Sociology 1 Final Review

Suppose you are on an overseas trip with friends and prefer homestays to hotel rooms. At one homestay, the hosts invite you to dinner, serving up a meal of couscous, steamed vegetables, and roast dog. You are uncomfortable with the inclusion of dog meat on the menu, in large part because you grew up with a dog as a beloved pet. You recognize that these disparate understandings of dog as meat versus dog as pet are a case of differences in

assigned meanings.

Suppose you are part of a research team stationed in Uganda to do sociological surveys. You are there with your same-sex spouse of eight years. In Uganda, homosexuality was criminalized in 2009 and is currently punishable by life imprisonment. Attitudes in the country are not favorable toward homosexuality, but you have not experienced difficulties in daily life. As you begin the write-up of your research, you are especially aware of the scholarly need to

avoid letting your own beliefs about same-sex relationships enter your writing.

The case of a young girl named Genie is the most carefully documented and well-studied instance of what happens to a child who does not experience adequate contact with other people during infancy and childhood. Genie was locked in a room alone for nearly 13 years and never developed language skills the way most children do. Obviously, this is a story in part of severe parental neglect, but it also provides insight into whether abilities like language are innate. Fundamentally, this case about a feral child is about whether

biology or socialization shapes human behavior.

While today the phrase "mass media" might bring to mind a cable TV network or a print publication with hundreds of thousands of subscribers, the earliest mass media were

books

In his interview with Dalton Conley, Jeffery Sachs highlights many social, structural, ecological, and historical aspects of global inequality, with a focus on Africa. For many countries the way out of poverty, disease, and economic stagnation is through development of natural resources. As a result, which of the following issues might be least likely to be embraced by African nations?

climate change

When children who speak languages other than English at home attend public schools in the United States, they not only are expected to learn and use academic English, they also are exposed to and expected to act in accordance with rules such as waiting in line to go through the lunch line and sitting in the cafeteria to eat lunch. When these children go home, they speak with their family in their shared language and follow different practices regarding shared meals. Moving between these different settings, these children grow adept at

code switching.

Kalani has busy summers planned for her daughters. They take music lessons, play on soccer and basketball teams, and attend summer school classes. This summer schedule is an example of

concerted cultivation.

In the United States, media ownership is

consolidated in the hands of a few big companies.

In the "Sociological Conversations" video, Allison Pugh discusses how parents in very different socioeconomic strata decide on whether to purchase the current popular toy for their children. She introduces us to the ideas of symbolic indulgence and deprivation. Families choosing which toys to purchase for children are participating in

consumer culture

Robert Cornelius took a self-portrait on a daguerreotype in 1839, which is believed to be the first American portrait, but it wasn't until the 2000s that "selfie" became a word: It was the Oxford English Dictionary's word of the year in 2013. The gap between the first instance of self-portraiture by camera and the proliferation of the term "selfie" more than a century later is an (extreme) example of

cultural lag

Every year, as many as 20,000 devotees of Harley Davidson motorcycles convene in Sturgis, South Dakota. Their numbers frequently overwhelm nearby towns and cities, including the Mt. Rushmore National Monument. For some tourists visiting the monument at that time, the cultural collision with tattooed and long-haired bikers might be jarring. For the tourist who thinks like a sociologist, such an encounter is an opportunity to observe a different group of people by applying

cultural relativism.

Your friend Jerome tells you that he believes culture is an innate biological aspect of human societies. Having already taken an introductory sociology class, you disagree, arguing that modes of behavior and understanding are not universal or natural. You give the example of the disagreement between indigenous Americans and colonial Europeans about whether land was something that could be owned. You are trying to illustrate the idea of

cultural scripts.

In the book, we are presented with a mobility table (Table 7.2). As you look at this table, you can begin to see what happens to the sons: The rate of occupational change is surprisingly low. The sons largely wind up in the same occupational category as the fathers. One of the conclusions from the mobility table analysis suggests that

despite the American belief that we live in the land of opportunity, mobility rates have declined significantly in the past decades.

