Sociology - Real World - Ch 10: Social Institutions
special interest groups
organizations that raise and spend money to influence elected officials and/or public opinion (page 293)
politics
methods and tactics intended to influence government policy, policy-related attitudes, and activities (page 287)
monarchy
A government ruled by a king or queen, with succession of rulers kept within the family (page 288)
hidden curriculum
Values or behaviors that students learn indirectly over the course of their schooling because of the structure of the educational system and the teaching methods used (page 303)
the rise of the internet
What development transformed and expanded the role of distance learning in the American educational system?
they are social institutions
What do schools, churches, and governments all have in common?
simulacrum
What does Jean Baudrillard call an image in the media that people can no longer distinguish from the reality that it is supposed to represent?
It should be illegal for employers to ask about educational credentials.
What does the sociologist Randall Collins recommend to reform the American educational system?
disenfranchisement
What is it called when a government bars an individual, either temporarily or permanently, from voting?
the extent of a person's commitment to a religion
What is religiosity
Randall Collins, The Credential Society
What is the most likely source of the following quote: American medical training is attached at the end of a very long and expensive education that keeps the supply of physicians low and their incomes and social backgrounds very high. This formal education appears to have little real practical relevance; most actual training is done on the job in the most informal circumstances, through the few years of internship and residency.
law, theology, medicine
What subjects were taught in European universities during the Middle Ages?
teacher attitudes
What variable would account for the dramatic jump in test scores evidenced by the students in Rosenthal and Jacobson's Pygmalion in the Classroom?
they were extraordinarily unhappy places
What was Jonathan Kozol's impression of the poorly funded schools that he visited in urban Chicago?
power
The ability to impose one's will on others (page 287)
both extrinsic and intrinsic religiosity
A large-scale, longitudinal study of students in America found that those who pick a major in the humanities or social sciences attended religious services less often and rated religion as being less important in their lives than students who picked either education or science majors. What were the researchers trying to measure?
both intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity
A large-scale, longitudinal study of students in America found that those who pick a major in the humanities or social sciences attended religious services less often and rated religion as being less important in their lives than students who picked either education or science majors. What were the researchers trying to measure?
liberation theology
A movement within the Catholic Church to understand Christianity from the perspective of the poor and oppressed, with a focus on fighting injustice (page 312)
intrinsic religiosity
A person's inner religious life or personal relationship to the divine (page 313)
extrinsic religiosity
A person's public display of commitment to a religious faith (page 313)
democracy
A political system in which all citizens have the right to participate (page 288)
ritual
A practice based on religious beliefs (page 311)
belief
A proposition or idea held on the basis of faith (page 311)
power elite
A relatively small group of people in the top ranks of economic, political, and military institutions who make many of the important decisions in American society (page 292)
pluralist model
A system of political power in which a wide variety of individuals and groups have equal access to resources and the mechanisms of power (page 292)
evangelical
A term describing conservative Christians who emphasize converting others to their faith (page 316)
monotheistic
A term describing religions that worship a single divine figure (page 312)
unchurched
A term describing those who consider themselves spiritual but not religious and who often adopt aspects of various religious traditions (page 316)
the power elite
According to C. Wright Mills, who rules America?
They want to keep the number of potential job applicants down, thus minimizing competition and ensuring that there is a large number of people for less lucrative, less pleasant professions.
According to Randall Collins, why do members of lucrative professions like law and medicine support the current educational system?
Jonathan Kozol
According to Savage Inequalities by ___________, schools reinforce inequality by using local property taxes to fund public schools, trapping poor children in poor schools.
simulacrum
An image or media representation that does not reflect reality in any meaningful way but is treated as real (page 298)
political action committee (PAC)
An organization that raises money to support the interests of a select group or organization (page 293)
online education
Any educational course or program in which the teacher and the student meet via the internet, rather than meeting physically in a classroom (page 310)
religion
Any institutionalized system of shared beliefs and rituals that identify a relationship between the sacred and the profane (page 311)
extrinsic religiosity
Attending religious services would be an example of ___________
giving meaning to our lives
Ecclesiastes, in the Hebrew Bible, often strikes people as very depressing because it implies that life is pointless, but others take something of value from this book and feel that it shows that life and suffering are beyond human comprehension, but must be enjoyed anyway. Which function or dysfunction of religion does Ecclesiastes fulfill for those who value it?
opinion leaders
High-profile individuals who interpret political information and influence the voting habits of the public are called:
opinion leaders
High-profile individuals whose interpretation of events influences the public (page 296)
Homeschooled students perform significantly better, on average, than public school students.
