Sociology 1001A Full Exam and Course Content PDF

AI podcast link Less detailed FULL DOCUMENT https://notebooklm.google.com/notebook/844ffbb0-307a-430a-a4f1-d28a8a547785/audio LECTURES 2,3,4 https://notebooklm.google.com/notebook/d6688c47-7c58-4044-ae27-5a75931a9189/audio LECTURES 5,6,7,8 https://notebooklm.google.com/notebook/9a19e6e2-f38c-46f0-8926-6cd8a6f62684/audio LECTURES 9,10,11 https://notebooklm.google.com/notebook/1bcd25ff-4939-4419-8f52-9354ece9ee7f/audio Lecture 2 Introduction to Sociology September 16, 2024 Pre reading Sociology - the systematic study of society and social interaction, all the aspects of life designated by “social” - Like relationships with more than 1 person, these aspects of social life never occur on their own. They are organized processes ranging from small to large. Dorothy smith defines sociology as “ongoing concerting and coordinating of individuals activities”. - Whenever there is more than 1 person in a situation there is a coordination and mutual attunement of behaviours Society - group whose members interact, reside in same area, or share a culture - also defines the collective effort of social structures - Culture - includes groups shared practices, values, beliefs, norms - Broken down into: - micro level, - Social dynamics of intimate, face to face interactions. Like analyzing how different cultures respond to politeness and how this can lead to misunderstandings. If those misunderstandings occur with multiple people of same culture you can make a generalization. - macro level, - Large scale society wide interactions that shape societal dynamics beyond individual interactions. Explores broader patterns, like the under representation of women in power in american politics, emphasizing systemic social patterns over individual - global level - Analyzes social structures and processes that transcend national boundaries, showing how the global societies are inter connected. Like climate change, which is a world problem, it influences local lives, like forest fires. C wright mills defined sociological imagination or sociological lens, or sociological perspective, this was how he addressed dilemmas of macro/micro divide in sociology. - Sociological imagination is how individuals understand their own, and others lives in relation to history and social structure. It is the capacity to see an individual's private troubles in the context of broader social processes that structure them - If private troubles are widely shared with others they indicate theur is a common social problem in the way social life is structured at a macro or global level. - At these levels the issue isn't a personal one, it is a public issue of social structure that requires a collective response to solve. - By looking at individuals and societies, and how they interact through this lens, sociologists are able to examine what influences behaviour, attitudes, and culture. By applying systematic and scientific methods to this process, they try to do so without letting their own biases and preconceived ideas influence their conclusions Being in a group changes one's behaviour. A group is more than the sum of its parts. All sociologists are interested in the experiences of individuals and how interactions with social groups, and society as a whole, shape those experiences. To a sociologist, the biographical details of an individual and the personal decisions an individual makes do not exist in a vacuum. Social patterns and social forces put pressure on people to select one choice over another. Sociologists try to identify these general patterns by examining the behaviour of large groups of people who live in the same society and experience the same societal pressures. When general patterns persist through time and become habitual or routinized at micro-levels of interaction as social scripts, or institutionalized at macro or global levels of interaction as rules, laws,or power relations, they are referred to as social structures. - Social structures are repeated patterns of behaviour and social coordination that persist through time. They have three general properties: 1.they control or constrain individuals so they act in the same way in the same circumstances; 2. They change individuals so they fit within the expectations and rules of social or institutional situations; and 3. they both resist social change and enable social change in that they persist through time and yet enact processes that affect themselves and other social structures and processes Reification - the way fluid social relationships can be thought of as things Individual agency - the capacity of individuals to act and make decisions independently - They are morally responsible for this behaviors The sociological problem is to be able to see the individual as a social being and as someone who has free choice. Individuals are beings who take on responsibilities, and the compulsion to do so, are socially defined. - Individuals who have the freedom to do what they want, but still fall into predictable patterns - tepperman The sociological problem is to be able to see society as a dimension of experience characterized by regular and predictable patterns of behaviour that exist independently of any specific individual’s desires or self-understanding. At the same time, a society is nothing but the ongoing social relationships and activities of specific individuals sociologist Norbert Elias called the process of simultaneously analyzing the behaviour of individuals and the society that shapes that behaviour figuration - No dance without dancers, and no dancers without dance. Without the dancers the dance is an idea in someone's head, but without dance people are moving on floor. Society is a shorthanded term for the web of interdependencies formed among human beings and which connects them. LECTURE Sociological thinking What does thinking sociologically mean? What is sociology? The sociological imagination ( C.Wright mills) Thinking Sociologically C. Wright mills argues using the sociological imagination is not exclusively confined to sociologists People often make connections to the world they live in Thinking about the society that you live in is not something that is confined to sociologists however, how they approach to studying it is unique Understanding/ having insight about people isn't confined to psychologists Sociology is an academic and specialist discipline: it offers a type of knowledge about our world in a way that can be a type of authoritative knowledge We all have knowledge and experience about the social worlds we live in and we all have theories about people and society Someone driving in a 100k car passing a homeless person who has nothing Why is it the case that certain groups are on the edge hanging on and why is it that some people are wealthy? Sociology provides non individual explanations for problems in society ○ Explains social phenomena without direct relation to individuals ○ You are apart of a lot of groups Sociology takes into account the objects in our world and how technology is apart of our world We are never just looking at group behaviour Kind of always working with taken for granted assumptions Sociology provided non individual explanations on how the social world works and why it is the way it is Ex. Things such as the cost of living affects different groups differently Learn to look at the world from an exterior perspective Individual problems are often also social/collective problems Problem with social problems tends to be formulated in individual terms ○ Is the problem is formulated in individual terms then they also require individual solutions ○ Sociology challenges the ‘myth of individualism’ Social problems which affect individuals and groups are symptoms of underlying expressions and problems within a society or patterns ( unemployment, poverty, suicide, health issues) ○ Not a symptom of the individual's lack of work ethic, attitude, race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, etc. Thinking sociologically: Durkheim and suicide Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) One of the first european sociologists and did an important study on suicide around 1878-80 and one of the first ones who used statistics ○ He looked at people who are married vs. those who are not ○ Why particular groups have higher or lower suicide rates than others Durkheim wanted to establish sociology as a distinct and separate discipline/ science ○ Suicide rate: num,ber of suicides per 100,000 people in the target population Ex. in 2009 there were 3890 suicides in canada, a rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people ○ The suicide rate for males was three times higher than the rate for females ( 17.9 vs. 5.3 per 100,000) ○ Married people had a lower suicide rate than those who were single, divorced or widowed Society primarily as a moral or collective phenomenon ex. It holds people together in different ways ○ His study of suicide: is to demonstrate that there is a preexisting social reality that must be accounted for We are not entirely free as individuals- does not mean that if one person can do something, anyone can What is ( the academic discipline of) sociology? Sociology has several theoretical perspectives 1. Critical: inequalities and forms of domination/ oppression The moral/ political conscience of sociology 2. (structural) functionalist: how a social system functions/ works to provide social order and continuity How are things reproduced over time 3. Interpretive: meaning and interpretation ( symbolic/ interactionist)- symbolic and communitic=ve aspects of social interaction Sociology has many different methodologies: surveys, interviews, ethnography, statistical analysis etc. What is (the academic discipline of) sociology? Conceptual ( status, class, globalization, culture) Analytical ( critical thinking) Theoretical ( theories that explain social phenomena and social patterns) Methodological ( how knowledge is produced about the social world) Empirical ( research/ knowledge about social world) What is sociology? Sociology deals with social phenomena