Exam 1 Definitions Flashcards
(27 cards)
Aim of sociological research
to connect abstract and concrete levels of experience.
Overgeneralization
draw a conclusion or make a statement about (something) that is more general than is justified.
Purpose of culture
solve real-life problems
Culture capital
social assets of a person that promote social mobility in a stratified society (ie. Education, intellect, style of speech and dress, etc.)
Social Capital
the networks of relationships among people who live and work in a particular society, enabling that society to function Social Capital effectively
Human Capital
stock of knowledge, habits, social and personality attributes, including creativity, embodied in its ability to perform labor so as to produce economic value
Subculture
cultural group whose values and norms are different but are not in direct contradiction with the values and norms of the larger culture.
Counterculture
Cultural group whose values and norms are in contradiction with those of the larger culture.
Prejudice
preconceived opinion (attitude) that is not based on reason or actual experience
Discrimination
the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex.
Absolute Poverty
state of total deprivation of basic needs.
Relative Poverty
Poverty based on societal standards (poverty lines) or LICO (low income cut-offs) based on local/specific terms
Shock Poverty
Rapid onset of Poverty
Structural Functionalism
views society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability
Conflict (Marx) Theory
Poverty and inequality are universal but are worse under capitalism where owners must exploit labour.
Structuralism
Poverty is a by-product of normal competition and circulation of people through various roles necessary for society.
Symbolic (Social Interactionism)
poverty is a cultural experience that tends to reproduce itself because people tend to group with people like themselves through symbolic and ritual practices.
Feminism
emphasizes feminization of poverty and argues for emancipatory research from the standpoint of people living in poverty
Anomie
condition in which society provides little moral guidance to individuals; a condition of instability resulting from a breakdown of standards and values or from lack of purpose and ideals.
Law
is a system of rules that are created and enforced through social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior
Mores
essential or characteristic customs and conventions of a community; social norms, taboos. Socially constructed and enforced.
LICO (Low income cut off)
o average proportion of after-tax income that all families (regardless of size) spent on food, shelter and clothing
o Family is considered low income if it spends 20% points or more of its income than the average family on necessities of food, shelter, and clothing than the average family.
o Used for Regional Comparisons
LIM (Low income measure)
o Use for International comparisons
o fixed percentage (50%) of median adjusted household income, where “adjusted” indicates that household needs are taken into account.
o Adjustment for household sizes reflects the fact that a household’s needs increase as the number of members increases
According to Sharma, what are two keys to approach Poverty?
- Stigma Theory
- social exclusion thoery