How does the academic achievement of homeschooled students compare to that of public school students?
unchurched
In "The Promise and Limits of Secular Spirituality in Cascadia," Mark Shibley wrote about people who feel more connected to their spirituality when they are in a forest. What are these people known as?
the New York Times
In 1971 Daniel Ellsberg, working for the Department of Defense, found himself in possession of a large collection of classified documents that showed many members of the U.S. government did not believe that the Vietnam War was winnable, despite public assertions to the contrary. Ellsberg felt it was his patriotic duty to do something about this, and he turned to the Fourth Estate, giving the documents to:
unofficial requirement
In 2008 the Obama family's search for a church to attend in Washington, D.C., was big news. A sociological analysis of the national curiosity about the president's church might argue that being a Christian is an _____________ of the presidency.
being a Christian is an unofficial requirement for being U.S. President
In 2008 the Obama family's search for a church to attend in Washington, D.C., was big news. A sociological analysis of the national curiosity about the president's church might argue that:
rewards style over substance
In 2009, shortly after Sarah Palin resigned as Governor of Alaska, a Republican political strategist asked, "If Sarah Palin looked like Golda Meir, would we even be talking about her today?" No matter what else you might say about this quote, it reminds us that politics today:
early college high schools
Institutions in which students earn a high school diploma and two years of credit toward a bachelor's degree (page 307)
the hidden curriculum
John Dewey, an American educational reformer, once wrote, "Perhaps the greatest of all pedagogical fallacies is that a person learns only the particular thing he is studying at the time. Collateral learning in the way of formation of enduring attitudes, of likes and dislikes, may be and often is, more important." What is another term for what Dewey calls "collateral learning?"
authoritarian
Manuel Noriega was never elected president of Panama, but became its de facto ruler when he became head of the army and thus powerful enough to demand the resignation of the elected president. Given only this information, what was Noriega's government?
spin doctor
Mike McCurry was the White House Press Secretary from 1995 to 1998. It was his job to field questions from the press and explain the president's policies and attitudes in language that was compelling and persuasive. According to this job description, he could be called a(n):
secular
Nonreligious; a secular society separates church and state and does not endorse any religion (page 316)
special interest groups
Organizations formed expressly to raise and spend money in order to influence elected officials are called:
527 committees
Organizations that have no official connection to a candidate but that raise and spend funds like a campaign does; named after the section of the tax code that authorizes their existence (page 294)
school vouchers
Payments from the government to parents whose children attend failing public schools; the money helps parents pay private school tuition (page 309)
new media or web 2.0
Politicians using Twitter to communicate with their constituents and hear back from them directly is an example of________
charter schools
Public schools run by private entities to give parents greater control over their children's education (page 306)
disenfranchised
Puerto Rico is a self-governing republic, but is ultimately under the control of the U.S. government. Since 1917 all Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, but are not represented in Congress and cannot cast ballots in presidential elections. In this sense they are:
power; authorith
Robert is walking down the street late at night in New York City when a man in a ski mask suddenly sticks a gun in his face and takes his wallet. Sociologists would say that Robert's mugger had ____________ but not ____________.
sound bytes
Short sentences or phrases on a political subject designed to be catchy and memorable, but not necessarily to convey much information, are called:
the hidden curriculum
Sociologists like R. S. Erickson have noted that "the informal and decidedly antidemocratic set of teaching practices and power relationships by which the school operates" produces a "disjuncture between the democratic creed and what actually goes on in school" so students often learn that it's important to take orders and to not make waves. What concept is Erickson talking about?
authoritarianism
System of government by and for a small number of elites that does not include representation of ordinary citizens (page 287)
social institutions
Systems and structures that persist over time and help to organize group life are called:
a special interest group
The Swift Vets and POWs for Truth was a group of veterans and former prisoners of war from the Vietnam War who formed during the 2004 presidential campaign in order to oppose John Kerry's candidacy for president, primarily by attacking his record of military service. What could they be called?
