Exam 1

Question 1

What is Durkheim’s normative theory of suicide?

Answer 1

How social integration (interaction) and social regulation (norms) are causes of suicide.

Question 2

What is social integration?

Answer 2

Interaction- how well one is integrated into their social group/community.

Question 3

What is social regulation?

Answer 3

Norms- the number of rules guiding one’s daily life.

Question 4

What are the four types of suicide?

Answer 4

Altruistic suicide, egoistic suicide, anomic suicide, fatalistic suicide

Question 5

What is altruistic suicide?

Answer 5

Occurs when one experiences too much social integration

Question 6

What is egoistic suicide?

Answer 6

Occurs when one is not integrated enough into a social group

Question 7

What is anomic suicide?

Answer 7

Occurs as a result of too little social regulation

Question 8

What is fatalistic suicide?

Answer 8

Occurs when there is too much social regulation

Question 9

What is sociology?

Answer 9

The study of human society

Question 10

Who coined the term “sociology?”

Answer 10

Auguste Comte

Question 11

What are the main characteristics of sociology?

Answer 11

Study of members of a group, systematic patterns, individual outcomes as consequences of greater social forces, macro-structures and micro-level interactions

Question 12

What is social imagination?

Answer 12

The ability to connect between personal issues and social forces

Question 13

Who coined the term “social imagination?”

Answer 13

C. Wright Mills

Question 14

What is social structure?

Answer 14

Stable patterns of social relations

Question 15

What are the different levels of social structures?

Answer 15

Microstructures (intimate social relation), macrostructures (social relations outside your circle of intimates), global structures (international organizations)

Question 16

What are the 4 major theoretical traditions of sociology?

Answer 16

Functionalism, conflict theory, symbolic interactionism, and feminist theory (including patriarchy)

Question 17

What is functionalism?

Answer 17

Theory suggests all social institutions have a function/serve a purpose for society, shared values

Question 18

What is conflict theory?

Answer 18

Theory that suggests groups in society are in a constant state of conflict as they vie for access to limited resources, inequality and change

Question 19

What is symbolic interactionism?

Answer 19

Interpreting symbols encountered in interactions, symbols carry meanings

Question 20

What is feminism?

Answer 20

Focus on the patriarchy, how society is stratified by gender and how gender shapes a person’s social experience

Question 21

What are the main criticisms of functionalism?

Answer 21

It’s hard to explain social change, disregarding historical process

Question 22

What are the main criticisms of conflict theory?

Answer 22

The driving force also involves politics and religion

Question 23

What are the main criticisms of symbolic interactionism?

Answer 23

It neglects larger social institutions and social processes, neglects powerful issues of stability and change

Question 24

Who are the major proponents in functionalism?

Answer 24

Emile Durkheim and Robert Merton

Question 25

Who are the major proponents in conflict theory?

Answer 25

Karl Marx, W.E.B. Dubois, and Max Weber

Question 26

Who are the major proponents in symbolic interactionism?

Answer 26

George Herbert Mead and Erving Goffman

Question 27

Who is the major proponent in feminism?

Answer 27

Harriet Martineau

Question 28

What is manifest function?

Answer 28

Intended and easily observed

Question 29

What is latent function?

Answer 29

Unintended and less obvious

Question 30

What is dysfunction?

Answer 30

Disruptive consequences

Question 31

What are research methods?

Answer 31

Approaches that social scientists use for investigating the answers to questions

Question 32

What is a deductive approach to research?

Answer 32

Starts with a theory, then developing a hypothesis, making empirical observations, then analyzing the data

Question 33

What is an inductive approach to research?

Answer 33

Starting with an empirical observation, then working to form a theory

Question 34

What is a hypothesis?

Answer 34

Proposed relationship between two variables

Question 35

What is the independent variable?

Answer 35

The cause

Question 36

What is the dependent variable?

Answer 36

The effect/outcome

Question 37

What is participant observation?

Answer 37

A qualitative method that seeks to observe social actions in practice

Question 38

What is an interview?

Answer 38

A qualitative data gathering technique through asking questions

Question 39

What is a survey?

Answer 39

An ordered series of questions intended to elicit info from respondents

Question 40

What is experimentation?

Answer 40

Seeks to alter the social world in a very specific way , often involves comparisons to a control group that did not experience such an intervention

Question 41

What are historical methods?

Answer 41

Collecting existing documents from written reports, newspapers, etc. that date back to the period under study

Question 42

What is content analysis?

Answer 42

A systematic analysis of the content rather than the structure of a communication (a subtype of historical methods)

Question 43

What is comparative research?

Answer 43

Two or more entities are compared to learn about the dimension that differs

Question 44

What are the main ethical issues for sociological research?

Answer 44

Researchers have to respect their subject's rights to safety, privacy, confidentiality, and informed consent