Download Student-Driven Test Questions Master List

Introductory Sociology (SC110) Student-Driven Test Questions
Thought Leader: Dr. Lee Garth Vigilant
Midterm S.D.T.Q
Questions from The Meaning of Sociology (Eighth Edition)
Chapters 1 & 2
1. What is socialization, and how does it make us who we are? –Perry G.
2. Why can’t humans exist without society? –Britta S.
3. What are the six (6) ways humans are social? –Will B.
4. Explain how sociology is an academic discipline. –Ashley F.
5. What are three (3) questions that sociology asks? –Ketey W.
6. Do you think the criticizers of Durkheim’s suicide study had valid arguments? Why or why not? –
Nicole T.
7. Why do you think some social patterns hold up for thousands of years but some die out? –
Nicole T.
8. Why is sociology a “scientific discipline”? –Nana F.
9. Why do sociologists believe that people are much “less free” than we think? –Ashley P. & Sarah
C.
10. Why do sociologists say that the human being is not fully developed or “human” at birth? –
Ashley P.
11. What are the four (4) extremes of social change and social solidarity in Durkheim’s theory? –
Sara F. & Zachary T.
12. What was one profound or major change during the 19th Century brought on by the expanse of
the Industrial Revolution? –Huston W.
13. What are the five (5) topics that sociology focuses on? –Ann S.
14. What did Durkheim find as an important cause for the rising rates of suicides in Industrial
Societies? –Alex H.
15. Weber pointed out that there will almost always be new evidence found to question, alter,
refine, or replace what we believe to be true. If so, when do we know the exact answer or truth
behind something? Never? –Tiara B.
16. In chapter 2, I read the following quote: “Society exists before we are born; it continues after we
die.” Does this statement imply society defines us or do we define society? Explain your answer.
–Ruvimbo C.
17. What did Karl Marx mean when he described religion as “the opium of the people”? –Ruvimbo
C.
18. It has been said that individuals become society. What does this mean? –Brittany O.
19. How are our individual qualities shaped by those around us? –Chris L.
20. Regarding the quote on page 9, “…sociology would be the focus of a new religion, and
sociologists, as the bearers of knowledge, would be the “priests of the new order,” moral
leaders, solvers of the ills of mankind,” Auguste Comte made a bold prediction. Would scientists
as a whole agree with him today? Why or why not? –Addy B.
21. What is the importance of “social patterns”? –Sarah C.
22. Auguste Comte, Karl Marx, and Ferdinand Toennies believed that after people achieve a certain
level of living standard, they tend to be less religious or lose their religious faith altogether? Why
is this so? Is this ALWAYS true? Why or why not? -Chu Yi
23. How are human beings social? –Megan S.
24. What does it mean that sociology must be a “value free” science? Why is this an important
aspect of sociology? –Simone L.
25. Why do you think there was an increasing interest in studying face-to-face interaction
(microsociology) in the late 1970s and early 1980s? –Kelsey M.
26. Do you think that the U.S.’s high divorce rate encourages couples who are going through rough
times to simply follow the trend and take the “easy way out”? Why? Would divorce be less
acceptable if it wasn’t such a prevalent social pattern in the U.S.? –Kelsey A.
27. Why would religion decline as people become more urban? –Jenessa L.
Chapter 6 (Culture)
28. What are the differences between counterculture and subculture? –Emily B.
29. What are two (2) reasons why culture is important? –J. Maddock
30. In what ways is culture a social inheritance? –Andrew M.
31. What does it mean to be “ethnocentric”? Moreover, if culture is a prison, aren’t we all
“naturally” ethnocentric? – Perry G. & Dr. V
32. Describe the difference values and goals. –Mary B.
33. Why is it hard for people to adopt/accept different values than their own? –Trisaunia A.
Chapter 3 (Humans are Embedded)
34. On page 18 the text states, “In a very basic sense, we become human through society.” Explain
this quote. –Jenessa L.
35. What are two qualities to identify any social organization? –Jasmine F. & Rebecca H. & Joe L.
36. “The key to social action is acting with others in mind.” This includes what we wear, how we
talk, and where we orient ourselves in a room. Give three (3) examples of social actions from
your day so far. –Janessa A.
37. What is patterned social interaction? –Kelly E. & April S.
38. Explain the concept of “mutual social action.” –Mary B.
39. Why is interaction a very important part of our socialization? –Marshal W.
40. How does Max Weber define the phrase “social action”? –Ahamed C.
Chapter 9 (Social Order)
41. What are the differences between a dyad and a group? –Kevin B.
42. What is “social control,” and what are some of its various forms? –Alice E.
43. What are the differences between Durkheim’s concept of social order and Marx’s concept of
social control? How did their unique emphasis align with their respective vision of the core
problem of the great social transformation (i.e., Industrial Revolution)? –Marshal W. & Nicole T.
& Andrew M. & Monty H.
44. What are some forms of social control a college professor, like Dr. Vigilant, might use to get the
best performance out of his/her students? –Monty H.
45. What are the six (6) ways social order is established? –Megan S.
Chapter 5 (Inequality in Society)
46. How is social stratification protected by society’s institutions? –Ashley F.
47. What does a person’s class position depend on? –Katie U. Kelly G.
48. What are the six ways class, race, and gender are special? –April S.
49. What is the difference between ascribed and achieved qualities? Which one of these types,
ascribed or achieved, do you think affects one’s social mobility more? Explain your answer. –
Kelsey A. & Mary B.
50. At the top of page 72 the authors state that “poverty imprisons people, and it is difficult for
those caught up in to do much more than survive.” Do you agree with this statement? Explain
your reasoning. –Brittany O.
51. How is inequality built into the American social system, and why is it so difficult for us to see
this? –Samantha B.
52. How does the social class of a child’s parents influence the child’s life path and opportunities? –
Marshal W.
Chapter 4 (Social Structure)
53. What are some status positions from our identity? –Katie W.
54. What are some of the main causes of role conflict? –Kelsey A.
55. Why is friendship likely to be the only social structure that is characterized by equality? –Janessa
L.
56. List and briefly describe that three (3) different qualities sociologists identify as arising from
positions that cause inequality? –Mary B.
57. What is social structure, and how is it like a map? –Trisaunia A.
58. How does one’s class position affect their social role in society? –Megan N.
Questions from The Meaning of Sociology: A Reader (Ninth Edition)
C.W. Mills’ The Sociological Imagination
1. According to C.W. Mills, what is the ‘sociological imagination,’ what does it do for us, and
why is the ‘sociological imagination’ beneficial in terms of perspective? –Nicole T. & Taylor
S.
