Chapter 1 Flashcards
(42 cards)
Social Problem
A social condition or a pattern of behaviour that people believe warrants public concern and collective action to bring about change.
When are social conditions/certain patterns of behaviour defined as social problems?
When they:
- systematically disadvantage/harm a significant number of people (or a number of “significant” people)
- are seen as harmful by any of the people who wield power (wealth/influence) in a group or society
Social problems are social in their _______, _______, and __________.
Social problems are social in their:
CAUSES
CONSEQUENCES
POSSIBLE SOURCES OF RESOLUTION
Sociology
The scholarly discipline that engages in systematic study of human society and social interactions.
Society
A large number of individuals who share the same territory and are subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations.
Discrimination
Actions or practices of dominant-group members (or their representatives) that have a harmful impact on members of subordinate groups.
Dominant group
Group whose members are disproportionately at the top of the hierarchy
Dominant group advantages
- access to POWER RESOURCES (particularly political authority)
- control the means of economic production
Subordinate groups/Minority groups
Those whose members, in relation to the dominant group (or groups), do not occupy such positions of power.
Hate Crime
An act of violence motivated by prejudice against people on the basis of racialized identity, ethnicity, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.
Includes the dissemination of materials intended to incite hatred
Hate crimes are acts of violence based on prejudice based on :
RACIALIZED IDENTITY
ETHNICITY
RELIGION
GENDER
SEXUAL ORIENTATION
Hate Crimes are not only limited to violent acts. The term also includes
The dissemination of materials intended to incited hatred.
Explain the following statement:
“We do not live in the objective truth, we live in the social truth”
- We live in a social truth, whereby reality is driven in what is socially perceived as reality.
- IE poverty in Vancouver, vs poverty in Pakistan. Everything is relative to social context.
Social problems can also be…..
Discrepancies between the ideals of a society and their actual achievement.
Explain the following :
“Social problems often involve the discrepancies between a society’s ideals and their actual achievement”
For example, between the rights guaranteed by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and discrimination that exists today despite it.
Explain the following :
“Social problems often involve the discrepancies between a society’s ideals and their actual achievement”
For example, between the rights guaranteed by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and discrimination that exists today despite it.
“Nothing is inherently a problem” - explain
nothing is inherently a problem - the problem must be collectively defined as one by a portion of the population.
The Sociological Imagination
The ability to discern the relationship between an individual’s experiences and the larger society in which they are contextualized.
Unemployed Individual through the lens of the sociological imagination
The unemployed individual views his/her unemployment as a personal trouble concerning on the individual (other family members or friends).
However, widespread unemployment resulting from economic changes, corporate decisions, or technological innovations is a public issue.
Why the sociological imagination is important.
It helps us shift our focus to a larger social context and see how personal troubles may be related to public issues.
Why the sociological imagination is important.
- Helps us shift our focus to a larger social context and see how personal troubles may be related to public issues.
- Gives us a clearer picture of the relationship between macrolevel structures and microlevel interactions.
- With a clearer understanding, we are more able to develop more effective levels of prevention and intervention.
Microlevel analysis
Focuses on small-group relations and social interaction among individuals.
Macrolevel analysis
focuses on social processes occuring at the societal level, especially in large-scale organizations and major social institutions such as politics, government and the economy.
Capitalism
An economic system characterized by private ownership of the means of production, from which personal profits can be derived through market competition and without government intervention.
