Sociology Midterm Overview

Exam Date: October 10, 2024: The Mid-Term exam will cover concepts from Chapters 3-5. The exam will cover readings, lectures, textbook, and other forms of media. There will be 50 questions, multiple choice, true/false, and short-answer. Chapter 3: Sociology of Culture Understand the sociological de...

Exam Date: October 10, 2024: The Mid-Term exam will cover concepts from Chapters 3-5. The exam will cover readings, lectures, textbook, and other forms of media. There will be 50 questions, multiple choice, true/false, and short-answer. Chapter 3: Sociology of Culture Understand the sociological definition of culture. A system of learned and shared behaviors. Culture consists of the beliefs, behaviors, objects, and other characteristics common to the members of a particular group or society. Understand the importance of symbols. Symbols are gestures, signs, objects, signals, and words. They help people understand the world. They provide clues to understanding experiences by conveying recognizable meanings that are shared by societies. ○ Stop signs, police badge, and stick figures on bathrooms. Understand norms, folkways, laws, mores, and taboos. Norms - the rules and regulations that groups live by. For while some of the appropriate standards of behavior in most societies are written down, many of them are not that formal. Folkways - appropriate behavior in the day-to-day practices and expressions of a culture. ○ They indicate whether to shake hands or kiss on the cheek when greeting another person. They specify whether to wear a tie and blazer or a T-shirt and sandals to an event. Laws - Formal, written rules and norms. Mores - norms that embody the moral views and principles of a group. Violating them can have serious consequences. ○ Plagiarism in school Taboos - Such behavior is either too sacred and consecrated or too dangerous and accursed for ordinary individuals to undertake. ○ Incest Understand why laws are crucial and the Consensus model of crime.  Laws - protect our general safety, and ensure our rights as citizens against abuses by other people, by organizations, and by the government itself. Consensus model - says that culture is diverse, but shares the same moral value system. We all enter into the Social Contract. Understand China’s Elderly Law The State protects the lawful rights and interests of the elderly. The elderly have the right to obtain material assistance from the State and society and enjoy the achievements in social development. Discriminating against, insulting, maltreating or forsaking the elderly is forbidden. Understand what Ethnocentrism is and can understand an example. The belief that one’s culture and way of life is superior to those of other groups. ○ Judging other cultures’ food, thinking immigrants should not take American jobs Understand what a Subculture is. A smaller cultural group within a larger culture; people of a subculture are part of the larger culture but also share a specific identity within a smaller group. ○ Body modification community - tattoos and piercings ○ LGBTQ Understand the Amish culture. Living in isolated Amish communities, for the rejection of most modern technology, and for their distinctly conservative dress. It is common for Amish to live near other Amish, which enables them to support each other's lifestyle as well as establish a local congregation of people with similar beliefs and convictions. ○ Shunning - the fundamental way in which the community deals with disobedient members. Understand Culture Shock. A sense of confusion, uncertainty, disorientation, or anxiety that accompanies exposure to an unfamiliar way of life and environment. ○ Foreign exchange student from China in American classroom Understand the concept of globalization and its relationship with capitalism. Integration of international trade and finance markets. ○ Expansion into other parts of the world to increase capitalism Review handouts on DACA, Sanctuary Cities, and Immigration. DACA - the program that gives temporary protection to undocumented migrants who arrived in the US as children. Sanctuary Cities - some to cities in the United States or Canada that have policies designed to not persecute undocumented immigrants. Chapter 4: Sociology of Socialization Understand various socialization agents (Ex: Peers, family, professors, media, etc.). Family - first agent of socialization. Mothers and fathers, siblings and grandparents, all teach a child what he or she needs to know. Peer Groups - people who are similar in age and social status and who share interests. Peer group socialization begins in the earliest years. ○ Kids on a playground teach younger children the norms about taking turns, the rules of a game, or how to shoot a basket. School - Students are not in school only to study math, reading, science, and other subjects—the manifest function of this system. Schools also serve a latent function in society by socializing children into behaviors like practicing teamwork, following a schedule, and using textbooks. Workplace - workers require new socialization into a workplace, in terms of both material culture (such as how to operate the copy machine) and nonmaterial culture (such as whether it’s okay to speak directly to the boss or how to share the refrigerator). Religion - these places teach participants how to interact with the religion’s material culture (Eucharist). For some people, important ceremonies related to family structure—like marriage and birth—are connected to religious celebrations. Media - With the average person spending over four hours a day in front of the television, media greatly influences social norms. People learn about new technology and transportation options, as well as what is true (beliefs), what is important (values), and what is expected (norms). Define Socialization. The process of learning and internalizing the values, beliefs, and norms of our social group and by which we become functioning members of society. Be able to understand the Nature V. Nurture Debate.  