SOC 313 Midterm Exam

Bogardus scale

Bogardus conceptulized a scale that could measure social distance empirically. His social scale is so widely used that it is often called the Bogardus Scale.

exploitation theory

Clearly part of the Marxist tradition in sociological thought. Karl Marx emphasized exploitation of the lower class as an integral part of capitalism.

1. Unequal Treatment: members of a minority experience unequal treatment and have less power over their lives than members of a dominant group have over theirs. Prejudice, discrimination, segregation, and even extermination create this social inequality. 2. Distinguishing physical or Cultural Traits: members of a minority group share physical or cultural characteristics such as sin color or language that distinguish them from the dominant group. Each society has its own arbitrary standard for determining which characteristics are important in defining dominant and subordinate groups. 3. Involuntary Membership: membership in a dominant or minority group is not voluntary: People are born into the group. A person does not choose to be African American or White. 4. Awareness of Subordination: minority-group members have a strong sense of group solidarity. William Graham Summer, writing in 1906, noted that people make distinctions between members of their own group (the in-group) and everyone else (the out-group). When a group is the object of long-term prejudice and discrimination, the feeling of "us versus them" often becomes intense. 5. In-group Marriage: members of a minority generally marry others from the same group. A member of a dominant group often is unwilling to join a supposedly inferior minority by marrying of its members. In addition, the minority group's sense of solidarity encourages marriage within the group and discourage marriage to outsiders.

What are the factors that determine what is a subordinate group and what is a dominant group?

1. Racial Groups: obvious physical difference (skin color,hair texture, facial features) 2. Ethnic Groups: cultural traits that are originated from their homelands or long history ex: Jews 3. Religious Groups: in the U.S Protestants outnumber the members of all religious groups while Roman Catholics are the largest minority in the U.S. Minorities in this group include Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Amish, Muslims, Buddhists, cults 4. Gender Groups: men and women *other subordinate groups include age, disability status, sexual orientation, and physical appearance

What are the four types of subordinate groups?

What ways

What are the ways in which members of subordinate groups respond to situations of institutional discrimination?

-minority group is a subordinate group whose members have significantly less control or power over their own lives than do the members of a dominant or majority group. -being superior in numbers doesn't guarantee a control over its destiny or ensure majority status ex: in 1920 in Mississippi the majority of people were black but whites still had more control of blacks lives than they did -subordination of a minority involves more than its inability to rule over society -subordinate group experiences a narrowing of life's opportunities-for success, education, wealth, the pursuit of happiness

What is the role of power and privilege in minority/majority relations?

Anti-Semitism

anti-Jewish prejudice and discrimination-remains a very real phenomenon

racial profiling

any police initiated action based on race, ethnicity, or national origin rather than the person's behavior

Dysfunctions

are elements of society that may disrupt a social system or decrease its stability. Race is dysfunctional in 6 ways: o Society that practices discrimination fails to use the resources of all individuals. Discrimination limits the search for talent and leadership to the dominant group. o Discrimination aggravates social problems such as poverty, delinquency and crime and places the financial burden of alleviating these problems on the dominant group. o Society must invest a good deal of time and money to defend the barriers that prevent the full participation of all members. o Racial prejudice and discrimination undercut goodwill and friendly diplomatic relations between nations. They also negatively affect efforts to increase global trade. o Social change is inhibited because change may assist a subordinate group. o Discrimination promotes disrespect for law enforcement and for the peaceful settlement of disputes.

Conflict Perspective

assumes that the social structure is best understood in terms of conflict or tension between competing groups

authoritarian personalitty

basic characteristics that mean it's a personality type that's likely to be prejudiced

nativism

beliefs and policies favoring native-born citizens over immigrants

Apartheid

came to mean a policy of separate development, euphemistically called multinational development by the government Black South Africans were relegated to impoverished urban townships or rural areas and their mobility within the country strictly regulated.

naturalization

citizenship is conferred on a person after birth

Labeling theory

concept introduced by sociologist Howard Becker to explain why certain people are viewed as deviant and others engaging in the same behavior are not

Immigration

denotes coming into the new country

Emigration

describe leaving a country to settle in another

symbolic ethnicity

describes a nostalgic allegiance to, love for, and pride in a cultural tradition that can be felt and lived without having to be incorporated to the person's everyday behavior

Segmented assimilation

describes the outcome of immigrants and their descendants moving into different classes of the host society

Panethnicity

development of solidarity between ethnic groups, has emerged

Melting pot

diverse racial or ethnic groups form a new creation, a new cultural entity

reverse discrimination

emotional term, because it conjures up the notion that somehow women and minorities will subject White men in the United States to the same treatment received by minorities during the last three centuries.

Functional Perspective

emphasizes how the parts of society are structured to maintain its stability. 5 functions that racial beliefs have for dominant group (See Pg. 14)

Afrocentric perspective

emphasizes the customs of African cultures and how they have pervaded the history, culture, and behavior of Blacks in the United States and around the world.

ethnophaulism or

ethnic slurs which include derisive nicknames such as honky, gook, and wetback; speaking about or to members of a particular group in a condescending way

asylees

foreigners who have already entered the United States and seek protection because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution in their home country

Migration

general term used to describe any transfer of population

sexism

ideology that one sex is superior to the other

glass walls

imaginary wall that keeps women and racial and ethnic minorities from moving laterally

transnationals

immigrants who sustain multiple social relationships that link their societies of origin and settlement

absolute deprivation

implies fixed standard based on a minimum level of subsistence below which families should not be expected to exist