2. What is the difference between troubles and issues? –Chris L.
3. Sociologists often times will try to ask and answer three (3) sets of questions about society
when trying to employ the sociological imagination. What are they, and why? –Alex H.
McNamee’s The American Dream
4. What is the ideal ideology from the point of view of those in power? –Allen N.
5. Explain the four (4) tenants of the American Dream? –J. Maddock
6. What does the meritocracy idea have to do with the “American Dream”? Joe L.
7.
What is the irony behind the ideology of meritocracy? –Andrew M.
8. What belief of the Calvinists made a large impact on why Americans believe so strongly in
meritocracy? –Sara F.
9. What does it mean to be driven by “salvation anxiety”? And how does it connect to the
American Dream? –Sellby Z.
10. In feudal societies, “birthrights” and “divine right of kings” were the explanation for
inequalities of power. Do you think we still have “birthrights” to some extent in American
culture today? If so, explain. –Marshal W.
11. Explain how meritocracy came to be the driving force behind the American Dream. –
Heather N.
12. How do you interpret Hochschild’s quote from Facing Up to the American Dream that says
“Virtue leads to success, success makes a person virtuous, success indicates virtue, or
apparent success is not real success unless one is also virtuous”? –Janessa H.
Kelman & Hamilton’s The My Lai Massacre
13. Even though they were ordered to, why did troops go so far as to rape and massacre
innocent civilians? What happened to their morals? –Trisaunia
14. What two (2) functions does routinization fulfill? –Rebecca H.
15. The My Lai Massacre was termed a “crime of obedience.” What is a “crime of obedience”
and which socialization theory closely relates to such a situation? –Ruvimbo C. & Sarah C.
16. Why might sociology offer a more accurate explanation for events of mass violence like the
My Lai Massacre (and genocides, autocides, political killings, etc.) than psychology? –Ryan B.
17. Describe the three (3) processes that tend to facilitate violence, mass killing, and crimes of
obedience. –Heidi O. & Nicole J. & Ahamed C.
18. What does dehumanization mean in the context of the My Lai incident, and why is it
dangerous? –Kelsey A. & Marshal W.
19. During the My Lai Massacre, only a select few American military men refused to carry out
the order of murdering the villagers. Why do you think these men chose to do this?
Moreover, what stage of moral development do their act of resistance implicate in
Lawrence Kohlberg’s theory of moral development? –Anonymous & Dr. V
20. Why does a “sanctioned massacre” enhance people’s readiness to commit certain unlawful
actions? –Zach T
21. What does Kai Erikson mean by “collective trauma” when referring to the events at Buffalo
Creek? –Monica N.
Erikson’s Collective Trauma at Buffalo Creek
22. Can there be such a thing as too much communality? If yes, do you think this was the case at
Buffalo Creek? –Kelsey A.
23. Why do you suppose survivor’s remorse is more common in survivors of large catastrophes
than survivors of smaller accidents or acts of nature? –Janessa A. & Marshal W.
24. What did the destruction of belief in social order do to the Buffalo Creek survivors? –
Brittany O.
25. Why did the people at Buffalo Creek feel they lost their morale and moral anchors? –
Trisaunia
26. Why is being part of a community so important to humans? –Sarah C. & Jacque M.
27. After the tragedy at Buffalo Creek, why did “less moral” people begin to emerge in the face
of the town’s loss of community? Moreover, why were the residents so unable to function
as individuals after the flood? –Mary B. & Alex P.
28. How did the people of Buffalo Creek lose connection, and how does this tragedy support
Emilie Durkheim’s idea of anomie and its causes? –Will B & Dr. V.
29. On page 51, Kai Erickson states that “Where one finds death on a large scale, one also finds
guilt.” What does the author mean by this? –Ashley F. & Emily B. & Ann S.
30. What is “demoralization,” and what was behind the systematic demoralization of the
residents at Buffalo Creek? –Anna K.
Berger’s Society, Social Control, and the Individual
31. Why (in some communities) is gossip needed to keep the social fabric of that community
together? –Marshal W.
32. Why do you think ridicule is more devastating to the self than more formal types of
punishment (I.e., jail time, suspension, etc.)?
33. “The ultimate and oldest means of social control is physical violence. In the savage society of
children, it is still a major one.” This quote suggests physical violence as a basic and natural
tendency. What has prevented social control from being based on physical violence in most
sophisticated human societies today? And why is violence, on any level, the oldest means of
social control? –Simone L. Zach T.
34. There are many systems and means for social control including physical violence, political
and legal controls, economic pressure, morality, customs, manners, occupational controls,
and one’s family and personal friends. Which of these social controls do you think has the
most control over our lives (as Americans) and why? –Kelsey A.
35. Why are ridicule and gossip such powerful instruments of social control? And why would the
risk of “disintegration” in their “sphere of the intimate” be more detrimental to someone
than “losing face” at their job? –Brittany O & Mary B.
36. Why are economic sanctions so effective? –Sarah C.
37. Give an example of each of the following forms of social control: violence, opprobrium &
ostracism, economic pressure, and ridicule. –Jacque M.
Meyer’s If Hitler Asked You to Electrocute a Stranger, Would You? Probably
38. Why does Milgram feel people are obedient? –Megan N.
39. To explain the Holocaust, Stanley Milgram planned to scientifically prove that German
people were more obedient than the rest of us. What was ironic about the “Germans are
different” theory to explain the Holocaust? –Simone L.
40. What is the Shirer thesis, and what was its fundamental flaw? –Kelly G. & Amy O & Danae I.
41. Why would human decency, mercy, humanity, or common sense fall short of the power of
authority over an individual? –Jenessa L.
42. What does their willingness to administer increasing shocks say about the participants’
social integration? Moreover, what does Milgram’s study have to say about the potential
extremes of social control? –Brittany O & Trisaunia A.
Perrucci & Wysong’s The New American Class Structure
43. How is the “privileged class” defined, and what does it take to join this class of Americans? –
Katie U
44. What is the difference between the privileged class and the new working class? –Meghan S.
& Elena B.
45. What are the seven (7) class positions in class structure in America, and which one do most
people fall under? –April S.
46. Is it possible for someone in the excluded class to work themselves into the privilege class?
If so, what would they have to do to accomplish this? –Jenessa L.
47. Why, according to Perrucci & Wysong’s conception of class structure, is there no middle
class in America? What function does the idea of having a large middle class serve for
society and its politicians? –Samantha B.
48. Why is the middle class disappearing? –Sarah C.
49. What are the “rules” that shape the American class structure, and what does it have to do
with the idea of the “intergenerational permanence” of class? –Haina K.
