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Midterm #2
Key Terms
91
Sociology
Not Applicable
07/04/2005

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Term
social stratification
Definition
the division of large numbers of people into layers according to their relative power, property, and prestige; it applies to both nations and to people within a nation, society or other groups.
Term
slavery
Definition
a form of social stratification in which some people own other people
Term
endogamy
Definition
the practice of marrying within one's own group.
Term
class system
Definition
a form of social stratification based primarily on the possession of money or material possessions
Term
culture of poverty
Definition
the assumption that the values and behaviors of the poor amke them fundamentally different from other people, that these factors are largely responsible for their poverty, and that parents perpetuate poverty across generations by passing these characteristics to their children.
Term
social class
Definition
according to Weber, a large group of people who rank close to one another in wealth, power, and prestige; according to Marx, one of two groups: capitalists who own the means of production or workers who sell their labor.
Term
wealth
Definition
property and income
Term
income
Definition
money recieved from a job, business or assets
Term
power
Definition
the ability to carry out your will, even over the resistance of others.
Term
power elites
Definition
C. Weight Mills' term for the top people in U.S corporations, military, and politics that make the nation's major decision.
Term
prestige
Definition
respect or regard
Term
status consistency
Definition
ranking high or low on all three dimensions of social class
Term
status inconsitency
Definition
ranking high or low on some dimensions of social class and low on others, also called status discrepancy
Term
status
Definition
social ranking; the position that someone occupies in society or a social group
Term
anomie
Definition
Durkheim's erm for a condition of society in which people become detached from the norms that usually guide their behavior
Term
contradictory class locations
Definition
Erik Wright's term for a position in the class structure that generates contradictory interests.
Term
underclass
Definition
a group of people for whom poverty persists year after year and across generations
Term
intergenerational mobility
Definition
the change that family members make in social class from one generation to the next
Term
upward social mobility
Definition
movement up the social class ladder
Term
downward social mobility
Definition
movement down the social class ladder
Term
structural mobility
Definition
movement up or down the social class ladder that is due to changes in the structure of society, not to individual efforts.
Term
exchange mobility
Definition
about the same numbers of people moving up and down he social class ladder, such that, on balanace, the social class system shows little change.
Term
poverty line
Definition
the official measure of poverty; calculated to include those incomes that are less than three times a low-cost food budget.
Term
the feminization of poverty
Definition
a trend in the U.S. poverty whereby most poor families are headed by women.
Term
culture of poverty
Definition
the assumption that the values and behaviors of the poor make them fundamentally different from other people, that these factors are largely responsible for their poverty, and that parents perpetuate poverty across generations by passing these characteristics to their children.
Term
deferred gratification
Definition
for-going something in the present in the hope of achieving greater gains in the future.
Term
horatio alger myth
Definition
the belief that due to limitless possibilities anyone can get ahead if her or she tries hard enough.
Term
patriarchy
Definition
a society or group in which men dominate women; authority is vested in males.
Term
matriarchy
Definition
a society in which women as a group dominate men as a group.
Term
feminism
Definition
the philosophy that men and women should be politically, economically, and socially equal; organized activities on behalf of this principle.
Term
glass ceiling
Definition
the mostly invisible barrier that keeps women from advancing to the top levels at work
Term
glass escalator
Definition
the mostly invisible accelerators that push men into higher-level positions, more desirable work assignements, and higher salaries.
Term
sexual harassment
Definition
the abuse of one's position of authority to force unwanted sexual demands on someone
Term
race
Definition
Physical characteristics that distinguishes one group from one another
Term
ethnicity
Definition
Having distinctive cultural characteristics
Term
discrimination
Definition
An act of infair treatment directed against an individual or a group
Term
prejudice
Definition
An attitude or prejudging, usually in a negative way.
Term
Population transfer
Definition
Forcing a minority group to move
Term
Ethnic Cleansing
Definition
A policy of population elimination, including forcible expulsion and genocide.
Term
Segregation
Definition
The policy of keeping racial or ethnic groups apart.
Term
Assimilation
Definition
The process of being absorbed into the mainstream culture.
Term
White ethnics
Definition
White immigrants to the United States whose culture differ from that of WASP's
Term
Life Expectancy
Definition
The number of years that an average person at any age, including newborns, can expect to live.
Term
Life Span
Definition
The maximum length of life of a species; for humans, the longest that a human has ever lived
Term
Gerontocracy
Definition
A society (or some other group) ran by the elderly
Term
Ageism
Definition
Prejudice, discrimination, and hostility directed against people because of their age; can be directed against any group, including youth.
