Study Guide for Exam 4
Sociology 100: Introduction to Sociology
Zhang Jie, Ph.D.
Department of Sociology
SUNY College at Buffalo
716-878-6425
zhangj@bscmail.buffalostate.edu
http://faculty.buffalostate.edu/zhangj

Chapter 19: Medicine and Health

U.S. Health
Since 1900 life expectancy in the U.S. has increased by more than 50%.
However, other industrialized countries have higher life expectancy figures.
The U.S. is less egalitarian
Minorities are more likely to suffer from diseases—these diseases are associated with the effects of poverty.
American Health
Life expectancy is greatly improved since 1900
    in 1900 -- 49 years
    in 1990 -- 75 years
in 2000 – 77.3 years
    but still lower than other industrialized nations
        Japan – 80.8 years
        at least nine nations are above the USA

Infant mortality (die in the first year)
    in 1900 -- 15% babies died in the first year
    in 1990 -- 1%
    in 2000 -- .7%
        but still higher than other industrialized nations
        Japan -- 0.4%
        at least nine nations are lower than the USA

Gender Differences in Health
Gender differences in life expectancy and mortality
women live longer than men; why?
    1.    ability to endure sickness and survive
    2.    emotional ties with people
    3.    less body-abuse (smoking, drinking, and driving tension
Smoking
Over 430,000 people have died since 1990 from smoking-related illnesses.
Number of smokers has declined by 40% over the last thirty years.
The prevalence of smoking is three times higher amongst people with less than 12 years of education.
Among white teenagers, females are more likely to smoke.

Social Diversity in Health
Women are more likely to use health services than men, but are often not treated as seriously by doctors as men.
Mexican Americans go to the doctor as a last resort and rely on folk medicine.
Poor African Americans are reluctant to seek treatment because they distrust the government.
American Life Improved
The improvements of American life are due to
    1.    healthier living condition
    2.    better diets
    3.    immunization
    4.    medical technology
Epidemiology: John Snow
the study of the origin and the spread of disease. Its aim is to find out the factors all victims have in common.  Epidemiology emerged as an applied science in 1854 when the English physician John Snow discovered the source of one of London's periodic cholera epidemics.  After a thorough investigation of the victims' life style and routine activities, he found all of them had one thing in common.  They had drunk water from a particular pump on Broad Street
Population

Chapter 20: Population and Urbanization

Demography—the scientific study of population
More than any other area of sociology, demography is based on accurate vital statistics often obtained through a census.
In the 2000 census it is estimated only 1.2% of the population weren’t accounted for.
Census
Information about sex, age, education, home location;
It is periodic head count of the entire population;
It is usually carried out the last year of every decade.
The world's population growth

    1.73% a year, about 17 more people every 1,000 people
    rich 1%
    poor 2%
    about 5 billion now in the world
    the USA population: 270,000,000
    the USA census misses only 2%, due to homeless, illegal immigrants

China population: by 2000: 1,300,000,000

Population Growth I
Over 90% of the world’s future population growth will come from the poorest nations.
Why?
Lack of adequate birth control systems in poorer countries.
In agricultural societies children are assets to help with work.
In rich nations, fertility is held down by women in the workforce and a preference for smaller families.
Population growth II
Malthus theorem—If births go unchecked, the population will outstrip its food supply.
Demographic Transition—human populations go through 4 stages, the last being low birth and death rates.
Compared with Europe 200 years ago, today’s developing countries have much lower death rates due to modern medicine.

Malthusian theory
Thomas Malthus (1766-1834), English clergyman
    “An Essay on the Principles of Population” 1798

His major arguments: the population of the world would grow faster than its food supply if not controlled.
    Population vs. production
    Population -- geometrically (2,4,8,16) multiplication
    Production -- arithmetically (2,3,4,5,) addition

Two ways to reduce population growth
Preventive checks: planning, late marriage, sexual             restraint
Positive checks: disease (black plague), famine, and war
Reality of the world after Malthus

    1.    The revolutions in contraception
    2.    Agricultural technology
    3.    Modern medicine

Malthus is proved wrong
Effects of Population Growth
Poverty
200 million children suffer from malnutrition
Pollution
Overcrowded cities
Economic growth used just to maintain population at subsistence level
Chinese Experience
Population and family planning in China:
Not like India or Bangladesh, where women and men are forced to have sterilization and receive severe punishment

One family one child policy based on reward/punishment system.
    Rewards for remaining only one child:
        1. The only child goes to school for free
        2. Free medical care
        3. Subsidies each month until 14 years old

    Punishments for a second or more births:
        1. Less chance in promotion for the parents
        2. Deduction in salary
        3. Stigma

    Problems in the future:
        1. Only one sibling
        2. When old, one child for two old people
        3. Labor in short in future

The Environment
Despite all our advances we are still bound by ecological principles.
We are living organisms dependent on ecosystems
With the current rate of use, many of the Earth’s natural resources will be depleted in 40 years.
The causes of pollution are sometimes ignorance and poverty.