and how our worlds are shaped amd organized by social forces and factors Sociological thinking? Example 1 Rise in unruly/ disruptive airline passenger incidents on planes ○ How do you explain why is this the case Stress levels from the pandemic, as more people post about it, it almost becomes more normative Lack of consequences System issues; airlines overbooking their planes Sociological imagination connections/ relationships between self and society To formulate and address social problems/ issues Individual problems become formulated as more collective social/ political/ public issues Personal troubles ( up close) and public issues ( more distant) Used bifocal glasses (metaphor) ○ Capacity to see the personal troubles Example: mental health You go to people to talk about what is happening to you and thats the near question but maybe we should be asking ourselves questions about what kind of society we are living in Lecture 3 Classical and contemporary sociological problems September 23, 2024 Emile Durkheim ( 1858-1917) Industrialized capitalists societies increasingly individualized ○ Noticed that society he was living in was going through unexpected changes ○ These societies were being individualized French sociologists and helped implement the use of statistics in sociology Increasing division of labor- fragmentation and segmentation of bases of solidarity ○ All the bases of solidarity are changing Social solidarity- the glue that binds individuals together as a society/ group ○ Things that people have in common Part of something bigger, a greater good or collective shared/ common values, sentiments, beliefs, way of life, norms What makes social solidarity and social order possible? Two types of social solidarity ○ Mechanical solidarity based on commonality/ similarity Where people engage because they have things in common Members of the group typically share the same values, based on common life situations and experiences The collective/ common conscience is sharply defined Can act as a powerful constraint on individual behaviour ○ Organic solidarity presupposes difference but greater interdependence between different parts of society Less in common and greater degrees of difference Increasing individualism and autonomy ( rules governing behaviour and interaction) Do your own thing/ live and let live Greater interdependence between groups and individuals Downside: anomie- normlessness- lack of regulations The individual is able to be offered a degree of protection Solidarity is still something sociologists had to take into account Karl Marx ( 1818-1883) Capitalism ○ What is the nature of capitalism, characteristics? ○ The engine/ driving force of history, the source of problems “ a colossal collection of commodities ○ He is stating basically what capitalism is. What is unique/ distinctive about capitalism? Formally free labor How the basic necessities of life are owned and controlled- bought and sold as commodities ○ Same way as a clothing line Labor is a special type of commodity ○ Work is a type of commodity just like everything you buy Buying workers capacity to produce other commodities and profit for the capitalist class Work under capitalism is alienating Alienation ( four aspects) ○ 1. Form the product of one's labour- workers do not own what they produce or the profit from their work ○ 2.from the labor process- workers do not control the conditions under which they work ○ 3.from fellow workers as a class- competitive economy ○ 4.from human nature or species being- work as compulsion rather than a free activity Max Weber (1864-1920) Rationalization Capitalism is facilitated through rationalization- rational mode of economic life Organizational systems that operate on the principle of efficiency, calculability, control and predictability Weber and ritzer rationalization of work George Ritzer “Mcdonaldization’- the amount of categorizing and keeping track of each food is astonishing Mcjobs ○ Lends to a sense of meaninglessness ○ 1. All aspects of the job are thought about and incorporated within a single rational system ○ 2. Higher skilled jobs broken down into simple components for easy training Allows for greater control and predictability of the product ( standardization of production) Allows for greater control over the employees ( standardization of service) Highly routinized deskilling - instead of learning new skills, employees can become deskilled in many ways Charlotte perkins Gilman ( 1860-1934) Androcentric culture- the man made world Gilman is talking about sexism and living in a patriotic society Women socialized into passivity and domesticity Women as a preposition to men Not defined independently Ideally marriage as a partnership but in reality a type of servitude Giving away the bride Equality and economic W.E.B DuBois (1868-1963) Use of statistics and ethnography to study social problems- esp kj ks between (urban) poverty and racism Racism and white supremacy in the USA The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the colour line An internal as well as external type of line Split consciousness- the political and psychological effect of living in a racist society/ social structure Experimental standpoint/ methodology- one of the first to use it as a basis for socially/ politically knowing about the social world-developing critical social knowledge of the society Frantz Fanon ( 1925-1961) Black skin, white masks ( 1952) French colonialism in Martinique Language and colonialism- the language of the colonizer shapes the consciousness of the colonized ○ Fanon is an advocate Hierarchical values and meanings of system Internal colonization Verstehen: translates to understanding Lecture 4 Social and Symbolic Interaction September 30th, 2024 Social Interaction When interaction is social, it involves a variety of social and cultural processes, rules, conventions, norms, etc. ○ Even when alone, we can still be interacting with others in our heads ○ Everyday interaction appears easy, simple and straightforward but interaction is complex and multifaceted Interaction is a generative and active process ○ How we make sense (meaning) of situations ○ The actions of other people will to some extent determine our own actions/ response to a situation Broader theoretical and philosophical aspects to social interaction and how meaning is socially created ○ Symbolic interaction ○ Herbet Blumer (1900-1987) ○ W.I. Thomas (1863-1947) ○ Erving Goffman (1922-1982) Symbolic interactionism Sometimes called micro sociology Critical Functionalist ○ How given systems function, how does it reproduce over time? Symbolic interactionist ○ Looking at the symbolic actions in interactions between people Meaning and interpretation of social action/behaviour Reality is created by people through their interactions ○ Make sense of what is going on and act accordingly Micro level in focus/ analysis- everyday interactions between people ○ Symbolic? Referencing/ abstraction Facial expressions, choice of words, gestures ○ Gestures, words, facial expression, body language, spatial proximity and distance are all read symbolically ○ Many sources of information We receive info from other people and places ○ Sign vehicles- the symbolic traffic moving back and forth between people What we agree to as real can/does have consequences for other people and vice versa The power of norms and the social power of definition We bring into play a range of different background knowledged (practical/ habitual and ideation) into our social interactions with other people Interactions always occur in some social context that also partly structures our interactions with other people Herbert Blumer ○ How meaning/ understanding is co-constructed between people in the process of interaction ○ Robbery situation in the textbook Guy goes into bank pulls out a gun and they go through the different gestures and words used and it requires certain things to happen Definition of the situation- W.I. Thomas ○ “If a person defines a situation as real, it is real in its consequences” More broadly-definitions of deviance ○ If something is defined as deviant it is real in its consequence Erving Goffman (1922-1982) Dramaturgical approach ○ Dramaturgy is the art of theatre production and stage management ○ Social interaction is a kind of theoretical stage where we perform our social statuses and roles with other people Status and roles ○ They are acted out/ performed ○ Status- to indicate the social position/relationship of someone within a network of social relationships ○ Facebook-relationship status ○ marital / civic status ○ Status set our collections of statuses ○ How might status/ social position influence how we interact with another person Roles-expected patterns of social behaviour relevant to a particular status ○ Role performance- patterns of social behaviors indicating a person's status/ position ○ role set- our collections of roles ○ One status can have multiple ( and sometime conflicting) roles ○ How we know about the interaction with people, how we know how to behave in situations, what to expect from other people in a given situation Institutionally defined status and roles ○ teacher/ student ○ Calling in sick to work/ school- changed status and changed role ○ negotiating / figuring our changing family roles and statuses can be quite complex Goffman- we act as observers, actions and directors of our own social performances ( interactions) ○ We always seek ro impression manage in social situations ○ Front stage and backstage The front stage- where the social performance ( interaction) takes place The backstage- managerial part of us that works behind the scenes ( less public) ○ Performance is not always perfect- gaffes Face work ○ We have a face for every status and social role ○ Face- a version of ourselves that we present to others ○ Consistency between the impression you give to people and the perception they have of you ○ Predictability of social interactions and roles and statuses Maintaining face ○ Everyone has a range of face work strategies ○ Losing face ( ex. Fail videos on youtube) ○ Saving face Assignment: