Sociology Exam Study Guide

Question 1

What does C. Wright Mills mean by the sociological imagination?

Answer 1

The awareness of the relationship between personal experience and the wider society.

Question 2

When did sociology emerge as an academic discipline? Who were some of the keys figures at this moment? What was the larger social context of the birth of sociology?

Answer 2

• It emerged as an Academic,ic discipline in the early 19th century, during the period of industrial revolution and the enlightenment.
• Key figures: Auguste Comte, Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx, Max Weber.
• Larger social context: Closely linked to Industrial Revolution, Enlightenment Ideas, Political Revolutions, Scientific Advances

Question 3

Who was Karl Marx? What were some of his key ideas?

Answer 3

• Karl Marx was a German philosopher, economist, and revolutionary socialist, and his ideas laid the foundation for modern social theory and criticism of capitalism.
• His key ideas: Historical Materialism, Class Stuggle, Surplus value, Alienation, Ideology, Communism

Question 4

What does Durkheim mean by social facts?

Answer 4

• Patterns of behavior that can exercise some coercive power among individuals
• They are guides and controls of conduct and are external to the individual in the form of norms, mores, and folkways.

Question 5

How did Durkheim explain suicide rates?

Answer 5

he explained that suicide rates aren’t just individual acts but are influenced by broader social contexts, such as community ties and societal stability.

Question 6

According to Max Weber, what are the different types of social action?

Answer 6

• Instrumental-rational, determined by expectations as to the behavior of objects in the environment and of other human beings
• Value-rational, decision-making guided by adherence to personal or societal values, prioritizing ethical principles or moral beliefs
• Traditional Action, guided by custom or tradition
• Affective Action, action that expresses emotion

Question 7

According to Max Weber, what are the different types of legitimate authority?

Answer 7

• Traditional - respecting parents, largely tied to tradition or custom
• Charismatic - Taylor Swift, Trump, normally tied or drawn to them emotionally
• Legal-ration - Stopping at a red light, based on formal laws

Question 8

What are some of the key ideas of Georg Simmel?

Answer 8

Social Forms, The Individual Vs. Society, Metropolis and mental life, Symbolic interactionism

Question 9

What are some of the key ideas of W.E.B Du Bois? What does he mean by double consciousness?

Answer 9

Double Consciousness, Historical and social analysis, Scientific Racism and social problems. What does he mean by double consciousness: It’s a sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others.

Question 10

What are conflict theory and functionalism? Compare and contrast the two.

Answer 10

Conflict Theory and Functionalism are two foundational perspectives that offer different views on how society operates and how social order is maintained. They present contrasting views on society –conflict theory suggests that social order is maintained through coercion and that change arises from conflict, while functionalism views society as a system of interdependent parts working together for stability.

Question 11

What are the key steps in doing sociological research/

Answer 11

• Surveys
• Participation observation/fieldwork
• Case studies
• Secondary analysis
• Analysis of documents
• Experiments
• Unobtrusive measures

Question 12

Discuss some of the ethical issues involved in doing research with reference to controversial research studies discussed in the readings.

Answer 12

Some ethical issues may be: Informed consent, Deception, Vulnerability of participants, Risk Vs. Benefit, Confidentiality, Aftermath. For example with the Milgram Experience, the aftermath and deception may have been two big ethical issues because of the pressure and vulnerability the participants may have felt.