SOCIO EXAM #3

Question 1

Urban heat island effect

Answer 1

From Heat Wave

describes how urban areas with asphalt, concrete and brick surfaces absorb and reflect more heat, making these areas of a city hotter than green spaces such as grassy suburbs or rural areas

Question 2

Social Autopsy

Answer 2

aims to examine the “social organs” (institutions) of the city and identify the conditions that contribute to mass deaths

Klinenberg’s method for researching mortality rates during the Chicago heat wave

Question 3

Functionalist Perspective

Answer 3

• Views society as a complex system composed of various parts.
• Sees society as analogous to a living organism or an ecosystem.
• Social institutions are the different parts that keep societies alive.
• Institutions allow societies to attain goals, adapt, reduce tension, and recruit individuals into roles.
• Dysfunctional parts of the system will eventually disappear.
• Persistent social institutions serve a function for society.
• Analyzes system failure by examining failed parts and their ripple effects.

Question 4

Institution

Answer 4

• System of behavioral and relationship patterns across a society.
• Enduring and densely interwoven.
• Order and structure individual behavior through norms.
• Assist society in adapting to changing conditions.
• Functional institutions persist over time.
• Dysfunctional institutions fade away in the functionalist perspective.

Question 5

Dysfunction

Answer 5

Any action or behavior that has negative consequences for a group or society; an effect of structures that fosters social instability.

Question 6

Social Capital

Answer 6

refers to the value of one’s social networks. Social capital refers to the ways that people can use their social connections to gain knowledge, access to things they need, and other benefits

Question 7

Loneliness

Answer 7

is defined as a distressing feeling that accompanies the perception that one’s social needs are not being met by the quantity or especially the quality of one’s social relationships

Question 8

Mean World Syndrome

Answer 8

is a term coined by George Gerbner to describe a phenomenon whereby violence-related content of mass media makes viewers believe that the world is more dangerous than it actually is

Mean world syndrome is one of the main conclusions of cultivation theory

Question 9

Reasons for Increase in Single-Person Households Worldwide

Answer 9

Increasing Wealth: people choose to live alone because of this

Mass urbanization: offers more options for solitary living

Technology revolution: facilitates social connections despite physical solitude

Longevity: longer life spans increase likelihood of living alone

Women’s financial independence enables solo living

Decrease in marriage rates and rise in divorces contribute to single-person households.

Question 10

Demographics for high risk of heat wave death

Answer 10

○ Elderly People
○ Men (more than women)
○ African Americans (more than Latinx or white)
○ Low-income (more than middle- or upper-class)
○ People who lived alone (rather than those in multi person households)

When all factors are combines = high risk of heatwave mortality

Question 11

Institutionalized racism

Answer 11

○ Established laws, customs, and practices that perpetuate racial inequalities

○ Systematically reflect and produce racial disparities in society

○ Operates regardless of individual racist intentions.

Question 12

Red-Lining

Answer 12

○ Denying or increasing the cost of mortgage loans or insurance based on geographic areas

○ Originated in 1938 by the Federal Housing Administration

○ Implemented through marking red lines on maps to delineate disinvested areas

○ Enforced residential segregation

○ Ended in 1968 with the Fair Housing Act

Question 13

Blockbusting

Answer 13

○ Practice by realtors in the late 1960s and 1970s during suburban desegregation

○ Realtors would scare white residents about falling home values due to black residents moving in

○ Persuaded white residents to sell homes below market value

○ Homes were resold to black buyers at market or above-market prices

Question 14

White Flight

Answer 14

○ Occurred after 1968 as suburbs began desegregating

○ Middle-class black residents obtained mortgages and moved to suburbs

○ White suburban residents responded by selling homes and moving further from core cities

○ Resulted in disinvestment in first-ring suburbs

○ Term refers to the mass exodus of white residents from urban areas to suburban or rural areas

Question 15

Dual Housing Market

Answer 15

describes how white families in the United States can live in any neighborhood they can afford, while Blacks, Latinx and native Americans have restricted access to neighborhoods due to a history of real estate agents steering them away from white neighborhoods, and banks refusing to give them favorable credit terms.