Explain what is going on from a symbolic interactionists point of view LECTURE 5 Research and methods October 7, 2024 What's the point? Research Social value of research Research Methods: the big picture The point of research methods is reliable/trustworthy knowledge of the social world/ society ○ Wide array of methods for producing knowledge of society and the social world ○ Different types of knowledge of the social world and different ways of knowing it ○ Multi Perspective and multi method ○ The social world is complex and multidimensional phenomenon Think about the social problem of homelessness ○ What what is the problem The moral fact of homelessness in an affluent society? The increasing numbers? The logistical/ economic problems, associated with the problem, of homelessness Addiction, mental health, social inequality, colonialism, poverty Can ‘see’ the problem with my own eyes but what exactly is the social problem i am seeing Is homelessness an exclusive urban problem? Sociologists study their own world- they are part of the world they wish to produce knowledge about ○ Which makes knowledge of that world more complicated to assess, gather and process ○ Reflexivity is key ○ For any research methodology there are advantages and disadvantages Natural science vs. social science ○ Sociology is a social science ○ Arguments about sociology not benign a real science are not meaningful critique of sociology ○ A reflection of the differences in the subject matter and the difficulties Sociology is a social science The type of question you ask/ want answered will determine the type of method you use ○ There are very different types of questions about the social world that require different types of methodological inquiry ○ Ex. changes in the rate of homelessness from 2013- 2023 ○ Ex. the experiences of persons living with homelessness ○ Ex. how the social problem of homelessness is covered/ represented in the news media ○ Your method must be framed by the theory you use ○ And the theoretical approach you use will in part determine the types of questions you are likely to ask ○ Theory and methods are intimately related- method seeks to help answer theoretical questions Quantitative and Qualitative Quantitative knowledge ○ Social phenomenon that can be counted, quantified and measured ○ Statistical analysis is the most common form of quantitative research method ○ Positivist tradition: Auguste comte and Durkeim ○ Sociology is a as scientific and objective as the natural sciences ○ The study of social facts- like suicide rate, homicide rate, etc Is measurability the end goal of all methods? ○ When you try to translate quant to qual ○ The metrification of social life Ex. education ○ Student surveys Correlation does not mean causation ○ Ex. one does not cause the other ○ Correlation- the degree to which 2 variables are connected to each other in a way that is more than chance ○ The strength of association Qualitative knowledge ○ Focuses on things that cannot be easily measured or counted- peoples experiences in particular ○ criticisms/ debates ○ Quantitative sociologists argue: knowledge generated through interviews is unreliable, too subjective, soft data ○ Qualitative sociologists argue: statistics/ data cannot accurately capture the nuances and complexities of social life and lives experiences ○ Many sociologists use a combination of both ( mixed methods) Research methods 1. Survey (questionnaire and interviews) Survey research: interviews Most widely used social science technique Polling- politics Asking a sample of people the same questions Structured questions and answers How people interact in a social context Generalize results to larger population if it is representative Interviews ○ Usually a good size interview sample ( for individual research) will be around 30-50 ○ It takes time to interview and to transcribe ○ You cannot misrepresent what your interviewees say ○ Leading questions ○ You can code the interviews- which looks for recurring themes/ topics ○ Interviews are also about narratives- how people narrate their experiences to you 2. Experiments Lauster and Easterbook ( 2011) in Vancouver ○ Discrimination in housing rentals for different types of families ○ Use of email- no personal interaction- so the researcher can control what info is included ○ Sent out to landlords advertising vacancies on craigslist ○ Inquiries were identical except for minor variations by 5 family types: heterosexual couples, same sex male couples, same sex female couples, single mother with child and single father with child. ○ Advantages Simple, saves time Use of email- no personal interaction-and researcher controls what info is included Able to focus on and control one particular variable why ? Discrimination not easy to study? Ex. Metropolis B.c: “ Why do some employers prefer to interview Mathew but not Samir?” Resume sent out to different employers- only difference was surname Advantages of this method? 3. Field research ( participant observation and Ethnography) Ethnography ○ Goffman also did a part of asylums ○ Used in sociology but in also anthropology ○ A typical ethnography consists of the person ( who is usually not a local of the area) staying in a particular area for a prolonged period of time ( usually around a year) ○ Typically includes participant observation and interviews ○ The average anthropology ethnography is 12-16 months ○ One limitation It can be a case of the particular If it's based on a specific place then how is it generalizable to other situations/ contexts Multi-sited ethnography- across many different sites ex. tourists , migrants, etc. Digital ethnographies- virtual and online worlds ex. ‘ second life’ Participant observation ○ Researcher joins in the study subjects in order to gain insight into their social world ○ Naturally occurring context ○ Exploring a social world from the inside ○ Convert research Goffman Asylums 4. Secondary data and textual analysis Non primary sources- research by other agencies, individuals Meta-analysis: analysis of all the other research done on a particular topic Historical sociology- long term view of social phenomena Ex. Lewis Mumford- how has mechanical time shaped societies and people ○ Why do we get hungry at 1, fall asleep at 12? Critical research methods Decolonizing methodology ○ Research done about indigenous peoples by non indigenous researchers- big problem ○ Extractive knowledge process with little to no ties or obligations to communities ○ Research agenda, process, ethics, etc, were all decided upon by the university, government, state, etc. Decolonizing methodologies often focus on: ○ settler/ non indigenous researcher learning how to respectfully and collaboratively work with and for indigenous communities in ways thayt are non extractive/ appropriate ○ Decentering western approaches and models of knowledge assumed to be universally applicable ○ Focuses on the specific relationality of people and their environment and their specific worldviews/ epistemologies Feminist and critical race methodologies ○ One prominent feature is the use of qualitative mixed use methodologies ex. CRT and FM often uses narratives storytelling as a form of knowledge representation ○ Critical of mainstream methods for producing ostensibly objective and / or trustworthy knowledge from a politically neutral position ○ Dorothy smith: standpoint os crucial in determining how a researcher approaches a social problem ○ Argues women occupy a different standpoint in the social world that gives them a unique perspective or standpoint on social life and gender relations ○ Similar to WEB Dubois idea of dual consciousness Subjugates knowledged ( michel Foucault) ○ The regulatory and normative power of knowledge ○ Argued that in society there was official state and expert knowledge about people ex. Heterosexuality is the only real/ official/ normal sexuality ○ Subjugated knowledged- the unofficial knowledge about sexuality from people lived experiences Critical research methods emphasize and practice reflexivity and positionality ○ Reflexivity means that as a researcher, you need to be aware of your own social position in relation to the person or group you are doing research with ○ Historical and contemporary power relations at work ○ goal is not objective Problem: racism Sample: the bipoc community at carleton Research methods: surveys/ interviews on how racism has affected their lives or to what degree have they experienced racism Field research: observing the interactions between people of color and non people of color Secondary data: observing crime statistics from people of colour compared to others. LECTURE 6 Week 7: Culture What is Culture? Very hard to define, broad term Complex and diverse Often talked about in the sense of national cultures, an idea that can be critiqued as it sets very strict boundaries that are not always followed within a country, as well as existing outside of said country ○ Criminalization of culture, leading to oppressed minorities Culture as a thing that can be disassembled Component parts with a set definition Material vs. Non-Material Material culture: Objects ( ex. Finding old weapons or pottery in archeology, flags) Non-material culture: Ideas (ex. Believes, norms, values, the symbolism behind flags) ○ The practices, things people do ○ We learn these naturally through socialization Can be difficult to unpack and explain, especially to those outside of the culture Non material culture: norms that are reproduced over time; men paying for the woman Formal and informal norms Formal: codes of conduct, regulations Informal: implicit, expected ways of behaviour without the rules being said ○ How do we learn informal norms? Sanctions: affirming, or punishing, verbal and non verbal Example: a verbal negative sanction- don't, stop, go away Example: a negative non-verbal sanction- silence, glaring, corporeal ( can be hard to infer meaning) Culture wars-politics and culture More and more prominent Politicising issues Can be used in a dismissive or a positive way ○ Woke culture, rape culture, toxic work culture Hard to look at in a