sociology final

Frame Alignment

"The robustness, completeness, and thoroughness of the framing effort". Snow and Benford (1988) identify three core framing-tasks, and state that the degree to which framers attend to these tasks will determine participant mobilization. They characterize the three tasks as the following: diagnostic framing for the identification of a problem and assignment of blame prognostic framing to suggest solutions, strategies, and tactics to a problem motivational framing that serves as a call to arms or rationale for action

Matthew effect

the level of prestige of particular scientists influences how rewards are distributed in the scientific community

How are African-American families different from white families? (Historical and Contemporary Factors)

1. Matriarchy-mothers headed household are blamed for broader social problems which is related to historical trends 2. work has always been a central role for both families

Waiting for Superman

1. Showed how difficult it is to get into charter schools 2. outlined the problems a charter school may experience 3. showed how important funding is 4. described a drop-out factory 5. tracking is a way to categorize kids that determine academic fate

What are the social consequences of failing schools?

1. The criminal justice system-dropouts are more likely to end up in prison 2. economy-it costs money to house prisoners, the homeless, these people cannot get jobs, the economy requires high-skilled jobs and failing schools reduces Americans that can fill these jobs 3. America is behind in academics but we are told we are the best

Sea World's Advertising and Product Strategies

1. Visual purification (colorful, flawless presentation, viewers don't see the bad things) 2. Promises adventure (rides, fun) 3. decontextualization (takes nature out of geographical context) 4. tapes into emotions (makes it seem like you're saving the environment) 5. promises individual growth (by being with these animals people can connect with nature) 6. emphasizes harmony with animals (people can connect with animals) 7. focuses of the future 8. good stewardship/corporate responsibility (tells consumers that Sea World's goal is to protect the natural world)

Identity Lockboxes

1. a concept used by college students to protect long-term identities (religion, politics) 2. invest in cultural mainstream 3. people do this to fit in but will bring them back after 4 years because these things are irrelevant to college life but useful in the future

Goffman's total institution

1. a place that controls every aspect of your life 2. easy for one to lose their sense of self 3. prisoners aren't taught new skills, only told negative feedback 4. oftentimes when people get out of prison they are more hardened criminals.

commitment ceremonies

1. a way of becoming a criminal 2. formal, public ceremony 3. verdict announced 4. one is labeled as a criminal 5. no exit ceremony *****

What's wrong with tracking?

1. a way of dividing students into different classes by ability or future plans 2. an example of how students matter 3. the idea came from England- splitting students into professional and working classes 4. Results: many kids are not prepared for college 5. tracking reinforces job outcomes that not longer fit our economy

functions of deviance

1. anomie-sense of normlessness, deviance shows people how NOT to act and therefore what they should do 2. boundary maintenance-helps people understand what is tolerated and what is not 3. cohesion and integration-draws people within the same boundary together 4. full employment-provides jobs 5. social change-tells us our society is always changing by pushing the boundary of what is acceptable

• What did Gerson's study find about the beliefs and ideals of young people today? o Gender flexibility o Fall-back positions

1. beliefs-there is gender flexibility-men do not need to be the breadwinners 2. fall-back positions-if the perfect marriage doesn't happen, that's okay. 3. the study found that men want to be the breadwinner and women also want to be the breadwinner but would also reject marriage 4. found most people want a relationship 5. it's more important to support children emotionally and economically rather than focus on what families look like.

What are the prevailing MYTHS about the impacts of family changes on children?

1. children feel neglected because of family structure changes and as a result will cause a resurgence in traditionalism 2. young people reject commitment because of rising divorce rates.

School effects

1. class size matters. catholic schools tend to do the best 2. drop-out factories-high school where 40% don't graduate 3. so many options but so few choices-public, private, catholic, charter 4. technology matters, food sevices matter

Competing myths about the role of college in secularization of college students.

