Big Ideas
A belief system that explains social arrangements while making unequal conditions appear normal.
What is ideology?
The idea that your identities shape what you notice and how you interpret experiences.
What is positionality?
A comforting but overused saying that lacks depth or meaningful insight.
What is a platitude?
A framework that challenges accepted assumptions by examining inequality and dominance.
What is critical theory?
A label for categories created and maintained through societal agreement instead of biology.
What is socially constructed?
A process where specialists judge the quality and accuracy of research before publication.
What is peer review?
A ranking structure that distributes privilege, influence, and access unevenly.
What is social stratification?
Information influenced by personal feelings, viewpoints, or lived experiences.
What is subjective?
Widely accepted cultural behavior and values treated as standard norms.
What is mainstream society?
A movement elevating scientific reasoning in Europe, often ignoring knowledge outside the West.
What is the Enlightenment?
Information based on observable facts rather than emotion or perspective.
What is objective?
A worldview holding that only measured, neutral, and scientific data can produce real knowledge.
What is positivism?
Stories or personal examples used as evidence but not derived from systematic study.
What is anecdotal evidence?