neutral way ( should it be looked at neutrally?) Elements of culture Language ○ Sapir Whorf: linguistic anthropologist, studying what language does Determined it does more than describe ( though it does do that) It is how we understand and make sense of ourselves and the world around us - how we describe our experience is important Language as a culturally specific “vehicle”- categories of thought and forms of experience If we don’t have a word for depression, are people still depressed? ○ Betty Freidman (1921-2006)- the problem that has no name Once you begin to give a problem a name, it has an impact on how societies deal with it, in her case misogyny, feminism, etc. Once the problem has a name, it can be understood and dealt with ○ Franz Fanon ( 1925-1961) French colonialism in Martinique- if you are forced to speak french, it brings with it a set of ideals, inadvertently brings with it its own hierarchy values and meanings system The language of the colonizer shapes the consciousness of the colonized Symbols ○ Symbolic- making reference to something else ○ Often invested with meanings and values ○ In a social context- boundary maintenance ( teams, flags, jerseys) either in the group or out of the group ○ Often become proxies for a larger social issue and dispute (pink triangle, raised fists) ○ Reflect different kinds of social power: who gets to define what a symbol means? Who gets to use these symbols/ claims them? ○ Culture is shared but also disputed Meanings, values, ideas, norms are contested disagreement/ conflict as a big part of culture as anything else Social power, who has the power to have the voice? Who has access to the public? Who is part of the institution? ○ National flags as a symbolic representation if nation-states ○ Emile Durkheim: collective representations are symbolic ○ During the trucker convoy, the symbolism of the Canadian flag changed very quickly, became associated with the convoy and freedom as opposed to Canada Contest over who deserved the flag Cultural critique/ analysis ○ 1991 Baltej Singh Dhillon- first RCMP officer to wear his Sikh Turban Successfully lifted the ban on turbans in the RCMP ○ Parody and satire are popular forms of political critique, very effective National and international image ○ Knowledge of people/ groups/places/what is good, gained through cultural representations Who gets represented in what context matters a lot enduring/ pervasive cultural patterns Social identities are partially defined to and by other through representations Has been lots of conflict on how groups are portrayed in the media ( racist, misogynistic representations) If you never see versions of you/ positive versions, this goes towards creating a stigmatized society ○ Indigenous Horror movies Blood quantum by Jeff Barnaby (2019) Functional story with cultural and historical resonance However, used in a bad way as well ( trope used of houses built on indigenous burial grounds, ex. In The shining ○ Dennis wong (1923-2018) - people have the capacity to resist and subvert specific cultural ideas represented through media We are not passive consumers, there is agency involved We live our lives in culture, but we are still able to critique and analyse the products of it Detournement: to subvert the meaning of a symbol, allows for alternative reading of cultural products LECTURE 7 Social Inequalities November 4, 2024 Social Inequality and class Social inequality ○ Resources (economic, social and political) are unequally distributed in society Access to resources is crucial for opportunities in life ○ This unequal distribution endures and changes overtime Ex. some have more education and some have less “There is increasing recognition that the mainsprings of health are to be found in the manner in which societies are organized and resources distributed among the population” (Raphael 2009, 1) Stratified/ Hierarchical model of social classes in Canada ( from Kendall, Murray and Linden 2007) ○ Older upper class ( old money, inherited wealth) ○ Newer upper class ( does not come from family in money) ○ Upper middle class ○ Lower middle class ○ Working class ○ Working poor ○ underclass Class and Status Systems Ideas about status and class are often mashed together ○ poverty or jobs bring a certain kind of status Lower and upper class? ○ We are using types of status designations so when you are saying you are in the middle class, what are you in the middle of? Posh, snob, low-grade, high-end, trashy, classy, uneducated Where are the snobs and posh people- how would you know if someone was posh? The politics of class How sociologists think about/ conceptualize class Class and social change/ struggle as forms of political movements ○ Ex. labor/ trade union/ workers rights Political conflict/ struggle in society are a symptom/ expression of underlying class inequalities and conflicts The class structure/ system is a reflection of/ mechanism of certain power relations within that society Class as socio-economic status (SES)? ○ Lower class, middle class and upper class ○ Income, occupational status and education ○ Not antagonistic but recognizes inequality ○ Tends to see inequalities as a reflection of difference in skills, value of jobs in society ect. Ex. as somewhat inevitable ( functionalists) Marxian Class Class is central concept for understanding the nature of power and inequality In capitalist societies there are 3-4 main classes The Bourgeoisie ( owning class) The Petit-Bourgeoisie ( Small business owners ) The Proletariat ( working class) ○ Those who work for others in exchange for a wage/ salary The underclass- Lumpenproletariat ○ The class of unemployed, marginalized, homeless Marxian class theory sees classes in society having contradictory interests. Classes are structurally “in conflict” ○ Wealth is socially not individually created Wealth creation relies on having a class of people who have to work in order to live Using a marxian concept of class its possible to study class in different societies But technically the majority of people in Canada are part of the ‘working class’ Weberian Class For Weber how power was distributed in society is multi-dimensional Class matters but also status groups ( distribution of prestige/ status) and parties ( distribution of political influence) What is a social class for Weber? ○ A category of people that share similar life chances Life chances: ○ The opportunities people have to share/ get the economic or material goods/ services created in a society Member of a class share common life chances Weber and Marx Unlike Marx, weber saw status groups; and political associations exerting as much influence on life chances as economic interests Status group derive their power not from the economy/ capitalism but from social status hierarchies Will a wage laborer earning $250,000 ( federal Gov mid/ upper level manager salary), living in the Glebe with their partner ( also early 250,000 per year) have similar political interests and priorities as a working wage couple earning $60,000, renting a house/ apartment in Vanier? Social Determinants of health Social determinants of health are the economic and social conditions that shape the health of individuals, communities and jurisdictions as a whole. Social determinants of health are the primary determinants of whether individuals stay healthy and the quality of a variety of resources that a society makes available to its members. (Raphael 2009,2) Income Employment and Race distribution working conditions Disability Gender Food security and Education and access to food access to Health care information services, social Transportation, safety net housing, built Aboriginal status environment-safety ( Mikkohen & Raphael, 2010) Don't be poor Be able to go on a Learn how to fill in Don't have poor foreign holiday and the complex parents sunbathe housing benefit Own a car Don't become application forms Don't work in a unemployed before you become stressful, low-paid Take up all benefits homeless and manual job you are entitled to destitute Don't live in damp, Don't live next to a low quality housing busy major road or a polluting factory Dr. David Gordon (1999) (sarcastic) tips for better health Education and class Richard Wanner (2009) ○ In canada there is still a major inheritance of privilege/ advantage- different levels of access to post secondary education Krahn (2009) ○ 14 year longitudinal study of highschool graduates in Edmonton ○ Kids from families with one or more university educated parents were 3x more likely to complete university Bourdieu and class Pierre Bourdieu (1930-2002) How are inequalities reproduced over time? Culture is central to understanding inequalities between social classes The way we speak, the way we eat, our consumption of certain good and services ( class traits) can signify something about our social class position Capital as a resource that is constantly changing form Cultural and social forms of capital Different forms of capital can be accumulated, inherited/ transmitted and converted Habitus All 3 forms of capital can confer social power upon those who have the right kind ( socially valuable) What cultural goods are considered valuable and not valuable in society? Some goods/ resources are more scarce, take more time and money to accumulate For assignment: Front and back stage Face work Social class Social solidarity gender role Androcentrism Cultural capital ○ Inform of knowledge that can be passed down through generations LECTURE 8 Week 9: The sociology of education November 11, 2024 Changes in Mass Education Increase in alternatives to standard public school- one size fits all Not responsive to the specific needs of a diverse student population In toronto district school board ( TDSB) there are almost 40 alternative elementary and high school Multi-age classroom schools, LGBT school, africentric school, experiential learning Private high schools in ottawa ○ Tuition fees: ranging from 10,000-15,000 per year Classes are based on what student want to learn The element Montessori based high school in Tunney's pasture- mixed age classes Blyth academy ( Glebe) Average