SHORT ANSWERS - DOKO 1

Question 1

[Compare and contrast individualism and the sociological perspective. ]

Begin by defining individualism

Answer 1

Individualism
» privileges the individual over the group
» supports the ideas that one’s choices determine their destiny
» believes autonomy, independence and self-reliance are natural.

Question 2

[Compare and contrast individualism and the sociological perspective. ]

list two aphorisms that demonstrate individualistic thinking.

Answer 2

“Think for yourself”

“you have no one to blame but yourself”

Question 3

[Compare and contrast individualism and the sociological perspective. ]

Using class discussion, explain why many praise people like Oprah and JK Rowling.

Answer 3

People praise individuals who make it against all odds like Oprah and JK Rowling story because

1) regardless of their social context (poverty) that they were born into
2) their self-reliance, individual choices and individualism lead them to success
3) the “rags to riches” story.

Question 4

[Compare and contrast individualism and the sociological perspective. ]

identify three analytical problems that arise from strict adherence to individualism.

Answer 4

Three analytical problems that arise form strict adherence to individualism are

(1) extreme social isolation
(2) narrowed definition of freedom
(3) unable to see the influence of social / structural causes.

Question 5

[Compare and contrast individualism and the sociological perspective. ]

explain what the sociological perspective does and how it improves upon individualism.

Answer 5

The Sociological Perspective sees the connection between an individual and social forces.

The Sociological Perspective can help us to broaden our understanding of freedom, understand structural issues, andmake us question the effects of social isolation.

Question 6

[This question is all about CW Mills]

Begin by explaining what the Sociological Imagination iis

Answer 6

Sociological imagination is an approach to understanding our world, that focuses on the connection between the individual and society – personal life within in the greater context of society.

Question 7

[This question is all about CW Mills]

Describe “troubles of social milieu” and “public issues” and make sure how to explain they are different.

Answer 7

Troubles of social milieu refer to an individual’s problems that affect a few people and are caused by the individual. Public issues are problems that affect a whole group / many in a community and are not caused by the individual but rather social structure.

Question 8

[This question is all about CW Mills]

Use these two important concepts to explain how a problem from your life could be a trouble.

Answer 8

Example from my life:
I have a hard time getting a job because of my lack of college credentials, regardless of my qualifying experience / skills / knowledge. I do not have a college degree because I chose not to go to college a choice that was not limited by social forces / context. This is my own personal trouble because it is affecting me, and it is caused by me.

Question 9

[This question is all about CW Mills]

Then explain how the same problem from your life could actually be the result of an “issue”

Answer 9

Because our society puts so much value on having education credentials versus actual skills acquired through any means – college, work-experience, self-learning this could be a part of a greater social issue affecting many people in our society.

Question 10

[This question is all about CW Mills]

finish by providing an example of how outcomes might different for the same individual if they were born in different places or time periods.

Answer 10

The outcome could be different hundreds of years ago when the opportunity for work was given to people with the knowledge and skills for the job regardless of their education credentials.

Question 11

[Choose this question if you know your variables. Tell me everything you know about]

a) independent,

Answer 11

a) Independent variable: a variable (measurable factor) that is causing change in another (dependent) variable.

Question 12

[Choose this question if you know your variables. Tell me everything you know about]

b) dependent,

Answer 12

b) Dependent variable: what the research is trying to explain. Independent variable causes change in this variable. There is only one dependent variable in an experiment design.

Question 13

[Choose this question if you know your variables. Tell me everything you know about]

c) control,

Answer 13

c) Control variable: a special type of independent variable that represents and alternate explanation for changes in dependent variable.

Question 14

[Choose this question if you know your variables. Tell me everything you know about]

d) intervening

Answer 14

d) Intervening variable: Intervening variables lie between the independent and dependent variables. They are affected by the independent variable an in turn affect the dependent variable. An intervening variable is both independent and dependent.

Question 15

[Choose this question if you know your variables. Tell me everything you know about]

e) confounding variables

Answer 15

e) Confounding variables: confounding variables often represent the true cause of a spurious relationship. The confounding variable is affecting both variables.

Question 16

[Rely on Devah Pager’s “The Mark of a Criminal Record” ]

to identify and briefly explain the ideal characteristics of an experiment.

Answer 16

(a) The ideal characteristics of an experimental study are (1) treatment and control groups
(2) equivalence for the groups and
(3) manipulated treatment

Question 17

[Rely on Devah Pager’s “The Mark of a Criminal Record” ]

(b) Which of these ideal characteristics does Devah satisfy?

