Deck 1: B: Understanding the Sociological Imagination

Question 1

Using examples,explain how patriarchy is a structural factor that limits the agency of women in modern society.

Answer 1

Patriarchy is a system in which men control the political and economic resources of society.As such,society is structured in such a way to give men more opportunities to succeed in many areas of society,while women face more constraints in their inferior position,which limits their individual agency due to the social norms and rules that they are subjected to that do not apply the same limitations to men.

Question 2

According to Mills,how does a person's dissatisfaction with his or her personal appearance reflect both a personal trouble and a social issue?

Answer 2

The society we live in very much influences our standards of beauty and attractiveness,which many people then feel pressured to meet.Particularly if they deviate from these standards in some way (height,weight,etc. ),they may feel dissatisfied with their personal appearance,which may become a personal trouble if they become too focused on trying to change themselves to conform to these standards.The social issue is that the standards promoted are often unachievable for the majority of the population,creating a common experience of dissatisfaction which then has to be alleviated in some way (through the purchase of products,services,etc. ).

Question 3

Explain the differences between quantitative and qualitative research.

Answer 3

Quantitative sociology focuses on behaviours that can be measured-for example,the number of divorces per capita,crime rates over time,and the incidence of homelessness in Canadian cities.Conversely,anti-positivists' exploration of the world through human engagement,and their understanding that what is important is what we decide is important,is consistent with qualitative sociology,the study of behaviours that cannot be counted so readily but still teach us a great deal about ourselves-for example,the emotional effects of going through a divorce,people's fears of living in what they think is an increasingly violent world,and the social factors that influence a person's likelihood of becoming homeless.

Question 4

How can we apply the sociological perspective to help us consider other options to our current capitalist system?

Question 5

Apply Mills's concept of the "quality of mind" to the issue of addiction.

Question 6

According to the research by Hagan and McCarthy,what function do street families have for homeless youth?

Question 7

How does Innis's staples thesis explain why Canada continues to have a less dominant role in world politics? Do you agree? Why or why not?

Question 8

How did people try to experience and understand their world during Comte's Metaphysical Stage and why?

Question 9

Outline the differences between positivism and anti-positivism.

Question 10

What does Weber mean in his characterization of modern society as "rationalized"? Give a modern example.

Question 11

What is the classic "agency vs.structure debate" in sociology? Give an example from real life.

Question 12

What is the relationship between the concepts of sociological imagination and quality of mind?

Question 13

Define and discuss what McLuhan's phrase "global village" refers to.

Question 14

How did Machiavelli's and Locke's ideas challenge the position of the Church and a belief system based on faith?

Question 15

According to the positivists,are the sciences merging or becoming more unique over time? What support do they provide for their argument?