Sociology Unit 1

social structure

relatively stable pattern of social behavior

Sociology

the systematic study of human society

C. wright mills

used the Great Depression to illustrate the importance of social crisis as a prompt to view the world sociologically

global perspective

the study of the larger world and our society's place in it

The term sociology was coined in 1838 by: a. August Comte b. Karl Marx c. Herbert Spencer

A

Which sociologist, in a systematic way, linked the evidence the evidence of suicide to the degree of social integration of different categories of people? a. Emile Durkheim b. Max Weber c. Robert Merton d. Karl Marx

A

which of the following aspects of social life was used in class to illustrate the insights provided by the theoretical paradigms used by sociologists? a. sports b. war c. education d. family

A

Structural functional paradigm

A framework for building theory based on the assumption that society is a complex system whose parts work together to promote solidarity and stability

False

A major component of the sociological is the attempt to seek the particular in the general.

Low - income countries are described as: a. nations with little industrialization and severe poverty. b. Nations with limited natural resources and large populations. c. Nations with per capita incomes of less than $15, 000 d. nations with no industrialization and limited natural resources.

A or D

True

A theory is a statement of how and why specific facts are related.

False

African- American and females have a higher suicide rate than whites and males

Positivism

An approach to studying the world based on science.

True

Auguste Comte saw sociology as the product of a three- stage historical development, including the theological stage, the metaphysical stage, and the scientific stage.

Positivism is the idea that __________, rather than any other type of human understanding, is the path of the knowledge. a. human science b. science c. faith d. optimism e. common sense

B

Sociology first flowered as a discipline in which countries? a. USA & Canada b. France, Germany, England c. Russia and Poland d. Spain & Italy

B

Sometimes social structures can have undesirable consequences for the operation of society. Robert Merton called these: a. paradigms b. manifest functions c. latent functions d. social integration

B

The Pine Street Inn is: a. a state prison in California b. a homeless shelter in Boston where people can train for jobs c. a residence hall at Yale d. a location in NYC where sociologists meet to discuss social issues

B

Which of the following is not a reason global perspective is important: a. societies the world over a re increasingly interconnected. b. many of the problems we find in the US are not found elsewhere. c. thinking globally is a good way to learn more about ourselves. d. all of the above are reasons why a global perspective is so important.

B

A basic image of society that guides thinking and research is the definition a. a theoretical paradigm b. manifest functions c. social marginality d. positivism

C

Consequences of social structure which are largely unrecognized and unintended are called: a. paradigms b. manifest functions c. latent functions d. social integration

C

Learning to understand our individual lives in terms of the social forces that have shaped them is a state of mind that C. Wright Mills called: a. Science b. hypothesis testing c. sociological imagination d. perspective e. positivism

C

What is essential wisdom of Sociology? a. patterns in life are predestined b. society is essentially non patterned c. surrounding society affects our actions, thoughts, and feelings d. common sense needs to guide sociological investigations

C

Which of the following is a criticism of structural-functionalism? a. focuses too much attention on social conflict b. attends to questions concerning how life is experienced by individuals on a day to day basis while ignoring layer social structures c. tends to ignore inequalities which can generate tension and conflict d. Stresses the functional value of social change, while ignoring the integrative qualities of different social institutions.

C

Which of the following theoretical perspectives is best suited for analysis using a macro-level orientation? a. dramaturgical analysis b. social exchange theory c. symbolic - interactionalist paradigm d. ethnomethodology e. social- conflict paradigm

E

Sociology is not involved in stereotyping because: a. sociology makes generalizations about categories of people, not streotypes b. sociologists base their generalizations on research c. sociologists strive to be fair- minded d. all of the above e. none of the above

D

The sociological perspective involves seeing the strange in the familiar. Which of the following best provides the essential meaning of this phrase? a. Sociology interprets social life primarily relying on common sense. b. Sociologists believe intuition rather than logic is the preferred way to study sociology. c. Sociologists focus on the bizarre behaviors that occur in society. d. Sociologists work to avoid the assumption that human behavior is simply a matter of what people decide to do.

D

Two founders of sociology who had radically different views on society one more conservative and focused on society as a science, the other more critical and focused on change - were: a. Mills and Merton b. Addams amd Blau c. Durkheim and Merton d. Comte and Marx

D

Which of the following is/are identified as situations that stimulate sociological thinking? a. encountering people who are different from us b. social marginality c. social crisis d. all of the above e. none of the above

D

did not see sociology as a dry, academic discipline. on the contrary, he wanted to apply sociology to solving the pressing problems of his tome (1868 - 1963), especially racial inequality. a. Karl Marx b. Auguste Comte c. Herbert Spencer d. W. E. B. Du Bois

D

According to Auguste Comte, the key to understanding society was to look at: a. using common sense b. using intuition c. theologically d. metaphysically e. scientifically

E

In the "village of 100" which of the following continents is represented by more than half of the villages residents? a. Europe b. Africa c. North America d. South America e. Asia

E

Integration

Emile Durkheim reasoned that variation in suicide rates between different categories of people had to with social

False

Emile Durkheim's research on suicide illustrates the point that not all aspects of social life can be meaningful using the sociological perspective.

True

Encountering people who are different, social marginality, and social disruption are identified as factors that prompt people to view the world sociologically

False

Latent functions refer to social processes which appear on the surface to be functional for society, but which are actually detrimental.

False

Positivism is an approach to understanding the world based on metaphysics.

True

The discipline of sociology first emerged in Europe during the 19th century.

True

The middle-income countries of the world are primarily found in Latin America, Eastern Europe, and much of southern Africa

True

The symbolic - interactionist paradigm presents society less in terms of abstract generalizations and more as everyday experiences.

False

The symbolic- interaction and social - conflict paradigms both operate from a micro- level orientation.

Social conflict paradigm

a framework for building theory that sees society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and change

stereotype

an exaggerated description applied to every person in some category

Middle income countries

nations with limited industrialization and moderate personal income

latent functions

the largely unrecognized and unintended consequences of social structure