1. college is a problem where declining religion is a problem. conservatives believe college will cause kids to lose their religion because they feared: a. contributions of party culture b. college culture is immoral c. liberal college professors

Theoretical Perspectives for Understanding Religion Marx

1. conflict theory-believes everything in society can be explained by the conflict between the rich and the poor 2. religion is part of a superstructure 3. the rich can defend themselves by saying the poor can be exploited because they will be rewarded in the afterlife. 4. if everyone is going to heaven, inequality on earth is okay 5. religion is the opium of the masses

strain theory modes of adaptation

1. conformity-working hard, accepts ends and means 2. innovation-accepting ends but rejecting means 3. ritualism-don't accept ends, lower standards, accept means 4. retreatism-reject ends and means, opt out of the system 5. rebellion-reject ends and means. replace them with something else

laws

1. designed, maintained and enforced by political authority 2. consequences: jail, fines, execution 3. people may or may not think you are a bad person depending on the law

Strain Theory

1. differential opportunity structure-groups have differential access to power, political and economic opportunity and this is bearing on who or what types of activity is defined as deviant 2. overemphasis on culturally defined goals (ends) with an underemphasis on legitimate means for attaining them 3. includes 5 modes of adaptation

Why was (and is) the nuclear family of the 1950's a dominant, normative, mythical model of family life?

1. dominant: most families looked like this 2. normative: "ideal type", most desirable, most social benefits 3. mythical: it's a myth-our family types/norms change over time. the nuclear family is a social construction. culturally it is still powerful

Reiman- major impacts of prison on society

1. economic-law enforcement costs a lot 2. inner city life-becoming warzones because of a hyperfocus on law enforcement 3. police brutality 4. civil liberties are violated

Reiman- how does the criminal justice system benefit the upper classes of society

1. elites invest in prisons to get more money 2. the elites can commit the same crimes with less reparations 3. using unpaid criminals for work

Theoretical Perspectives for Understanding Religion-Weber

1. faith has the power to shape society 2. predestination-when born, people work to try to get into heaven-shapes society 3. Protestantism led to capitalism 4. iron cage-as capitalism overtook spirituality, life would become cold and detached 5. main idea: religion made people work hard which benefited the economy

Theoretical Perspectives for Understanding Religion-Durkheim +social solidarity

1. functionalist-religion structured lives 2. social solidarity-group belonging-leads to less crime, longer lives, less depression 3. collective conscious

exceptions to identity lockboxes

1. future intelligentsia 2. practical credentialists- college professors are not as influential 3. religios skeptics/athiests 4. religious emissaries but a majority are semi-religious

Consider the structural reasons why black men have difficulty meeting social and cultural expectations placed on white fathers?

1. greater rate of living in poverty 2. less life expectancy 3. higher risk of incarceration 4. less educated as a result 5. unless you fit into the hegemonic model you are going to have some difficulties

Reiman-what are the characteristics of the prison system that maintains a stable and visible class of poor criminals

1. increased criminalization of victimless activities 2. broad discretion to agents of social control like police or judges 3. over-emphasis on humiliation and threat of harm in jails 4. lack of preparation for re-introduction into society 5. lasting stigma

Ways that industries activate public in political process.

1. industries use commercials to appeal to the public in a way to get them to vote for things that will benefit the industry 2. use grasstop strategies where the industries go to leaders of groups and use them to build trust 3. using employees as strong advocates for comapnies

Critiques of the humanitarian argument for welfare reform

1. it does not lift women out of poverty 2. it does not inflate self-esteem and value in the labor market

peer effects +white flight

1. more behavior problems, the worse the kids do 2. white flight causes poor students to do worse because rich parents pull their high performing kids from schools 3. socialization

in terms of social context (laws, customs, economic conditions), How have family forms changed throughout history?

1. more than laws and customs, economic history shapes family 2. ex: early modern families in the 1800's, family structures were based on needs in farms, rural settings, etc. it was a noncash economy, there was minimum division of labor between sexes and generations then with industrial families women had power over how money was spent, the gendered division of labor occurred, the cult of domesticity was on the rise after WWII the normative family occurred but this is an outlier

What types of changes in family structures are Gerson interested in analyzing?

1. mothers in the workforce 2. non-traditional family structures 3. rising uncertainty in men's economic opportunities- insecurity of men to contribute

Resource Mobilization Theory

1. movements are a collective phenomena (rather than symptoms of individual discontent) 2. emergence requires people-based in the assumption that elites have resources 3. based in rational choice theory to explain participation 4. mothers of East L.A. have few resources yet were able to mobilize because a. rational choice theory-economics. people will make a decision after weighing the costs and benefits issues: 1. the free-rider problem. "why should I risk my safety if others could do it for me" 2. less "rational" aspects of individual motivation 3. growth of movements aimed at civil society versus the state

What facts about black families provide support for these stereotypes?