Gans’ The Uses of Poverty: The Poor Pay All
50. List and describe a few reasons why society cannot exist without the poor. –Ashley F.
51. Explain why many of the functions currently served by the poor would be replaced if poverty
were eliminated. Why is the political function of poverty much more difficult to replace
according to Gans? –Anna K.
52. If poverty is essential for the economy, why would people try to eliminate it? –Jammie M.
53. What does functionalist theory say about poverty, and what are the 13 positive functions? –
Brittany O. & Amy O.
54. Is poverty more dysfunctional than functional? Explain your response. –Jasmine
55. How do you and I personally benefit from the existence of poor people in society? –Heidi O.
56. How does poverty help guarantee the status of those who are not poor? –Marshal W.
Suarez-Orozco’s Children of Immigrants: Adaption and Identity
57. What social stresses do children of immigrants have, and why is the experience of
immigration one of the most acute forms of stress? –Monica N.
58. Why is it that for many immigrant families their length of residency in the United States is
associated with declining health, learning disabilities, emotional difficulties, risk-taking
behavior, and obesity? –Jenessa L.
59. What is acculturation stress, and how does it affect immigrants? – Rebecca H.
60. How does the labeling theory on deviance apply to the social mirroring effect that many
immigrants experience? –Allie E.
Lee’s Yellow Face: Asian Americans in Popular Culture
61. List and explicate the six (6) images of the oriental. Why is the term “Oriental” derogatory?
–Meghan S.
62. What particular ideas and fears led to the conceptualization of Asians as “pollutants”? –
Kelsey A.
63. What do the inconsistent rulings of Ozawa v. US and US v. Thind say about the definition of
race in the United States? –Simone L.
64. Alienness is both a formal legal status and an informal cultural status. Give an example of
both. –Marshal W.
65. According to the reading, why are Asians the least likely of all ethnic/racial groups to be
considered as “true Americans”? –Anthony L.
Questions from Dr. Lee Garth Vigilant’s Lectures
1. How did the Industrial Revolution change the way people lived and worked, and what were
some of the “new” social problems that emerged? –Perry G. & Danae I.
2. Why, according to Durkheim, did Jews have lower suicide rates than both Protestants and
Catholics? –Justin L.
3. Why can’t sociologists accept ideas on the basis of faith or common sense? –Britta S.
4. Why is sociology the “science of the Industrial Revolution”, and how did it come to be? –Will B.
5. Ferdinand Toennies describes a structural shift from a gemeinschaften social order to a
Gesellschaften on. What do these terms mean, and what is the difference between these
societies? –Katey W.
6. Why did the Industrial Revolution threaten Gesellschaften? –Nicole T.
7. Auguste Comte describes two (2) types of social forces in society. What were these forces, and
why were they in conflict during the Industrial Revolution? –Alexandra P.
8. What is social structure and why is it important to human societies? –Monica N. & -Krista O.
9. What is organized skepticism, and why is it important in science? –Monica N.
10. Why did Toennies believe that when people move to the city from villages that suicide, crime,
family disintegration, and poverty will increase? –Joel K.
11. How and why did sociology emerge as “the science of social problems”? –Simone L.
12. Describe Max Weber’s three (3) types of power/authority. If charismatic power ends when the
leader dies, how can you explain why we want to get up and dance whenever we hear certain
“Elvis” songs on the radio? –Monty H.
13. What was Ferdinand de Saussure’s perspective on language’s affect on social reality? –Ahamed
C.
14. What is culture and what are some of its characteristics? –Allen N.
15. Durkheim stated that there are two (2) types of societies. Name them and describe what they
are. –J. Maddock
16. What did Georg Simmel have to say about the dyad and the triad? -Nicole J.
17. What makes the suicide rate higher in Gesellschaften than in Gemeinschaften? –Brittany S.
18. Georg Simmel describes two (2) types of individualisms. Provide an explication of each. –Joe L.
19. Karl Marx saw 4 social classes in industrial societies. Name those social classes and say
something about their relationship to the “means of production.” –Joe L.
20. Why is Harriet Martineau so concerned about the morals/manners binary? Why is this
important to our understanding of culture? –Will B.
21. What is the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, and how exactly does language work on reality and
perception? –Huston W.
22. Emile Durkheim believed that social order was contingent upon two (2) forces. What were these
forces, and how do they contribute to systemic stability? -Dr. Vigilant
23. Why do conflict theorists believe that conflict is necessary for social change? –Brian M.
24. What category of suicide is it when a Marine willingly falls on a grenade to save his fellow
soldiers? What subcategory is it in? –Justin L.
25. According to Max Weber, how did Capitalism emerge? –Jordan C.
26. What did Max Weber mean when he described the bureaucracy as an “Iron Cage?” –Allen S.
27. Why did Georg Simmel see Gesellschaften societies as liberating? –Janice B.
28. Why is culture considered a “prison”? –Alex P.
29. Emile Durkheim disagreed with Ferdinand Toennies on a number of points regarding the nature
of the industrial city and urban life. What was Durkheim’s argument? –Alex H.
30. What did Weber mean by the phrase the “rationalization of society”? –Adrianne A.
31. What are the two (2) levels of culture? –Monica C.
32. America’s consumption based culture is driven by planned obsolescence and perceived
obsolescence. Explain how these concepts contribute to our culture of overconsumption and
waste. –Dr. Vigilant
33. In your own words, what in a society can lead to acute altruistic suicide? What would make
people take their own lives in suicide pacts? –Chase J.
34. From your own point of view, which one of the founding fathers/mother of sociology gave the
best description of the changes that were talking place as a result of the Industrial Revolution,
and why? –Chase J.
35. Why is a dyad inherently more unstable than a triad? –Kristin D.
36. What were the six (6) key features of the bureaucratic type of organization according to Max
Weber? –Matt B.
37. According to Durkheim, why did married people have lower suicide rates than single people? –
Eric O.
38. Briefly describe Harriet Martineau’s four (4) key contributions to sociology. –Ruvimbo C.
39. According to Karl Marx, why were industrial societies problematic for the proletariat? –Rebecca
H.
40. What are the forces Durkheim said held society together, and how do they relate to suicide? –
Meghan S.
41. Georg Simmel said that industrial societies were conducive to qualitative individualism, and he
was optimistic about this. Do you think it is an improvement that instead of defining you by your
social group (village, ethnic/racial group), society now defines you by your occupation? Explain
your opinion. –Simone L.
42. How does Society in America illustrate Martineau’s belief in an empathetic sociology? –Simone
L.
43. Which of Karl Marx’s four (4) types of alienation do you think is the most detrimental and why?
–Kelsey A.
44. Charles Cooley wrote that human nature does not come at birth. The human “cannot acquire it
except through fellowship, and it decays in isolation.” If being born into this world and existing
in it does not make us human beings, what does? –Katie M.
