Interactionism (Micro) ​ Examines meaning of daily social interactions ​ Small scale view of society Feminist Sociology (Macro) ​ Analyzes theories from female perspectives ​ Addresses misogyny ​ Studies why women are perceived as unequal to men, studying sex and gender ​ Examines patriarchy (male domination) ​ Women of vastly different age groups and races can relate to comments made of them due to their gender Global Societal Issues Particular to Women ​ Rape as a weapon of war ​ Child marriages (girls are unable to mentally deal with traumas) ​ Lack of freedom in patriarchal societies ​ Lack of education opportunities ​ Femicide ​ Sex trade workers Primary and Secondary Agents of Socialization Primary Agent: Family ​ Responsible for providing basic human needs ​ Starts immediately after birth ​ Teaches right and wrong ​ Present during early years of life Secondary Agent: School ​ Happens upon entering school ​ Teaches students necessary curriculums as well as the hidden curriculum (models certain behaviour indirectly) ​ Teaches essential skills (teamwork, obedience, punctuality, and competitiveness) Secondary Agent: Peer Groups ​ Can become more influential than parents during adolescence ​ Teaches communication, collaboration, and compromise ​ Provides opportunity for people to learn other social and ethnic backgrounds ​ Teaches social relationships Secondary Agent: Workplace ​ Becomes important during adulthood ​ Similar to school ​ Teaches adults the role of a parent: to make money and support family ​ Preparation experiences include: take your kid to work day, part-time jobs, co-op Secondary Agent: Media ​ TV, radio, movies, books, internet ​ Influential during childhood socialization ​ Too much consumption of media results in less social skills and relationships ​ Advertises others’ values towards children ​ Exposes people to other cultures and ideas Secondary Agent: Religion ​ Provides moral codes and standards that members are expected to follow ​ Teaches importance of responsibility and charity (monetary donations) Forms of Oppression ​ Stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination grow from the unequal distribution of power which allow for oppression in favor of more powerful groups ​ Social Construction: -​ A sociological theory that suggests that how we choose to act in a situation is shaped by past interactions -​ How we see a situation depends on the interactions we have with those involved, and how they relate to our own beliefs, values, and experiences Power ​ The ability to get your own way regardless of obstacles ​ Those with power can label, stereotype, and discriminate against weaker groups Stereotypes ​ Mental cookie cutters (limit the number of characteristics within all members of a group) ​ May be based on facts which are overgeneralized to an entire segment of the population ​ Stereotypes are used because they are easy and do not require thinking Prejudice ​ Judging someone before getting to know them ​ People have ‘ready made’ ideas about others based on their characteristics Ethnocentrism ​ The belief that your culture is superior to other cultures Discrimination ​ The unequal treatment of individuals or groups based on their characteristics or behaviour ​ Has two types: -​ Direct: A deliberate exclusion of someone or a group based on race, ethnicity, etc. -​ Systemic: Less deliberate exclusion, where a policy of the dominant group’s institutions control and harm minorities -​ We are not fully conscious of this Oppression ​ Describes policies, practices, norms, and traditions that exploit groups ​ Occurs when institutional and social powers support prejudice ​ Types of Oppression: -​ Exploitation: Unfair use of people’s time or labour without fair compensation -​ Marginalization: Exclusion that forces minorities to the fringes of society -​ Powerlessness: Dominant group leaving subordinate groups with little access to rights/privileges -​ Cultural imperialism: Dominant group makes their beliefs and values the norms of society -​ Violence: Worst form of oppression, instills fear in groups The Isms: ​ Ableism: Attitudes that allocate inferiority within those with developmental, emotional, physical, or psychiatric disabilities ​ Ageism: Discrimination as a result of age ​ Classism: Oppression of subordinate classes by dominant class groups to strengthen their own positions ​ Heterosexism: The belief that heterosexuality is superior ​ Racism: The belief in supremacy of certain groups due to biological or cultural traits ​ Sexism: The belief that one gender is superior to the other ​ Sizeism: Discrimination as a result of body size, height, or weight Marketplace Investigation ​ Rentals are less eager to talk to minorities and will charge them more for the same offers compared to white people ​ Minorities are more commonly discriminated against and are given fewer options when renting things ​ In stores, minority groups are followed under the assumption that they will steal, and are frequently checked on by employees ​ Racist views are shown from subconscious implications rather than implicit comments ​ Resume test: minority subjects apply for a job under their real name and a fake alias, while keeping the same details -​ Western names received much faster and better responses ​ Blind recruitment: a hiring practice where hirers cannot see the applicant, meaning the hiring process is fully dependent on skill Significant Sociologists Sociologist Country of Significant Ideas Most Significant Origin Contribution Auguste Comte France Society constantly Positivism: the strict changes; people struggle application of the to adapt. Most changes scientific method to were positive to society attain data to understand society Emile Durkheim France Society functions logically Sociological method and protects the interests and foundation of of its members structural Society constantly functionalism diversifies Structured theories under the foundation of structural functionalism Emerging diversity allows groups to work together more productively Commiting suicide is highly personal; the causes are deeply rooted in society Talcott Parsons United States If something exists in Social phenomena many societies, it must and relationships serve a necessary explained by their purpose purpose in society People must act according to their and others’ values to create societal stability Strong desire to get along and cooperate to achieve goals based on shared values Karl Marx Germany Factory owners exploited Principles of workers for profit communism: Societal development highlights the class driven by living conditions struggles and and class struggles revolution that Predicted class conflicts influenced political would lead to revolution, movements  transitioning society from capitalism to communism Dorthey Smith Canada Women systematically Advocated for a excluded and alienated in society that is more male-dominated societies inclusive to women Culture favours men and opposes womens’ interests Women deprived of authority and voice Max Weber Germany Rationalization (social Bureaucracy: a large actions motivated by administration that benefit or efficiency, rather pursues a wide than morality, custom, or variety of goals emotion) (lessen tensions in Capitalist system traps society) individuals Bureaucracy > revolution: -​ People given specialized tasks -​ Everyone treated equally -​ Recognized that this would not be realistic Charles Cooley United States Relationship between Looking-glass self: individuals and society the way one’s sense (interconnected, both of self is mirrored and studied simultaneously) reflected by others (in Primary group (most other words, an important interactions, avatar) family/friends) Primary group interactions are crucial to develop social identity George Herbert United States Symbols, language, Founding theorist for Mead communication in human symbolic interaction relationships (looking-glass self) Believed in looking-glass self People assume a variety of social roles; learning which “mask” to wear early on Wright Mills United States Sociological imagination: Sociological  -​ Required to imagination: the understand the ability to connect society in which we individual live in experiences to social -​ Without it, realities individuals cannot understand themselves nor their role in society -​ Provides insight to recognize the larger forces at work within society Implicit Bias ​ Implicit bias: Beliefs or attitudes towards things we are not fully conscious of. A preference for or against a person or group of people ​ Implicit biases run at the subconscious level and are contrary to conscious beliefs ​ Implicit biases are often counterintuitive from each other from a conscious and unconscious level ​ Mental associations: Behaviours and attitudes that we associate with words ​ Studying biases provide an expanded diagnosis of the problem, but the tools are used to address bias are flawed as they only address explicit biases instead of implicit biases ​ Habitual processes and internal motivation help to reduce implicit biases ​ Guilt: Something wrong that you can address ​ Shaming hinders growth and rises feelings of unworthiness