My name is Sameer and I've currently been studying Social Sciences: The World for three semesters at Montmorency College. Montmorency College is a post secondary establishment located in the greater Montreal area. Social Science is a branch of science that breaks into several more specific fields of studies like economics, politics or even psychology. Although these fields of studies might seem far apart one from another, they have one thing in common, they are rooted into the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. My field of study's focal point is the world, which studies politics and everything that revolves around social challenges. The following glossary includes terms and definitions related to that specific discipline, and the correct way to employ and pronounce them.
Adaptive behaviors
Noun.
Behaviors that increase reproductive success.
Example: Teaching your dog to give sit when you ask it to is adaptive behaviour.
fr: Conditionnement.
Agents of socialization
Phrase.
People, groups, and experiences that influence our behavior and self-image.
Example: Your friend group is an agent of socialization
fr: Agents de socialisation.
Alienation
Noun.
The feeling of workers in a bureaucracy that they are being treated as objects rather than people.
Example: When workers act like robots for their jobs, we can call it alienation.
fr: Aliénation.
American dream
Phrase.
The belief that all Americans, regardless of the conditions of their birth, have an equal chance to achieve success.
Example: The American dream tends to fool people.
fr: Rêve américain.
Anomie
Noun.
According to strain theory, the feeling of being disconnected from society that can occur when people aren’t provided with the institutionalized means to achieve their goals. The term was coined by Émile Durkheim.
Example: Many people fell into depression because of the presence of an anomie due to covid.
fr: Anomie.
Ascribed status
Noun.
A trait or characteristic people possess as a result of the circumstances of birth.
Example: People born into poverty can be a fair example of ascribed status.
fr: Statut attribué.
Assimilation
Noun.
The process whereby members of a group give up parts of their own culture in order to blend in to a new culture.
Example: Native Americans children got assimilated by the government of Canada.
fr: Assimilation.
Attitudes
Noun.
Evaluations people make about objects, ideas, events, or other people.
Example: Her attitude towards her friend was disappointing.
fr: Attitude.
Bias
Noun.
The distortion of results by a variable that is not part of the hypothesis.
Example: His opinion regarding the movie is biased.
fr: Biais.
Brain
Noun.
An organ of soft nervous tissue contained in the skull of vertebrates, functioning as the coordinating center of sensation and intellectual and nervous activity.
Example: We all have a brain.
fr: Cerveau.
Capitalism
Noun.
an economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state.
Example: Capitalism is the main type of economy spread across the globe
fr: Capitalisme.
Civil rights
Noun.
the rights of citizens to political and social freedom and equality.
Example: Most countries accord civil rights to their citizens.
fr: Droits civiques.
Culture
Noun.
Everything made, learned, and shared by the members of a society.
Example: There are different cultures around the world.
fr: Culture.
Ethnocentrism
Noun.
The tendency to judge another culture by the standards of one’s own culture.
Example: When you think your way of living is the right one, it is ethnocentrism.
fr: Ethnocentrisme.
Family
Noun.
he institution responsible for the rearing of children.
Example: Families are often made up of at least a few members.
fr: Famille.
Gender role
Noun.
A set of behaviors, attitudes, and personality characteristics expected and encouraged of a person based on his or her sex.
Example: Mother being depicted as the only caregiver figure is an example of gender roles.
fr: Rôles de genre.
Party
Noun.
A group of people who join together because they share many ideas about what the government should do.
Example: Political parties often debate against each other.
fr: Parti.
Poll
Noun.
record the opinion or vote of.
Example: Polls are less time consuming than a census
fr: Sondage.
Voting
Verb.
to give or register a vote
Example: During elections, most people over 18 go voting.
fr: Voter
War
Noun.
a state of armed conflict between different nations or states or different groups within a nation or state.
