SOC 2760 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Conflict Theories, Homicide

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 2760
• Professor: Rob Shearer

Document Summary

Crime is misunderstood because popular knowledge does not consider its social roots often (therefore, criminality has structural roots) Individuals commit crimes but their social backgrounds profoundly shape their likelihood of doing so. Sociological criminology (structural criminology): social and physical characteristics of communities and the profound influence of race, ethnicity, social class and gender. People are social beings - not just mere individuals. Social structure: how a society is organized in terms of social relationships and social interactions. Horizontal = social and physical characteristics of communities and the networks of social relationships to which an individual belongs. Vertical = refers to how a society ranks different groups of people (inequality) Deviance: behaviour that violates the social norms/standards of behaviour all societies set thus arousing negative social reactions. Relative concept - something that may be deviant in one place may very well be acceptable in another (wartime killing is heroic - killing during other times is homicide and evil)