1. only 33% of black fathers have a college education as compare to 68% of white 2. Marriage rates of black people have plummeted from the 1970's 3. 16% of black families are married with children 4. 50% of black children live with their mothers only 5. 68% of all black children are born to unmarried mothers

Political progress model +mobilizing structures+types of framing

1. political opportunities-the broader, political context. Ex: Obama was for black lives matter 2. mobilizing structures-the collective vehicles through which mobilization occurs-resources (networks, media, identities ex: MOTHERS of east LA), structures (repertories of collective action) 3. framing-diagnostic, prognostic, frame alignment

Ontological argument

1. popular in the middle ages 2. basis was that everyone is equal in the eyes of God. This justified material inequality because everyone was equal to God.

How does The Simpsons use comedic satire to effect social/environmental change?

1. radioactive waste 2. nuclear energy for profit creates unsafe environments 3. they look down on vegetarians (because it isn't mainstream but it also shows value) 4. blinky the fish has 3 eyes

folkways

1. relatively weak, mildly enforced 2. enhances the ease of social interaction 3. shaking hands, manners, how we eat 4. consequences of violation: people think you are rude, no social interaction, people think they are weird

Secularization theory/pluralism/crisis of credibility

1. secularization: general movement away from religion and towards a more scientific, rational orientation 2. theory: predicted the diminishing influence of religious ideas in an industrial society 3. pluralism: the pressure and engaged coexistence of numerous distinct groups in one society 4. crisis of credibility: when exposed to other ideas, one begins to doubt their own religon

What are the stereotypes about black fathers?

1. social expectations of fathers: nurturers in addition to providers 2. least likely to marry 3. not very educated 4. live in poverty, high risk of incarceration, unemployment, lower life expectancies the myth is false

How is sociology important for understanding the natural sciences?

1. social science influences science: war, social consequences of technology, innovations represent a social need

Possible negative consequences of Sea World's commodification of nature?

1. speccularizes interaction with nature- these interactions are not real. this can lead people to think environmental issues are irrelevant 2. creates competition with public sector institutions- zoos, museums try to offer "spectacularized" things which diminishes their product 3. incentives privatization of nature-nature becomes an industry. increases the idea that exploitation is okay

Eitzen-why are these myths problematic?

1. sports do not provide a free education. 2. they often do not lead to a college degree because of the demands of athletic programs 3. a sports career is not probable nor are sports a way out of poverty. often there are few sports dominated by black people and these are very very competitive. 4. sports do not provide lifelong security-one injury and you're out. 5. sports are not a vehicle for women because there are so few opportunities and they often don't pay very well people focus on athletics rather than a realistic profession numerical superiority of blacks in sports combined with inferior representation in other fields creates racist beliefs

myths about social mobility through sports

1. sports provide free education 2. sports lead to a college degree 3. a sports career is probable 4. sport is a way out of poverty 5. women have sports as a vehicle 6. sports provides lifelong security

Classical Model of social movements

1. structural weakness: strain, grievances. if a structure is broken it will be bad 2. something is broken in society, it hurts people involved, when it becomes unbearable people take action 3. cognitive dissonance because protests are dysfunctional. A counterargument for black lives matters was it is a riot not a protest 4. critiques: based on the idea that social movements only arise with grievances. this is not true.

Hidden Curriculum

1. the nonacademic socialization and training that takes place in the schooling system 2. learning cultural values 3. ex: rules, punishment for not following laws, respecting authority, punctuality, focusing, patriotism 4. trains people to be in the workforce

Ways prisons/institutions reinforce deviant behavior

1. the prison system doesn't deter or even punish in an effective way 2. gather deviants in segregated groups, socialization 3. learn the skills and attributes of deviant/criminal behaviors while in prison 4. reinforces sense of alienation -labeled as criminals 5. Goffman's total institutions-prisoners aren't taught skills, they become more hardened criminals while in prison

How might our stereotypes about black fathers be incorrect?

1. there are single black dads but this group is often ignored 2. black husbands have higher rates of involvement in childbearing than white husbands 3. the prevalence of social fathers-as successful 4. highest rates o visitation and care-taking responsibility

Charter Schools and the Public Good (Renzulli and Roscigno) • What are the pros and cons of charter schools?

