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Social Science and IDS Vocabulary

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Vocabulary List

ACCOMMODATION

Concerning a conflict, put aside your wants or needs to resolve the dispute.

 

ARTIFACT

Anything created by humans to describe their culture. This can be any art, painting, sculpture, mixed media, music, performance art, dance, etc.

 

AVOIDING

Concerning a conflict, intentionally ignoring or leaving the conflict. BIAS Showing preference, positive or negative, for an individual, group, or belief. This can be unconscious, or you may be aware of it (University of Pittsburgh [Pittsburgh], 2024).

 

BELIEF

Being confident that a person is trustworthy or that a statement or idea is true, even if you

do not have proof (Merriam-Webster, n.d.).

 

COLLABORATING

Concerning conflict, when individuals or groups work together until the needs of each are met without making compromises.

 

COMPROMISING

Concerning a conflict, individuals or groups come to an agreement because each side agrees to make compromises.

 

CREATIVE EXPRESSION

The use of art, in any medium, to convey a feeling or message.

 

CREATIVE WORK

The result of creative expression

 

CULTURE

A set of unspoken rules and customs shared among a group of people passed from generation to generation, shaping values, beliefs, and behaviors (Southern New Hampshire University [SNHU], 2024).

 

CULTURAL RELATIVISM

Not judging a culture by your own beliefs of what is right, wrong, strange, or normal.

 

DIVERSITY

Visible or invisible traits that make us similar or different from one another. Some examples are socioeconomic class, race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical ability, neurodivergence, religion, language, national origin, family type, generation, and more (SNHU, 2024).

 

EQUALITY

When all the people in a society or group have the same status or rights, such as freedom of speech, civil rights, and equal access to goods and services (Pittsburgh, 2024).

 

EQUITY

Equal access and opportunities and the elimination of barriers prevent some groups' full participation. It is an acknowledgment that historically underserved and underrepresented populations deserve fairness and justice to remedy systemic conditions that limit their opportunity and access (SNHU, 2024).

 

ETHNICITY

People with a shared cultural heritage derive from values, behavioral patterns, language, political and economic interests, history, geographical base, and ancestry. Examples include Haitian, African American (Black), Chinese, Korean (Asian), Cherokee, Navajo (Native American), Cuban, Mexican (Latino), Irish, and Swedish (White European) (SNHU, 2024).

 

FAIRNESS

A sense that things are even or equitable.

 

INCLUSION

Intentional, continual, and positive actions are taken to involve others in your group, whether socially, professionally, or in your community. The purpose is to make them feel welcome and benefit from its many rewards of diversity (SNHU, 2024).

 

JUSTICE

What society generally believes is right. If the consensus is great enough, it may even become law.

 

NARRATIVE

Story, portrayal, or the way society generally talks about something. Example: How a group of people are portrayed in movies or in music.

 

NORMS

The understood social rules that guide our behavior. Things we know how to do without having to be told.

 

SOCIAL JUSTICE

It is a concept in which equity or justice is achieved in every aspect of society rather than in only some aspects or for some people and affords individuals and groups fair treatment (SNHU, 2024).

 

STEREOTYPE

A generalized belief or assumption. They can lead to blanket judgments, prejudices, and intentional or unintentional discrimination. Stereotypes are typically negative, based on little information that does not recognize individualism and personal traits (SNHU, 2024).

 

VALUES

Things that we feel are meaningful. This can be different from person to person. Many times, the people around us influence what we think. For example, why is one shiny rock, gold, more valuable than another shiny rock, quartz?

References

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved May 1, 2024, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/belief

 

Southern New Hampshire University. (2024). Key terms defined. Southern New Hampshire University. https://libguides.snhu.edu/diversity/keyterms

 

University of Pittsburgh. (2024). Diversity, equity, and inclusion glossary. University of Pittsburgh. https://www.diversity.pitt.edu/education/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-glossary

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