Exam 1: Sociology and the Real World

Describe the main features of postmodern social theory and explain both positive and negative reactions to postmodernism.

A researcher spends years conducting fieldwork with an indigenous tribe in Papua New Guinea and has a difficult time reacclimating to Western society when he returns to it. He uses the experience of returning home to view his own society from an outsider's perspective and learn something new about it. Which sociological concept best exemplifies the experience of this researcher?

What ideas did Harriet Martineau support that were radical for her time?

Structural functionalism attempts to explain the social world by examining social structures, which perform functions that contribute to the stability of society as a whole. What are some of the types of functions that social structures can perform?

According to Émile Durkheim, what was the basis for the bonds created through mechanical solidarity in traditional societies?

What school of social theory believes that society is a stable system of structures that contribute to the equilibrium of the whole?

Why do structural functionalists argue that dysfunction tends to create social change?

Which social theorist sought to bring the scientific method to the discipline of sociology?

Classical sociological theory arose in the nineteenth century in the aftermath of the American and French revolutions and during the Industrial Revolution. Summarize how the theories of Karl Marx, Émile Durkheim, and Max Weber all reflect a concern for the consequences of modern life.

According to Erving Goffman's theory of dramaturgy, why might you dress differently for a date than you would for a sociology class?

According to Karl Marx, what is the relationship between the economy and other parts of society, including intellectual, religious, and political life?

The sociological perspective, as a way of thinking about the world, includes the concepts of sociological imagination from C. Wright Mills, beginner's mind from Bernard McGrane, and culture shock from anthropology. Define each concept in your own words and then explain what all three of these concepts have in common.

Symbolic interactionism was established by

How do sociologists observe society?

What is a weakness of the sociological approach?

If you were feeling very generous to shoe manufacturers, you might argue that the manifest function of the production of newer and more expensive athletic shoes is to increase athletic performance. For a moment, let's not be generous. Explain another manifest function of the appearance of new athletic shoes and at least two latent functions.

Karl Marx thought intellectuals should engage in praxis, which meant that they should

Critical race theory is associated with which of the major theoretical perspectives or schools of thought in sociology?

Max Weber believed that society became increasingly rationalized as the Industrial Revolution progressed. How did he define rationalization?

What is the term used to describe sociological research that is intended to solve social problems, such as the research done by Jane Addams?