1. Sociology
Definition: the study of the origin, development, and structure of human societies and the behavior of individual people and groups in society
* Topics: Culture, Social Structure, Groups, Organizations, Social Class, Education, Sports, Population, and Urbanization

2. Culture
Society

3. Culture
knowledge, language, values, customs, norms, and material objects
Varies from group to group
Explain human social behavior
Guide relationships with others
Society
A structured community of people
Share a common culture

4. Cultural Transmission:
the way of passing or learning knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values from person to person
Methods:
Formal- deliberate & intentional
Informal- through observation and imitation
Primary- intimate, face to face groups
Secondary- schools, churches, mass media

5. I.) What is Socialization?
Socialization: a process that begins at birth and is ongoing in which individuals learn human social behavior

6. II.) Agents of Socialization
Agents of Socialization: Members/groups within society that influence individual human social behavior
Family
School
Peer Groups
Mass Media
Social Class

7. Family
Think, Speak, Norms, Values,
Beliefs, Attitudes, Relationships,
and Self-Image
Schools
Hidden Curriculum
discipline, order, cooperation,
conformity
Rules & Regulations
Peer Groups
make their own decisions
develop self-sufficiency
learn to get along with others
experiment
Mass Media
serve as role models to imitate
teach ways of society

8. Self Concept: Image of oneself separate from others
“I” unlearned/spontaneous acts
“Me”self-created acts of conformity
Example:
Acting Out
Looking Glass Self: what you think others
believe about you
Perception
Imagine
Evaluate
Example:
Boss to impress
Significant Others: people whose opinions are
most important to our self
concept
Example:
Mother, Father,
Siblings, Spouses

9. Role Taking: Seeing others through the eyes of someone else
The Process:
Imitation (18 months to 36 months)
Play (3 years to 4 years)
Game (5 years and up)
Example:
Asking for a Raise
Generalized Other: Rely less on others and
more on understanding
Example:
Shoplifting
Right vs. Wrong

10. I.) What exactly is a Group?
Group: at least two people who have one or more goals in common and share common ways of thinking and behaving

11. II.) A “Group” is not
Social Category: people who share a social characteristic
High School
Seniors
Social Aggregate: people who are temporarily in the same
place at the same time
Waiting in
Line

12. III.) A “Group” is
Primary Group: people who know each other well, are emotionally close, and seek one another's company
* Based on Primary Relationships (intimate, caring, personal, fulfilling)
Examples:
Best Friends
Close Neighbors
Play Groups
How to develop?
small in size
face to face contact
continual contact
social environment
Function?
emotional support
socialization
conformity

13. Secondary Group: people who share only part of their lives and are together to accomplish a task or goal
* Based on Secondary Relationships (impersonal, limited emotion)
Examples:
Clerks & Customers
Work Groups
Volunteers
How to develop?
social environment
segment of person’s life
Function?
to accomplish a goal
to complete a task

14. Reference Group: a group used for self-evaluation by which one forms attitudes, beliefs, norms.
In Groups
Exclusive group that demands intense loyalty
Out Groups
Opposed by in-group for competition and opposition
Based On:
Behavior,
Symbols,
Actions,
Places
Examples:
Cliques, Teams, Countries, Races, Gangs, Neighborhoods

15. IV.) Networks Social Network: all of a person’s social relationships
Not a “group” itself
Includes both “primary” & “secondary” groups
Primary Groups (2)
Secondary Groups (2)
In-Group
Social Category
Social Aggregate

16. I.) Social Stratification
Definition: hierarchical arrangement of individuals into divisions based on dimensions within a society
Based on following dimensions:
Income
Wealth
Power
Prestige

17. Income: amount of money received within a given period of time by an individual or group Power: ability to control the behavior of others (attached to the social positions we hold)
Wealth: all economic resources
possessed by an individual
(everything you own)
Prestige: level of respect/admiration
in which one is regarded
by others (based on social
position & voluntarily given)

18. II.) Layers of Social Stratification
Each layer represented by a “social class” Definition: economic or cultural arrangement of groups within a society based on variables
Examples of Variables:
Education
Income
Occupation
Family
Power
Prestige

19. III.) Social Inequality
Definition: individuals in a society that do not have equal social status
Examples of Social Inequality:
Economic: inequality based on distribution
of wealth and income
Gender: obvious or hidden inequality of
power/reward based on gender
Racial: unequal treatment based on
physical characteristics

20. IV.) Explanations of Stratification
Conflict Theory:
Inequality exists due to willingness of other to exploit people
Inequality impedes progress
Those whom have power keep others powerless to keep status quo
Positions in society exist only as those in power deem them important

21. V.) Class Consciousness
Definition: the awareness of belonging to ones social class or socioeconomic status within a given society

22. What is Social Mobility?
Definition: Movement from one class —or more usually status group—to another

23. Types of Social Mobility
Horizontal Mobility
Movement from one position to another within the same social level
Ex: Changing jobs without altering occupational status
Moving between social groups having the same social status.

