Exam 1: Introducing Sociology

List and discuss the three enemies of scientific knowledge.

Which theoretical approach focuses on how people invest their social worlds with meaning?

In "B" movies depicting World War II,there is often a clichéd scene where a soldier jumps on a hand grenade in order to save his friends.The soldier's dying words espouse the need to sacrifice oneself for the greater good of the team.In Durkheim's terms,what definition of suicide fits this example?

Which change in capitalism partly explains why Marx's vision of a revolutionary future for early industrial society was unfulfilled?

According to C.Wright Mills,what do sociologists try to do?

According to the text,what is the most significant challenge for sociologists?

Who hypothesized that suicide rates would be higher among the unmarried?

What focus of analysis is shared by the conflict and functional perspectives?

Sociologists are not interested in the connection between personal problems and the social structures in which people are embedded.

A national government passes tougher crime laws to enhance community safety,thus increasing prison sentences,raising prison populations,and employing more correctional officers.Which sociological perspective shares similarities with this government's view of the criminal justice system?

Which sociological insight is Robert Merton noted for contributing?

What are the three modern revolutions that gave rise to the sociological imagination? Give a short description of each.

Briefly explain the four main features of symbolic interactionism.

The level of social solidarity is now lower than it was just a few decades ago.

How would a feminist analyze suicide in Canada? What would his/her other focus be in such a study? Draw from functionalism,symbolic interactionism,and the conflict perspective to support your argument.

The federal government passes several laws getting tough on street crimes,claiming that it needs to protect the public and make citizens feel safe.However,crime trends indicate that crime is declining.Which sociological theory would be most interested in examining the government's ability to impose laws on the people that do not reflect the actual crime rates?

A conscientious coffee consumer eager to thwart exploitation of plantation workers in developing countries buys nothing but fair-trade coffee.According to C.Wright Mills,what does this consumer possess?

Durkheim argued that suicide rates vary because of differences in the degree of social solidarity in different social groups.

Which statement best characterizes functionalism?

Relatively stable patterns of social relations are referred to as social structures by sociologists.