soc 101 final exam

• Race 


  Groups of people whose inherited biological (physical) features distinguish it from other groups
• Ethnic group


  a category of people whose perceived cultural markers are deemed socially significant
• Race is not a predictor of educational achievements / sporting achievements, class is.
• Prejudice


  attitude judging a person according to his group's real or imagined characteristics
• minority group


  group of people who are socially disadvantaged by the virtue of their race
• racial scapegoat 


  minority group blamed by majority groups for social problems
• discrimination 


  an act of unfair treatment against people because of their group membership
• Racism


  combination of both prejudice (attitude) and discrimination (action)
• unprejudiced discrimination 


  possible to have discrimination without prejudice
• institutional discrimination


  negative treatment of a minority group built into society's institutions

  • bias in the operation of society's education / banking/ workplace/ healthcare
• Labels 


  sets of symbols and meanings differentiating a group from others imposed by outsiders

  • causes selective perception and self-fulfilling stereotypes
• Labelling theory 


  belief in racial constructs - create and maintain social inequality - behavioural characteristics - racial stereotypes - belief in racial constructs
• Ecological theory (functionalist)

  • explains on why/how ethnicity keeps changing

  focus on struggle for resources and territories

  1. invasion
  2. resistance
  3. competition
  4. accommodation and cooperation
  5. assimilation

  • criticism: naturalistic, ignores role played by the state in ethnic relations
• internal colonialism 


  one ethnic group subjugating the other by segregation of jobs, housing and social contacts which leads to ethnic enclave
• ethnic enclave

  socioeconomic concentration of an ethnic group in a geographical locality
• Split labour market

  Division of workers along racial-ethnic, gender, and age lines for historical reasons --> deflect anger and hostility from the power elites / owners
• multiculturalism 


  a philosophy / political policy that encourages ethnic difference
• pluralism 


  the diffusion of power among many interest groups that prevents any single group from gaining control of the government
• affirmative action 


  policy giving preference to minority group members if equally qualified people are available for that position
• ethnic group membership (functional)

  strengthens the bond within members of in-groups and create hostility against out-group, maintain stratification
• stratification 


  the division of large numbers of people into layers (strata) based on their accessibility to sacre but valuable resources
• social class signalling 


  perceivers can rapidly and accurately judge the social class of others based on only small amounts of information
• Karl Marx


  there will always be a group that owns the mode of production (bourgeoisie) and a group that has to sell their labour (proletariat)

  • classes determined by its position in a specific mode of production and historical context
• social class


  a large group of people who rank closely to one another in property, power and prestige
• The 3Ps can result in distinctive lifestyles, different life chances, and different world views
• status inconsistency


  ranking high on some dimensions than others
• conflict view on stratification

  1. power elites control society's resources
  2. develop ideology to justify their rights to top positions
  3. ideology helps to keep the majority quiet and submissive to authorities
• class consciousness


  a shared identity based on position in the means of production
• Functionalist View on Stratification (Davis & Moore, 1945)

  1. for society to function, its position must be filled
  2. some jobs more important than others
  3. to train for these important jobs, sacrifices have to be made
  4. to motivate people to make sacrifices, inequality required
• consequences of class

  1. life chances (education attainment, family life)
  2. types of class memberships (religious affiliations, political participation)
  3. morbidity and mortality (health and well-being, lifestyle, access, control)
• life orientations are a consequence and not a cause of class positions
• social mobility 


  opportunities to move up or down the social class ladder
• intergenerational mobility 


  change in social class family members make from one generation to the next
• intragenerational mobility 


  change in social class family members make within a single generation
• structural mobility


  movement up or down the social ladder due to change in structure of society not to individual efforts
• exchange mobility 


  large number of people move up and down the social ladder but on balance, the proportion of the social classes remain about the same
• equality 


  each individual is given the same resources or opportunities
• equity 


  recognises that each person has different circumstances and allocates resources / opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome
• undeserving poor 


  brought on their own poverty
• deserving poor


  through no fault of their own