1. they're not convinced of the value of charter schools in improving our education system 2. there are problems with market based economic rationalization for charter schools. If you make education a commodity, charter schools will force bad public schools to close when in reality charter schools are closing. 3. By going outside unions, charter schools can get teachers without teaching credentials-bad teachers 4. diversity of resources away from public schools-not true because with more choices, schools become more segregated which possibly reinforces racial and socioeconomic inequality the pros are outlined in waiting for superman

mores

1. very strong norms, based in morality, strongly enforced 2. Ex: adultery, any relationship outside man and woman 3. consequences: social exclusion, shame, people think you are sinful or evil, social stigma

Religion

A system of beliefs and practices around sacred things: shared stories to make sense of their world and guide how they live. inherently social strong link between religion and culture encompasses the "moral fabric" of our society. -a way of understanding our purpose. people are stigmatized if they don't adhere to mainstream religion.

Equality of Opportunity

America everyone has equal opportunity to succeed in life because the rules of the game are fair and apply to everyone

Social Mobility and racial inequality

Black people are more likely to experience downward social mobility because of a lack of opportunities.

American's perceptions of social mobility versus realities

Most Americans think income inequality is too large but most think it is not the government's responsibility to do anything it is a problem we are willing to live with Americans think we are not class based Wealth of parents absolutely determines the wealth of kids in the united states for the most part Many Americans believe sports are a common means of upwards mobility but in reality college sports rarely lead to a professional degree and have many deficits

Economic inequality in the United States

Most Americans think income inequality is too large but most think it is not the government's responsibility to do anything about it it is a problem we are willing to live with Americans think we are not class based Wealth of parents absolutely determines the wealth of kids in the united states for the most part

The Saints and The Roughnecks

Saints: wealthy, cut school, drink and drive, broke things, petty crimes, respectful to police, pretty good students Roughnecks: not good at school, not very much money, teachers don't like them, hung out at convenience stores, steal stuff, fights, destructive behavior, did not show much remorse when confronted by police main difference: visibility, demeanor and bias eventually: most saints were successful, most roughnecks were not as successful. social mobility is fairly difficult

free-rider problem

a problem with equality of outcome (socialism/communism) if you know you will get paid the same, why bother?

grassroots organizations

a type of social movement organization that relies on high levels of community-based membership participation to promote social change. It lacks a hierarchical structure and works through existing political structures. involved in letter-writing campaigns and local politicians

What are the key findings of this study? (religion in college)

a vast majority of students are semi-religious many use an identity lockbox many students aren't that influenced by professors

social mobility

an individual or group's movement between different positions in society (social classes or job structures) usually based on comparison between generations

Credentialism

an overemphasis on credentials for signaling social status or qualifications for a job

Ehrenreich- humanitarian argument for welfare reform

as opposed to the more punitive and stingy impulses that may actually have motivated it is that work will lift poor women out of poverty while simultaneously inflating their self-esteem and hence their future value in the labor market

The Unfinished Revolution (Gerson)

asked young men and women to talk about how historical roles of men and women have influenced their own lives and how they have been influenced by their own families.

How might the social assumptions we make about fatherhood be inappropriate for black fathers?

assumptions: fathers are nurtures in addition to providers inappropriate: because we stigmatize black fathers that are not present in the traditional sense there is a large presence of social fathers-people who take the place of father but are not biological, which has been shown to be successful.

Other examples of how power influences the development of scientific knowledge • Social factors contributing to climate denial

climate change: an area where science and politics intersect because environmental justice is a sociological issue 97% of the scientists believe in climate change and it is manmade yet people in America are 1/2 or 1/4 because 1. it won't affect our lives 2. people don't see it 3. scientific language is difficult 4. political issues

Social Movements

collective behavior that is purposeful, organized and institutionalized but not ritualized

Social power perspective of deviance

conflict lens assumes those in power create the definition of deviance based on what benefits them

Absolutist perspective of deviance

defines certain attitudes or behaviors/values as inherently or universally deviant very rare pedophilia, cannibalism

relativist perspective of deviance

deviance is relative to the people that define it and changes based on the time and place

Eitzen-Upward Mobility through sports

outlined several shortcomings with focusing on sports instead of school.

