Name:______
101 Activities folder
Hello and welcome to the Sociology class. You may choose to do these activities or the comprehensive exam (but not both) for the same 100 points. You cannot do part of one and part of the other. Please choose one or the other. Also, doing all of one and some of the other does not give you any extra credit points.
I feel you will learn more, and gain more new information along with giving more thought to the material with the activities than doing the comprehensive exam. However, the comprehensive exam takes less time. These options are available because I want to give students choices in their education.
This Activities Folder is one long Word document. The activities for each chapter are presented in the same order as the chapters in the textbook. These activities have questions to think about and answer. In addition, some activities have material to read or watch and respond to. These are located below in this folder and are in the same order as they appear in the activity. Please answer the questions in this document. When you finish one chapter, simply scroll down to the next chapter.
Some questions are critical thinking or opinion questions. Therefore, they are not graded like an essay exam. I am looking for evidence that you looked at the material and gave thought to your answer. This means at least several sentences, not a one-word answer. You may do these at your own pace. However, I suggest doing the activities in conjunction with the same text chapter. Finally, this activities folder must be turned in (by putting it into the class drop box) on or before 11:00pm Pacific time on the date indicated in the course calendar at the back of the syllabus. Any folder handed in after that time will receive a zero – believe me. Please hand it in at least a day or two ahead of the deadline in case you have any computer problems. Computer problems will not extend the deadline.
The title of this Activities Folder that you put into the drop box should be your name and student ID# - for example, “Atkins, Robert #1234567”
1-The Promise
Name:______
Please read “The Promise”, type your answers below.
1. What is “The Promise” that Mills was talking about?
2. What was meant by, “Neither the life of an individual nor the history of a society can be understood without understanding both.”? (p.1)
3. What is the sociological imagination? (p.2)
4. How would you apply the sociological imagination to yourself?
5. What are examples of troubles and issues for you? (p.3)
6. Please apply the quote, “… no problems of the private life can be stated and solved without recognition of the crisis of ambition that is part of the vary career of men at work in the incorporated economy.” to the current housing and foreclosure crisis in America. (p. 5)
7. How does the general society and specific individuals determine a person’s view of reality? What can the individual do to overcome or change a hindering reality to create more opportunity for them?
2-Sociological Investigation
Name:______
America has the world’s largest prison population, costing millions of dollars a year. Most of these prisoners will be released. We assume that prison deters people from further crimes, but does it?
Is prison an effective deterrent?
Does it deter some types of crimes and not others?
Under what conditions will prison deter people?
Are other people deterred from committing crimes by seeing others go to prison?
Does prison deter better or worse than other methods such as house arrest?
Please choose one of the questions above, or write your own question dealing with prison deterrence and develop a research study to answer your question.
My question:
A general description of the study I propose:
How can I do a literature search for my study?
The hypothesis:
The dependent variable:
How will I operationalize the variable (operational definition)?
Is it valid? Why?
Is it reliable? Why?
The independent variable:
How will I operationalize the variable (operational definition)?
Is it valid? Why?
Is it reliable? Why?
What research design will I use for my study? Why?
What is my population?
What is my sample?
How will I draw my sample?
Can my study determine if one variable caused a change in the other?
Is my study a correlational study? Why or why not?
How can you determine if your correlation is spurious or not?
PS:
Use your text and class presentation information to help you understand how to create this study.
“Recidivism” is the percentage of people that return to prison after a certain period of time.
Here are some suggestions to help you understand how to do this activity.
First, read Ch. 2 on research, listen to the recorded class presentation on that chapter, and see if you can answer the study guide questions (these questions do not need to be written out or handed in) . The "How To Study" guide in the syllabus should help you understand the most effective way to do this. Pay attention to the items you will need in the activity while you are listening to the recorded presentation and reading the chapter.
Second, after you understand the concepts such as dependent and independent variables, research design, correlation, etc., use this information to design a research study to answer one of the several questions dealing with effectiveness of prisons in the activity. You may want to make the question you chose to study more precise. For example, for the question, "Does it deter some types of crimes and not others?", You can make your research question more specific. For example, your research question could be, " Does prison deter white collar crime (e.g. embezzlement) more than drug related crimes such as selling drugs? Your population, sample, research design etc. will vary based on the question you chose to research ( at the top of the activity).