class size- less than eight students Quest university, Squamish B.C. ( private but non-profit university) Summerhill school (UK)- democratic school ○ Students and teachers make the decisions- everyone has an equal say in the governance of the school “The function of a child is to live his own life… not the life that his anxious parents think he should live, not according to the purpose of an educator who thinks he knows best”- A.S. Neill summerhill ( 1950) Hidden curriculum ○ unofficial/ non-academic learning of various social/ cultural values/ ideas Punctuality, obedience The Neoliberal University Dramatic changes in post secondary education over the past 30 years ○ Driven by shifts in economic policies and philosophies How we think about education, its role in broader society Shift in government funding models of public education Huge increase in student enrolment ( increased access) and operating costs of universities Huge increase in tuition fees and part time faculty Increasing shift from in class instructions to online/ blended programs Ex. teaching assistants doing more and more of the teaching, grading and student interaction ○ Larger class sizes and higher TA/ student ratio ○ 20yrs ago it was 25-1 now it is 65-80 Do increased student numbers in university influence how students learn, what they prioritize, how they approach learning? As the university becomes a function of the economy/ job market does this change the social roles of university? Human capital perspective ○ Main role of schools is providing training for jobs/ careers ( economic, vocational role) ○ Ontario provincial government Having a post secondary qualification does make a difference- higher employment rates for degree holders Underemployment- 50% of graduates working in jobs that do not require their credentials Should the university be run more along free-market lines? ○ What courses are taught? Financially viable- most efficient Precarious jobs ○ Part time, LTAs, little to no benefits, many universities, less integration into the faculty and life of the department ( typically 50% of undergraduate courses are taught by part time/ contract faculty- increasing # of contract instructors teaching graduate level course) Too many graduates not enough appropriate jobs Democratization of post secondary education 1961 ○ 3% of those over 15 had a post secondary education qualification 1986 ○ 22% 2021 ○ 57.5% (25-64 working age group) A massification of post secondary education Increased access for more people Paradoxical effect ○ Devaluing and increasing value of education qualifications Credentialism Higher levels of education are not automatically reflective of more complex jobs requiring intensive study/ training Credential inflation/ creep Credentials become an efficient way of filtering applicants Credentials may not reflect the specific skills required for a job The role of post secondary education and citizenship? ○ Liberal arts ○ liberal/ free individuals active in social and civic life? ○ Good citizens or employable job seekers Who can afford to spend 4 years pursuing a degree that has little to no immediate financial pay back Opportunity costs of education ○ The hidden cost of choosing one option over another ○ Alternative to attending school/ college Time spent in full time education is usually time spent not working full time Post secondary education requires a deferral of income 1-12 years of deferred income Education and Inequality Does the education system help to reduce inequalities? Is the education system in canada a vehicle for equality ○ Ex. social mobility There are different positions on education and social mobility Meritocratic: ○ School performance reflects natural ability and hard work ○ The system provides mobility for lower SES and minority students who work hard to succeed Cultural reproduction: ○ The education system reinforces and reproduces the inequalities of the society and its functions 2011 ○ 9.8% of Indigenous population had a university degree ○ 25% non-indigenous population had a university degree ○ College level: 20.6% had a diploma, compared to 21.3% of non indigenous population In 2021, 49.2% of indigenous peoples ( 24 to 64 yrs) had completed a post secondary certificate, degree or diploma For indigenous peoples with a post secondary qualification, 73.7% had post secondary certificate or diploma ○ Ex. below the bachelor degree level Truth and reconciliation commission of canada: Calls to action The indian residential schools settlement agreement, the largest class action settlement in canadian history began to be implemented in 2007. One of the elements of the agreement was the establishment of the truth and reconciliation commission of canada to facilitate reconciliation among former students, their families, their communities and all canadians The TRC created a historical record of the residential schools system In december 2015, the TRC released its entire 6-volume final report. All canadians are encouraged to read the summary or the final report to learn more bout the terrible history of indian residential schools and its sad legacy Calls to action 62:We call on the federal government to draft new aboriginal education legislation with the full participation and informed consent of aboriginal peoples. The new legislation would include a commitment to sufficient funding and would incorporate the following principles: ○ Providing sufficient funding to close identified educational achievement Gaps within one generation ○ Improving education attainment levels and success rates ○ Developing culturally appropriate curricula ○ Protecting the right to aboriginal languages, including the teaching of aboriginal languages as credit courses ○ Enabling parental and community responsibility, control, and accountability, similar to what parents enjoy in public school systems ○ Enabling parents to fully participate in the education of their children ○ Respecting and honoring treaty relationships Issues in post secondary education Grade inflation ○ Definition: the changing relative value of grades over time ○ B work in the 1990s is now more likely to be A work ○ Grade increases: higher admission grades for universities ○ According to a 2010 report from Brock university, students entering university with a 90% average in highschool experienced a drop of 11.9%. Students with high school marks in the 60-79% range had a 4.4% drop. James cote ( 2012) By mid 2000s, 60% of ontario high school graduates had an A average 10% had a A+ average Thats up from 30% ( with A average) in 1980 Academic Integrity/ Misconduct The canadian journal of higher education ( vol. 36 No.2) Julia chistensen Huges & Donald McCade ( 2006) ○ Study of cheating in canadian universities ○ 53% of nearly 15,000 canadian undergraduates admitted to cheating on written work at least once in the 12 months before the survey Between 2011-2012: 7,086 canadian university students disciplined for cheating 1.5 million university students Plagiarism: 50% of all cases Unauthorized aid including inappropriate collaboration :22% Cheating on tests: 10% Getting another person to write your exam: 3% Re submission of previous course materials: 2% Anonymity and social distance Students who know their professors are far less likely to plagiarize Larger classes= more anonymity According to Huges and McCabe ○ 15-20% of students cheat repeatedly regardless of context ○ 15-20% will never cheat ○ About 60-70% may cheat if they see others getting away with it LECTURE 9 Political sociology November 18, 2024 Political sociology Broadly the study/analysis of power and political institutions Study of nation-states, political institutions and processes Micro and macro Social movements studies Power, domination and authority Power has become one of the most commonly used analytical terms in sociology and political science over the past few decades Power and authority are not the same but closely related The power debate ( Mills and Lukes in USA) ○ Post WWII- domination and power became a central subject of debate ○ Why? Rise of Fascism and totalitarianism ○ Hannah arendt- the origins of totalitarianism (1951) ○ Theodore adorno- the authoritarian personality (1950) ○ C wright mills- the power elite (1956) Who is actually making the decisions in US politics? The power elite are from 3 main sources of power- the military, private sector corporation and the state itself Military-industrial-political complex Almost from an elite caste system Revolving door- from one position of power to another Power brokers drawn from elite institutions ( Ivy league, military academies, and families) The power elite: concentration of power and decision making in the hands of the few ○ Steven lukes power: a radical view (1974) 3 dimensions to power First: decision making, key issues, observable conflict Second: who has decision making power and control over the agenda, political issues Ex. certain issues can be kept out of politics ( tobacco industry funding research to challenge the links between smoking and ill health) Third: grievances can be neutralized by shaping the perceptions of people- acceptance of the way things are Accepting the status quo since no alternative seems to exist- things appear as natural or inevitable Far more broad and radical view of power Media and communications play a central role French social theory in 1960s/70s- Michel Foucault now/invisible types of political power operating in society Authority ○ When power is seen as legitimate and accepted ○ Authority has limits ○ Weber- “ if the state is to exist, the dominated must obey the authority claimed by the powers that be. When and why do men obey?” ○ When authority is delegitimize the exercise of power is seen as domination rather than authority The state ○ Political institution with a monopoly on the legitimate use of force over a clearly defined territory and population- weber ○ The right to use physical force is ascribed to other institutions or to individual only to the extent to which the state permits it ○ Legitimate use of force- the police can physically arrest and detain ○ Martial