Final Exam (c. 10)

Question 1

social institutions

Answer 1

systems and structures that shape the activities of groups and individuals in society

Question 2

politics

Answer 2

the methods and tactics of managing a political entity (nation or state, admin etc.)

Question 3

government

Answer 3

formal, organized agency that exercises power and control in modern society

Question 4

power

Answer 4

ability to get others to do one’s bidding - Max Weber

Question 5

authority

Answer 5

the legitimate, non coercive exercise of power

Question 6

Authoritarianism

Answer 6

political system that denies ordinary citizens representation by and control over their own government
(ex. dictatorship)

Question 7

totalitarianism

Answer 7

most extreme and modern version of authoritarianism. government control of every aspect (public and private) of citizens’ lives.

Question 8

monarchy

Answer 8

sovereignty is vested in a successive line of rulers (usually within a family)
- absolute and constitutional monarchies

Question 9

democracy

Answer 9

citizens share in directing the activities of their government
- a political system and philosophy

Question 10

variables affecting voter participation in the US

Answer 10

age, race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, geography, social class, and education

Question 11

disenfranchised

Answer 11

barred from voting

Question 12

gerrymandering

Answer 12

redrawing of boundary lines for voting districts within states in a way that gives an advantage to one political party over another

Question 13

Religion: functionalist lens

Answer 13

religion is found everywhere, therefore it must function for society

Question 14

Religion: Durkheim

Answer 14

“society creates “God” in its image”, thus society is really worshipping itself, projecting admirable characteristics onto God

Question 15

religion: conflict lens

Answer 15

religion tends to support the status quo and thus

• defended an inferior view of females/supports patriarchy
• tends to segregate along race and class lines
• has and continues to view sexual orientation as deviant behavior
• critique: religion has been an agent for social justice and political change

Question 16

Religion: symbolic interactionist lens

Answer 16

focus is on the “meaning” that is constructed by religious beliefs and practices through interactions within religious groups
- looks inside religious groups to understand how they frame a plausible worldview and how that view “works” for them despite not being supported in larger culture

Question 17

secularization

Answer 17

a process where over time, religion has less and less influence on society and individuals (due to greater influence of tech and science)

Question 18

education

Answer 18

the process by which a society transmits knowledge, values, and expectations to its members so they can function in society

Question 19

hidden curriculum

Answer 19

the values and behaviors that students learn indirectly over the course of their schooling
- rules, routines, and regulations designed to create a submissive and obedient workforce

Question 20

the pygmalion effect

Answer 20

idea that teachers attitudes about their students unintentionally influence their academic performance

Question 21

Education: conflict lens

Answer 21

Because schools are funded by local property taxes, children in poor neighborhoods are trapped in poor schools, which reinforces inequality.

Question 22

pluralism

Answer 22

a system of political power in which a wide variety of individuals and groups have equal access to resources and power

Question 23

special interest groups

Answer 23

organizations that raise and spend money to influence elected officials or public opinion

Question 24

power elite

Answer 24

C. Wright Mills coined the term; refers to a relatively small number of people who control the economic, political, and military institutions of a society

Question 25

social institutions: structural functionalism

Answer 25

Social institutions such as politics, education, and religion provide critical functions for the needs of society and help maintain order and unity.

Question 26

social institutions: conflict theory

Answer 26

Social institutions such as politics, education, and religion represent the interests of those in power and thus create and maintain inequalities in society

Question 27

social institutions: symbolic interactionism

Answer 27

Social institutions such as politics, education, and religion are created through individual participation; they give meaning to and are part of the everyday experience of members.

Question 28

dual enrollment

Answer 28

allow high school students to gain college credit for the courses they take through a concurrent enrollment agreement with a local college

Question 29

sacred vs. profane

Answer 29

holy, divine vs. ordinary, mundane

Question 30

liberation theology

Answer 30

movement within the Catholic Church to understand Christianity from the perspective of the poor and oppressed, with a focus on fighting injustice

Question 31

extrinsic religiosity

Answer 31

a person’s public display of commitment, such as attendance at religious services or other related functions

Question 32

intrinsic religiosity

Answer 32

person’s inner religious life or personal relationship to the divine

Question 33

fundamentalism

Answer 33

way of understanding and interpreting sacred texts that can be part of any denomination or sect