Workbook Chapter 1

Sample

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Directions: To answer, click in the gray areas and type your answers in the appropriate boxes. The boxes will expand if you add more text beyond the original boundaries, so don’t skimp on your answers! Remember: If you are giving an example of a concept, make sure you explain why it is an example of that specific thing. Be as specific as you can in all your answers. Make sure that you save this document frequently. When you are finished, send this document to me as an email attachment from within WebCT.

  1. A friend who is not enrolled in this course argues that, since you already have a good commonsense understanding of social interaction and society, you are wasting your time in this course. Describe two arguments you would use to convince your friend of the benefits of taking a sociological approach to understanding society and social interaction. Be sure to draw upon the class materials – especially Chapter 1 in Kendall.

Argument #1:

By studing socioligy you will gain a better understanding not only of ones life but the world around them. It will also give you a better understanding of peoples lives, feeling, as well as thoughts. You will also be able to interact more effectivly with others by further understanding your actions as well as societies norms. Socioligy can also help you understand global crisis such as poverty and suicide. You will learn about the many influences in which we live our personal lives by. It will also help an individual better exsplain why something is happening as well as give them a better opportunity to improve the live the lead as well as a society.

Argument #2:

One person's experience about certain events will lead them to make judgement on them and decide their own view on why something or someone is or acts a certain way. We gain our own knowledge about a certain event or person but are not looking at the big picture. For example: say a black dog bit you when you were younger and from then on you think black dogs always bite people. Experience will tell you that this is true but you are not looking at other peoples experiences and other factors involved. By researching the ratio of black dogs to biting people and other kinds of dogs to biting people, we can then learn whether ot not it is true that black dogs bite more or less than other dogs. Taking Sociology, we can learn these methods of research and the scientific approach to them. One can learn how to compare stastical data taken through research to prove a fact about such an event.
Instructor comments: (Do not write in this space.) / Points / possible
Answer draws from the course material, especially Chapter 1. / 20 / 20
  1. The characteristics of the sociological perspective include seeing the general in the particular (i.e., recognizing patterns), seeing the strange in the familiar (recognizing that things aren’t always what they seem), and seeing the group in the individual (looking for the influence of social forces). Paste the link below into your web browser and go to The New York Times College website for Sociology. Choose at least two different news stories listed there and find one example of each of the characteristics of the sociological perspective in those stories. Note: You can use three separate stories, or the same story for two characteristics if you wish, but be sure that you use at least two different news stories.

New YorkTimesCollege website for Sociology:

  1. Headline of story:

In New Prayer Book, Signs of Broad Change

Why this story is an example of seeing the general in the particular:

This story is an example of the general in the particular because we are focusing on one major world religon in this article; Judaism, but are seeing the general traits of religon in this article as well. The general traits of religon in this article is any religion trying to recruit and gain more members to their faith. They might do this in a variety of ways, including by having a new prayer book that can relate to all people, even those not affiliated with a religon. All world religons want to gain more members to their faith and this is just an example of another religon trying to do that by relating to more people.
  1. Headline of story:

Andy Rooney Regrets a Racist Comment in a Recent Column

Why this story is an example of seeing the strange in the familiar:

This story is an example of the strange in the familiar because as people we all know that racism exists and contrary to what many people believe it still is out there in today's world and in America. This is strange though in that we know racism exists but it is extremely rare to see or hear it in the media for ethical, moral, and business reasons but this article has shown us that public figures in the media can flaunt racist comments every now and then. Even though it could be accidental or not an intentional racist comment, it still reminds us that racism exists.
  1. Headline of story:

In New Prayer Book, Signs of Broad Change

Why this story is an example of seeing the group in the individual:

This story is an example of the group in the individual because in this story, Reform Judaism is adopting a new prayer book so that it can relate to more people in the world. Each individual in all religons (but in this article Judaism) is their own unique and individual being but we are seeing the group in them because they are joining a society of faith in the unknown which is called a religon. Many people are part of a religon or faith belief system that joins together to practice their own specific rituals and beliefs, making them a group. In this article, these people of Judaism are their own beings but are part of a group religon, thus seeing the group in the individual.
Instructor comments: (Do not write in this space.) / Points / possible
Each answer relates the example to the concept being illustrated. / 18 / 18
  1. Suppose we wanted to investigate social behavior in coffee houses or singles bars. How would a sociologist utilize each of the four theoretical perspectives to go about studying behavior in a typical singles bar? Using your knowledge of each theoretical perspective, list the questions that a sociologist from each perspective would ask and the kinds of things they would look for in the coffee house or singles bar.