Question 16

Racial Wealth Gap

Answer 16

○ Describes the significant and increasing difference in wealth accumulation between Black and white households in the US

○ Average white household has 8 times more wealth than the average Black household

○ Primarily attributed to historical and current differences in homeownership rates and home values in white vs. Black neighborhoods

○ Sociological studies, such as those in the film Race: The Power of an Illusion, support this explanation

Question 17

Matched Pair Study

Answer 17

○ Research design where study participants are matched based on key variables

○ In experiments, one member of each pair is in the control group, the other in the experimental group

○ In Klinenberg’s neighborhood matched pair study, participants are neighborhoods with similar geographic and demographic characteristics

○ North Lawndale (African American) and Little Village (Latinx) compared for mortality rates.
Allows comparison of the impact of racial demographics on neighborhood outcomes

Question 18

Social Ecology

Answer 18

refers to the study of the relationships between individuals, social groups and their environments

Social ecology is an example of a functionalist theory. How does the social environment function (or dysfunction) to help (or harm) the individuals who live within it

Question 19

Deindustrialization

Answer 19

Significant economic structural change in societies

Europe and North American economies relied heavily on manufacturing from 1800-1970s

Most Americans were employed in manufacturing, often with well-paying jobs and no higher education requirement

Deindustrialization began in the 1970s as companies moved manufacturing to countries with lower labor costs

Resulted in loss of well-paying jobs for Americans without college degrees

Question 20

Built Environment

Answer 20

refers to human-made structures such as buildings, roads, parking lots and parks. One aspect of urban sociology studies how the built environment shapes human behavior.

Question 21

Neighborhood Effects

Answer 21

refer to (a) the processes by which various neighborhood conditions influence the well-being of residents collectively or individually or (b) outcomes associated with negative neighborhood conditions

Question 22

Disinvestment

Answer 22

Result of racial segregation, redlining, and white flight

Neighborhoods suffer from lack of investment by banks and small businesses

Reduced commercial activity makes neighborhood less attractive to homebuyers

Decreased funding for public schools and decreased likelihood of new businesses

Question 23

Poverty Tax

Answer 23

describes how poor people pay higher rates for many everyday needs such as check cashing, car insurance, food costs (in convenience stores) and mortgage rates compared to groups that live in middle- or upper-class neighborhoods.

Question 24

Food Desert

Answer 24

is an urban area in which it is difficult to buy affordable or good-quality fresh food.

Question 25

Third Places

Answer 25

places other than work or home where individuals can spend time out in public. Examples include coffee shops, bars, public plazas, community centers, etc

Question 26

Enclave Economies

Answer 26

Areas in cities where immigrants establish numerous businesses catering to their group Employ other members of the immigrant group Example: Chinatown in San Francisco Immigrants in ethnic enclaves may have better employment opportunities Helps explain vibrant economy of small businesses in neighborhoods like Little Village in Heat Wave

Question 27

Eyes on the Street

Answer 27

Concept by urban activist Jane Jacobs Refers to elements attracting people to streets, promoting active street life Examples include windows next to sidewalks encouraging pedestrian activity Presence of people on sidewalks deters street crime, as crimes are more likely when streets are empty Emphasizes importance of diverse pedestrian activity for community safety

Question 28

Functionalist Perspective Applied to Neighborhoods

Answer 28

Views neighborhoods as complex systems composed of various parts Analogous to a living organism or ecosystem. Different aspects like buildings, green spaces, storefronts, sidewalks, etc., work together to create a safe and inviting public space Neighborhood environment influences individuals' feelings of safety and willingness to use public spaces Analyzes how social institutions and organizations within the neighborhood contribute to societal goals, adaptation, tension reduction, and role recruitment

Question 29

Dysfunction

Answer 29

Any action or behavior that has negative consequences for a group or society and leads to instability of the social system

Question 30

Interdependence

Answer 30

In everyday life, it signifies interconnectedness and reliance among individuals In functionalist theory, it denotes the cooperation and coordination among different institutions or organizations Describes how these entities must communicate and function effectively to maintain societal function Failure of one institution may lead to failures in other parts of the social system

Question 31

Neoliberalism

Answer 31

Is the idea that less government interference in the free market is the central goal of politics. Neoliberals believe in a ‘small government’ which limits itself to enhancing the economic freedoms of businesses and entrepreneurs The state should limit itself to the protection of private property and basic law enforcement.

Question 32

Privatization of Public Services

Answer 32

Privatization refers to transferring government functions to the private sector Describes how governments assign tasks, such as services for the elderly or prison management, to private companies Motivated by cost-cutting measures

Question 33

Social Infrastructure

Answer 33

Defined by Eric Klinenberg as the physical components of a community facilitating social interaction and building social capital Includes houses, commercial establishments, social services, sidewalks, and road conditions Influences neighborhood liveliness and residents' feelings of safety, willingness to engage with strangers, and social interactions