law and the martial foundations of nation states ○ A state refers to legal/ political entity that is typically comprised of the following: Fixed borders Monopolize the legitimate use of force (weber) Permanent standing armies Impersonal power structures and typically centralized control The capacity to enter into relations with other states Official language (s), a system of law, currency system, fosters loyalties to abstract entities like canada & USA Weber three types of authority ( legitimate forms of domination) ○ Traditional Authority due to long standing customs/ traditions The way things have always been done The weight of the past, inherited ○ legal -rational The rule of law enacted by specific positions/ offices Governing through rules and administration (rather than personal decisions) Individual differences do not come into play- ideally the rules apply equally to everyone bureaucracies - rule of desks Official hierarchical structure Top down planning and decision making Official jurisdictional areas Power is carefully delimited- who can do what and under what circumstances ○ Charismatic A type of rule based on the personal qualities of the individual- not formal rules Originally applied to religious founders of religions via their special relationship with a god or divine being Charismatic leaders work best during usual/ unstable times The qualities of charismatic leaders are not available to everyone (maybe divine) Demands obedience and a following by virtue of their mission Recognition through proving one's special abilities Legitimacy comes from his followers recognition Symbiotic relationship Foucault and disciplinary power Michel Foucault - governmentality How social control is exercised Different regimes of power Power and authority are not always exercised as physical force Power is at work in apparently therapeutic institutions Government as a practice rather than an entity- i'm so disillusioned with how the government are dealing with… Neoliberalism and governmentality ○ The ways through which the rights- bearing citizens of a state are turned into choice driven consumers ○ The burden of risk and responsibility is offloaded from the state and onto the population/ citizens via a consumer choice/ services model Disciplinary power ○ Not confined to government or elected officials ○ Disciplinary power- indirect rule ○ Power is at work in apparently therapeutic institutions ○ Public institutions (prisons, psychiatric hospitals) ○ Those who were considered deviant/ill/dangerous ○ A type of power based on visibility and surveillance- not physical coercion ○ Ubiquitous ( not confined to particular position in a hierarchy) ○ Diffuse (involves everyone, not a matter of power by one actor or entity over another ○ Individuals become active agents in the exercise of power ○ 3 key mechanisms of disciplinary power Hierarchical observation Disciplinary power is exercised by observation Moral architecture of public institutions Maximize observability and visibility of each individual Normalizing judgments Examinations ○ Panopticon- ideal architectural model of modern disciplinary power One person (observer) could effectively monitor all the prisoners Inmates never know when they are being observed Secret shoppers Behavior modifications Normalizing judgements ○ Discipline through imposing precise norms- normalization ○ Constant comparison of behaviour or standards ○ Imposes homogeneity- conforming to a standard ○ But also individualizes- deviance from the norm ○ Anything can be a norm in an institution Examinations ○ Allows for the individual to be normalized, classified against all others ○ Allow for the testing of individuals ○ Basis of interventions LECTURE 10 Colonialism in Canada: International Contexts and Comparisons Monday November 25, 2024 Canada and Ireland Over the past two decades- colonialism, decolonization, reconciliation Dominant theoretical and political frameworks and paradigms But also terms used frequently in public discourse Using a comparative historical approach an illustrate both the commonalities and differences in the processes of colonialism and decolonization Key concepts/terms Colonialism Imperialism Post-colonialism Settler colonialism Colonialism and imperialism Both are forms of conquest that involve practices of domination that subjugate one group to the advantage of another Political and economic control over territories and people Imperialism typically does not involve the transfer of population to a territory and permanent settlement of the population who are loyal to the imperial power ○ Imperialism- indirect forms of control and domination ○ Marxist/ Leninist: imperialism as a stage in the development of capitalism- about economic exploitation of resources, peoples, etc., for the benefit of capital ○ World systems model- core and periphery India, Ireland and Canada Different examples of imperialism, (settler) colonialism and post-colonialism Post-colonialism Refers to the process of transition from colonial subjugation/ dependence to national independence How forms of domination continue to persist despite the official ending of direct colonial dependency/ domination Edward said’s orientalism (1979) ○ Looked at ways how the west and there is a continuation of domination and how it is represented Critique of postcolonialism by Indigenous scholars ○ Post colonial doesn't address the ongoing logic of colonialism in settler societies ○ Ex. ongoing land claims, political sovereignty and rights, role of nation state institutions and services, cultural practices and ways of life tied to ancestral lands etc. Settler colonialism rather than post-colonialism ○ Better captures the ongoing logic of colonialism between historical settler societies and indigenous societies ○ International scope of indigenous rights movement ○ Ex. new zealand, norway, australia, USA, central and south america The problems with Multiculturalism Multiculturalism? “Promote the full equitable participation of individuals and communities of all origins in the continuing evolution and shaping of all aspects of canadian society” National self definition in terms of policy and identity American model melting pot Immigrants were encouraged to assimilate into the american way of life Canada model recognize and celebrate diversity of every group in canada Canadian multiculturalism act (1988) The mosaic metaphor ○ An ideal/model of nationhood that avoids the specific relationship of colonialism between settler canadians and indigenous groups Ex. indigenous sovereignty In a multicultural society, each group preserves its unique cultural traits while contributing to national unity Each culture is equally important within the mosaic Indigenous peoples in canada- not just more cultural groups in multicultural mosaic The context of colonialism is crucial to understanding why Canadian context Colonialism Not a historical event in the past But an ongoing process ( legacy) The systematic logic of colonialism is embedded in social structure and institutions of canadian society Indigenous sovereignty and resistance is an ongoing, political work in progress Assimilation Gradual civilization act (1857) ○ Aimed to assimilate indigenous people into canadian settler society via the process of enfranchisement Enfranchisement is a legal process of terminating a persons legally defined indian status and conferring full canadian citizenship The indian act 1867 ○ Applies to first nations- not inuit or metis ○ Imposing political structures on indigenous communities ( band councils) ○ Control indigenous peoples to practice their culture (potlatch, smudging) ○ The government determines the land of these groups (reserves) ○ Power to legally define who qualifies for status or non status Sixties scoop Removal of indigenous children from their families into provincial child welfare system Majority without the consent of families or bands Social workers lack knowledge, understanding of indigenous cultures, lifestyles etc. 70% into non-indigenous foster homes Not an explicit government policy ( unlike the residential school system) Ongoing overrepresentation Auditor general of canada (2018 report) Indigenous children are overrepresented in care ○ 51% of children in care in B.C. are indigenous ○ 8% of provincial population ○ An indigenous child in B.C. is 6x more likely to be taken into care than a non indigenous childs Canadian truth and reconciliation commission (TRC) ○ Discovering and revealing past wrongdoings by a government ○ Truth telling ○ Minister Hector Langevin, House of Commons ( 1883) Canadian social structure 2016 census child poverty rate for all children is 17% (1.2 millon) Average child poverty rate for all indigenous children is almost 40% Status first nation children, 51% live in poverty, rising to 60% Life chances and access to resources All indigenous peoples have rights that include access to/ control of ancestral lands and resources The ongoing legacy of colonization is also about land, resources, identity and self determination Ireland and Canada- British colonies Ireland had a unique social, economic, political and cultural context: Gaels ( native Irish) clan based system and Brehon legal system Algo Norman invasion of ireland in 1179 Ulster plantation 1603 and real beginning of settler colonialism/ plantation economy in Northern ireland (ulster) Settlers? ○ Protestant denominations-esp scottish presbyterians, church of england and methodists Land dispossession, forced displacement, settler access to resources, political and economic Numerous armed uprisings and rebellions against British rule 1798 and 1916 rebellions most consequential Settlers displaced native catholics from their land, rarely intermarried with the native irish and lived as segregated communities for centuries Penal laws (1695) Privilege position for the anglican Church of england Forbade catholics (and protestant dissenters too) from owning land, educating and raising their children as catholics, holding public office, joining legal profession British rule forced catholic presents to replace their own subsistence farming