Theoretical Perspective / Types of questions asked by theorists from this perspective / Types of behavior and/or issues they would look at in this environment
Functionalist / Functionalist perspectives are based on the assumption that society is stable and orderly. They feel society is composed ofd interrellated parts that together to maintain stability. A functionalist may ask the question of what is the purpose? They will also analyse the situation and ask why and what each individaul is doing? / They would look at the interrellated parts of the enviroment. See how everyone is ineracting as a whole and an individual. They would analyze the sitation and how each person plays a role into the perspective as a whole.
Conflict / Conflict theorist is characterized by social inequality and the stuggle for scarce resources. They might ask if there is clashes amoung the people in the coffee house and if so what factors are contrubiting to them. ? / They would look at how each person is competing to order a refreshment or how people are competing to talk over one another in the social interaction. They would look for competition.
Symbolic Interactionist / Symbolic interactionist appraoch the views of society as the sum of the interaction of individuals. They might ask the question what symbol is playing the part in the situation.They will ask why these people are grouping the way they are as well as how their behavior effects the group as a whole.They will also predict how people interact to what others are telling them. / They will observe people as an individual. They will observe their body language, the tone of the voice as well as the language they use.They would look at how an individual may be attracting attention to himself or how the actions of each indivual effects how the whole people in these places are behaving.
Postmodernist / Postmodernist will ask about the assumptions of social life and nature. They will ask if any factors such as family, religion educations are playing a part any any of these people.How are all of these people and their social behavior influenced by the postmodern society (society with less social institutions and more individualism)? / They would look at how people are practicing their individualistic nature and applying it in a social setting. Also, they would be looking at how postmodern technology is affecting a persons behavior.
Instructor comments: (Do not write in this space.) / Points / possible
Each answer is rooted in the outlook of the particular theory; issues are clearly connected to the questions. / 24 / 24
  1. Suppose that you are hired as a consultant by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The agency wishes to discover why and how people commit tax fraud (fail to report all of their income, take improper or phony deductions, or otherwise cheat the government out of taxes legitimately owed). They are unsure, however, what research method to use. Briefly sketch out below what you would tell them about the advantages and disadvantages of each research method for studying this particular problem. Make sure that you describe enough of each research method so that it is clear that you understand it. Be sure to relate each of your answers to the problem of researching tax fraud. (Note: You may want to look at the handout “Research Methods Comparison Chart” under Unit 1 Handouts. Don’t just copy it below, however. Discuss the merits of each method for studying tax fraud.)

Research Method / Advantages for studying tax fraud / Disadvantages for studying tax fraud
Survey / Through a survey, we could give the public an anonymous survey on the issue and be able to get a mass group of people to give us their answers on tax fraud and their individual reasons behind it whether they commit tax fraud or not. / Giving a survey would only limit this group of people to a small selection of answers to give back and would not give a full incite as to how and why tax fraud is committed. The answers given back could also be less truthful on this issue considering that it is a crime.
Secondary analysis / Through secondary analysis, the data on tax fraud in the past could be used at an inexpensive and less time consumed rate. Taking already existing data and applying it to now and comparing statistics could show why and how it is done and if tax fraud is increasing or decreasing in certain methods of doing it. / Data from past events could not always be reliable to what people are doing now with tax fraud. With recent technology, tax fraud could be committed using many new ways and the statistics would not always be reliable for people in today's world.
Field research / Through field research we could actually take a first hand account of how and the reasons why a person would commit tax fraud. Without surveys and tests, all information gathered would be in the natural state and we could then gather data on a person most likely to commit tax fraud. / Data is not reliable at all because it is only taking into account certain individuals who commit the crime. This data cannot be compared to the larger population of people who do the crime so other motives and actions are not known and not taken into consideration.
Experiment / Through an experiment we could control the variables and the people that are involved in the experiment. By doing this we can gather the data we need from them in a short amount of time and continue to do the experiment to different people to gather wider statistics. / These people would most likely be volunteers and know that an experiment is taking place. Their answers could be varied, less truthful, and not in the natural state. Data gathered could not be reliable to the whole population of people who commit the crime.
Instructor comments: (Do not write in this space.) / Points / possible
Note the description of each method and its specific application to the issue of tax fraud. / 24 / 24
  1. A sociologist conducts a single study of a dozen people cited for littering in a public park. Based solely on this research, the sociologist concludes that left-handed people are more likely to be criminals.

What can you say about the reliability of the researcher’s conclusion based on this study alone? (Note: don’t confuse reliability with sampling.)

The reliability of tis study is questionable: the researcher conducted a SINGLE study of a group of a dozen people in a public park. The study did not take place of a same dozen people over time nor did it analyze different groups of individuals (i.e. people at different public locations). The results do not seem very reliable because the sociologist's work was not as comprehensive as it should have been in order to be deemed reliable.

What can you say about the validity of the variables used? (Note: don’t confuse validity with sampling.)

This particular study lacks validity because, for one point, littering would be considered a misdemeanor; a person must be convicted of a felony to be deemed, legally, a criminal. There is a lack of a correlation with: "left handed people litter more than right handed people, therefore they are criminals." This measure of 'criminality' is highly invalid.
Instructor comments: (Do not write in this space.) / Points / possible
Each answer is explained in terms of the concept; note that neither is confused with sampling. / 14 / 14