SOC 1110 – Flashcards
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What are some of the functions of religion?
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Provides meaning, socialization, source of morals/values/beliefs, source of social support and community.
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According to Durkheim what are the three elements needed in religion?
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1) Beliefs 2) Social Practice 3) Moral Communities
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How does religion create moral community?
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Religions function to promote social unity to create moral and intellectual consensus
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How does the idea of sacred (vs. profane) fit in?
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Profane is mundane/ordinary, sacred inspires awe and reverence
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What are the three types of religious institutions?
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Church Sect Cult
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Church
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Religious Institution
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Sect
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Small/exclusive fellowship
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Cult
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A religious group that has no prior ties to any established body
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What are some of the ways used to measure religiosity
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1) Attitudes/Beliefs 2) Actions/Behaviors 3) Knowledge 4) Spirituality 5) Legislation
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What is the secularization hypothesis?
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As society modernizes, it will become more secular
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Marx - Religon
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Religion is an ideology and promotes false consciousness
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Weber - Religion
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Protestant ethic that is necessary for capitalism is fading
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Durkheim - Religion
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Religion fosters conformity to norms and the formation of moral communities
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What does Chaves ("Abiding Faith") argue about secularization in the American case?
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Americans believe much but practice/participate less
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What are the four views of God? (Froese and Bader)
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1) Authoritative God 2) Benevolent God 3) Critical God 4) Distant God
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Authoritative God
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A God who is both engaged in the world and judgmental
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Benevolent God
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A God who is engaged, yet non-judgmental
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Critical God
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A God who is judgmental, but disengaged
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Distant God
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A God who is disengaged and non-judgmental
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What are some of the current trends in the US religious landscape?
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Erosion of denominationalism, rising number of unaffiliated Christians, rise of spirituality
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What are some demographic shifts in levels of religiosity and the unaffiliated in the last 50 years?
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Change in cultural norms in 1960's lead to crisis for American religion Rise of Conservatism in 1970-1980's lead to rise in non-denominational evangelicals
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What are some of the reasons why women are more religious than men?
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Mothers are primarily responsible for religious socialization of children, women are joiners and risk-averse, fewer secular opportunities for women
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What is the relationship between conservative religion and gender norms and practice about equality according to Wilcox ("Religion and the Domestication of Men")?
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Depends on men being religiously active, Evangelical households are more egalitarian, data on marital status is mixed
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What is the new paradigm?
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New paradigm is economic, consumer demand for religion
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According to Stark's model based on the idea of a religious economy what is the relationship between religious pluralism, religious regulation, religious competition and levels of religiosity?
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As religious pluralism increases and religious regulation decreases, religious competition leads to increased religiosity
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Religious Economy
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Marketplace of faiths in society
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Religious Pluralism
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Existence of several religions in society
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Religious Regulation
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Regulation by the state or religious monopolies
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Religious Competition
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Different religious groups competing for members
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How is religion shaping some American workplaces (Shorto)?
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Intentional de-secularization (Christian banks)
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What role is religion playing in prison life at Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola (Documentary film "In the Shadow of Faith")? What social function(s) does religion provide in a prison context? How does religion assist prisoners in overcoming their master status?
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Religion becomes master status, prison encourages Christianity, provides moral community
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What are the three major revolutions that have underscored the changes in American society in the last 200 years?
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Agricultural Revolution, Industrial Revolution, Information Revolution
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What is the process of urbanization?
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The concentration of highly specialized workers in one area as a result of the economy
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Primary Sector of the Economy
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Generates raw materials directly from raw environment
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Secondary Sector of the Economy
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Transforms raw materials into manufactured goods
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Tertiary Sector of the Economy
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Generates service rather than goods
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Quaternary Sector of the Economy
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Consists of intellectual activities and services
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What was Marx and Engels argument in the Communist Manifesto?
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Economics shape other realms and institutions and class conflict is the source of social change
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How are workers alienated?
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1) the product 2) the process of production 3) from oneself 4) from other people
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What is meant by the term deindustrialization?
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Decentralization of work away from factories
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What are the consequences of economic restructuring especially for inner-cities?
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Rising prison population, high drop-out rates, decline in real wages
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According to Wilson (The Economic Plight of Inner-City Black Males") what are the cultural and structural explanations for the poor life chances of young black men?
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Disconnected from the culture of work, lack of cultural capital for public service sector job, prioritize values from popular culture.