Sociology is distinct from other academic disciplines in its attempt to

detect patterns in how different societies respond to similar phenomena.

Using the sociological imagination helps sociologists (and students of sociology)

develop the ability to see the connections between our own personal experience and the larger forces of history.

North Korea has been ruled for more than 50 years by a single powerful family, with the citizenry, as best as can be determined, is highly regimented in daily life, without access to outside information, and suffering frequent famine. Sociologically speaking, the leadership of North Korea is

dominating

Jamar enters a clothing store and a security guard immediately notices him and follows his actions on a security monitor. Jamar is aware of the security guard's actions and adjusts his own behavior to avoid a potential confrontation. This is a contemporary example of which sociological concept developed at the turn of the twentieth century?

double consciousness

A friend of yours has invited you to a big social event. Knowing you might meet people who could offer you a job after graduation, you polish your shoes, buy a new outfit, and practice introducing yourself and explaining the insights you've gained during college, all in the hopes of making a strong professional impression. In sociological terms, you're preparing to present yourself as a young professional, in accordance with

dramaturgical theory.

In responding to surveys asking them to rank various occupations by status, people place more emphasis on the __________ of the position than the position's __________.

educational requirements; income level

Consider outgoing president Dwight D. Eisenhower's 1961 farewell address, in which he forewarned of the rise of the "military-industrial complex" which had the potential for a "disastrous rise of misplaced power." Eisenhower's position critiques the __________ system.

elite-mass dichotomy

In 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the state of Michigan's ban on affirmative action. In a passionate dissent, Justice Sonya Sotamayor argued that the law placed an undue burden on racial and ethnic minority students not faced by other applicants. What type of equality was Justice Sotamayor arguing in favor of?

equality of condition

Which of the following standards of equality was key to the arguments of civil rights leaders in the 1960s?

equality of outcome

At the outset of U.S. history, eligible voters were white property owners or very wealthy. The gradual inclusion of African Americans, women, and other groups took a long time. More recently, voter ID laws have become popular. Many would argue that such laws restricting who can vote are an extension of this long history, which is largely what kind of stratification system?

estate

The process of choosing a urinal in a men's restroom may seem simple, but there is an underlying, implicit protocol that has actually been studied. In what has been termed "piss stance," one researcher found that the unspoken rule was to always ensure a "buffer zone" of at least one "open" urinal between yourself and another person. Being an intrepid sociologist, you have decided to see what happens when this protocol is ignored. In doing so, you are practicing

ethnomethodology.

Offshore outsourcing is a popular industry approach to reduce costs. Recent outsourcing has been of white-collar jobs, such as computer systems design. What cannot be outsourced are low-paying service-sector jobs: baristas, wait staff, and the like. The swapping of manufacturing jobs with service sector jobs domestically is an example of what kind of mobility?

exchange mobility

Which of the following is an example of an application of midrange theory?

exploring the role of churches in maintaining community ties rural areas

Allison is concerned with the subtle messages that her niece receives from her kindergarten teacher about suitable careers. For example, picture books read in class portray women as nurses and secretaries but the doctors and engineers in the books are male. Allison's concerns reflect what kind of theoretical perspective?

feminist

Another early sociological writer, Harriet Martineau, wrote a book in 1838 that examined the institution of marriage and challenged assumptions about women's inferiority. In this respect, Martineau espoused what kind of theoretical position in her sociological writing?

feminist

A theoretical perspective most popular in the mid-twentieth century held that social realities such as the roles that men and women play in heterosexual couples or the existence of inequality could be explained by the necessary purpose they served in society. What was this theoretical perspective?

functionalism

In her interview with Dalton Conley, C. J. Pascoe talks about the ways in which boys in high school police the boundaries of masculinity, specifically by using the term "fag." What is at stake is not sexual orientation, but gender norms regarding what is perceived as "masculine." In 2010, Billy Lucas, a 15-year-old high school student, hung himself after repeatedly being called a "fag" by his peers for "looking different." Lucas's peers were enforcing norms based on

gender-role socialization.