45. Cooley summed up Mead’s idea in a concept called the “Looking Glass Self.” What is this, and do
you believe that that’s what people really do? If so, why? –Jenessa L. & Sarah C.
46. According to Freud, what are the roles of the “id”, “ego”, and “super-ego”? And which part of
his personality system is imposed by culture? –Kelsey A. & Brittany O.
47. In Freud’s theory of the self, what is the ego’s role? –Janessa A.
48. What is the difference between the two (2) parts of the self that Mead describes? –Danae I.
49. As George Herbert Mead describes, how does the self develop over time? –Elena B. & Matt B.
50. How does the determination of right vs. wrong change throughout Kohlberg’s stage theory of
moral development? –Brittany O. & Jordan G.
51. According to George Herbert Mead, the self is essentially inseparable from social experience. Do
you think this is so? Explain what he means by this. Do you agree with his assertion? –Trisaunia
& Samantha B.
52. List and describe the six (6) agents of socialization. Which of these agents is the most important,
and why? –Matt B.
53. Distinguish George Herbert Mead’s social behaviorism from Sigmund Freud’s ideas on the self?
What are the pivotal points of departure and convergence in their theories of socialization? –
Jessica H. & Ruvimbo C. & Allen N.
54. Why are games, such as soccer, so important to socialization? –Marshal W.
55. What does it mean to “take the role of the other,” and why does Mead believe this is an
essential component of social interaction? –Brian M.
56. How, according to Durkheim, does deviance promote social cohesion? –Marshal W.
57. Differentiate the two (2) forms of social control: internal social controls and external social
controls. –Shellby Z.
58. How is deviance ‘learned’ according to Edward Sutherland? –Eric O.
59. Can a society exist without social control, why or why not?–Nathan D.
60. Discuss the five (5) types of social interaction, and the norm or condition that governs each? –
Kylee U.
61. The Theory of Anomic Adaptation (1), Labeling Theory (2), and Differential Association Theory (3)
each take a very different approach in explaining the cause of deviance in society. What is the
cause of deviance for each of these theories, and which one provides the most plausible
explication for deviance in your opinion? –Lora B. & Taylor H.
62. What is deviance, and what functions do deviant behaviors serve in society? In essence, why
does Durkheim say that deviance and crime “are an integral part of all healthy societies?” –
Jenessa L. & Jillian B.
63. What does Merton’s concept of the self-fulfilling prophesy have to do with labeling theory? –
Brittany O
64. Give examples of people who fall into each of Robert K. Merton’s Modes of Adaptation:
Conformist, Innovator, Ritualist, Retreatist, and Rebel. –Nicole J. & Justin LZ.
65. Why is there no reason for conformists to be deviant? –Alex P.
66. What is a caste system, and why is it so hard to abolish it in India? –Ashley F. & Jeffrey M.
67. What is “individual social mobility”, and what is the most salient variable that contributes to
“upward mobility” for Americans? –Meghan S. & Allan N.
68. In the U.S., most movements on the stratification system are horizontal, how is this anathema
to the American Dream? –Ryan O.
69. What is the principal difference between a class system of social stratification and a caste-based
one? –Monica N. & Meghan S.
70. Explain why getting a bachelor’s degree is no longer the key to entering the upper-middle (i.e.,
privilege) class? –Janessa H. & Philip D. [see also Perrucci & Wysong’s New American Class
Structure]
71. What are the six (6) agents of socialization? How does having one agent missing cause the
others to become more influential? –Janessa H.
72. How does Max Weber define “socioeconomic status,” and how does this definition extend our
understanding of social stratification beyond social class? (What contributes to a person’s
socioeconomic status?) –Kyle H. & Kaitee S. & Ruvimbo C.
73. In what way does Hinduism perpetuate caste boundaries? –Rebecca H.
74. What argument does the Davis-Moore thesis make about poverty and the excluded class? Do
you agree, why or why not? –Brittany O. & Matt B.
75. What is the psychological advantage to the class system of stratification as opposed to the caste
system? –Simone L. & Nathan D.
76. What three (3) things did Weber believe determines someone’s socioeconomic status? –Mary B.
77. What are the three (3) historic categories of “race,” and what groups were “excluded”? –Jillian
B.
78. What is the definition of “race,” and what factors make the idea of “race” a biological
misnomer? –Monica N. & Megan S.
79. What is hypodescent, and how did the 2000 decennial census challenge this historical practice?
–heidi & Alex H.
80. Explain Micheal Omi and Howard Winant’s “racial transformation thesis,” and give an example
of racial transformation in the American context. –Chu Y.
81. What is symbolic ethnicity? And why are Americans more apt to hold firmly to their presumed
“ethnic” roots even when, over time, those characteristics fade away or are lost entirely? -Chu Y
& Megan N.
82. Why is there often a tension between a person’s ethnic identity and their racial identity in the
United States? –Danae I.
83. How do the concepts “race” and “ethnicity” differ? –Joe & Nana
Student-Driven Test Questions for the Final Exam
Questions from The Meaning of Sociology (Eighth Edition)
Chapter 10: Social Power
1.
What is the theory of pluralism and how is it related to the idea of democracy? –Kelsey A.
2. What is power, and what are the three (3) ways power appears? –Allen S., Ahmed G., & Philip
D.
3. How does power help assist in establishing social control? –S. Chand
4. In what way is power the opposite of dependence? –Simone L.
5. What is Robert Michels’ (1876-1936) “Iron Law of Oligarchy?” –Mary B.
6. Why do those who seek power and authority also seek legitimacy once they gain their position?
–Zachary T.
7. What is pluralism, and how does it differ from the other two (2) theories of power? –Perry G.
8. What is charismatic authority, and why do people obey this authority type? (Give examples of
charismatic authority in your answer.) -Jacque M.
9. How do “social structure” (i.e., class & gender inequalities) and “authority” contradict
democracy? –Trisuania A.
10. According to Karl Marx, where did real power come from, and why was power important? –
Haena K.
Chapter 13: The Family in Society
1.
What is the difference between the “instrumental functions” of the family and the “expressive
functions” of the family? (Be sure to give examples of each of these functions when answering
this question.) –Kelsey A.
2. Why is marriage a most excellent example of a social institution? –Sarah C.
3. What are four (4) functions of the family? –Megan S.
4. What makes it difficult for us to reach a consensus on the definition of family? –Ashley F. &
Simone L.
5. In what ways do we expect too much from a modern marriage? –Perry G.
6. What does Auguste Comte call “the most basic unit of society,” and why? –Kristin D.
7. Why do we “regard more and more varied behavior as normal and agree less and less about
what constitutes deviant behavior?” –Trisuania A.