Term
Disengagement Theory
Definition
The view that society prevents disruption by having the elderly vacate (or disengage from) their positions of responsibility so the younger generation can step into their shoes.
Term
Dependency Ratio
Definition
The number of workers required to support each dependent person -- those 65 and older and those 15 and under.
Term
Hospice
Definition
A place, or services brought into someone's home, for the purpose of bringing comfort and dignity to a dying person.
Term
Barter
Definition
The direct exchange of one item for another
Term
Capitalism
Definition
An economic system characterized by the private-ownership of the means of production, the pursuit of profit, and the market competition
Term
Currency
Definition
Paper Money
Term
Oligarchy
Definition
Rule by the few
Term
power
Definition
the ability to carry out your will, even over the resistance of others
Term
micropolitics
Definition
the exercise of power in everyday life, such as deciding who is going to do the housework or control the remote.
Term
macropolitics
Definition
the exercise of large-scale power, the government being the most common example
Term
authority
Definition
power that people consider legitimate, as rightly called legitimate power.
Term
coercion
Definition
power the people do not accept as rightly exercised over them; also called illegitimate power.
Term
state
Definition
a political entity that claims monopoly on the use of violence in some particular territory; commonly known as a country
Term
revolution
Definition
armed resistance designed to overthrow and replace a government
Term
traditional authority
Definition
authority based on custom
Term
rational legal authority
Definition
authority based on law or written rules and regulations; also called bureaucratic authority
Term
charismatic authority
Definition
authority based on an individual's outstanding traits, which attract followers.
Term
routinization of charisma
Definition
the transfer of authority from a charismatic figure to either a traditional or a rational-legal form of authority
Term
city-state
Definition
an independent city whose power radiates outward brining the adjacent area under it's rule
Term
monarchy
Definition
a form of governemtn headed by a king or a queen
Term
democracy
Definition
a system of government in which authority derives from the people; the term comes from two Greek words that translate literally as "power to the people"
Term
direct democracy
Definition
a form of democracy in which the eligible voters meet together to discuss issues and make their decisions.
Term
reprsentative democracy
Definition
a form of democracy in which voters elect representatives to govern and make decisions on their behalf.
Term
citizenship
Definition
the concept that birth (and residence) in a country impart basic rights
Term
universal citizenship
Definition
the idea that everyone has the same basic rights by virtue of being born in a country (or by immigrating and becoming a naturalized citizen
Term
dictatorship
Definition
a form of government in which power has been seized by an individual
Term
totalitarianism
Definition
a form of government that exerts almost total control over people.
Term
proportional representative
Definition
an electoral system in which seats in a legislature are divided according to the proportion of votes each political party recieves.
Term
non centrist party
Definition
a politcal party that represents marginal ideas.
Term
centrist party
Definition
a politcal party that represents the center of political opinion
Term
coalition government
Definition
a government in which a country's largest party aligns itself with one or more smaller parties
Term
voter apathy
Definition
indifference and inaction on the part of individuals or groups with respect to the political parties
Term
special interest group
Definition
a group of people who support a particular issue and who can be mobilized for poltical action
Term
lobbyist
Definition
people who influence legislation on behalf of their clients
Term
politcal action commitee
Definition
an orginazation formed by one or more special interest groups to solicit and spend funds for the purpose of influencing legislation.
Term
anarchy
Definition
a condition of lawlessness of poltical disorder caused by the absence or collapse of governmental authority
Term
pluralism
Definition
the diffusion of power among many interest groups that precents and single groups from gaining control of the government.
Term
checks and balances
Definition
the serparation of powers among the three branches of U.S. government--legislative, exectutive, and judicial-- so thatt each is able to nullify the actions of the other two, thus preventing the domination of any single branch
Term
power elite
Definition
C Wright Mills term for the top people in U.S. corporations, military, and politics, who make the nation's major decisions.
Term
ruling class
Definition
another term for the power elite
Term
war
Definition
armed conflict between nations or politcally distinct groups
Term
dehumanization
Definition
the act or process of reducing people to objects that do not deserve the treatment accorded humans
Term
gender stratification
Definition
males and females unequal access to power, prestige, and property on the basis of their sex
Term
sex
Definition
biological characteristics that distinguish females and males, consisting of primarty and sexondary sex characteristics.
Term
gener
Definition
the behaviors and attitudes that a society considers proper for irs males and females; masculinity or femininity.
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