Tepperman Chapter 1 (sociology test)
What are social problems?
A social condition or behavior that warrants public concern and collective action.
How can social problems become noticed or ignored?
Activism by groups or individuals, often through social media, TV, newspaper, radio, film, and music.
What does this book examine?
Contemporary social problems, through the lens of sociology.
What is sociology?
Sociology is the systematic study of society.
What do sociologists use?
Sociologists use diverse theories and research methods to try to understand society.
What can sociology allow us to do?
Sociology can allow us to connect our ideas, feelings, behaviors, experiences, and relationships to our wider society.
What local contexts are included in our "wider society"?
This includes local contexts such as our neighborhood, school, or workplace... As well as global contexts.
Thinking of today's age, what connects us globally?
Social media and smartphones connect us globally.
In order to consider social problems, what do sociologists look at?
They need to look at both the past and the present.
What did sociologists find out about some groups?
They found that some groups are more likely to be impacted by a social problem than others.
What social problems reflect wide inequalities in society?
It includes, but is not limited to, social class, race, gender, sexual orientation, and disability.
What is an example of this? (Inequalities).
Inequality in access to health care.
What chapter addresses inequality in access to health care, and what groups were affected?
Chapter 4 addresses how Indigenous Peoples, Black Canadians, and other racialized groups, don't get the same level of care that Canadians do.
What did COVID-19 do?
The COVID-19 pandemic differentially impacted Black Canadians, and revealed pre-existing race-based inequalities in health care.
Define the concept of "intersectionality".
The concept "intersectionality" has been used to understand the inequalities and challenges many people face.
What is intersectionality also referred to as?
Intersectionality can also be referred to as "intersectional analysis" or "intersecting inequalities".
What's the definition of intersectionality?
It describes how inequalities, based on social class, race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, and many other factors, can intersect to increase the inequalities that people experience.
What's an example of intersectional analysis?
An example is how sociologists understand poverty, and who's at risk of poverty.
True or False: Canadians with disabilities are at greater risk of poverty.
True
True or False: more women than men with disabilities experience poverty.
True
What 2 social factors increase a person's chance of living in poverty?
Gender and disability
What is another example to illustrate the power of intersectional analysis?
The study of intimate partner violence
Women are more likely than men to experience____.
Intimate partner violence.
Indigenous women are more likely than non-Indigenous women to experience______.
Intimate partner violence.
What three groups are at even greater risk of intimate partner violence?
2SLGBTQ+, Indigenous women, and Indigenous women with disabilities.
What does intersectional data show?
It shows the increased vulnerability faced by specific groups of women.
Explain why social problems are interconnected and how they can overlap.
Even though homelessness, food insecurity, and poverty are separate social problems, there's an overlap because poverty causes homelessness and food insecurity.
How can a social problem create additional challenges for an individual?
For example: cyberbullying can cause many harmful effects. Such as, worse physical and mental health, suicidal thoughts, school absences, worse academic performance.
What changes our understanding of what a social problem is?
Activism, technology, power, and how language is used.
Define "activism".
Increases attention to a social problem, and it can be undertaken by groups or individuals.
How have smartphones and social media helped with activism?
They have made it easier to access for everyone.
Why is power a good thing to have when dealing with a social problem?
You can reach a larger audience, and increase the chances of tackling the issue at hand.
Explain the activism undertaken for decades by Indigenous women and communities. What issue were they trying to draw attention to?
They were trying to spread the news about the many missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
Who helped bring attention to this issue? What changes did they make?
The National Inquiry into MMIWG. They identified racism in policing practices that resulted in MMIWG, and them not being properly investigated.
What did the National Inquiry recommend?
For police and the entire justice system to properly investigate and prosecute these crimes.
What does language do?
Language shapes how social problems are defined.
What's an example of the importance of language in helping people to better understand social problems?
The Opioid Crisis.
What is the Opioid Crisis?
A case where thousands of Canadians die each year from opioid toxicity.
What language is used today, to describe this social problem?
Phrases like "toxic or poisoned drug supply", "opioid toxicity", and "mass poisoning".
How and why does this change in language shape how we view this social problem?
Instead of blaming the victim for consuming a lot of opioids, we can blame the death on the drug containing life-threatening chemicals.
Whats another example of the power of language? What does it do?
Using the word "unhoused" rather than "homeless", to describe people who don't have access to housing. This reduces stigma, and avoids describing someone based off of one life event.
Why do we use the word "crisis"?
To indicate that this is a significant social problem, that needs urgent attention.
What do sociologists say about stigma, in terms of social problems?
They say that it impacts how they are viewed.
What's an example of how a social problem is impacted?
People who are unhoused or use drugs face more challenges in getting support.
What does the issue of stigma also explain?
The failure of the criminal justice system to properly investigate cases of MMIWG.
Who else is impacted by stigma?
Sex workers. Law enforcement has been called out for mistreating sex workers and failing to investigate the disappearances and homicides of Indigenous sex workers.
True or False: Canadian data shows that transgender individuals are more likely to be victimized, as compared to cisgender individuals.
True
What's an example of how social media and smartphones exacerbated social problems?
Cyberbullying. Social media and smartphones allow people to spread hate globally.
Financial crimes have also become popular with social media. What's an example of this?
Romance scams: also known as romance frauds, is when victims think they're in a romantic relationship, but they're being exploited for financial gain.
What is "sextortion"?
A type of extortion, that impacts children and teens. It's when you share an explicit photo or video of yourself to someone, who then threatens to make it public if money isn't paid.
Sextortion is a form of TECHNOLOGY-FACILITATED VIOLENCE. Please define this:
It's when offenders use technology to commit violence and abuse, including harassment (stealing), sexual assault, non-consensual filming, and sharing of photos and videos.
Self Assessment Question 1: What is a social problem?
A social problem is a social condition or behavior that is thought to warrant public concern and collective action.
Self Assessment Question 2: What are examples of contemporary social problems?
Poverty, homelessness, food insecurity, racism, and intimate partner violence, are examples of social problems.
Self Assessment Question 3: What is sociology?
Sociology is the systematic study of society.