8. Scanzoni and Scanzoni differentiate three (3) different marriage structures: “Owner property,”
“head-complement,” and “junior partner.” Provide an explication for each of these forms. –
Allen N.
Chapter 14: Religion, Society, and the Individual
1.
How does Durkheim define religion? –Matt B.
2. Describe Auguste Comte’s “Law of the three Stages.” What does this “law” have to say about
religious practice and belief? –Monica N. & Allie E.
3.
According to Durkheim, how is religion important for the individual? –Perry G. & Allen S.
4. What do fundamentalists support and reject? Moreover, since their views are fused with
political practice, what type of government do these ideas move toward? (Explain this type of
government) –Jacque M.
5. Explain the “secularization thesis.” –Nicole J.
6. What did Weber mean “charismatic authority”? Name some charismatic religious leaders
throughout history. –Chris H.
7. What did Durkheim mean by asserting that religion is a unified system of beliefs? Chris H.
8. What did Durkheim mean by “religious representations are collective representations which
express collective realities”? –Mary B.
9. Describe what Grace Davie means by what she calls “believing without belonging” type of
secularization. Does this label describe your current religious practice? Why? –Mary B.
10. Why, according to Toennies, would science overpass religion in Gesellschaften? Did he think the
same about Gemeinschaften? Why or why not? –Trisaunia A.
11. How is religion a tool of social control according to Karl Marx? –Trisaunia A.
12. Durkheim wondered how society could exist without religion. Why does he have these doubts
that society could exist while secularized? –Trisaunia A.
13. According to Weber, is rationalization good or bad? Explain your position. –Trisaunia A.
14. Why does Emile Durkheim say religion is socially created? –Brittany O.
15. In his book Positive Philosophy, what did Auguste Comte cite as the cause(s) of the gradual
erosion of religion and sacred ideas? –Brittany O.
16. Describe what Fedinand Toennies means when he states that in urban societies {Gesellschaften}
“religion would give rise to ‘public opinion’”. –Brittany O.
17. How did the rise in self-reliance in Gesellschaften cause religion’s loss of power? –Brittany O.
18. Compare and contrast Auguste Comte’s and Ferdinand Toennies’s views on religion. –Brittany O.
& Rebecca H.
19. What advice does Karl Marx offer to workers who wish to transform their condition of Industrial
oppression? -Brittany O.
20. Why was the Industrial Revolution so important to the birth of sociology? –Sarah C.
21. What are the three (3) ways rationalization relates to religion? –Sarah C.
22. In his essay, “The Concept of Secularization in Empirical Research,” Larry Shiner argued that
there are 4 types of secularization taking place in the modern world. What are these 4 types of
secularization? –Kelsey A.
23. Toennies predicted that people will eventually turn to each other to determine what is moral
instead of their religions. Do you agree with him? Moreover, is mankind less moral when they
rely on man alone? –Jenessa L.
24. What does Comte mean when he says, “Now, each of us is aware, if he looks back upon is how
history, that he was a theologian in his childhood, a metaphysician in his youth, and a natural
philosopher in his manhood” (pg. 198). –Jenessa L.
Chapter 8: Organizations, Societies, and Globalization
1. Why are societies not able to isolate themselves? –Nicole J.
2. What is globalization driven by, and what is the preeminent source of global connectivity today?
–Monica N.
3. What are three (3) forms of globalizations, and what were the “flatteners” of globalization? –
Jacque M.
4. How do social organizations influence each other and people? –Chris H.
5. How do organizations like the World Bank, NAFTA, and the IMF affect economic globalization? –
Chris H.
6. According to Thomas Friedman, what is globalization 3.0, and how does it differ from previous
globalizations? –Perry G. & Joe
Chapter 12: Social Change
1. What causes a social pattern to change? –Kelly E.
2. What five (5) principles are used in a bureaucracy? –Kelsey A.
3. “The sociological view…is that the individual continuously changes.” What are the two (2)
reasons for change generally? –Jenessa L. & Jillian B. & Brittany O. & Simone L.
4. Why is it easier in a small society for an individual to have an impact on social patterns than in a
large society? –Janessa L.
5. What are the six (6) ways sociologists say social patterns change? And which one do you believe
causes the most change? –Zach T. & Amy O.
6. Why is it unrealistic to believe an individual can make substantial changes in a large social
organization? –Zach T.
7. How are individuals with “charismatic authority” powerful? How could Napoleon, Lenin, Mao,
Hitler, Mohammed, and MLK change society? –Zach T. & Trisaunia A.
8. Why do some sociologists believe technology to be the most important source of social change?
–Trisaunia A. & Shellby Z.
9. What key principles did Weber use to define bureaucracy? –Brittany O. & Kelly G.
10. What is “reflexive modernity”? –Rebecca H.
11. What is one cultural theme? –Kelly G.
12. Why does social conflict cause organization to change? –Marshal W.
Questions from The Meaning of Sociology: A Reader (Ninth Edition)
Hochchild’s The Working Wife as an Urbanized Peasant
1. What do you believe are the reasons why working mothers feel both superior to housewives
and envious of their status? -Joe
2. What are some reasons that many married women want paying jobs rather than staying home
and being housewives? –Kelsey A.
3. Why have the views of women being housewives changed? –Amy O.
4. Why are women who are housewives looked down upon by women who work outside the
home? –Courtney F.
5. Why did the Home Economics Movement view housework as honorable? –Megan S.
6. Explain the woman’s role of “backstage support” for her husband’s work. –Nathan P. & Mary B.
7. How has the change in pay between men and women changed women’s views on the
dependency of marriage? –Ashley F.
8. In general, what is the fundamental difference regarding the relationship between backstage
support and a man’s job, as opposed to backstage support and a woman’s job? –Simone L.
9. Why is it that even though staying at home, raising the children, and being a housewife are
definitely important aspects to the modern family, these things are seen as lower class “peasant
work” in our current society? –Mary B.
10. Why has inequality in backstage support received little notice? –Perry G.
11. Why are housewives looked at differently now compared to times past, and why is the honor of
being a “homemaker” threatened? –Trisaunia A.
12. Why is it that when a couple divorces, the man is invariably “better off” than the woman? In
your opinion, what should be done about this inequality? –Trisaunia A.
13. According to ‘backstage support,’ what is considered the male’s 2nd Shift? –Jordan G.
14. Why do women have more of an economic need for marriage than men? –Jordan G.
15. Throughout the reading, the authors gave several examples that compared the working wife to
an urbanized peasant. Explain some of these examples. –Nicole J.
Faludi’s The Betrayal of the American Man
1. In an ornamental culture, how is manhood defined? And how was masculinity defined before
the emergence of ornamental culture? –Heidi O. & Rebecca H. & Gabrielle M.