Pluralism

implies that various groups in a society have mutual respect for one another's culture without suffering, prejudice, or discrimination

Self-fulfilling prophecy

in certain situations, we may respond to negative stereotypes and act on them, with the result that false definitions become accurate

wealth

more inclusive term that encompasses all of a person's material assets including land and other types of property

Prejudice

negative attitude toward an entire category of people

Fusion

occurs when a minority and a majority group combine to form a new group. [A(groups presented in society)+B(groups presented in society)+C(groups presented in society)D(result, ethnocultural=group that shares some of characteristics of each group)]

denomination

organized religion that is not linked officially with the state or government ex: Catholicism is the largest form

environmental refugees

people forced to leave their communities because of natural disasters or the effects of climate change and global warming

sinphobes

people who fear anything associated with China, appealed to racist theory developed during the slavery controversy that non-Europeans were subhuman.

refugees

people who live outside their country of citizenship for fear of political or religious persecution

creationists

people who support the literal interpretation of the Bible

Re-segregation

physical separation of racial and ethnic groups reappearing after a period of relative integration

Blaming the Victim

portraying the problems of racial and ethnic minorities as their fault rather than recognizing society's responsibility

white privilege

refers the rights or immunities granted as a particular benefit or favor for being White.

religion

refers to a unified system of sacred beliefs and practices that encompass elements beyond everyday life that inspire awe, respect, and even fear

chain immigration

refers to an immigrant who sponsors several other immigrants who on their arrival may sponsor still more

mixed status

refers to families in which one or more members are citizens and one or more are noncitizens. This especially becomes problematic when the noncitizens are illegal or undocumented immigrants.

income

refers to salaries, wages, and other money received

glass escalator

refers to the White male advantage experienced in occupations dominated by women. Whereas females my become tokens when they enter traditionally male occupations, men are more likely to be advantaged when they move out of sex-typical jobs

environmental justice

refers to the efforts to ensure that hazardous substances are controlled so that all communities receive protection regardless of race or socioeconomic circumstances

Ethnic Cleansing

refers to the forced deportation of people, accompanied by systematic violence including death.

ethnic paradox

refers to the maintenance of one's ethnic ties in a manner that can assist with assimilation with larger society

color-blind racism

refers to the use of race-neutral principles to defend the racially unequal status quo

Class

social ranking of people who share similar wealth (Max Weber)

secessionist minorities

some religious groups that reject both assimilation and coexistence in some form of cultural pluralism

contact hypothesis

states that intergroup contact between people of equal status in harmonious circumstances causes them to become less prejudiced and to abandon previously held stereotypes.

Marginality

status of being between two cultures, as in the case of a person whose mother is a Jew and father is a Christian

Sociology

systematic study of social behavior and human groups, so it is aptly suited to enlarge our understanding of intergroup relations

relative deprivation

the conscious experience of a negative discrepancy between legitimate expectations and present actualities.

Discrimination

the denial of opportunities and equal rights to individuals and groups because of prejudice or for other arbitrary reasons

institutional discrimination

the denial of opportunities and equal rights to individuals and groups that results from the normal operations of a society

homophobia

the fear of and prejudice toward homosexuality is present in every facet of life: : the family, organized religion, the workplace, official policies, and the mass media

xenaphobia

the fear or hatred of strangers or foreigners

intelligent design

the idea that life is so complex it could only have been created by higher intelligence

brain drain

the immigration to the United States of skilled workers, professionals, and technicians who are desperately needed by their home countries.

Colonialism

the maintenance of political, social, economic, and cultural dominance over people by foreign power for an extended period

remittances

the monies that immigrants return to their countries of origin

redlining

the pattern of discrimination against people trying to buy homes in minority and racially changing neighborhoods

Segregation

the physical separation of two groups in residence, workplace, and social functions

affirmative action

the positive effort to recruit subordinate-group members including women, for jobs, promotions, and educational opportunities

Amalgamation

the process by which a dominant group and subordinate group combine through intermarriage into a new people.

Assimilation

the process by which a subordinate individual or group takes on the characteristics of the dominant group and is eventually accepted as part of that group. [A(majority)+B(minority)+C(minority)A]

civil religion

the religious dimension in the United States in the United States that merges public life with sacred beliefs

Stratification

the structured ranking of entire groups of people that perpetuates unequal rewards and power in a society

social distance

the tendency to approach r withdraw from a racial group

Ethnocentrism

the tendency to believe that one's culture and way of life are superior to all others'.

normative approach

the view that prejudice is influenced by societal norms and situations that encourage or discourage the tolerance of minorities

globalization

the worldwide integration of government policies, cultures, social movements, and financial markets through trade, movement of people. and the exchange of ideas

scapegoating theory

theory says that prejudiced people believe they are society's victims

glass ceiling

this refers to the barrier that blocks the promotion of a qualified worker because of gender and minority membership

stereotypes

unreliable generalization about all members of a group and don't take individual differences into account

Stereotypes

unreliable generalization about all members of a group that don't take individual differences into account

Genocide

used to describe the deliberate, systematic killing of an entire people or nation

World Systems Theory (Immanuel Wallerstein 1974)

views global economic system as divided between nations that control wealth and those that provide natural resources and labor

principle of third-generation interest

was an early exception to the assimilation approach to White ethnic groups

hate crime

when offenders are motivated to choose a victim because of some characteristic and provide evidence that hatred prompted them to commit the crime (ex: rrace, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability)

Globalization

worldwide integration of gov. policies, cultures, social movements, and financial markets through trade and exchange of ideas