with the potato cash crop for export The 1845- Act of union 1801, legal creation of the united kingdom The act of union united the parliaments of ireland and great britain into one entity Remapping colonies First ordnance survey of ireland 1841 Resulted in a country full of towns and cities whose names had no meaning to their residents By 1824 around 40% of irish children attended school, either public or private, the majority of which were taught in english The gaelic revival movement ○ In 1876, the society of the preservation of the irish language was founded ○ Began printing textbooks and other media in irish language ○ 1879 used in irish language courses in school ○ By 1891 the percentage of people who could speak irish had fallen to 19.2% ○ Today 1.5% of the population speak irish as their first language ○ Gaelic athletic association- sports and culture Comparison and contrast ○ Settler population key to securing and ensuring colonial rule ○ land/ territory a crucial political and economic issue ○ Numerous uprisings and forms of resistance Louis riel, red river, OKA crisis, wet'suwet'en etc. Post-Irish independence 1923 catholic/ irish populating of northern ireland But nothing on the scale or scope of canadian settler state policies and ongoing impact on indigenous groups Profound racism and racialization Segregation and displacement via reserve system Policing, school to prison pipeline, etc. Indigenous resistance and ongoing movement for sovereignty and self determination, treaties, and cultural revival is international in scope LECTURE 11 Week 12: Social Movements Monday December 2, 2024 Protests seem to be everywhere these days Examples? ○ Lcbo strike ○ Canada post ○ Truckers convoy Protests and social movements are not synonymous- do not mean or refer to same thing but are closely related Social movements are extremely prevalent in contemporary societies ○ Black lives matter movements ○ Abortions pro life vs. pro choice ○ Mothers against drunk driving Social movements are a collective phenomena ○ What make it count as collective ○ Is it a matter of numbers? If so, how many? ○ Does wearing a badge and t-shirt make one part of a movement? ○ Or must one attend meetings and engage in protest? What counts as protest? ○ Would wearing a badge/t-shirt count as a protest? Tweeting (slacktivism) ○ Or must one stand in a group of three or more people waving a placard? Social movements must endure for some period of time in order to be considered a movement and not just a protest Movements are important because they are key agents for bringing about change within societies ○ Conjures up an image of revolution or major legislative change ○ This happens but it is comparatively rare ○ The kinds of changes movements achieve tend to be incremental rather than monumental ○ Social movements and processes of change and resistance are important from a sociological perspective Movements can/do problematize the ways in which we live our lives and the societies in which we live Allow sociologists to gauge the workings of the broader political/power structures of our society ○ Ex. the political structure of opportunity in a society, the degree of political freedom, how flexible a social system etc. Sociology revolves around questions of stability and change: the problem of order and the problem of transformation Social movements aim to redistribute/realign power in addressing social issues and grievances From the more to less powerful (depends on framing) ○ Who are the powerful and powerless ○ Power as resources: legal rights and legislation, economic benefits, media representations, etc. Many different avenues to bring about social change Routes to social change ○ Mainstream electoral representative politics ○ legal/legislative ○ Culture ○ Social movements These different routes to change often interact and influence one another Why do people participate in social movements/collective action? Why are some movements successful and others not? ○ Relative deprivation approach ○ Resource mobilization theory ○ New social movement theory ○ Frame analysis Relative deprivation approach (1960s/1970s) Relative deprivation do not automatically lead to increases in protest or movement activity Portrays movement emergence as a reflex response/reaction to grievances, deprivations, hardships, etc. The emergence of a grievance based on a perception of expected rewards and not getting what one feels one deserves/is entitled to (Morrison 1971) Snyder and tilly (1972) compared measures of relative deprivation with frequent strikes, demonstrations, etc. Result: collective unrest does not automatically correspond with times of increased deprivation Social movements are proactive as well as reactive Resource Mobilization Theory (RMT) Mobilization refers to the process by which a discontented group assembles and invests resources for the pursuit of group goals Collective action: ○ mobilizing, converting and transferring resources from one group and issue to other groups and issues Two major strains of resource mobilization theory ○ The entrepreneurial model McCarthy and Zald Conceives activists as entrepreneurs who are in many ways like business entrepreneurs Movement organizations resemble business organizations in some key respects ○ The political process model The political process model (Charles Tilly), focuses on the dynamics of political opportunity structures (POS) The receptivity or vulnerability of the political system to organized protests and pressure by groups Social movements emerge to pressure political parties to take particular actions on particular problems Addresses the issue of timing/emergence and success of a social movement RMT typically focuses on centralized organizations and the state Social movements not just about changing state policy Change how people perceive an issue or a complex set of rules Role of the shared identities, values and ideology are not addressed RMT asks how questions and is useful for traditional types of social movements organizations ○ RMT has difficulty explaining why individuals become involved in social movements Does Not ask broader questions about the societies in which social movements arise Why do people participate even if they could just sit at home and still get the benefits? Collective action problem (Olson 1965) ○ Individuals still benefit from whatever is gained whether or not they contribute-free riding ○ Ex. women who did not participate in movement for women's voting rights still received benefits ○ Some actions are costlier than others ○ Boycotting is a low cost/low risk type of participation New social movement approach Old social movements ○ Based on labour, economic injustice and class conflict New social movements ○ Identity, and other forms or non-economic and/or cultural/political goals Emerged 1960s: environmentalism, the peace movement, LGBTQ rights, animal rights The notion of new social movements is a post-marxist notion Ronald inglehart ○ Post material and post industrial societies ○ The new middle class ○ Focuses on the cultural/political sphere rather than collective action against the state Values ○ Participating Forwarding your ideology/value belief system ○ Community of people who also share your beliefs/values Identity ○ Being a part of a social movement can become part of how you see yourself ○ The more important that identity is to you, the more likely you are to stay in overtime Social networks ○ The primary way individuals come to join social movements ○ The more people you know who participate and the closer you are to those people,the more likely you are to join or participate Framing/ Frame Analysis How an issue is framed matters a great deal in politics Helps to orient the focus and behaviour of an organization or group and their members What are the goals/objectives of the group/organization and how to best achieve these goals Framing analysis helps us to explain the success and failure of social movements unrelated to questions about mobilizing resources Three types of framing done by social movements ○ Diagnostic What is the nature of the problem ○ Prognostic How is the problem fixed and who or what is responsible ○ Motivational What to do about it ○ If you agree with the diagnosis and prognosis of the problem/issue the motivational framing gives people a way of solving/ addressing the problem Frame alignment ○ When social movements realign their own frames or reference under a more encompassing meta frame When movements merge, work together in a coalition with shared goals ○ Ex. social justice has become very broad and diverse framework that includes dozens of different movements ○ Builds solidarity ○ Share resources and recruit more members Mock Exam ANSWERS 1. According to Émile Durkheim, which of the following best describes "mechanical solidarity"? A. Solidarity that arises from a commonality or similarity among individuals B. Solidarity based on shared differences and interdependence C. The state of normlessness or social disorder in a society D. A type of solidarity seen exclusively in industrial societies 2. What does Karl Marx mean by the term "alienation"? A. The process of organizing society around efficiency and calculability B. The disconnection of workers from the products of their labor and their own humanity C. The dominance of male perspectives in societal structures D. A state of normlessness or lack of social regulation 3. Max Weber's concept of rationalization primarily refers to: A. The psychological effects of living in a capitalist society B. The transition of societies from agricultural to industrial systems C. The process of organizing work and society around efficiency, predictability, and calculability D. The increasing use of emotion and tradition in decision-making processes 4. Which sociologist introduced the concept of "dual consciousness" to describe the experience of African Americans in a racist society? A. W.E.B. Du Bois B. Charlotte Perkins Gilman C. Frantz Fanon D. Karl Marx 5. The term "McDonaldization," coined by George Ritzer, refers to: A. The colonization of developing countries by