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Family
social institution found in all societies that unites people in cooperative groups to care for one another, including any children
Kinship
a social bond based on common ancestry, marriage, or adoption
Marriage
a legal relationship, usually involving economic cooperation, sexual activity, and childbearing
Extended family
a family composed 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 as a conjugal family
Endogamy
marriage between people of the same social category
Monogamy
marriage that unites two partners
Polygamy
marriage that unites a person with two or more spouses
Descent
the system by which members of a society trace kinship over generations
Homogamy
marriage between people with the same social characteristics
Infidelity
sexual activity outside of one’s marriage
Cohabitation
the sharing of household by an unmarried couple
Religion
is a major social institution based on setting the sacred apart from the profane.
Sacred
set apart as extraordinary, inspiring awe and reverence
Profane
included as in ordinary element of every day life, relating or devoted to that which is not sacred or biblical; secular rather than religious
Ritual
formal, ceremonial behavior
Liberation theology
is the combining of Christian principles with political activism, often Marxist in character.
Church
a religious organization that is well integrated into the larger society
State church
a church formally linked to the state
Denomination
a church, independent of the state, that recognizes religious pluralism
sect
a religious organization that stands apart from the larger society
Cult
a religious organization that is largely outside a society’s cultural traditions
Charisma
extraordinary personal qualities that can infuse people with emotion and turn them into followers
Animism
the belief that elements of the natural world are conscious life forms that affect humanity
Religiosity
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
a conservative religious doctrine that opposes intellectualism and worldly accommodation in favor of restoring traditional, otherworldly religion
Education
the social institution through which society provides its members with important knowledge, including basic facts, job skills, and cultural norms and values
Schooling
formal instruction under the direction of specially trained teachers
Tracking
assigning students to different types of educational programs
Functional illiteracy
a lack of the reading and writing skills needed for everyday living
Mainstreaming
integrating students with disabilities or special needs into the overall educational program
Health
a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being
Medicine
the social institution that focuses on fighting disease and improving health
Social epidemiology
the study of how health and disease are distributed throughout a society’s population
Eating disorder
a physical and mental disorder that involves intense dieting or other unhealthy methods of weight control driven by the desire to be very thin
Euthanasia
assisting in the death of a person suffering from an incurable disease (also known as mercy killing)
Holistic medicine
an approach to health care that emphasizes prevention of illness and takes into account a person’s entire physical and social environment
Socialized medicine
a medical care system in which the government owns and operates most medical facilities and employs most physicians
Direct-fee system
a medical care system in which patients pay directly for the services of physicians and hospitals
Health maintenance organization (HMO)
an organization that provides comprehensive medical care to subscribers for a fixed fee
Demography
the study of human population
Fertility
the incidence of child-bearing in a country’s population
Crude birth rate
the number of births in a given year for every 1,000 people in a population
Infant mortality rate
the number of deaths among infants under one year of age for each 1,000 live births in a given year
Life expectancy
the average life span of a country’s population
Migration
is the movement of people into and out of a specified country’s population.
net migration rate
is the difference between the in-migration and out-migration rate
Sex ratio
is the number of males for every 100 females in a nation’s population.
Age-sex pyramid
is a graphic representation of the age and sex of a population.
Demographic transition theory
theory claims that technological advances slow population increase
Urbanization
is the concentration of population into cities
Mechanical solidarity
social bonds based on common sentiments and shared moral values, typical of traditional, rural life
Organic solidarity
-social bonds based on specialization and interdependence
Global warming
is a rise in Earth’s average temperature due to an increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Ecology
is the study of interaction of living organisms and the natural environment.
Environmental deficit
is profound long-term harm to the natural environment caused by humanity’s focus on short-term material affluence.
Environmental racism
is patterns of development that expose poor people, especially minorities, to environmental hazards.
Ecologically sustainable culture
a way of life that meets the needs of the present generation without threatening the environmental legacy of future generations.
Social change
is the transformation of culture and social institutions over time.
Collective behavior
is activity involving a large number of people that is unplanned, often controversial, and can bring about change.
Crowd
is a temporary gathering of people who share a common focus of attention and who influence one another.
Mob
is a highly emotional crowd that purses a violent or destructive goal.
Riot
is a social eruption that is highly emotional, violent, and undirected.
Rumor
is unconfirmed information that people spread informally, by word of mouth or by using electronic devices.
Fashion
is social patterns favored by a large number of people.
Fad
is an unconventional social pattern that people embrace briefly but enthusiastically.
Social movement
is an organized activity in which people set out to encourage or discourage social change.
Claims making
is the process of  trying to convince the public and public officials of the importance of joining a social movement to address a particular issue.
Disaster
is an event, generally unexpected, that causes extensive harm to people and damage to property.
Modernity
is changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution.
Modernization
is the process of social change begun by industrialization.
Division of labor
is specialized economic activity.
Anomie
is Durkheim’s term for a condition in which society provides little moral guidance to individuals

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