Nature - Refers to what people inherit. The biological groundwork that prepares a person to develop in certain ways. Nurture - Refers to environmental factors. What a person is exposed to in life - family, education, culture, living conditions, and every day individual experiences. Understand the concept of reinforcement. Occurs when we receive direct or indirect rewards or punishments for particular behaviors. ○ A girl who puts on her mother’s make-up may be told she is cute, but her brother will be scolded (“Boys don’t wear make-up”). Understand the concept of resocialization. Old behaviors that were helpful in a previous role are removed because they are no longer of use. The process of resocialization is typically more stressful than normal socialization because people have to unlearn behaviors that have become customary to them. ○ Necessary when a person moves to a senior care center, goes to boarding school, or serves time in jail. In the new environment, the old rules no longer apply. Understand the Brenda/David case study we discussed in class. David Reimer’s penis was burned off during circumcision. Psychologist John Money encouraged the parents to have David raised as Brenda. (Money Had a hidden agenda). Testicles were removed and surgery to construct a vagina was planned. ○ David struggled with his female identity and transitioned back to male in adolescence. Ended up killing himself in the end due to lifelong trauma. Understand Herbert Mead's three stages of development. Preparatory stage - The child imitates the behavior of others. Play stage - The child begins to formulate role expectations: playing house, cops and robbers, etc. Game stage - The child learns there are rules that specify the proper and correct relationship among the players. Understand Social learning theories. Social learning is learning through observation, imitation, and modeling of another person or role model. Understand what “Total Institution” means and be able to cite an example. Institutions have total control over the lives of the people who live in them. ○ Several types of total institutions exist: mental asylums, Nazi concentration camps, military boot camps, convents, and monasteries. Chapter 5: Social Stratification in the United States Be able to understand the concept of an ascribed status, master status, and achieved status. Ascribed Status - fixed for an individual at birth. Ascribed statuses that exist in all societies include those based upon sex, age, race ethnic group and family background. Master Status - the social position that is the primary identifying characteristic of an individual. Race, age, ethnicity, occupation, and sexual orientation. Achieved Status - a position one holds in a social system that one attains based on merit or effort. Understand the concept of effective communication in our society. Keep in mind tone, non-verbal, and body language. From a distance, a person can understand the emotional gist of two people in conversation just by watching their body language and facial expressions. Understand what roles, role conflicts, and role strains have to do with our way of coping in society. Roles - patterns of behavior that we recognize in each other that are representative of a person’s social status. Role Conflict - when one or more roles are contradictory. ○ A parent who also has a full-time career can experience role conflict on a daily basis. When there is a deadline at the office but a sick child needs to be picked up from school, which comes first? Role Strain - if too much is required of a single role. ○ Consider the duties of a parent: cooking, cleaning, driving, problem-solving, acting as a source of moral guidance. Be able to understand the concept of Solidarity as it relates to the field of Sociology. an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. Be familiar with New York State Blue Code laws regarding homeless populations. The Department of Homeless Services has a policy called “Code Blue” that provides shelter on winter nights when the temperature drops to 32 degrees or below, including wind-chill, between 4:00 PM and 8:00 AM. Be familiar with New York Squatting Laws regarding homeless populations. In the state of New York, squatters that have been living in a property for thirty days automatically become legal tenants. Therefore, as the landlord or property owner, working quickly to evict squatters before the thirty days are over is critical. Be familiar with Caste Systems. Separation of groups which you are not allowed to move from one status to another. Whatever group you are born into is the one you remain in for your entire life. Understand Social Class from a Max Weber standpoint. Defined as a large group of people who rank close to one another in property, power, and prestige. Define “Vertical Mobility” Vertical mobility is the movement from one social status to a different social status. What is Poverty? The state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support; condition of being poor. Poverty Statistics The “working poor” are people who spend 27 weeks or more in a year in the labor force either working or looking for work but whose incomes fall below the poverty level. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 9.5 million of people who spent at least 27 weeks in the labor force were poor. ○ New York State Poverty Rate: 15.1% ○ United States Poverty Rate: 14.4% Nickel and Dimed Introduction Understand President Bill Clinton’s 1996 welfare reform laws.  Granted states greater latitude in administering social welfare programs, and implemented new requirements on welfare recipients, including a five-year lifetime limit on benefits Understand the unique advantages that Barb had. She has a PHD and has an experimental background in the biological field. She is white and a native English speaker, does not have children to provide for, and is in good health. Understand the goal of the study. Investigate the impact of the 1996 welfare reform act on the working poor in the United States by putting herself in the same conditions and seeing how hard it is to manage.