24. Vertical Mobility
Movement from one social level to a higher one (upward mobility) or a lower one (downward mobility)
Ex: Changing Jobs or Marrying
Cultural diffusion from one social level to another
The adoption by one economic class of the fashions current or formerly current in a higher class.

25. Intergenerational Mobility
Movement within or between social classes and occupations, the change occurring from one generation to the next
Ex: Father to Son; Mother to Daughter

26. Social Institutions “The Family”

27. So, what exactly is a family?
Family Definition: a group of people related by either blood, marriage, or adoption - definition varies from society to society - definition can change over time
“Family has the greatest impact
on human behavior”

28. Family of Orientation: family that one is born into
Gives name identity
Give heritage
Gives ascribed status
Grants orientation to the world
Family of Procreation: established upon marriage
Legal to have children
Gives name
Becomes ones family of orientation
Grants orientation to the world

29. Social Institutions: “Education”

30. I.) History of Schools and Education
Early purpose:
1. Enculturation (passing of culture)
2. Socialization (passing social values & behaviors)
Pre-Literate Societies: taught orally & by imitation by family & the community
Literate Societies: taught literacy and basic skills

31. Social Institutions: “Religion”

32. I.) The Sociological Study of Religion
Sociologists DO:
1. Examine the cultural and social aspects of religion that can
be measured and observed
Sociologists DO NOT:
1. Study the unobservable
spiritual side
2. Determine which religions
people should follow

33. The Sociological Meaning of Religion
Definition of Religion:
1. Unified system of beliefs & practices
concerned with sacred things
Sociological Separation:
1. Sacred: holy; set apart and dedicated
to a religious purpose
2. Secular: not religious or spiritual in
nature

34. Sociological Observable Displays of Religion: (Religiosity)
1. Beliefs = what people consider as true (is a God vs. no God)
2. Rituals = private or public acts (church/prayer)
3. Intellectual Dimension = knowledge about faith (scripture)
4. Experience = feeling attached to expression (closeness to)
5. Consequences = decisions made based on religion (abstinence)

35. Demography: The Study of Population
The study of human population
Fertility
The incidence of childbearing in a country’s population
Crude birth rate
The number of live births in a given year for every 1,000 people in a population

36. Mortality Crude death rate Infant mortality rate Life expectancy
The incidence of death in a country’s population
Crude death rate
The number of deaths in a given year for every 1,000 people in a population
Infant mortality rate
The number of deaths among infants under one year of age for each 1,000 live births in a given year
Life expectancy
The average life span of a country’s population

37. Migration The movement of people into and out of a specified territory
Immigration
In-migration rate
Number of people entering an area for every 1,000 people in the population
Emigration
Out-migration rate
The number of people leaving for every 1,000 people
Both types usually happen at once
Push-pull factors

38. Demographic transition theory
Links population patterns to a society’s level of technological development
Stage 1 – Pre-industrial agrarian societies
High birth rate, high death rate
Stage 2 – Industrialization
Death rate falls, birth rates remain high
Stage 3 – Mature industrial economy
Birth rate drops, death rate drops
Stage 4 – Postindustrial economy
Demographic transition complete
Low-birth rate, steady death rate
Japan, Europe, and the U.S.

39. Environmental Deficit
Profound long-term harm to the natural environment caused by humanity’s focus on short-term material affluence
Environmental concerns are sociological
Environmental damage to air, land, or water is unintended
Environmental deficit is reversible
Societies create environmental problems
Societies can undo many of them

40. What is Diversity?
Cultural diversity refers to the wide range of cultural differences found between and within nations
Can be a result of natural circumstances (climate, geography) or social circumstances (technology or demographics)
Societies can be homogeneous or heterogeneous
Heterogeneity in the U.S. (see chart – p. 91)

41. Subculture
A category of people who share distinguishing attributes, beliefs, values, and/or norms that set them apart in some significant manner from the dominant culture.