2. Why can’t men define their oppressive enemy? –Allie E.
3. What is the current American image of masculinity? –Megan S.
4. How has the “feminine mystique” transformed into the “male mystique”? –Ashley F.
5. Where do we find similarities in the conditions of the 1950’s housewife and the 1990’s man? –
Simone L. & Kelsey A
6. What is the source of male inaction, and why hasn’t there been a men’s movement? –Perry G.
7. Why can’t men use the same model of confrontation as feminist did in the Women’s Movement
or as African Americans employed during the Civil Rights Movement? – Alex P.
Edin & Kefalas’ What Marriage Means
1. Why do women (especially poor women) want to be economically independent before
marriage? How are these ideas changing traditional marriage? –Zachary T.
2. Why would women in poverty fear marriage? –Amy O.
3. Why would low-income women rather say, “Yes, I had my children out of wedlock,” than say, “I
married this idiot”? –Jenna J
4. How has the meaning of marriage changed? –Megan S.
5. Why are more women waiting to marry until “they have their affairs in order,” have an
education, and can earn a decent livelihood? –Mary B. & Perry G.
6. Being married at an early age was normal in the 1950s. How have marriage views changed from
the 1950s to today? –Nicole J.
7. Do you think that on average men have become less reliable as husbands? Why or why not? –
Jenessa L,
Skolnick & Skolnic’s Family in Transition, 2007
1.
What are the three (3) components of the “Triple Revolution” in family life? Briefly describe
each one. –Kelsey A. & Monica N.
2. What are the four (4) broadly held “myths” of family life? –Sarah C. & Katie N.
3. Families have changed dramatically over the past several decades. Give some examples of this
change. –Ann S.
4. What two (2) other periods of family crisis and transformation resemble the era we are living
through today? –Janna J.
5. What is “psychological gentrification,” and what does it have to do with marriage and family life
today? –Megan S.
6. How could you explain the development of so many myths surrounding family life (universality,
family harmony, parental determinism, etc.)? –Simone L.
7. What did the “Victorian model” of family life entail, and what social things led to its demise? –
Daniel H.
8. What is a “normal marriage,” and what are some of the arguments against non-monogamous
marriage? –Megan N.
9. What are some ways society hasn’t caught up to the new realities of families? –Trisaunia A.
10. Why is it that the sexual norm for marriage doesn’t demand both partners be virgins on their
wedding day? And how does “serial monogamy” nullify this norm? –Jordan G & Dr. Vigilant
11. Why is “family harmony” a myth? –Nicole T.
12. Other than wages, what factors affects a man’s participation at home, his “backstage support”?
–Jimmie M.
13. What factors account for the declining popularity of the traditional Victorian view of marriage? –
Monty H.
14. How do “family myths” help family culture? –Elena B.
Hallinan’s The Culture of the School
1. List and briefly describe the three (3) typical components of a school’s normative culture. –Mary
B. & Kelly G.
2. Describe the different normative cultures of Maplewood, Middle Brook, and Del Vista High
Schools as studied by Schneider and Stevenson (1999). What are the benefits or shortfalls of
their unique cultures? –Mary B.
3. What are some reasons that schools in the United States have been “paying closer attention to
the socializing function of education” rather than academic achievement? –Trisaunia A.
4. According to James Coleman’s research, how do student norms hinder academic achievement?
–Brittany O.
5. What does Emile Durkheim believe about the functions of school? –Haena K.
6. Durkheim said that the cultural norms and values of the dominant members of society are
embedded in the social practices and institutions of society. This is true for school as well. So, if
schools suffer from vandalism, student suicide, crime, student violence, and sexual abuse, would
concentrating efforts to fix schools resolve these problems, or should we work on assuaging the
community’s problems –first- in order to improve the schools? –Jillian B.
7. In what way does the normative culture of a school influence the socialization of students? –
Philip D.
8. In what ways do schools set norms regarding appropriate engagement in the community? –
Rebecca H.
9. How a student responds to the normative culture of a school depends largely on two factors.
What are these factors? Moreover, why is “limited deviation” from the normative culture of a
school actually beneficial to students? –Jessica Lane & Omari M.
Kozol’s The Shame of a Nation
1. If public schools are encouraged to do fund raisers for money, why did some inner city schools
make far less than Upper East Side Manhattan schools from the same fund raiser? –Marshall W.
2. Why are some libraries, arts, and nurses disappearing from public schools, especially in minority
neighborhoods? –Trisaunia A.
3. What is ironic about the student’s misspellings on page 321, and would Elizabeth’s letter have
the same affect on Dr. Kozol if it had perfect grammar? –Brittany O. & Monty H.
4. What are some factors/forces that affect the early education of low income children? –Zachary
T & Elena B.
5. “There is something deeply hypocritical in a society that holds an inner-city child only eight
years old “accountable” for her performance on a high stakes standardized exam but does not
hold the high officials of our government accountable for robbing her of what they gave their
own kids six or seven years before” –Jonathan Kozol . Please reflect and write down your own
thoughts about this paragraph. Do you agree or disagree with Dr. Kozol that our society is being
“hypocritical”? -Katie M.
6. Are standardized “high-stakes” tests valuable and even necessary, or do their disregard of
differentiating circumstances and intractable inequalities in public education make them
useless? Explain your opinion. –Simone L.
7. How does a school’s budget affect students and their learning? –Monica N.
8. On page 325 there is a quote by Marina Warner that states, “There are cheap children and there
are expensive children.” What does she mean by this? –Ashley F.
9. In what ways are educational inequalities inherited from one generation to the next? –Kelsey A.
10. Jonathan Kozol explained that political leaders in New York blamed the bad condition of schools
on the economy. What does Kozol believe is the true reason for the bad conditions of the
schools? –Nicole J.
11. “This would never happen to Whites!” Is residential segregation, and, by extension, racial
segregation in public schools the principal cause of inequalities in funding and in studentachievement? Explain your opinion. –Shirush C. & Joe
Durkheim’s The Meaning of Religion
1. What is the common characteristic of all known religions? Explain–Perry G.
2. Religious beliefs are not received individually by all the members of a group, but are something
belonging to a group, making its unity. What does this mean? Moreover, why does every
religion have a “church”? –Trisaunia A.
3. Describe the “sacred” and the “profane”. Why can they never approach each other? –Trisaunia
A.
4. Why, in all of human history, do we not find a single religion without a church? –Brittany O.
5. Emile Durkheim wrote that “the mind irresistibly refuses to allow the two corresponding things
(the sacred & profane) to be confounded, or even to be merely put in contact with each other.”
