Sociology Unit 4 Vocab

pluralism

"salad bowl"; a great mixture of different cultures where each culture retains its own identity and yet adds to the flavor of the whole

Plessy v. Ferguson

(1896) stated that "separate but equal" facilities were constitutional

Brown v. Board of Education

(1954) Supreme Court declared that "separate but equal facilities were inherently unequal"; ended de jure segregation in US

Title IX

(1972) discrimination on the basis of sex in U.S. education programs became illegal

cultural capital

(Bourdieu) cultural knowledge that serves as currency that helps one navigate a culture and alters the experiences and opportunities available to students from different working classes

intersection theory

(Collins) suggests we cannot separate the effects of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and other attributes

5 characteristics of a minority group

(Wagley and Harris) 1) unequal treatment and less power over their lives, 2) distinguishing physical or cultural traits like skin color or language, 3) involuntary membership in the group, 4) awareness of subordination, and 5) high rate of in-group marriage

minority group

(Wirth) any group of people who, because of their physical or cultural characteristics, are singled out from the others in the society in which they live for differential and unequal treatment, and who therefore regard themselves as objects of collective discrimination

sorting

classifying students based on academic merit or potential

social construction of race

common way of understanding racial categories; states that race is not biologically identifiable (for example, socioeconomic assumptions)

discrimination

consists of actions against a group of people

genocide

deliberate annihilation of a targeted (usually subordinate) group; least tolerant form of intergroup relations

informal education

describes learning about cultural values, norms, and expected behaviors by participating in a society

ethnicity

describes shared culture (practices, beliefs, and values of a group); overlapping identifications

formal education

describes the learning of academic facts and concepts through a formal curriculum (formalized methods of learning)

assimilation

describes the process by which a minority individual or group gives up its own identity by taking on characteristics of the dominant culture; function of immigration

Head Start program

developed to give low-income students an academic-centered preschool

education from a functionalist perspective

education is one of the more important social institutions in society; manifest functions: socialization, social control, social placement, and sorting

education from a conflict theorist perspective

educational system reinforces and perpetuates social inequalities; education closely linked to social class; cultural capital; hidden curriculum; tracking; schools play role in training working class students to accept and retain their position as lower members of society; testing perpetuates inequality

education from a feminist perspective

educational systems are characterized by unequal treatment and opportunity for women; Title IX; women earn less than men for similar work

credentialism

embodies the emphasis on certificates or degrees to show that a person has a certain skill, has attained a certain level of education, or has met certain job qualifications

race and ethnicity from a conflict theorist perspective

examines the numerous past and current struggles between the white ruling class and racial and ethnic minorities; intersection theory

tracking

formalized sorting system that places students on "tracks" (advanced vs lower achievers) that perpetuate inequalities (according to conflict theorists)

education from a symbolic interactionist perspective

labeling theory: students live up to or down to labels they are given; credentialism

grade inflation

observation that correspondence between letter grades and the achievements they relfect has been changing in a downward direction over time

unprejudiced nondiscriminators

open-minded, tolerant, and accepting individuals

stereotype

oversimplified idea about groups of people; can be based on almost any characteristic; may be positive but are often negative

amalgamation

process by which a minority group and a majority group combine to form a new group; achieved through intermarriage between races

race and ethnicity from a symbolic interactionist perspective

race and ethnicity provide strong symbols as sources of identity; Blumer suggested that racial prejudice is formed through interactions between members of the dominant group

race and ethnicity from a functionalist perspective

racial and ethnic inequalities have served an important function by contributing to the dominant group

racial steering

real estate agents direct prospective homeowners toward or away from certain neighborhoods based on their race

expulsion

refers to a subordinate group being forced, by a dominant group, to leave a certain area or country

prejudice

refers to beliefs, thoughts, feelings, and attitudes that someone holds about a group; not based on experience rather it is a prejudgment; racism is a type of prejudice

universal access

refers to people's equal ability to participate in an education system (might be more difficult for certain groups based on class or gender)

segregation

refers to the physical separation of two groups, particularly in residence, but also in workplace and social functions

culture of prejudice

refers to the theory that prejudice is embedded in our culture (images of stereotypes and casual expressions of racism and prejudice)

cultural transmission

refers to the way people come to learn the values, beliefs, and social norms of their culture

social placement

refers to when people are provided with opportunities for upward social mobility

No Child Left Behind Act

requires states to test students in designated grades with the results of those tests determining eligibility to receive federal funding

Arizona Senate Bill 1070

requires that during a lawful stop, detention, or arrest, Arizona police officers must establish the immigration status of anyone they suspect may be here illegally

education

social institution through which a society's children are taught basic academic knowledge, learning skills, and cultural norms

model minority

stereotype applied to a minority group that is seen as reaching significant educational, professional, and socioeconomic levels without challenging the existing establishment

scapegoat theory

suggests that the dominant group will displace their unfocused aggression onto a subordinate group

prejudiced discriminators

those who actively make disparaging remarks about others or who perpetuate hate crimes

prejudiced nondiscriminators

those who hold racist beliefs but don't act on them

unprejudiced discriminators

those who unthinkingly practice discrimination (i.e. sexism in a workplace by not considering females for certain positions traditionally held by men)

hidden curriculum

type of nonacademic knowledge that one learns through informal learning and cultural transmission; reinforces the positions of those with higher cultural capital

dominant

used interchangeably with the term for the group that's in majority

subordinate

used interchangeably with the term minority

two languages of race in America

whites focusing on black rioting while blacks focused on Rodney King verdict itself; whites and blacks see racial issues through different lenses and use different scales to assess injustice; "racism" not commonly used in public until 1960s; whites saw racism as a thing of the past; black Americans are both a race and an ethnic group; shift to the term African-American