The battle over bathroom access for transgender Americans is expressed through their use of hashtags such as #WeJustNeedtoPee on social media. In making this statement, these individuals are expressing their desire to use bathrooms that correspond to their

gender.

Facebook surpassed 1 billion monthly active users in 2012, and that number has continued to climb. Facebook wasn't the first social media site, of course; it had to compete with earlier sites such as Friendster and MySpace. Today, though, Facebook is many people's default way of staying in touch with family, friends, and colleagues through messages, posts, likes, and event invitations. Widespread reliance on the site is a good example of

hegemony

The classification of homosexuality as a deviant personality type by the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association, which was only changed in 1973, as well as the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2003 decriminalizing homosexual sex, both reflect Michel Foucault's assertion that

homosexuality appears as the result of the state and the medical profession's interests in asserting their power.

Climate change has evoked a politically polarized debate in the United States. For many, the cause and effect relationship between human activity and climate change seems obvious based on the science available. For others, such a claim seems ludicrous. While it may seem that climate change is a matter of science, underlying the disagreement are attachments to opposing

ideologies

If you were to tell someone that you were conducting breaching experiments, you would be telling them that you were intentionally

ignoring social norms to see what happens.

According to George Herbert Mead's stages of development, children first start to learn to recognize an "other" through

imitation

Suppose you have a good friend who has done well as after college. His work in telecommunications helped him land him a job with a six-figure salary last year. He lives in a tiny apartment in the suburbs and keeps his money in a checking account. In addition, he lives off a credit card, and he still has $50,000 in college loans. Your friend is in the category of people considered to have high

income

One of the challenges faced by many colleges and universities is binge drinking on campus. Imagine you are tasked with developing solutions to this problem. Thinking sociologically, you suggest that it would useful to understand the meaning placed on the parties where binge drinking happens, so solutions are based on a deeper understanding of the experience itself. Your approach relies on the methodology of

interpretive sociology

Feminists argue that gender matters because

it structures social relations between people.

Getting ready to go out on a first date with someone she first contacted through a dating app, Jada tries on a dress and stilettos. Then, remembering that the person mentioned liking sporty women, Jada reconsidered and changed into shorts and a tank top. Jada's wardrobe change illustrates what social theory?

looking-glass self

Marta decides to conduct comparative research for her dissertation on the effects of demographic policies on population growth and decline in China and Russia. Which type of sociology is this?

macrosociology

In 2011, a Toronto police officer said, during a crime prevention talk, that "women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized." The idea that women are supposed to dress within a particular set of (largely unspoken) social boundaries, and thereby avoid being called "sluts," speaks to the

maintenance of a gender order.

Observing and analyzing the conversations patients have with their doctors or the interactions of catcallers and women walking down the street is the approach of what kind of sociology?

microsociology

In her interview with Dalton Conley, Paula England highlights the changing gender dynamics of relationships for college students. England's research found that students hook up rather than date, and that when they do, "something sexual happens" (which may or may not be intercourse). In contrast, dating has a very different meaning than hooking up, with the expectation that it might mean a relationship, and that it is

monogamous.

Marissa Mayer was appointed the CEO of Yahoo Corporation in July 2012. While she did not become not the highest paid CEO in the United States, her position suggests that

more women are able to break the glass ceiling.

Whether Muslim women veil themselves, especially in countries such as the United States and France, is often a controversial topic. Sociological research has found that while some women choose to veil for religious reasons, others may take up the veil because they are motivated to claim their Muslim identity in the face of anti-Muslim sentiment. These different interpretations of the import of veiling illustrates how meaning is subjective. This emphasis on differences in subjective interpretations, in turn, is characteristic of

postmodernism

Certain ideals about women's appearance are highly valued in the United States, such as thinness, muscular definition, and blemish-free skin. Reflection theory suggests that this obsession in our culture with the "perfect female body" emerges from our social structures and shapes the kinds of relationships we seek and value: we want to be around people who meet this standard of perfection. That is, the culture of women's bodies is a result of our own proclivities, and not a result of how women are depicted in the media. The primary difficulty with this idea is that it

presumes culture is a one-way process.