Do the best you can, and try to at least have an answer to each question based on applying the class information to the research question you chose. If you have no clue how to answer a question, simply say you do not know how to answer it, discuss what you did to try to answer it, and why you are still confused.
3-Culture
Name:______
Please read the article, “Body Ritual Among the Nacirema”. And answer the questions below.
1. Where do the Nacrima live? Do not copy what it says in the reading. Please think about it, and tell me what country they live in.
2. What is the main concept presented in this reading?
3. How could you apply this concept to yourself?
Also, please give a one or two sentence answer to each of these questions related to culture.
4. How are you different because of the culture you were raised in? What did your culture give you?
5. Why is it important to understand people’s cultural differences? How can it help in international and business relations, or personal relations?
6. If you came to America, how is American culture different from what you expected?
7. What would be an example of “culture shock” that you may have experienced?
8. What T.V. programs, or video games support our cultural values of money, competition, beauty, youth, individualism and self-expression?
9. What judgments do you make about someone who may have tattoos, piercings, Goth dress and hair style, or gang symbols (e.g. MS13) that may indicate they are in a subculture or counterculture you are not part of? How did you make these judgments?
10. Should a culture ever make a decision not to use technology, such as cloning or electronic eavesdropping?
11. How does culture support inequality?
12. Do you see evidence of a global culture emerging? If so, is this good or bad? What is gained and what is lost?
4-Society
Name: ______
1. How are your ideas and behavior similar or different from your parents?
How has society changed from when your parents were your age?
How did these changes affect your ideas and behavior?
2. What factors cause social change? Why?
3. What stabilizes society? Why?
4. What are social change questions that sociologists can’t study scientifically?
5. How can Marx’s idea of social conflict be applied to future increased costs of Medicare and Social Security?
6. How do you think alienation will increase as technology increases? Can you give an example?
7. How could technology decrease alienation?
8. Have you had a job where you felt alienated? What caused this? What could businesses do to reduce alienation?
5-Socialization
Name: ______
Read the discussion of Anna and Isabelle in your text.
Next, read “Final Note on a Case of Extreme Isolation”. By Kingsley Davis
1. What evidence points to congenital defects as the cause of Anna’s behavior? What evidence points to socialization as the cause of her behavior?
2. What do these two cases tell us about the role of nature versus nurture in the development of personality?
Read the discussion of the “Looking Glass Self” by Cooley in the text. Then read the original work by Charles Horton Cooley entitled “The Looking Glass Self”.
3. Explain the metaphor of the "looking-glass."
4. Explain three main components of the “looking-glass self”
5. How would you apply the looking-glass self to the example of body weight?
6. How would you apply this to your own self-concept?
7. How can you change your own self-image in a positive way?
8. How could you increase the self-image of others (or children)?
6-Social Interaction
Name: ______
Read the “Controversy and Debate” box in your text regarding women’s abortion experiences.
1. Discuss how framing, reframing, and the definition of the situation can be used to change a person’s perception of what is happening.
2. Give an example of how you could use this in your own life.
Read the original work entitled, “The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life”.
3. What is the main message of this writing?
4. How do you use impression management in different situations? (e.g. on a date, with parents, spouse, or on the job).
5. Is the impression you create in various situations different from the real you, or does the real you change depending on the situation?
Look at the box, “Seeing Sociology in Everyday Life” with examples of Facebook pages.
6. How are these two people trying to present themselves?
7. Would they want their boss or potential employer reading these pages?
8. Would it give a potential employer more insight into their true personality, or their ability to be a good employee?
7-Groups
Name:______
Listen to the video about the MS13 gang.
1. How can you relate the results of the Solomon Ash study to this gang?
2. How can you relate the results of the Milgram experiment to this gang?
3. Look at the MS13 Tattoos.
What are the functions of the tattoos on MS13 gang members?
4. Go the “7-Groups Photos” file, and discuss which are conforming to group pressure, which are independent thinkers, and why?
5. Have you had a bad experience being seen as a member of an out-group? What was it? How did you feel? How did you deal with it?
6. Can you give a situation where you went along with group pressure, or stood up against group pressure? Why did you do it? Would you do it differently if you could do it again? Why?
