Intro to Sociology

1
Intro to Sociology

• Race
• And
• Ethnicity

2
What is race?

• Two Basic Views
• Biological
• Group of people sharing biologically transmitted
  traits

3
Cont

• Sociological
• Group of people sharing biologically transmitted
  traits that society has attached social
  significance

4
Biological race

• Three basic categories
• Caucasian
• Mongoloid
• Negroid

5
Sociological race

• Not 3 categories
• At last count, FBI had some 77 different race
  categories
• Race is a SOCIAL creation

6
Cont

• Interest to sociologists
• Social significance society or groups attach to
  race

7
ethnicity

• Shared cultural heritage of a group of people
• Passed from one generation to another
• Something that is LEARNED

8
minorities

• A group of people distinguished by physical or
  cultural traits, who are socially disadvantaged

9
Characteristics of minorities

• (1)
• Distinctive identity
• (2)
• Subordinated by being placed in a lower class,
  rank, or position within society

10
Cont

• (3)
• Being a minority is an ASCRIBED status

11
prejudice

• Something we all do
• A rigid and irrational attitude about a group of
  people
• Prejudging in a negative way

12
Prejudice is learned

• Socialization process
• Personal experience
• Stereotypes
• Sets of irrational, untested attitudes and ideas
  about a group

13
Cont

• Prejudice and stereotypes lead to RACISM
• Belief that one racial group is superior or
  inferior to another, therefore, unequal treatment
  is justified

14
discrimination

• An action that involves treating some group with
  unequal treatment

15
Important point

• Prejudice does NOT necessarily lead to
  discrimination