Why do men so desperately try to keep the two separate? –Jenessa L.
6. According to Emile Durkheim’s writing in The Meaning of Religion, what is the definition of a
church? –Kelsey A.
Withnow’s Religious Diversity in America
1.
What are two ways religion is beneficial to people? –Perry G.
2. What does ‘church’ mean in Durkheim’s meaning of religion? –Jacque M.
3. What is religious economics? What are the two predictions about open markets? –Jacque M.
4. How is religion comparable to an economy, and how can this explain the higher growth of some
religions compared to others? –Daniel H.
5. What do you think makes America have a higher religious participation rate than Europe? –
Daniel H.
6. What are the two predictions that the open market theory makes about new immigrants? –
Nicole J.
7. Why did religion flourish in America and other parts of the world in the 1970s but not in
Western Europe? –Trisaunia A.
8. When comparing the US and Western Europe, who was the “rule” and who was the “exception”,
and why? –Trisaunia A.
9. Why might countries in Western Europe be so secular? –Trisaunia A.
10. How do religions contribute to the good of society? –Brittany O.
11. Describe R. Stephen Warner’s “new paradigm.” –Brittany O.
12. What did Finke and Stark suggest about Kelley’s Observations? –Allie E.
13. Why does R. Stephen Warner believe that the secularization theory worked in Western Europe
but not in America? –Marshal W.
14. What is one of the arguments as to why so many Americans believe that all religions are true? –
Elena B. & Heidi O.
15. What’s the idea of a “religious marketplace,” and what does it (religious economics) entail? –
Haena K. & Ruvimbo C. & Amy O.
16. Economist Laurence Iannacone identified strictness as the secret to success in any competitive
religious market. In what terms did he identify this strictness? –Kelsey A.
Skocpol’s Government Programs and Social Cohesion
1.
Why are Social Security and Medicare the best examples of inclusive social programs? What do
these programs do? And what problems are facing these historically successful public initiatives?
–Chris H., Jacque M.
2. How do various programs such as Social Security, Medicare, G.I. Bill of 1944, etc. forge success
and “social unity” in American democracy? –Nicole J.
3. What is “welfare” and what is the current conflict surrounding it?–Allen S.
4. What can Americans now do to fashion social policies that would bring most of us together and
address social inequalities rather than fuel continuing partisan and racial conflicts? –Anna K.
5. Why have government health programs become less popular recently? –Monica N.
6. Why has some government welfare programs such as Social Security and Medicare survive while
others, such as Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), have failed or have been wholly
rejected? –Ruvimbo C.
7. In the most recent (2009/2010) “Health Care Debate,” there have been a lot mentioned about a
public option and its similarity to socialism. The fear, or rhetoric, is that a public option will lead
to the “destruction of core American values.” Ironically, many of the same people who oppose
the public option accept public schools, government health benefits for veterans, Medicare,
Medicaid, G.I. Bill, and Social Security. Are these programs really “different” from the proposed
public option in health care? Explain. –Ruvimbo C.
8. By way of social programs, the government provides benefits in exchange for one’s service(s) to
the community. Give an example of a government program that has this quid pro quo
requirement. Do you agree with this stipulation? Explain. –Jillian B.
9. What does the word “welfare queen” imply? What does it mean to you? –Kyle H.
10. How did the G.I. Bill of 1944 benefit the people who served in WWII? –Philip D.
11. What was the “Townsend Movement,” and what was the idea behind it? –Kelsey A.
12. What common factors do policy milestones such as Social Security, Medicare, and the G.I. Bill
share that have allowed them to be considered “among America’s finest achievements in social
policy”? –Brittany O. (Marshal W. & Allie E.)
13. Describe what is meant by the “missing middle”. –Mary B.
14. Why do conservatives blame liberalism for the welfare conundrum in America? –Elena B.
15. Explain the rationale of ‘support for service,’ and explain how it is incorporated into each of the
following policies:
(a) Veterans Benefits/The G.I. Bill
(b) Social Security
(c) Public Schools
(d) Programs for Mothers/Widows
-Brittany O.
16. Based on America’s history of successful social policy making, what is the best way to help less
privileged groups? –Brittany O.
17. “Those who serve the community (or are preparing to do so) deserve the nation’s succor in
return.” What does this mean, and do you agree? –Trisaunia A.
Karp’s American Culture: Individualism and Community
1. Give an example of how Americans thought society should give them “rights” without any
corresponding “responsibilities”? –Nicole J.
2. Is it possible to be individualistic, pursuing individualistic goals, caring about our own lives while
simultaneously caring for the welfare of others? Explain your answer. –Anna K.
3. What is the fate of American families now, and how is it a national problem? –Ruvimbo C.
4. What is the difference between individuality and communality? –Ruvimbo C.
5. If sociologists have concluded that self-fulfillment is found through community belonging, why
has American culture shifted into a world where people strive for individualism? –Megan N.
6. What is “cultural narcissism”? –Rebecca H.
7. What are some examples of the “we” society that America once had? How do these examples
contrast the “me” society of today? –Mary B.
8. Explain why those who are “searching for self” are “finding inspiration” in religions promoting
communitarian ideals? –Mary B.
9. “As a society, we cannot agree whether individuals ought to care for themselves, whether it is
primarily the family’s responsibility, or whether it is ultimately society’s duty to care for the less
fortunate.” Whose responsibility do you think it is to care for the less fortunate? –Kelsey A.
10. How did Christopher Lasch describe America in the 1980s, and what was the basis for his
description? –Elena B.
11. What is the individualism decried by Etzioni reflected in? –Megan S.
12. A group of sociologists who refer to themselves as communitarians say that the balance
between freedom and constraint, rights and responsibilities has fallen “dangerously out of
whack.” What reasons do they have to support this belief? –Brittany O.
13. Why would one be incorrect in stating that [in America] ideas about community and strict
mandates about obligations to others have disappeared? –Brittany O.
14. What does it mean to say that the fates of societies and families are intertwined, and why is this
an important concept to understand? –Brittany O.
15. “Americans’ conceptions of romantic love demonstrate our simultaneous yearnings for
connection and separation.” What does this mean? –Trisaunia A.
16. Competition comes with capitalism, but it has both positive and negative effects. Do the
positives of competition, “maintaining organizational efficiency and motivating individuals,”
outweigh the negative effects of putting individuals against each other, diminishing trust, and
generally dehumanizing relationships? Why? –Jenessa L. & Simone L. & Kelly E.
Zirakzadeh’s Social Movements and Social Change
1. Why was the new generation of social movement scholars mistrustful of “liberal-democratic”
policies, “free-market” economies, and the spread of capitalism around the world? –Nicole J.
2. What are some examples of social movements in the United States that have changed social
norms? –Monica N.