Some businesses in the United States, especially food-service establishments, will post signs that read, "No shirt, no shoes, no service." These signs

reinforce a cultural norm.

As a budding sociologist, you decide to study American politics by attending presidential caucuses. You identify as a liberal independent, but you are interested in the process from different perspectives. Your first stop is at a caucus for Republican candidates. Everyone in the audience is passionate about their beliefs, and you find yourself swept up in the process, reacting against ideas that you see as extreme. In developing the paper discussing your study results, what is one of the challenges you in particular must overcome to produce an unbiased study?

remembering that everyone, including you, is inculcated into systems of beliefs that influence thinking and perceptions

As a mother, Linda sometimes feels torn. Most of the time she focuses on being loving and supportive, but sometimes she needs to be firm to discipline her children. These opposing expectations are an example of

role strain.

The decision to marry is a major life step. Contemporary Americans do so with certain cultural expectations: that our partner will love and care for us, will share the duties of managing a household (nowadays, fairly equally and regardless of gender), and will support us in our lives when problems arise at work or with other family members. These expectations of a spouse are an example of

roles

The model family in the 1950s in America was a happy, simple one. Mom stayed home and raised the kids, and Dad went to work and made a good living. Even the dog was happy. In this nuclear family model, we can clearly see the structure of

sex role theory.

A television ad campaign for a new toy starts playing nationwide in late October. Within weeks, big box retailers are selling out of the toy as parents prepare for the holidays. This response is an example of a

short-term, intended media effect.

When fears of contagious diseases such as avian flu and ebola arise, public health officials encourage people to replace greetings involving close contact (handshakes, hugs) with an elbow bump. This change in greetings represents a shift in

social norms

At a friend's housewarming, you meet a young engaged couple from India. They tell you that their relationship was arranged when they both very young (she was 12, he was 14). They seem happy with this arrangement, but you're taken aback. The couple's comfort with the arrangement, as well as your initial discomfort, are examples of

socialization.

Which of the following is an example of nonmaterial culture?

spirituality

One of your closest friends works as a repair technician for an elevator company, and she earns a six-figure salary. While at a social event together, you overhear a conversation in which your friend is jokingly dismissed as a "common laborer" and a "member of the proletariat." The people making these remarks are rudely evaluating your friend based on what?

status hierarchy

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the United States undertook the internment of all people of Japanese ancestry living in the United States. The government stated that this action was to protect national security. Many of those sent to these internment camps were U.S. citizens, with parents or grandparents born in Japan. This action relied on the use of

stereotypes

In his interview with Dalton Conley, Jeffrey Sachs notes that providing women in Africa with free birth control has been suggested as a way to speed up a demographic transition by reducing

stratification.

Suppose someone you know from college came from a small town in the country, where his parents operate a farm. He graduated when you did and now holds a job in retail selling clothing. From a sociological standpoint, your classmate has experienced what kind of mobility?

structural mobility

Skateboarding is a popular youth pastime. Within the activity, there are distinct variations on how it's done, and the skating lexicon can vary by place. In addition, skateboarders have distinctive gear, like skate shoes designed to provide grip and durability. All this sets skaters apart as a kind of

subculture

A researcher spends time with small organic farmers on their land and at market in order to understand their particular subculture, noting the brands of work clothes they prefer; their conversations about hoop houses, compost, and aquaponics; and the nonverbal greetings they give other drivers on rural roads. This focus reflects which approach to research?

symbolic interactionism

For a research project in an introductory sociology course, a student decides to compare how magazines created for women cover health and beauty topics versus career and professional topics in. This student is conducting

textual analysis.

In her interview with Dalton Conley, Annette Lareau discusses the work found in her book, Unequal Childhoods, and gives numerous examples of the ways in which different parenting strategies play out in the home, and the results of those different strategies. Socioeconomic class differences (middle-class, working-class, and poor) figure prominently into the results, and she notes that the success of the child often hinges upon the knowledge and acceptance that what matters is

that children enter institutions, and institutions have rules.