teacher effects

effective teachers: limit lost class time for activities other than instruction, have clear expectations for behavior and consistent consequences, maintain a fixed routine, set high standards for class work-if teachers have high standards the kids will perform better

equality of outcome

everyone should end up with the same amount, regardless of the fairness of the game pure socialism or communism critique: inherently unfair, encourages people to be less productive, the free-rider problem

Touch of Magic (Davis)

examines Sea World commercial that show how this experience with animals is magical tells quite a bit about contemporary American culture

Tension between changing family structures and stagnant institutions.

family structures are changing but institutions are not because of economic and feminist changes there is less stability to what the family looks like without paid time off, it makes having kids very difficult

Emergent Identity

happens when sharing a group affiliation shared sense of belonging in a group

Standards of Equality

have shifted over time

Pre-Existing Identity

how we identify ourselves past experiences, political orientation, sexual orientation, likes, dislikes, roles

Gendered and racial nature of low income work

low income work involves a lot of minorities and a lot of women. there are a lot of single mothers in low income work. Low wage work is the least favorable to women. The main struggle of the people working these jobs is housing.

Matriarchy

mother headed household are blamed for broader social problems single black mothers in the 60's were considered an attack of black men which led them to criminal behavior and deviance

McDonald's saving plan

outlined how by working 70 hours a week on minimum wage it was possible to live a "comfortable life". It only took into account the very minimum amount that was necessary to live in the worst possible areas with no room for emergencies, recreation, pleasure, or anything that makes life worth living. The Ehrenreich article showed it is nearly impossible to work this many hours so the McDonald's saving plan is highly unlikely

Labeling Theory

people's rules, norms and the application of them CREATE deviance deviance lies in the response of others the degree to which people will respond to an act of deviance depends on a. variation over time b. social power of who commits act/feels harmed by it c. if there are consequences rejects absolutism

anti-miscegenation

prohibited exogamy between races. an example of how laws restrict family structures

Why would big businesses engage in grassroots activism?

reason not to: risky reasons: building communities for support creates "members" to advocate for the company. gets public support low-key

Drop-out Factories

schools where less than 40% of the students graduate. the goal of waiting for superman was to avoid these schools

Role of Single Black Mothers

single black mothers in the 60's were considered an attack of black men which led them to criminal behavior and deviance

Reflexive spirituality

studies that seek to examine how people are religious yet believe in science revealed people pick and choose what makes sense to them to explain the universe most people in the US

Prime Time Subversion: The Environmental Rhetoric of The Simpsons (Todd)

the Simpsons uses a comic frame to offer an environmental critique shows how our structures are problematic author claims this show fosters social change by allowing the audience to recognize the shortcomings of their lifestyle limits: other media platforms use humor, it is animated, comedy, not many people "think deeply" about the issues

Equality of Condition

the belief that everyone should have an equal starting point and that rules of the game should be altered to enable this ex: affirmative action

Diagnostic Framing

the identification of a problem and the assigning of blame

normative view of science

the notion that science is unaffected by personal views or beliefs of scientists, but rather follows objective rules of evidence.

Cult of Domesticity

the notion that true womanhood centers on domestic responsibility and child rearing. this idea began to develop during the first half of the 20th century

Education

the process through which academic, social and cultural ideas and tools, both general and specific, are developed. learn how to be functioning citizens. includes socialization.

relationship between crime and deviance

the two overlapping circle models crime is not necessarily deviance nor is deviance necessarily crime. they can be both.

self-fulfilling prophecy

this is, like in classrooms, when teachers have high expectations for certain students these students responded by meeting teacher expectations in prisons, the guards, prisoners and the rest of society have such low expectations for criminals most criminals become more deviant as a result with all labels come certain expectations. deviance is a master class. over time you internalize the deviant status and continue to act this way.

Sumner's three categories of norms

three norms: folkways, mores, laws

Prognostic framing

when social movements state a clear solution and a means for implementation

bean-pole families

where kinship ties are vertical. Because people didn't live near their extended family, they could depend only on their children and parents who lived with them. This happened after the industrial revolution. Life expectancies increased but lateral ties (like those between cousins) weakened because of long distances

Mothers of East LA

women that were tired of their living conditions and lack of opportunities CA placed a toxic waste plant in a low income Mexican American community Mothers of East L.A. opposed detrimental construction community mobilization and transformation in east LA