Exam 1: Sociology: a Unique Way to View the World

While walking down the street, Alana notices a homeless man. She thinks to herself, "That man must be homeless because he became unemployed. I'm sure that's because our local economy is so bad and companies seem to be moving to other countries. He probably lost his family, too." Sociologists would say that Alana is using her:

The social world engulfs each of us from the moment of our birth until we die.

Understanding individual human behavior often requires investigation of larger societal beliefs supporting that behavior.

Because sociology is based on common sense, it is an excellent discipline for students who approach the world in a rational, matter-of-fact way.

The types of jobs that sociologists do depend on their level of education.

The authors of the text would argue that a change in the economy would eventually result in a change in the family. This is because:

According to the text, a more complete and accurate perspective on the social world can be gained by using:

The discipline a social scientist is trained in plays a role in the questions the social scientist asks. "How do educational opportunities for women impact national infant mortality rates in Eastern European countries?" would most likely be asked by a(n):

List and briefly explain the three levels of analysis discussed in the text.

Ethnology is the subfield of anthropology most closely related to sociology.

The discipline a social scientist is trained in plays a role in the questions the social scientist asks. "What are individuals' physiological reactions to a violent movie like Saw?" would most likely be asked by a(n):

According to the text, rates of violence against women are relatively uniform across countries.

A married couple is a social unit.

Which of the following elements did C. Wright Mills attribute as being the one that sociologists would use to explain individual behavior?

The aspects of society that provide the rules, roles, and relationships needed to shape human behavior are:

The social world is organized into two parts, structures and processes.

Consider the social problem of homelessness in the United States. What questions might someone from anthropology ask about homelessness? What about someone from economics? Political science? Psychology? Sociology? Which of these disciplines do you think could best help find a solution for homelessness and why?

Explain how social units, social structures, and social institutions are related. Using examples from your own life, illustrate the interconnectedness of these concepts.

The discipline a social scientist is trained in plays a role in the questions the social scientist asks. "How will high gas prices impact automobile sales in the near future?" would most likely be asked by a(n):

Byron is a sociologist who studies social change. In his study of the election of a new congressional representative for his district, Byron concluded that "Representative Phillips will inevitably be harmful for the working-class people of our district." What error did Byron make in his study?