scenario 1:
- Sociologists often interpret social life from major theoretical frameworks. Describe the major points of Symbolic Interactionism, identify at least one sociologist associated with the theory, and explain at least one theoretical shortcoming.
- Do you tend to place more value on qualitative or quantitative research? Why? Does it matter what topic you are studying?
- Describe the term “hypothesis.” Explain the role the independent and dependent variables play in creating a hypothesis.
- Define and describe the concepts of ethnocentrism and culture shock. Explain the role ethnocentrism can play in experiencing culture shock.
- Explain Marx’s ideas on false consciousness and class consciousness. What examples of these concepts do you see in society today?
Scenario 2:
- Do you think resocialization requires a total institution? Why, or why not? Can you think of any other ways someone could be resocialized?
- What did Stanley Milgram seek to test in his experiments at Yale University? Do you think that the findings would be similar if the study were conducted today? Why or why not? What are the ethical concerns of the study?
- Do an internet research on the concepts of “Gemeinschaft” and “Gesellschaft.” Explain the difference between the concepts. Are these concepts relative to the world we live in today? Support your answers with examples.
- Describe the four tenets of Hirschi’s Control Theory. What keeps the majority of people in our culture to be law abiding rather than deviant? Give several examples to support your explanation.
- Compare how a functionalist would view the issue of digital surveillance with a conflict perspective viewpoint.
Sample Solution