fast-food corporations B. The application of rationalization principles such as efficiency and standardization to various sectors of society C. The influence of capitalism on global food markets D. The psychological effects of consumerism on urban populations 6. What is the primary focus of sociology as a discipline? A. The development of economic systems and their impact B. The systematic study of society and social interaction C. The study of historical artifacts and cultural traditions D. The systematic study of psychological behavior in individuals 7. What does the sociological imagination, as described by C. Wright Mills, enable us to do? A. Analyze psychological phenomena within a biological framework B. Examine the interplay between individual experiences and larger societal issues C. Study society using only quantitative research methods D. Focus solely on individual problems without considering broader social contexts 8. Which of the following best describes a "bi-focal lens" in sociology? A. Comparing sociological methods across two cultures B. Using two theoretical approaches simultaneously C. Viewing social phenomena through both individual and collective perspectives D. Balancing quantitative and qualitative research equally 9. Why are individual problems also considered collective problems in sociology? A. Social interaction does not influence personal experiences B. Collective issues are merely the sum of individual problems C. Sociology primarily focuses on individual psychology D. Individual problems often have societal causes and broader social implications 10.Which of the following is an example of a sociological perspective in action? A. Understanding unemployment by examining economic policies and labor markets B. Analyzing a person's depression solely through their family history C. Treating crime as a result of individual moral failings only D. Studying society by isolating it from cultural influences 11. Which sociological perspective focuses on the micro-level analysis of everyday interactions between individuals? A. Symbolic Interactionist B. Functionalist C. Structuralist D. Conflict 12.What does Erving Goffman’s dramaturgical approach compare social interaction to? A. A game of chess B. A mathematical equation C. A biological process D. A theatrical performance 13.What is the term for expected patterns of social behaviors relevant to a particular status? A. Roles B. Values C. Norms D. Conventions 14.According to the concept of "face work" in social interaction, individuals are primarily concerned with: A. Following societal rules and regulations B. Gaining higher status in social hierarchies C. Maintaining their image and avoiding embarrassment during interactions D. Upholding the norms of their cultural group 15.The symbolic interactionist perspective is primarily concerned with: A. Highlighting economic inequalities and class struggles B. Exploring the biological basis of social behavior C. Understanding how meaning is socially created through interactions D. Analyzing the structure and function of large institutions 16.Which of the following best describes qualitative research in sociology? A. It seeks to explore and understand human life experiences and meanings B. It primarily relies on numerical data and statistical analysis C. It uses experiments to test hypotheses about human behavior D. It focuses on counting and measuring social phenomena 17.What is an example of field research in sociology? A. Analyzing survey data collected through questionnaires B. Conducting a laboratory experiment on group dynamics C. Participating in and observing the daily lives of a cultural group D. Using census records for a demographic study 18.Why is it incorrect to assume that a correlation between two variables proves causation? A. Correlations are irrelevant to understanding social phenomena B. Two variables may be statistically related without one directly causing the other C. Correlation always indicates a causal relationship, but only in controlled experiments D. Causal relationships are always observed in qualitative research, not quantitative 19.What is material culture primarily concerned with? A. Theories and philosophies about cultural critique B. Language and communication systems C. Objects and symbols that hold cultural significance D. Norms and values that are reproduced over time 20.How does cultural critique often manifest in society? A. By avoiding disagreement over cultural norms B. By emphasizing only the material aspects of culture C. By parodying or challenging the meaning of cultural symbols D. Through unanimous agreement about cultural symbols 21.What does it mean to say culture can be "disassembled"? A. Cultural elements can be separated and analyzed individually B. Culture exists only as a collection of unrelated objects C. Cultural symbols always lead to agreement among groups D. Culture cannot be critiqued or studied systematically 22.Which of the following best illustrates non-material culture? A. A traditional dish prepared for a cultural festival B. The design and structure of a historic building C. The Hidden curriculum D. A country’s national anthem recorded on a physical medium 23.How does language contribute to the perpetuation of culture? A. By existing as an isolated element disconnected from material and non-material culture B. By facilitating the transmission of shared norms, values, and meanings across generations C. By serving as a static and unchanging repository of cultural symbols D. By functioning solely as a tool for critique and parody 24.How does Karl Marx conceptualize class in capitalist societies? A. As determined solely by educational attainment B. As a fluid system where power is evenly distributed C. As central to understanding power, with classes having contradictory interests D. As a multi-dimensional concept including life chances and status 25.What does Max Weber mean by "life chances"? A. The direct relationship between education and class mobility B. The opportunities individuals have to access resources and improve their quality of life C. The ability to acquire wealth through inheritance D. The likelihood of upward mobility in a purely meritocratic system 26.According to Pierre Bourdieu, which of the following is not a form of capital that can confer social power? A. Symbolic capital B. Cultural capital C. Financial capital D. Social capital 27.Which of the following statements aligns with the Marxian view of class? A. Class is defined exclusively by one's level of education and professional skills B. Power is distributed through various dimensions, including status and prestige C. Class mobility is primarily determined by individual effort and life chances D. Classes have inherently opposing interests within a capitalist structure 28.How does Pierre Bourdieu’s definition of class differ from traditional Marxian views? A. Bourdieu considers class irrelevant in modern society B. Bourdieu emphasizes class as defined by contradictory interests in capitalism C. Bourdieu focuses on property ownership as the sole determinant of class D. Bourdieu highlights the role of property, education, and power as dynamic resources that change over time 29.In Weber's view, which factor is not a key aspect of class stratification? A. Life chances B. Economic status C. Ownership of means of production D. Access to power and prestige 30.Which of the following is a characteristic of the “one size fits all” model of education? A. Flexible curriculums that cater to a wide range of interests and careers B. Tailored learning programs that adapt to individual needs C. Emphasis on critical thinking and creative problem-solving D. A standardized approach that may not consider students' diverse backgrounds and learning styles 31.What does the "neo-liberal university model" emphasize? A. Complete equality in educational opportunities for all students B. Government-funded tuition with a focus on public good C. Privatization, efficiency, and the market-oriented approach to education D. Maximizing arts and humanities education 32.How has the human capital perspective influenced the role of schools? A. By emphasizing that schools should be centers of social and political activism B. By viewing education as a means to cultivate cultural and social values C. By focusing on schools as training grounds for jobs and careers, emphasizing economic and vocational outcomes D. By promoting schools as places to foster personal growth and philosophical exploration 33.What is the main criticism of the "meritocracy" system in education? A. It promotes equal opportunities regardless of ability B. It assumes that everyone has the same starting point and ignores structural inequalities C. It discourages competition and innovation D. It emphasizes social mobility as a primary goal without merit-based achievements 34. Which of the following best describes the concept of "social mobility" in the context of education? A. The ability of individuals to move between different social classes as a result of educational attainment B. The inherent inequality of educational systems C. The requirement to stay in the same social class throughout one's life D. The belief that education should focus only on academic achievement, not career preparation 35. What is meant by "opportunity costs" in the context of education? A. The financial cost of attending school B. The potential benefits lost when choosing one educational or career path over another C. The income generated by schools from tuition fees D. The expense of textbooks and school supplies 36. What is political sociology primarily concerned with? A. The study of economic systems and their impact on society B. The analysis of power and its distribution in society C. The exploration of social norms and cultural practices D. The examination of individual psychological behavior 37.2. According to Weber, what characteristic defines the state? A. An institution that acts as an economic hub for a nation B. A political body with the monopoly on the legitimate use of force wi

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