Here are four possible “bundles of ideas” that will be the basis for the short essay questions. I will craft
questions for the exam from these bundles, and from these four you will get to choose three to complete. All
questions will be drawn from material from written and video course content.
These “bundles” are not exhaustive! In other words, you can’t write a satisfactory essay by simply knowing the
definitions of each term below. You will have to bring in a number of other related terms and concepts into your
essay in order to tell the "story" of each. Start preparing with a focused review of the relevant readings and
lecture videos. I suggest drafting some practice essays on each bundle just to see what connections you can
make on your own. It’s a good way to learn!
Successful short essays will: answer the entire prompt; introduce all relevant concepts; define those concepts;
show important connections between related concepts; be structured with an intro, body, and conclusion; and
provide ample, accurate detail, such as dates and names.
1) Social construction of gender; intersectionality; doing gender; social control
2) Moral panics; moral entrepreneurs; social change; what moral panics are “really about”
3) Religion; strategies of defining religion; elements of religion
4) Sick Role; medicalization; social control
Sample Solution