Phil Exam

• Anthropology


  The systematic study of humanity, with the goal of understanding our evolutionary origins, our distinctiveness as a species, and the great diversity in our forms of social existence across the world and through time
• Anthropology


  • Studying differences in educational systems across cultures
  • Researching the difference in diets between people living in China and people in the United States
  • Examining the site of an ancient civilization to understand their technology
• Anthropologists study the development of the human species as well as human culture
• Canada's LGBTQ community stages 'Pride' celebrations to assert their rights within Canadian society
• Some Canadians are not happy with this shift in cultural values, as is the case with a Catholic school Trustee in Alberta who likened waving 'Pride' flags to waving 'Nazi' flags
• Psychology


  The scientific study of the mind and behavior
• Psychology


  • Psychologists focus on human behavior and the affects the brain has on this behavior
  • A psychologist might focus on the behaviors of the Trustee and why she had such a strong reaction to the LGBTQs demonstration of human rights
• Sociology


  The study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior
• Sociology


  • Sociologists would notice how two groups (the LGBTQ community & Catholic School Trustees) disagree over what should and shouldn't be accepted in Alberta's public education system
• Functionalism in anthropology


  • Views societies as complex systems with various interrelated parts, each serving a specific function to maintain overall social stability and order
  • Believes that cultural practices, beliefs, and institutions contribute to the smooth functioning of a society
• Structuralism in anthropology


  • Seeks to understand cultural phenomena by analyzing the underlying structures and systems that shape them
  • Looks for patterns and relationships within cultures, emphasizing the importance of shared symbols, rituals, and social institutions
• Cultural Materialism in anthropology


  • Focuses on the material conditions, such as technology, environment, and economic systems, to explain cultural phenomena
  • Suggests that the material aspects of a society, including how people produce and distribute resources, shape cultural practices, beliefs, and institutions
• Cultural Materialism in anthropology argues that understanding the material foundation of a society provides insights into its cultural expressions and social organization
• Psychodynamic psychology is a psychological perspective that explores how unconscious thoughts and feelings influence behavior
• Behaviorism is a psychological approach that focuses on studying observable behaviors, emphasizing the role of external stimuli in shaping and controlling behavior
• Humanism in psychology is a perspective that emphasizes the unique qualities and potential of individuals, focusing on their subjective experiences and personal growth
• Cognitive psychology is a branch of psychology that focuses on studying mental processes such as perception, attention, memory, language, problem-solving, and decision-making
• Conflict Theory in sociology

  • Views society as characterized by inherent inequalities and conflicts over resources, power, and social structures
  • Emphasizes how these conflicts between different groups shape social institutions and drive societal change
• Symbolic interactionism in sociology

  • Society holding shared meanings of things
• Structural functionalism in sociology


  • Systems working together to promote solidarity and stability
• Enculturation


  The process by which individuals learn and acquire the cultural norms, values, beliefs, behaviors, and social skills of their own culture
• Acculturation


  The process of cultural change that occurs when individuals or groups from one culture come into contact with and adopt elements of another culture
• Diffusion


  The spread of cultural traits, ideas, or innovations from one society or cultural group to another
• Cognitive Dissonance Theory


  Suggests that individuals experience discomfort or tension when they hold conflicting beliefs, attitudes, or values, and are motivated to change their beliefs or behaviors to bring them into alignment
• Cognitive Dissonance Theory


  • Someone is aware of the negative health effects of smoking but continues to smoke, creating cognitive dissonance
• Evolutionary perspective on social change in sociology


  • Suggests that societies evolve over time, progressing through stages of development
  • Sees social change as a natural and gradual process, akin to biological evolution
• Cyclical view of social change in sociology

  • Suggests that societies undergo repeating patterns or cycles of development, decline, and renewal
• Functionalist perspective on social change in sociology

  • Suggests that society is a complex system where different parts work together to maintain stability
  • Views social change as a gradual and evolutionary process that occurs to address societal needs and maintain equilibrium
• Conflict perspective on social change in sociology

  • Emphasizes the role of social conflict as a driving force for societal transformation
  • Views society as marked by inherent inequalities and struggles for resources, power, and status
• The expense of creating social change can be a factor that blocks it, as the cost of the infrastructure and transition can be high and people may be resistant to paying for it
• Morality and religion can also be factors that encourage or block social change, as they shape people's values and beliefs
• Social change


  A gradual and evolutionary process that occurs to address societal needs and maintain equilibrium. Changes are often viewed as adaptations necessary for the smooth functioning of the social system.
• Conflict perspective on social change

  • Emphasizes the role of social conflict as a driving force for societal transformation
  • Views society as marked by inherent inequalities and struggles for resources, power, and status
  • Social change often results from conflicts between different groups with opposing interests, leading to shifts in power dynamics and societal structures
• Factors that encourage or block social change

  • Expense (cost of creating change)
  • Morality/Religion (beliefs about right and wrong)
  • Conformity and Groupthink
• Conformity can contribute to social change when individuals conform to new or progressive social norms, values, or movements that advocate for positive transformations in society
• Technological determinism


  The theory that technology shapes how we as individuals in society think, feel, act and how society operates as we move from one technological age to another
• Resource Mobilization Theory


  • Emphasizes the importance of resources in the formation and success of social movements
  • Resources include financial support, organizational infrastructure, media access, and skilled activists
• Political Process Theory


  • Examines the political opportunities and constraints that influence the emergence and effectiveness of social movements
  • Considers factors such as political institutions, alliances, and policy shifts
• Deprivation (in the context of social movements)


  A perceived lack or denial of resources, rights, or opportunities that individuals or groups believe they are entitled to
• Structural strain (in the context of social movements)

  Tensions and imbalances within the existing social, economic, or political structures of a society