Cause of Pollution
The more people living in an area, the more polluted the area is; but population is not the cause. Disrespectful and wasteful attitudes towards nature are. (Carbon dioxide, oxygen, woods, plants, garbage, sewage, industry, cooking, more people need more food).
Pollution Makers
Power-generating plants
Factories
Car emissions
Burning oil, gas, and wood
Industrial gasses (such as CFCs)
Industrial waste
Pesticides
Saving the Environment
Antipollution laws are resisted by industry because of the expense and by unions because of the threat of job losses.
Governments are reluctant to enforce laws for fear that companies would move elsewhere.
Conservation is popular in the U.S.
Most Americans support antipollution laws.
Other solutions
Development of renewable resources
Limiting population growth
However, most countries still value economic growth over environmental protection.
Kyoto agreement—to cut carbon dioxide emissions.  U.S. hasn’t signed up possibly due to big business not liking the idea.
The U.S. environment is better than 30 years ago.
Urbanization
The key to the origin of cities is the development of efficient agriculture.

A city—a place in which a large number of people are permanently based and do not produce their own food.
Urbanization—masses of people moving to cities and those cities have a growing influence on society.
Urbanization -- from rural to urban (migration)
Industrialization -- from agriculture to industry
Modernization -- from traditional to modern
Megacities
A megacity—a city with a population over 5 million.
The poorer the country, the faster the growth.
Mexico City has grown so fast that pollution is a major problem.
Most megacities are saddled with serious problems but cope reasonably well.

The U.S. City
Many cities have five types of people living in them:
Cosmopolitans (e.g. artists)
Unmarried and childless people
Ethnic villagers (immigrants)
The deprived (poor)
The trapped (poor old people)
These groups do not have strong ties to each other
Gentrification—the movement of affluent people to poor neighborhoods.

Living in the city
Urban anomie theory—city people have a unique way of life characterized by alienation, impersonal relations, and stress. (size, density, diversity)
Compositional theory—city people are involved with as many small groups of friends and neighbors as noncity people.
Subcultural theory—the city enriches peoples lives through diversity and subcultures.
Causes of Urban Problems
Population decline—leads to lack of revenue.
Fiscal squeeze—cities are unable to generate enough income.
Political dilemma—officials are unwilling to raise taxes.
Housing segregation—economic and racial discrimination separates black and white housing.


Chapter 21:  Collective Behavior and Social Movements

Collective Behavior
Collective Behavior— spontaneous, unorganized and unpredictable social behavior.
An attempt to deal with stressful situations. The more serious the situation, the more structured the collective behavior.

Factors necessary to produce collective behavior
Structural conduciveness
Social strain
Growth and spread of generalized belief
A precipitating factor
Mobilization of participants to action
Inadequate social control

Crowds
A crowd—a collection of people temporarily doing something while in close proximity to each other.
Traits: uncertainty, sense of urgency, heightened suggestibility, and permissiveness.
Social contagion—the spreading of emotions from one member of a crowd to another. Often these emotions are irrational and barbaric.
Today, sociologists think that individuals in crowds behave routinely and orderly.
Fashions
        It is a great though brief enthusiasm among a relatively large number of people for a particular innovation.  Short lived.  Fashion influences all aspects of human life – clothes, hairstyles, architecture, philosophy, and the arts.
    Fads: shorter lived than fashions (Macarena, hula hoops, telephone booth stuffing, and streaking)
    Crazes: buying things (tulips in Holland, beanie babies here in the USA)
Propaganda
Propaganda—communication tailored to influence opinion
Name calling
Glittering generality
Transfer
Testimonial
Plain folks
Card stacking
Bandwagon
The media influence public opinion and limit the effect of propaganda.
Social Movements
Characteristics of social movement participants:
    Deprivation
    Influence
    Benefits
    Time
Institutionalized Behaviors: Organized and Predictable
Family
School
Church
Production
Government
Etc.

Chapter 22:  Social Change

One World?
Sociologists question whether diverse societies are merging into one.
Convergence theory—modernization will bring together Western and non-Western cultures by breaking down cultural barriers.
Divergence theory—there is a growing separation between Western and non-Western cultures. Cultural nationalism is on the rise.
Is the U.S. still a World Leader?
Still the world’s largest economy
Still the world’s greatest military power
Still the world’s most emulated democracy
Has a great store of hard (coercive) and soft (noncoercive) power
Increasingly, soft power will be more effective

How U.S. Society has Changed
More prosperous
More women at work
Rising living standards
Better educated
Falling crime rates
More ethnically and racially diverse
Healthier