3. What is meant by the phrase “social movement”? –Anna K.
4. What are three (3) characteristics that make up social movements? –Jacque M.
5. How do social movements form? –Chris H.
Harper & Leicht’s American Social Trends
1. What are three (3) ways social change can be conceptualized? –Elena B. & Kyle H.
2. What are the five (5) structural trends that shape social change in the US? –Kelly E. & Kelsey A.
3. What does segmentation mean for social roles? - Brittany O.
4. What are cultural themes and how do they differ from structural trends? –Brittany O.
5. List and describe the five (5) cultural themes discussed in this reading. –Brittany O.
6. Define bureaucratic organization and give an example. –Mary B.
7. What is cultural pluralism? –Mary B.
8. What do structural trends deal with? Now, briefly explain three (3) cultural trends. –Simone L.
Questions from Dr. Vigilant’s Lectures
1.
What are the 3 main types of family life, and which one is most applicable to the post-modern
American Family? –Janice B. & April S.
2. Explain the two (2) forms of the nuclear family?–Matt B. & Ashley P.
3. Why are extended families so rare in America society? –S. Chand
4. What is the difference between polygamy, and polygyny, and polyandry? –Huston & Chris H.
5. What is an endogamous marriage, and how does it differ from an exogamous one? Which
marriage type, and why, fits your parents’ marriage? –Chris H. & Dr. Vigilant
6. What are the three (3) post-marriage residential patterns, and which one is most common in
India? Which one is most common in the United States? –Anonymous
7. List and explain the five types of marriages. –Perry G.
8. Sociologists Paulene Bart and Patricia O’Brien describe four (4) types of sexual interactions.
Briefly list and explain these four (4) forms. –Matt B.
9. Why is it ironic that women work, on average, 6% more than men? –Trisuania A. & Monica C.
10. Explain the four (4) types of sexual relationships according to Paulene Bart and Patricia O’Brian?
–Trisuania A., Chu Yi, & Emily B.
11. What is the “Covenant Marriage?” If Minnesota adopts a Covenant Marriage Law, would you
sign-up for one? Why or why not? –Dr. Vigilant & Sarah C.
12. Why does the propinquity concept make it highly unlikely that you will find your “soul mate”? –
Nicole T.
13. Children experience gender socialization in 6 ways. Name these six (6) ways and explain them
briefly. –Nicole J. & Chu Yi
14. Provide an explication of the three (3) systems of descent? –Shanna L
15. What is the concept of “education inflation”? And how do “credentialism” and education
inflation go together? –Sarah C. & Nathan D.
16. What are some factors explaining the high rates of divorce in American society? –Jeffrey M. &
Shellby Z. & Heidi O.
17. How does property tax-based school funding affect educational opportunities? -Brittany O.
18. What are the differences between the education in Gesellschaften and Gemeinschaften
societies? –Haena K. & Eric O.
19. List and explicate the five (5) social functions of education in society. –April S. & Megan S.
20. What did David Karp and William Yoels ‘discover’ about classroom participation in their 1976
study on the college classroom? –Daniel H.
21. Why do you think ‘passivity’ is the norm in the college classroom, and do you agree that it
should be? Why or why not? –Taylor H.
22. What are three (3) characteristics that all religions share? –Matt B.
23. What is the difference between Centripetal and Centrifugal religion? Give an example of each. –
Matt B. & Chris S.
24. According to Durkheim, religion serves several important functions for society, and one of these
social functions is social control. Explain how social control connects to religion? –Nicole J.
25. Explain the characteristics of a fundamentalist, and tell how the documentary Jesus Camp
embodies several of these features. –Nicole J. & Dr. V.
26. Social cohesion is the “social glue that binds us together.” What are some ways that religion
binds us together? –Trisaunia A.
27. How do “secular humanists” and “fundamentalists” differ? –Trisaunia A.
28. Religion doesn’t have cameras all over to monitor and control us. So how exactly does religion
“control” our behavior? –Trisaunia A.
29. Why did Durkheim believe that religion is eminently social? –Allie E. & Danae I.
30. The “Father” of sociology, Auguste Comte, saw religion as an embodiment of the most primitive
stage of human social and cognitive development. Comte had a theory on how religion affects
human progress. What is this theory? –Katie M.
31. In the metaphysical stage/period, how did human beings find answers to the problems of
society? –Katie M.
32. Religion is the “Opium of the masses” said Karl Marx. Why is religion ‘opium for the masses’?
And what class of society is most affected by this ‘drug’? –Katie M.
33. What are the five (5) characteristics of all religious fundamentalists? –Kylee U. & Amy O.
34. What are push and pull factors in migration? –Nicole J.
35. Explain the four (4) stages of the Demographic Transition Theory. Which stage would the United
States, Somalia, and China fall under, and why? –Nicole J., Katie W., & Krista O.
36. What is demography, and what are the four (4) variables of that comprise demographic
analyses? –Monica N. & Amy O.
37. What are the five (5) causes of mortality according to the Centers of Disease Control and
Prevention? –Zach T. & Heidi O.
38. Explain the concepts natural increase and natural decrease. What factors might explain why
much of Europe is experiencing the latter? And what is the other way a population might grow?
–Zach T. & Matt B.
39. What is the relationship between Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the Total Fertility Rate
(TFR)? –Megan N.
40. What is meant by the statement “Development is the best Contraceptive”? –Rebecca H.
41. What is the “replacement rate” in demographic analyses of fertility trends? –Mary B.
42. What did Thomas Malthus mean when he asserted that the earth has a definite “carrying
capacity”? Moreover, what did he predict would happen when world’s population exceeded the
earth’s “carrying capacity”? –Haena K.
43. What factors account for the fact that the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) in the United States (6.3
per 1000 live births) is approximately twice that of Japan’s (3.3 per 1000 live birth)? Why is the
mortality rate in Somalia (116 per 1000 live births) and Sierra Leone (160 per 1000 live births) so
high? –Trisaunia A.
44. What was Thomas Malthus’ idea of “geometric progression,” and what would eventually
happen if this concept was taken to ‘extremes’? –Kylee U.
45. How does society shape the health of people? –Nicole J.
46. What happens to the birth and death rates at each of the four (4) stages in the Demographic
Transition Theory? –Perry G.
47. What are the four (4) different types of social movements, what is each one about, and what are
some historic or contemporary examples of each? –Elena B.
48. What is Uganda’s “A-B-Cs” of HIV/AIDS, and why was it an unmitigated success in the global
fight to address the pandemic? –Trisaunia A. & Birittany O. & Matt B.
----Many Thanks for a Semester of Sagacious, Critical, & Perspicuous Questions!!!-----