8-Sexuality
Name:______
Please read the two articles entitled, “Pornography Addiction Can Lead to Violence Against Women” and “Pornography Is Not Addictive and Does Not Lead to Violence Against Women”, and answer the following questions.
1. What experience have you personally had with pornography or the effect of it on others around you? (Optional question)
2. What arguments do each article use to support their position? How do they support their argument?
Pornography Addiction Can Lead to Violence Against Women
Pornography Is Not Addictive and Does Not Lead to Violence Against Women
3. What questions would you ask yourself in response to statements made in these articles?
4. What is the difference between art and pornography?
5. From a Sociological point of view, it is interesting to note that the national news can show dead bodies, but cannot show even one female breast, however, it can show male breasts. Please explain these feelings and FCC regulations from a Sociological viewpoint, using Sociological terms we have previously used.
9-Deviance
Name:______
Please read the box in your text entitled, “Deviant Subculture: Has It Become OK to Break the Rules?”, and answer the following questions.
1. In your opinion, how widespread is wrongdoing in U.S. society today? Have you downloaded music illegally? What about cheating on your college assignments or tests?
2. Do you think people who break the rules usually think that their actions are wrong? Why or why not?
3. What do you think are the reasons for the apparent increase in dishonesty?
One out of 100 adults in the U.S. is in prison.
4. How does the United States differ from other countries in terms of incarceration rates? Why do you think this country makes such wide-spread use of prison as a response to crime?
5. In light of the high costs of locking up offenders, what other policies might be implemented to hold down the crime rate?
6. Do you support the idea that prison should be used to protect society from only violent offenders? What about white-collar criminals?
Please read the box in your text entitled, “Violent Crime Is Down – but Why?”, and answer the following questions.
7. What do you see as the pros and cons of building more prisons?
8. Which factors mentioned here do you think is the most important in crime control? Which is least important? Why?
11-Social Class
Name:______
Although we are covering Ch. 11 on social class, please read the box entitled, ”The Meaning of Class: Is Getting Rich ‘the Survival of the Fittest” in Ch. 10 and answer the following questions.
1. How much do you think inequality in our society can correctly be described as “the survival of the fittest”? Why?
Also, in Ch. 10 “Social Stratification”, please read the box entitled, ”The Bell Curve Debate: Are Rich People Really Smarter?”
2. Do you think social scientists should study issues as differences in human intelligence if their results could justify social inequality?
Please answer the following questions based on your readings, personal experiences, and critical thinking.
3. Why are people unequal in society?
How would a wealthy person answer this question?
How would a poor person answer this question?
4. Why is social equality so difficult to establish and maintain?
5. Why does the division of labor encourage social inequality?
6. Do we want social and financial equality? Why or why not?
13-Gender Stratification
Name:______
1. Is the structural-functional or social-conflict analysis of gender role inequality more convincing? Why?
2. Analyze how your family, peers, school and the mass media have shaped your own gender role. Which seems to have had the most impact on you?
3. Look at the graph of men and women’s athletic performance in this chapter. What do you think accounts for the drastic drop in women’s times?
4. Read the box in your text regarding female genital mutilation.
Does the U.S. have the right to impose our beliefs on other countries and other cultures?
Who decides what is right?
What gives them the right to decide?
How do you think the U.S. would respond if several African countries said we should stop male circumcision?
5. Compare the global maps of Women’s Power and Female Genital Mutilation in our text. What similarities do you see that might explain FGM?
6. Is gender biologically or culturally based? Could you raise a child to act and think like the opposite sex?
14-Race and Ethnicity
Name:______
1. Have you seen or experienced examples of prejudice and stereotypes? What were they, and how did you respond?
Read the box in your text entitled, “Does Race Affect Intelligence?”
2. Do you think social scientists should study issues such as difference in human intelligence if their results could justify social inequality? Why or why not?
3. If IQ scores reflect people’s environment, are they valid measures of intelligence? Could they be harmful? How?
Read the box in your text entitled, “Affirmative Action: Solution or Problem?”
4. Have you seen examples of reverse discrimination, favoring people not because of performance but because of race, ethnicity, or sex?
5. Which arguments for or against affirmative action do you most agree with? Why?
6. Do you think the election of Barack Obama as the nation’s first African American president and Oprah Winfey, who makes millions a year suggest that affirmative action is no longer needed? Why or why not?