Study Guide for Test 1

[Revised:  August 2, 2007]

An Introduction to the Study of Society

1. What is sociology?

2. What does it mean to be skeptical?

3. What is critical thinking?

4. What is meant by "debunking"?

5. Discuss whether a social scientists should be value free or whether he or she should "get involved."

6. What is the sociological imagination?

7. What is meant by personal troubles and public issues?

8. What is meant by the term diversity?  Why is diversity desirable?

9. What does it mean to look at the world critically?

10. What is applied Sociology?

11. What is an Operational Definition?

12. Discuss the debate between C. Wright Mills and Talcott Parsons.

13. What is Social Darwinism?

Theoretical Perspectives

1. Know the characteristics of functionalist perspective.

• What is the difference between manifest and latent functions?
• What is a critique of functionalism?

2. Know the characteristics of conflict perspective.

• Conflict theory asks the question "Who Benefits?" Why?

3. Know the characteristics of symbolic interactionist perspective.

• What is the W. I. Thomas Theorem?

Sociology as Science

1. What makes sociology a science?

2. Discuss four alternatives to science.

• What is common sense?
• What are two problems with common sense?

3. What is the scientific method?

• What is a theory?
• What is a hypothesis?

4. Statistics

• What is a mean? Described how to compute a mean.
• You are given a series of seven numbers:  5, 9, 3, 4, 12, 4, 6.  What is the mean?
• What is a mode? Described how to compute a mode.
• You are given a series of seven numbers:  5, 9, 3, 4, 12, 4, 6.  What is the mode?
• What is a median? Described how to compute a median.
• You are given a series of seven numbers:  5, 9, 3, 4, 12, 4, 6.  What is the median?
• What is a random sample?
• What is a spurious correlation?
• What is the difference between a correlation and a cause and effect relationship?[Give the three requirements to prove cause and effect.]
• What is the difference between validity and reliability?

5.  Methods

• What are advantages and disadvantages of survey research?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of a case study?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of an experiment study?
• What are advantages and disadvantages of existing data in research?

6.  Problems with Science

• What is the Hawthorne Effect?
• Do statistics lie? Explain.
• What is the Laud Humphreys's Tearoom Trade Study?

What is Hunger?

1. Francis Moore Lappe discusses something called universal feelings in her article on hunger. List and describe the universal feelings associated with hunger.

2. Based on the article 'What is Hunger?' what is the difference between thinking of hunger in terms or numbers and emotions?

Culture

1. What is culture?

2. What is ethnocentrism?

3. What is cultural relativism?

4. What are cultural universals?

5. What is innovation?

6. What is diffusion?

7. What is cultural Leveling?

8. What is culture lag?

9. What is culture shock?

10. What is the difference between ideal culture and real culture?

11. What is the difference between norms and values.  

12. Discuss the different types of norms.

13. What is the difference between sub cultures and counter cultures?

14. Who are the Amish?

15. Discuss Language.

16. Discuss the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis.

Socialization

1. Discuss nature vs. nurture.

2. Describe the Harlow Study.

3. What is gender socialization?

4. What is anticipatory socialization?

5. What is a total institution?

6. What are agents of socialization? Discuss the family, peers, and school as agents of socialization.

7. What is the looking-glass self?