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We can understand the labor market in terms of what two distinct sectors
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Primary Labor Market: paid well, benefits, high level of job security Secondary: low-wage, poor benefits, no job security, opportunity to advance
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What kinds of jobs and occupations characterize the modern economy?
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Service-related jobs and technical occupations (professions)
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What are some of the features of the US economy and labor market?
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Mainly tertiary and quaternary sectors and primary labor market
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How can we explain the increasing segment of the working class living in poverty? What insights does Ehrenreich offer in Nickel-and-Dimed about the working poor? What are the general characteristics of the poor? What social groups and areas are most affected?
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Working poor have jobs, but are below the poverty line Skills/abilities have declining value Low-pay/wages declining
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How does sex/gender and race impact mobility in professional occupations? Think about the case of nursing (Wingfield)? What do the terms glass ceiling, glass escalator and glass barrier mean?
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Women in male-dominated field hit glass ceiling Men in women-dominated field get glass escalator Black men hit glass barrier in women-dominated field
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What are the sources of social stratification in the article "At a Slaughter House, Some Things Never Die" (LeDuff )?
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Race and racial hierarchy; blacks/Mexicans get the worst jobs
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Think about racial and ethnic divisions and inequality. What kinds of conflict does this create in this workplace?
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Racial tension between immigrants and management.
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What are some of the safety concerns in the American workplace? What are some of the challenges in regulating the industrial workplace? Think about the documentary film: "A Dangerous Business Revisited."
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Culture of safety violations Capitalistic society places productivity over safety No social engagement with the issue
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What are some features of the national state?
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Body of citizens who have both rights and obligations to the state
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What are some of the tensions in a capitalist state?
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Tension between capitalism and welfare over how the government provides public goods
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What are the main functions of the government?
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Securing against harm from (internal/external) threats, providing certain resources/services (public goods)
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What is a features of a democratic government?
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Democratic governments are run by its citizens
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What are public goods?
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Public goods are things necessary for group life that require cooperative action
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What is the free-rider problem?
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Free-riders benefit from a collective activity without contributing to its creation
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What is the relationship between politics and power?
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Politics is the process by which people gain, use, and lose power
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What are the three types of power?
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Shaping the will of others (exerting control) - Weber Power of non-decisions - Lukes Altering social space and shaping the field of action - Wartenberg
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What makes power legitimate?
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The recognition of power as valid and justified makes it legitimate
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What are the different views on how power is distributed? (Mills)
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Triangle of power: Economic, political, and military
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How can "Power Elites" be understood on a global scale (Freeland)?
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"Rise of global elites" "Winner-take-most-economy"
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What are the implications of power elites in politics and the economy (locally and globally)?
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Elitist: Decisions are made by a small group of elite people, power is concentrated at the top Pluralistic: Variety of competing elites and interest groups, power is shifting and dispersed
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Elitist
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Decisions are made by a small group of elite people, power is concentrated at the top
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Pluralistic
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Variety of competing elites and interest groups, power is shifting and dispersed
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What is civil society?
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Realm of free activity, not organized, buffer between citizens and government
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What is evidence of civic disengagement? What effects does it have?
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Low-voter turnout, distrust of politics, decrease of civility, apathetic about social inequality, social isolation
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What are some of the reasons for the decline in civic engagement?
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Decline in face-to-face social interaction, changes in family patterns, privatization and isolation of normal life, technological changes
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What are the trends in terms of trust, partisanship, and voter participation?
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Trust and voter participation are at a dismal level; partisanship is commonplace and politics is very polarized
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What is a representative democracy?
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Elected public officials represent the people
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How representative is our democratic government?
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Fairly representative; voting, political parties, interest groups, Political Action Committees (PACs)
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What does Anderson mean by the term cosmopolitan canopy? What type of interactions is he referring to?
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Quasi-public places with cross-racial/cross-class interactions where exposure to diversity is likely
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How is the cosmopolitan canopy linked to civil society and social inequality?
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Reduces mistrust --> familiarity, challenge stereotypes, increases civility
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Why do social movements occur?
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1) People share grievances 2) People are hopeful 3) A key event stimulates 4) Persons are drawn to a movement through network ties
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What factors explain the success or failure of a social movement?
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1) Ability to mobilize resources 2) Withstanding countermovement 3) External support in relation to the movement 4) Need to overcome free-rider problem
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What is meant by a resource mobilization perspective?
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Ability to mobilize resources in support of a social movement
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What does the term cultural lag mean?
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Period of delay following a change in one part of a society when other parts have not yet readjusted