Answer 17

(b) Pager’s audit satisfies the ideal characteristic of manipulation by sending test pairs to respond to the same job posting. She manipulated the criminal record on all of her test subjects

Question 18

[Rely on Devah Pager’s “The Mark of a Criminal Record” ]

(c) How else is an audit different from an experiment?

Answer 18

(c) an audit uses field research; experiments are done in controlled environments. Audits are also different because it utilizes deception as a way to get authentic and honest information .

Question 19

[Rely on Devah Pager’s “The Mark of a Criminal Record” ]

(d) List the three major findings from Devah’s work.

Answer 19

(d)
» White felon callbacks > black non-felon callbacks
» Black callbacks < white callbacks
» Criminal record callbacks < non-criminal record callbacks

Question 20

[Rely on Devah Pager’s “The Mark of a Criminal Record” ]

(e) To whom can we generalize these findings?

Answer 20

(e) We can generalize to entry-level employers that advertise in the Milwaukee Sentennial Sunday classifieds and on jobnet, a job-posting website in Milwaukee.

Question 21

[Describe what Steven Pinker views as the goal of scientific inquiry. ]

Answer 21

a) Steven Pinker’s view of the goal of scientific inquiry is summarized best by the quote [“…science is just the attempt to understand the world with a special effort to ensuring that the things you say about it are true.” – Steven Pinker]
trough (1) observation (2) speculation and (3) falsification.

Question 22

[Describe what Steven Pinker views as the goal of scientific inquiry. ]

How does Karl Popper think that we can best achieve this goal?

Answer 22

Karl Popper believes we can get closer to the truth trough (1) observation (2) speculation and (3) falsification.

Question 23

[Describe what Steven Pinker views as the goal of scientific inquiry. ]

As a result of the process described by Karl Popper, what do we gain?????

Answer 23

We gain knowldedge?????

Question 24

[Describe what Steven Pinker views as the goal of scientific inquiry. ]

Can we ever know what is true? Why/why not?

Answer 24

We can never officially “prove” something is true but we get closer to the truth when evidence from experience and observations consistently back-up hypotheses.

Question 25

what does it mean to say that a hypothesis is falsifiable?

Answer 25

It means that information can be collected that can prove the hypothesis to be false

Question 26

[Culture]

a) what are the four elements of the definition of culture?

Answer 26

1) collection of
2)values, beliefs, knowledge, norms, language, behaviors, and material objects
3)shared by people and
4) socially transmitted from generation to generation

Question 27

[Culture]

b) What is essentialism?

Answer 27

Assumes there is an essential nature to how cultural elements that determines how they will be used and interpreted. Things will be how they are meant to be. Elysian fields – all will think are beautiful

Question 28

[Culture]

c) What is Social Construction?

Answer 28

social construction is a process by which we collectively create culture

Question 29

[Culture]

d) Provide an example of a social construct from class.

Answer 29

history of the swastika in Buddhism

Question 30

[Culture]

e) What is Ian Hacking’s main point about culture? Use publication bias as an example

Answer 30

?? need to find out!

Question 31

[Investigate conflict theory using the work of Trask. ]

a) Begin by explaining what Trask calls the “privilege of American living”.

Answer 31

a) Trask calls “the ignorance of, yet power over relations to native people” the “privilege of American living” meaning that American’s are privileged because they are ignorant, ethnocentric and have no concern for native values yet they have power over the land and economy.

Question 32

[Investigate conflict theory using the work of Trask. ]

b) Then, explain Trask’s metaphor about cultural prostitution.

Answer 32

she uses metaphor to describe the appropriation and commodification of Hawaiian culture.

Tourism markets a distorted and inauthentic Hawaiian culture for profit, selling it to a clientele that only wants to use if briefly before leaving it behind.

Hawaiian’s do not benefit, but rather tourism does.

Question 33

[Investigate conflict theory using the work of Trask. ]

c) Why is trask upset with native Hawaiians themselves?

Answer 33

Trask is upset with native Hawaiian’s because of their complicity – they participate in the cultural prostitution by working in the tourism industry. This is helping tourism benefit from the commodification of culture by participating in the system.

Question 34

[Investigate conflict theory using the work of Trask. ]

d) Is the answer to the last question a personal trouble or a social issue?

Answer 34

This is a social issue because there are few opportunities for income outside of the tourism industry.

Question 35

[Investigate conflict theory using the work of Trask. ]

e) Finish by explaining which theoretical camp trask belongs to – make sure to justify your choice.

Answer 35

Trask belongs to the conflict theory camp because she focuses on issues of inequality and power and macro level perspective.