A surgeon recommends surgery to make the genitals of an intersex infant conform to an ideal of normal genitalia. A sociologist might view the doctor's recommendation as a result of

the belief in a binary sex system.

According to sociologist Jennifer Pierce's research on gender disparities in the legal field, trial lawyers perform masculine emotional labor, using aggression, intimidation, and manipulation, behavior which is often deemed inappropriate ("bitchy") when enacted by female litigators. What social fact does this help us understand?

the discrepancy between women's representation among law school and their representation among partners at law firms

Which of the following is an example of soft power?

the expansion of American corporations into new global markets

In 2013, 32 mentally disabled workers at a turkey-processing plant in Iowa were awarded $240 million dollars in damages and back wages. The workers had been forced to work despite illness or injuries, were denied bathroom breaks, locked in their rooms, and worse. This kind of modern-day slavery, which, sadly, is not uncommon, is an example of what sociological concept?

the master-slave dialectic

The Chicago School of Sociology emphasized the importance of

the social environment in shaping people's behavior and personality.

Which of the following is an example of using one's sociological imagination?

understanding that the divorce of one's parents is part of a larger societal trend toward marriage dissolution

Sociologist Allison Pugh researched consumer culture and socioeconomic class differences through parental purchases for children. In their relationship with their children, low-income parents tended to strive for symbolic indulgence, while high-income parents tended toward symbolic deprivation. Both of these approaches are an attempt to ensure that kids "fit in" at school, indicating that parents of all classes shy away from difference. These actions reflect

values

Nonmaterial culture includes

values, beliefs, behaviors, and social norms.

Which of the following is an example of recognizing the "generalized other"?

A child is taught to hold the door for her parents or siblings when they are carrying something into the house. While at the mall, she holds the door for a stranger leaving the mall who is carrying several bags.

Which of the following scenarios involves the use of peer pressure?

A college sophomore is afraid to report a sexual assault because she believes her sorority sisters will ostracize her.

Resocialization would be most likely to occur in which of the following situations?

An American woman who takes a full-time job in Saudi Arabia after graduating from college ends up marrying a local man.

Sociology emerged in the nineteenth century, with the idea of a secular morality from what thinker?

Auguste Comte

Match each early thinker with his or her contribution to sociology. a. Science can be used to predict human behavior. b. Class conflict drives social change. c. The division of labor has social and moral consequences. d. Sociologists must understand the meaning people attach to their actions. e. This thinker translated the work of Comte into English and wrote the first book on sociological method. f. African Americans have to live their lives with an eye toward how racially prejudiced others perceive them. g. This thinker developed formal definitions for small and large groups.

Harriet Martineau - Choice E Émile Durkheim- Choice C W. E. B. DuBois- Choice F Max Weber- Choice D Auguste Comte- Choice A Karl Marx- Choice B Georg Simmel- Choice G

How did the economic boom that followed World War II contribute to a blurring of the lines between the middle class and the working class?

Higher wages for working-class whites gave these individuals greater access to markers of a middle-class lifestyle, such as home ownership, a college education for their children, and more leisure activities.

Same-sex marriage is now legal in all U.S. states, and the number of people marrying those of the same sex has skyrocketed, with such couples becoming more visible in society. In Brazil, the travesti take on distinctly female characteristics, yet declare themselves as men and have penetrative sex with men who appear exclusively as male. How do these two different examples help describe the difference between homosexuality and homosexual behavior?

Homosexuality is a certain social identity, whereas homosexual behavior is an activity that is not necessarily tied to a social identity.

What has the pattern in income growth among low-, middle-, and high-income earners in the United States over the past 30 years looked like?

Income growth for high-income individuals has far outpaced that of middle- and low-income individuals.

Of the following social theorists, whose ideas about private property and social conflict could be said to align most closely with those of Karl Marx?

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

The contemporary social movement with the slogan "Fight for 15" seeks a $15 minimum wage and unionization. This attempt to mobilize and make gains for workers can be viewed as in line with the view of the social world of which classical sociological theorist?

