Exam 3: Max Weber (1864–1920)

In 1963, The New York Jets (NFL team) had 1 head coach and 14 assistant coaches; in 2005, they had 1 head coach, 3 coordinators, 9 position coaches, and 3 assistant coaches. This increase in coaching staff can be seen as illustrating:

For Weber social action refers to action that:

Like Marx, Weber believed that "naked money power" alone determines social relations and social status in modern society.

Which of the following research methods are most influenced by Weber's emphasis that sociology entails the understanding of meaningful social action?

The asceticism of the early Protestants reflected their:

"Value-neutrality" means that:

Max Weber wrote a lot about instrumental (strategic, means-end) rationality. He saw this type of rationality as the dominant type of social action and of authority in modern society, and he predicted that it would overshadow the relevance of values and non-rational sources of behavior/authority. From your reading of current newspapers [or from an article you have selected] (a) identify one specific example of the way in which an instrumental (or strategic/cost-benefit) rationality dominates our contemporary society; and (b) identify one specific example of the persistence of either value rationality or of tradition as a source of meaning or importance in contemporary society. Discuss the relevance of Weber's analysis of social action to the examples you have chosen, and assess the extent to which Weber's analysis of contemporary society (as indicated by your examples) might differ from, or overlap with, any one concept from Marx and any one concept from Durkheim.

From a Weberian perspective, Oprah Winfrey's presence on the campaign trail with Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama can be seen as evidence of:

Please write 2 or 3 sentences per question. -In South Carolina one election day (November 7, 2006), the state's governor was not allowed to vote when he went to the polling station without photo identification - even though the polling officer and all the other people present at the polling station knew who he was. How would Max Weber explain this incident?

From a Weberian perspective, fraternities and sororities can be seen as:

Please write 2 or 3 sentences per question. -What are three characteristics of bureaucratic organization?

All of the following are characteristics of bureaucratic organization, except:

Modern society is more likely than pre-modern society to be characterized by rational-legal forms of authority or domination.

Please write 2 or 3 sentences per question. -Identify one major difference between Karl Marx's and Max Weber's analysis of stratification/inequality.

Social action that is motivated by emotional considerations is:

Please write 2 or 3 sentences per question. -Explain why it is hard to understand western, and especially American, culture and society without knowing about the Reformation.

In Weber's analysis, stratification or inequality is based on differences in:

"From a purely technical point of view, a bureaucracy is capable of attaining the highest degree of efficiency, and is in this sense formally the most rational known means of exercising authority over human beings. It is superior to any other form in precision, in stability, in the stringency of its discipline, and in its reliability" (Max Weber, Economy and Society [1978: 223]). This famous quote from Weber highlights, in part, his perspective on one of the most important features of modern society - bureaucracy. Explain the core elements of Weber's theorizing about bureaucracy. How is his theorizing about social organization similar to, or distinct from, Marx and Durkheim?

"Weber's understanding of objectivity in knowledge is similar to Durkheim's."

Weber uses the term "class" to refer to: