Global Social Issues: Unit 1 & 2 Study Guide
Unit 1: What is Sociology?
Unit 2: Culture
Sociology
Social Sciences
Sociological imagination
Macro-Level
Analysis
Micro-Level
Analysis
Social Darwinism
Functionalist
perspective
Latent function
Manifest function
Conflict Perspective
Symbolic Interactionist
perspective
Culture
Values
Norms
Folkways
Mores
Material Culture
Conformity
Subculture
The study of the development, structure, and functioning of human
society. The scientific study of social structure. The study of social
problems.
Disciplines that study various aspects of human society. Include
sociology, economics, geography, political science, anthropology,
psychology
the ability to see the relationship between individual experiences and
the larger society
An examination of large scale patterns in society.
an examination of small-scale patterns of society; such as how the
members of a group interact.
belief that those species of animals, including human beings, best
adapted to their environment and prosper, whereas those poorly
adapted die out
A sociological approach that emphasizes the roles, purposes, or
contributions made by each part of society; the sociological a
approach that views society as a stable, orderly system
a hidden or unintended function or result of an aspect of society;
unintended functions that are hidden and remain unacknowledged by
participants
the primary, intended function or result of an aspect of society;
functions that are intended and/or overtly recognized by the
participants in a social unit
the sociological approach that views groups in society as engaged in
a continuous power struggle for control of scarce resources; Max
Weber recognized the importance of economic conditions in
producing inequality and conflict in society
the sociological approach that views society as the sum of the
interactions of individuals and groups; thoughts and behavior are
shaped by social interactions with others
the language, beliefs, values, norms, behaviors, and even material
objects that characterize a group and are passed down to future
generations.
the standards by which people define what is desirable or undesirable,
good or bad, and beautiful or ugly.
Expectations for right behavior; usually informed by values
norms that are not strictly enforced.
norms that are strictly enforced because they are thought essential to
core values or the well-being of the group.
the material objects that distinguish a group of people, such as their
art, buildings, weapons, utensils, machines, hairstyles, clothing, and
jewelry.
behavior that matches group expectations
the values and related behaviors of a group that distinguish its members
from the larger culture; a world within its own. Ex. body builders,
models, ethnic groups, motorcycle enthusiasts etc.
Culture Shock
Cultural Lag
Ethnocentrism
Cultural Relativism
Cultural Universals
Socialization
the disorientation that people experience when they come in contact
with a fundamentally different culture and can no longer depend on
their taken-for-granted assumptions about life.
term for human behavior lagging behind technological innovations.
When one part of a culture changes others lag behind.
the use of using one's own culture as a yardstick for judging
the ways of other individuals or societies, generally leading to a
negative evaluation of their values, norms, and behaviors.
not judging a culture but trying to understand it on its own terms.
a value, norm, or cultural trait found in every group.
The process where an individual learns the norms, values, behavior, and
social skills appropriate to his or her culture and social position.
Socialization Agents
Socialization occurs throughout our life, but some of the most important
socialization occurs in childhood. Four of the most influential agents of
socialization during that phase of our lives are the family, school, peers,
and mass media
Cultural Diffusion
How culture spreads. The process by which an element of culture (or
an idea or innovation) is transmitted from one individual or group to
another.
People move to a new area and take their culture with them – examples
include- crops, language, traditions, building styles
Relocation Diffusion
Expansion Diffusion
Hierarchical Diffusion
Pop Culture
Folk Culture
Culture Hearth
Elements of culture (or information about an innovation) spread
through a society – examples include - iPhones, new music styles,
religious ideas, trends…often mass media is involved.
The spread of an idea from persons or “nodes” of authority or power to
other persons or places. Often spreads from big city to big city – may or
may not stick in the little towns in between
Culture found in a large, diverse society that shares certain habits
despite differences in other personal characteristics. Material/nonmaterial culture that is shared among many in a diverse society. Mass
media often influences this.
Culture traditionally practiced by a small, homogenous, rural group
living in relative isolation from other groups. Material/non-material
culture that is specific to a certain group and/or place.
An area where cultural traits develop and from which the cultural traits
diffuse. – Think of the “birthplaces” of certain religions or societies