Page 401 - Social Sciences Humanities - The Ontario Curriculum Grades 9 to 12 - 2013

psychodynamic theory. A theory of human development, originated by Sigmund Freud, based on the premise that all human behaviour and relationships are shaped by conscious and unconscious influences.
psychology. The scientific study of the human mind and behaviour.
qualitative research. Research methods that rely on in-depth studies of small groups of people to guide and support the construction of hypotheses. The results of qualitative research are descriptive rather than predictive.
quantitative research. The systematic empirical investigation of social phenomena using statisti­ cal, mathematical, or computational techniques. The objective of quantitative research in the social sciences is to develop and use mathematical models, theories, and/or hypotheses to repre­ sent social phenomena.
queer theory. An approach to the study of society and culture that rejects traditional categories of gender and sexuality. See also conflict theory.
replacement level. The fertility level of a country in which the number of births is roughly equiv­ alent to the number of deaths.
rite of passage. A ritual event that marks a person’s progress from one status to another.
social constructionism. See interpretive theory.
socialization. The process by which new members are brought into a social order and the ways that a social order is maintained.
social structure. Social organization based on established patterns of social interaction between individuals with different roles and relationships (e.g., between parents and chil­ dren, teachers and students, employers and employees) and regulated through accepted norms and shared values.
sociology. The study of the structure and dynamics of human groups and their effects on behaviour.
structuralism. A sociological/anthropological theoretical perspective that argues that there are conscious and subconscious cultural categories that all members of a culture must follow for successful communication. These categories, also called structures, are abstract but identifiable and usually exist in terms of opposing binaries such as right/wrong, male/female, and good/evil. According to structuralist theories, these cultural structures determine the ways in which members of a culture pattern their lives.
symbolic interactionism. See interpretive theory.
temperament. The natural, innate aspects of an individual’s personality. In infants, temperament refers to the natural style of reacting to and inter­ acting with people, places, and things. According to one theory, the three types of temperament are easy, difficult, and slow to warm up.
PHILOSOPHY
aesthetics. The branch of philosophy that is concerned with the study of art and beauty.
anarchism. A political ideology that rejects social or political authority.
animism. The belief that all things – including plants, animals, inanimate objects, and other natural phenomena – possess a living soul.
a posteriori. Knowledge gained through, or justification or arguments using, experience or empirical evidence. See also a priori.
a priori. Knowledge, justification, or arguments that are independent of experience or empirical evidence. See also a posteriori.
artworld. First coined by Arthur Danto, the term refers to a community of people who create a theory and definition of art that participants use to distinguish art from non-art.
communitarianism. A political ideology
that considers the responsibilities individuals have to a society as more important than personal freedom.
GLOSSARY
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