Exam 13: Technology, the Environment, and Social Movements

Despite reservations, most researchers adhere to military and industrial research requirements and priorities because those are the sectors where the most money can be earned.

Describe what is meant by the social construction of environmental problems and provide examples.

The protestors at the Johnson Road blockade got a lot of media attention through their high-profile lawyer leader, and they got many cash donations from various supportive groups and unions to keep the protest alive. According to the textbook, what is this process called?

Define the term technological determinism. Provide examples that refute the validity of the concept.

Explain the role of environmental organizations in spurring correction of environmentally damaging practices.

An example of the devastation that technology can cause is in the use of chemical weapons. Research the history of the development of chemical weapons, and the development of social movements to halt their use.

Although it is now beyond a reasonable scientific doubt that that global warming is a real phenomenon, and that it has begun to cause real harm, it is only in the projected near future that scientists think it will be responsible for human deaths on any significant scale.

Shannon believes that all modern technological advances are harming the entire planet, and she is starting a new Facebook group to organize resistance to them. What does Shannon feel that humans today live in?

Daniel is aware that, in the production of his new patented invention, there is the possibility for things to go awry. He believes that this possibility for harm is outweighed by the potential of his invention to be beneficial. Which of the following terms is used to refer to how Daniel most likely views the less positive possibilities of invention?

Describe two characteristics of new social movements.

According to breakdown theory, which of the following is a necessary characteristic of potential leaders of a social movement?

Research the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer. Describe how his life illustrates the interconnections between social issues, politics, and technology.

Which of the following terms is used to describe the situation people find themselves in when rising expectations are met by a widening gap between the social rewards expected and those received?

Define and explain the relationship between collective action and social movement.

Go to the website of the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario (http://cfsontario.ca/index.php). Under the Campaigns tab choose two or three of the different campaigns they are supporting and, using frame alignment theory, describe how this organization is trying to build alliances to further its campaign to halt tuition increases.

The B.C. Teachers' Federation threatened various job actions after a year's worth of negotiations did NOT bring them any closer to a contract with the provincial government. What is the B.C. Teachers' Federation engaging in?

Which of the following best describes changes in the number of research scientists in North America during the twentieth century?

According to solidarity theory, how do disadvantaged groups become more powerful?

Breakdown theory sees collective action as a form of social imbalance caused by social institutions not working. Because of this, breakdown theory may be seen as a variant of which of the following?

Identify and briefly explain the three factors that suggest that market forces cannot resolve environmental problems.