Karl Marx

Rather than complaining about "kids these days," 52-year-old Professor Cathy Small enrolled as an undergraduate at a large university in an attempt to better understand the college experience of her students. She published her findings in the book, My Freshman Year (under the pen name of Rebekah Nathan). This research is in line with the methodology developed by which of the following early sociologists?

Max Weber

Why do the three partners who own a small graphic design business fit into what Erik Olin Wright calls contradictory class locations?

The fact that they own their own business puts them in the capitalist class, but they do not control the labor of others.

A group of people is waiting to be helped at a customer service desk in a store. A woman in the waiting area suddenly clears her throat and spits on the floor. Everyone else in the room is taken aback and gives her horrified looks. How can this reaction be explained in sociological terms?

The woman who spit on the floor is not conforming to social norms that are shared by the other people in the room.

Tina believes that inequality is necessary to keep the earth's population in check. Her view is most consistent with the views of which theorist?

Thomas Malthus

Which of the following American sociologists applied Émile Durkheim's theory of anomie to explain crime rates among African Americans?

W. E. B. DuBois

Which one of the following is an example of using cultural relativism to think about cultural differences?

You see a news story about a country where people often eat spicy seafood dishes in the morning, and you reason that their long coastline and hot climate provide easy access to both seafood and hot peppers.

In India, a system of stratification persists, partially because it was exploited by British colonialism to persistently divide the people. This division of society into four main groups (Brahaman, Kshathriya, Vaishyas, and Shudra) is an example of

a caste system.

The chapter notes that Duke University has changed its name twice and yet people accept that it remains the same institution, while the tobacco company Philip Morris changed its name to Altria in an attempt to shake its negative reputation as a cigarette manufacturer and remake itself into a different institution. These two examples highlight the idea of social identity as

a collection of individual stories told between people.

Which of the following is an example of a total institution?

a convent

Since 1970, the U.S. Census Bureau reports that there has been about an 8 percent jump in the number of male nurses. A pay disparity also exists, with male nurses being paid about 20 percent more than their female counterparts. This change in gender balance in this profession seems counter to the idea that

a female-dominated profession is the result of fewer men entering the field, with the corresponding increase in women in that field.

Think about your own experience of going to school. More than simply "what you learned in school today," much of our lives in the United States are shaped by that entire experience: what we choose to wear, with whom we make friends, whom we avoid, and how we respond to authority figures, whether teachers or preachers or police. Overall, our experience of school is

a major part of socialization.

What is defined as a complex group of interdependent positions that, together, perform a social role and reproduce themselves over time?

a social institution

When you board an airplane, the boarding order generally starts with first class passengers, and then makes its way down to the coach class. Imagine you are boarding an aircraft, and you are in coach class. As you search for a place to store your luggage, you notice that the people in first class are already being served free wine and snacks. This an example of

a status hierarchy.

Some Enlightenment thinkers felt that individuals preserving current resources and transforming them into assets was a good thing for society. Part of the thinking was that this opportunity would encourage individuals to work to build up society. In the eyes of the Enlightenment thinkers, this system

acceptably fosters inequality through the emergence of private property.

In her interview with Dalton Conley, Julia Adams talks about the differences between sociology and history. As a self-identified historical comparative sociologist, Adams makes the point that sociologists are less concerned with uniqueness than they are with commonalities. Consider Henry the VIII of England during the mid-1500s. Henry's succession of marriages (six wives in all) is often seen as a unique case. Six wives is a lot by the norms of many European societies. A sociologist, however, might well look at it by considering the ways in which Henry's marriages

affected religious life in England then, with ramifications that continue through the present.

Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique championed women's right to work in the early 1960s. But for many black feminists, Friedan's book ignored thousands of working women by suggesting that

all women experience oppression in the same way.

In India, there is an elaborate system of social classification called the caste system. This has existed for thousands of years, and still dictates, to a great extent, the social and economic status of an individual. A person's caste is an example of

an ascribed status.

Thinking like a sociologist" means that you

apply analytical tools to the things you've always done without much conscious thought in the past