homeschooling
The education of children by their parents, at home (page 307)
the U.S. is not a totally secular society
The fact that school schedules are organized around Christmas is evidence:
government
The formal, organized agency that exercises power and control in modern society, especially through the creation and enforcement of laws (page 287)
we are both a secular and a nonsecular society at the same time
The former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor voted to allow a Christmas display on public property that included a nativity scene, but voted to prohibit city governments from having displays that had only a nativity scene. This indicates that:
sacred
The holy, divine, or supernatural (page 311)
authority
The legitimate, noncoercive exercise of power (page 287)
Fourth Estate
The media, which are considered like a fourth branch of government (after the executive, legislative, and judiciary) and thus serve as another of the checks and balances on power (page 294)
profane
The ordinary, mundane, or everyday (page 311)
tracking
The placement of students in educational "tracks," or programs of study (e.g., college prep, remedial), that determine the types of classes students take (page 303)
fundamentalism
The practice of emphasizing literal interpretation of texts and a "return" to a time of greater religious purity; represented by the most conservative group within any religion (page 315)
education
The process by which a society transmits its knowledge, values, and expectations to its members so they can function effectively (page 301)
religiosity
The regular practice of religious beliefs, often measured in terms of frequency of attendance at worship services and the importance of religious beliefs to an individual (page 313)
community college
Two-year institution that provides students with general education and facilitates transfer to a four-year university (page 310)
sound bytes
When Congress recessed in August of 2009, it was hotly debating a bill to overhaul America's health care system. The House Republican leader John Boehner sent rank-and-file Republicans a memo asking them to use "new media" like Twitter to get their message out. Given that a Twitter post can only be 140 characters long, what feature of modern politics closely resembles Twitter posts?
Nixon refused to take advice on hair, makeup, and clothing that would make him look better on camera
When John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon debated during the 1960 presidential campaign, voters who watched the debate on television were more likely to see Kennedy as the winner than those who listened to it on radio. Why?
Nixon refused to take advice on hair, makeup, and clothing that would make him look better on camera.
When John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon debated during the 1960 presidential campaign, voters who watched the debate on television were more likely to see Kennedy as the winner than those who listened to it on radio. Why?
vouchers give more choice for parents and their children's educational options
Which of the following is an advantage cited by supporters of school vouchers?
all of the profs are white and heterosexual
Which of the following is an example of how the hidden curriculum can reinforce inequality?
Unlike candidates or political parties, there are no limits on how much money an individual can give to them
Why are 527 committees much more important to political campaigns now than they were in the past?
They believe that vouchers will drain funds from vulnerable public schools and cause them to deteriorate further.
Why do critics object to school vouchers?
They believe that vouchers will drain funds from vulnerable public schools and cause them to deteriorate further.
Why do critics object to vouchers?
Evangelicals emphasize the importance of gaining new converts
Why is it not surprising that Evangelical Protestants are the most common religious affiliation in the United States?
the profance
Within the Christian religion, certain days (Sundays), books (the Christian Bible), and objects (crucifixes) are treated differently than other days, books, and objects. Chapter 10 would say that this different treatment is needed to separate them from:
the profane
Within the Christian religion, certain days (Sundays), books (the Christian Bible), and objects (crucifixes) are treated differently than other days, books, and objects. Chapter 10 would say that this different treatment is needed to separate them from:
Randall Collins
_______ argued that the true function of schools is to reproduce the class structure, making sure that most people grow up to have a socioeconomic status similar to their parents.
Randall Collins
_________ recommend that to reform the American educational system it should be illegal for employers to ask about educational credentials.
Home schooled
__________ students perform significantly better, on average, than public school students.
What did C.Wright Mills mean by the power elite?
a small group of people who occupy key positions in political, economic, and military institutions
rewards style over substance
n 2009, shortly after Sarah Palin resigned as Governor of Alaska, a Republican political strategist asked, "If Sarah Palin looked like Golda Meir, would we even be talking about her today?" No matter what else you might say about this quote, it reminds us that politics today:
disenfranchised
stripped of voting rights, either temporarily or permanently (page 290)
social institutions
systems and structures within society that shape the activities of groups and individuals (page 286)