-
Sociology
The systematic study of human society.
-
Sociological Perspective
the special point of view of sociology that sees general patterns of society in the lives of particular people.
-
Global Perspective
the study of the larger world and our society's place in it.
-
High-Income Countries
Nations with the highest overall standards of living.
-
Middle-Income Countries
Nations with a standard of living about average for the world as a whole.
-
Low-Income Countries
Nations with a low standard of living in which most people are poor.
-
Positivism
A way of understanding based on science.
-
Theory
A statement of how and why specific facts are related.
-
Social-Conflict Approach
A framework for building theory that sees society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and change.
-
Gender-Conflict Approach
A point of view that focuses on inequality and conflict between women and men.
-
Feminism
Support of social equality for women and men.
-
Race Conflict Approach
A point of view that focuses on inequality and conflict between people of different racial and ethnic categories.
-
Macro-Level Orientation
A broad focus on social structures that shape society as a whole.
-
Micro-Level Orientation
a close-up focus on social interaction in specific situations.
-
Symbolic-Interaction Approach
A framework for building theory that sees society as the product of the everyday interactions of individuals.
-
Stereotype
a simplified description applied to every person in some category.
-
Profane
Included as an ordinary element of everyday life.
-
Sacred
Set apart as extraordinary, inspiring awe and reverence.
-
Religion
A social institution involving beliefs and practices based on recognizing the sacred.
-
Ritual
Formal, ceremonial behavior.
-
Faith
Belief based on conviction rather than on scientific evidence.
-
Church
A type of religious organization that is well integrated into the larger society.
-
State Church
A church formally allied with the state.
-
Denomination
A church, independent of the state that recognizes religious pluralism.
-
Sect
A type of religious organization that stands apart from the larger society.
-
Extended Family
A family consisting of parents and children as well as other kin; also known as a consanguine family.
-
Nuclear Family
A family composed of one or two parents and their children; also known conjugal family.
-
Monogamy
Marriage that unites two partners.
-
Polygamy
Marriage that unites a person with two or more spouses.
-
Polygyny
Marriage that unites one man and two or more women.
-
Polyandry
Marriage that unites one woman and two or more men.
-
Descent
The system by which members of a society trace kinship over generations.
-
Patrilineal Descent
A system tracing kinship though men.
-
Matrilineal Descent
A system tracing kinship through women.
-
Bilateral Descent
A system tracing kinship through both men and women.
-
Incest Taboo
A norm forbidding sexual relations or marriage between certain relatives.
-
Homogamy
Marriage between people with the same social characteristics.
-
Infidelity
Sexual activity outside of one's marriage.
-
Family Violence
Emotional, physical, or sexual abuse of one family member by another.
-
Cohabitation
The sharing of a household by an unmarried couple.
-
Theoretical Approach
A basic image of society that guides thinking and research.
-
Structural-Functional Approach
A framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability.
-
Social Structure
Any relatively stable pattern of social behavior.
-
Social Functions
The consequences of any social pattern for the operation of society as a whole.
-
Manifest Functions
The recognized and intended consequences of any social pattern.
-
Latent Functions
The unrecognized and unintended consequences of any social pattern.
-
Totem
An object in the natural world collectively defined as sacred.
-
Liberation Theology
The combining of Christian principles with political activism, often Marxist in character.
-
Charisma
Extraordinary personal qualities that can infuse people with emotion and turn them into followers.
-
Cult
A religious organization that is largely outside a society's cultural traditions.
-
Animism
The belief that elements of the natural world are conscious life forms that affect humanity.
-
Religiousity
The importance of religion in a person's life.
-
Secularization
The historical decline in the importance of the supernatural and the sacred,
-
Civil Religion
A quasi-religious loyalty linking individuals in a basically secular society.
-
Fundamentalism
The conservative religious doctrine that opposes intellectualism and worldly accommodation in favor of restoring traditional, otherworldly religion.
-
Family
A social institution found in all societies that unites people in cooperative groups that care for one another, including any children.
-
Kinship
A social bond based on common ancestry, marriage, or adoption.
-
Endogamy
Marriage between people of the same social category.
-
Exogamy
Marriage between people of different social categories.
-
Patrilocality
A residential pattern in which a married couple lives with or near the husband's family.
-
Matrilocality
A residential pattern in which a married couple lives with or near the wife's family.
-
Neolocality
A residential pattern in which a married couple lives apart from both sets of parents.
|
|