42. Counterculture
A group that strongly rejects dominant societal values and norms and seeks alternative lifestyles

43. Ethnocentrism
The practice of judging all other cultures by one’s own culture
Based on the assumption that one’s own way of life is superior to all others
Can be positive or negative

44. Why might this map be considered ethnocentric?

45. Cultural Relativism
The belief that the behaviors and customs of any culture must be viewed and analyzed by the culture’s own standards

46. Sociological Perspectives on Race and Ethnicity
Race – A group of people who have been identified as having real or alleged physical characteristics. It is the fact that these biological traits are endowed with social meaning that brings them into the realm of the social sciences.
Ethnicity – refers to people who share common cultural characteristics and ethnic identity; they share a sense of “oneness”, and a shared fate.
Marriage across racial and ethnic lines, while not uncommon, is not typical for sociological and demographic reasons; attitudes, beliefs, access.

47. Race vs ethnicity Race is often treated as ideology
ethnicity as a real phenomenon.
Racial refers mainly to physical terms,
ethnic rather to cultural terms.
Race refers to them,
ethnicity to us.
Both concepts always imply social relationship.

48. Sociological Perspectives on Race and Ethnicity
Minority – a group that has less power than the dominant group, has less esteem and prestige, and is often the target of discrimination. The two major characteristics are distinctive identity and subordination. The sociological meaning of minority does not refer to the numerical size of a group, nor to any specific ethnicity, race, or other real or imaged factors as these factors are relative to a specific society.
esteem – the honor that accrues to an individual filling a position
prestige – the honor associated with an occupation or other position in a social system

49. Sociological Perspectives on Race and Ethnicity
Prejudice – an attitude which predisposes an individual to prejudge entire categories of people unfairly. This attitude is rigid, often emotionally loaded, and resistant to change; “re-fencing” and closed mindedness.
Discrimination is a behavior resulting in unfair, unequal, or harmful treatment based upon a prejudice.
One may confront discrimination by focusing on attitudes, behaviors, or both. It is usually most effective to begin with the discriminatory behaviors in order to provide some relief for those discriminated against. The official organs of the state must support these efforts to eliminate discriminatory behaviors or they will most likely continue; institutional discrimination.

50. Sociological Perspectives on Race and Ethnicity
Stereotype – a rigid and often inaccurate image that summarizes a belief. Because stereotypes reflect beliefs rather than facts, they are often illogical and self-serving. (Discussion)
Stereotypes persist in culture because: (functions for those using them)
stereotypes can work to elevate the status of the group which engages in it;
stereotyping reduces the need to think by creating “universals”, and not having to acknowledge individualistic characteristics; and,
Stereotyping can work as a social-psychological mechanism for reducing guilt in the minds of those who practice prejudice and discrimination

51. Sociological Perspectives on Race and Ethnicity
Stereotype –particular stereotypes are often used for different groups, such as the concept of “laziness”. Laziness has been applied to Blacks, Hispanics, Polish, Irish, and Native-Americans. It has also been used to explain why someone is the member of a lower class or poor.

52. ACTION-ORIENTATION LEVEL
COGNITIVE LEVEL
THE IDEA OR THOUGHT
JEWISH PEOPLE ARE GREEDY
EMOTIONAL LEVEL
ATTACHING FEELINGS TO IDEA
LEARNING TO FEEL ANGER TOWARDS WHITES
ACTION-ORIENTATION LEVEL
PREDISPOSITION TO ACT (discrimination)
MORE LIKELY TO VERBALLY OR PHYSICALLY ATTACK A TARGETTED GROUP 9 9

53. VERBALIZATION EXCLUSION AVOIDANCE PHYSICAL ABUSE GENOCIDE
JOKES, COMMENTS, RACIAL SLURS
EXCLUSION
KEEPING PEOPLE MARGINAL
AVOIDANCE
NOT TRAVELING IN CERTAIN AREAS
PHYSICAL ABUSE
PHYSICAL ATTACKS
GENOCIDE
SYSTEMATIC KILLING OFF OF A GROUP 12 12

54. PREJUDICE AND DISCRIMINATION BEGIN AS ETHNOCENTRIC ATTITUDES
AS A RESULT, GROUPS CAN BE PLACED IN A SITUATION WHERE THEY ARE SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED AND LABELED
A GROUP’S SITUATION, OVER TIME, IS THUS EXPLAINED AS A RESULT OF INNATE INFERIORITY RATHER THAN LOOKING AT THE SOCIAL STRUCTURE FOR REASONS; THE CYCLE THEN REPEATS ITSELF 14 14