Exam 1: Sociology: Theory and Method

Parents living in Boston noticed that many of their adolescent children regularly became distressed in early September. Based on what you know about adolescent suicides in Japan, sociologists might attempt to understand this phenomenon by looking into what?

Which phrase best represents the beliefs of Herbert Spencer?

Why would the development of a social movement like Occupy Wall Street be difficult to study using experimental methods?

Maynard believes that studying women's experiences is key to understanding modern Russia. According to the textbook, his beliefs most closely align with which theoretical perspective?

In America, obesity has emerged as a major public health concern. How might a sociologist using the "sociological imagination" examine obesity among teenagers?

In a short paragraph, describe how Karl Marx would analyze the contemporary United States.

Sangeeta argues that African Americans often see themselves through the eyes of white society. Her ideas most closely match with those of which theorist?

In a short paragraph, consider how ideology is used to justify the actions of the powerful in American society.

________ is when the research study ends, and the investigator discusses with the subjects their concerns and acknowledges whether strategies such as deception were used.

According to the textbook, George Herbert Mead reasoned that language allows us to become self-conscious beings-aware of our own individuality. This idea forms the basis of the theoretical perspective known as:

What is the concept that sociologists use to understand the economic, political, and social interconnectedness of individuals throughout the world?

Farhang begins his research knowing he wants to compare and contrast the lives of gay and straight teenagers. After some consideration, he decides that he will focus on the differences in self-esteem between gay and straight teenagers. What part of the research process is Farhang in?

Mohammed believes that studies of human behavior should focus primarily on how we construct meaning through abstract representations. His position is closest to which theoretical perspective?

If sociologists wanted to study how young people got involved in the Black Lives Matter movement, what method would they likely use?

The study of everyday behavior in situations of face-to-face interaction is usually called:

Sarah has been collecting intensive interviews with women who organize in grassroots movements for wages for housework. Now she is looking over the interviews and trying to find common themes within them. What part of the research process is she in?

Sociologists who use ________ as a theoretical perspective argue that women's lives and experiences are central to the study of society.

Following C. Wright Mills, sociologists refer to breaking free from the immediacy of personal circumstances and putting things in a wider social context as the:

What is one strength and one limitation of surveys as a research method?

The German sociologist Max Weber was highly influential in sociology for his studies of: