Sterling College Online - BS115: Principles of Sociology

Weekly Questions: The instructor chooses from this pool of questions.

Chapter 1
1. How can learning about other cultures and societies teach us more about ourselves?
What specific experiences have you had that reinforce this idea?
2. Using current events, explore current struggles between the bourgeoisie and proletariat.
How have these conflicts changed over time? How have they remained the same?
3. Social problem: Baby boomers are aging and retiring in large numbers. This has put a
strain on many institutions and programs including social security and Medicare. Develop
a policy to fix the problem, and identify the manifest function. In addition, brainstorm what
might be latent functions and latent dysfunctions of the proposal.
4. Do you agree with Marx who ascertained that social change must come with conflict?
Why or why not? Use specific examples to help support your answer.
5. Using the eight steps identified in the chapter, design a research study to gain information
on an important social problem.

Chapter 2
1. Think of your own experience and describe a situation or a few situations where you have
engaged in ethnocentric thinking. How did your ethnocentrism affect how you responded
to the situation and the people involved?
2. Explore an example of a subculture you are familiar with that is not outlined in the text.
What leads you to believe that it is a subculture instead of a completely separate culture
or a counterculture?
3. Do you see any other emerging values for American culture other than those outlined in
the chapter? If not, can you think of an emerging value for one of the many subcultures
present in American society? What function do you think the emerging value holds?

Chapter 3
1. Cases of feral and isolated children can be used to demonstrate the importance of
language in human development. Do you think he overestimates the importance of
language in an individuals life? Does he overestimate the role of language in the
development and expression of culture? Why do you think the way you do?
2. Based on your understanding of the Nature versus Nurture debate, respond to the
following scenario: A baby is born to an unwed mother who has dropped out of high
school and works part-time at a local gas station. The father is also a high school dropout
and is a member of a local gang. Neither one of the parents performed well in school and
scored below average on an intelligence test. The baby is adopted at birth by two
medical doctors who are able to provide the child with every opportunity money can
provide. What is the likelihood of this child becoming a successful, educated, productive
member of society? What role do you see nature and nurture playing in intelligence?
3. Using your understanding of Freudian theory, explain the eating disorder Anorexia
Nervosa. Be sure to include a discussion of the parts of personality in your answer.
4. Critically examine your own favorite television show in terms of gender messages. How
are men and women portrayed, and how does this line up with traditional gender roles?
Any challenges to the traditional gender roles in your favorite show?
5. Identify one of the strongest agents of socialization in your own life outside of the family.
Why and how was this group so influential in your development? How might your life be
different if you had not had this agent present?
6. What are some of the initiation rites children undergo in modern American society as
they become adolescents? What initiation rites occur as adolescents enter adulthood?
Sterling College Online - BS115: Principles of Sociology
Weekly Questions: The instructor chooses from this pool of questions.

7. What do you think of the assertion that a new period of life is developing which is called
transitional adulthood? Is his description of this age group fair and accurate? Why or why
not?

Chapter 4
1. Using the concept of social structure, respond to the following question. Does the
existence of a deprived class ensure the relative comforts of the rest of us? Does there
have to be poor for the rich (or even middle class) to exist? Explain why you think the
way you do.
2. What status symbols are so important in your life and why? Why is announcing our status
so important?
3. Why do you suppose hunting and gathering societies were fairly egalitarian? Why did this
change as societies evolved, and was the shift toward more sexist attitudes a necessary
part of that development? Why or why not?
4. What are some of the pros and cons of living in a society with mechanical solidarity?
What are some of the pros and cons of living in a society with organic solidarity? Which
of the two types would you prefer if given the option?
5. Give one example of role strain and one example of role conflict you have experienced.
How did you manage the demands of each?

Chapter 5
1. Think of an organization you know of (not mentioned in the text) that serves as an
example of the iron law of oligarchy. How do the leaders of that group hold onto power,
and is the membership aware of their tactics? Are the leaders aware of their own tactics?
2. The term McDonaldization of Society has been around for quite some time now. Do you
think the trend has continued over the last 20 years and that weve become more
standardized? Or do you think the trend has reversed somewhat? Explain your answer.
3. Discuss an experience youve had with bureaucracy. What did it do well? What were its
shortcomings? How can bureaucracies maximize their benefits while minimizing their
drawbacks?

Chapter 7
1. Using public shame as a punishment . . . Why is shaming such a powerful motivator?
How do you think school officials could use shaming? Any ideas on that? How would the
parents of the children who were shamed react? Do you think we have become too
sensitive to the deleterious effects of shaming? Why or why not?
2. Regarding paths for resolving role strain, give examples of two of the deviant paths
discussed and what the person was trying to achieve by engaging in the behavior they
did.
3. Use the functionalist perspective to explain the difference in how punishment is handled
in our criminal justice system. Why is it that poor criminals are treated so much differently
than affluent criminals? What possible functions could this discrepancy serve?
4. What is the primary purpose of prison in the United States? What is the primary purpose
of prison in Greenland? Which approach do you think is the right one, and why?
5. How do you feel about Szaszs assertion that mental illness doesnt really exist? After
reading the authors description of how homelessness may cause mental illness, did it
change your opinion of Szaszs theory? Why or why not?
Sterling College Online - BS115: Principles of Sociology
Weekly Questions: The instructor chooses from this pool of questions.

Chapter 8
1. Do you think access to quality health care in the United States should be a right or a
privilege? If you think it should be a right, how much are you willing to sacrifice so that
others would benefit? If you think it is a privilege, what would you say to a poor family
whose child could die if he or she is denied appropriate medical treatment?
2. Speculate as to why different Christian denominations tend to attract certain classes.
What might explain these difference?
3. Using the concept of structural mobility, describe the benefits and challenges face you as
you draw nearer to graduation.

Chapter 9
1. Some analyses conclude that racism didnt lead to slavery, but, rather, that slavery led
to racism. What do you think of this idea? What proofs exist to help support both sides
of the argument?
2. The Indian caste system was abolished in 1949, but the author states that centuries-old
practices cannot be eliminated easily. Do you agree with this statement? Can you think
of dramatic social changes that occurred very quickly? Can you think of other social
changes that have occurred slowly, as with the abolition of the caste system in India?
3. How does Mascas Argument align with the idea of servant leadership? How could it fit
into the picture? Is there a theory that is able to explain servant leadership better?
4. Read the section on neocolonialism and consider this: Much of Americas national debt is
held by foreign investors, particularly China. What does this mean for the future of our
country? Why is the American situation different, or is it?

Chapter 10
1. This chapter details many cultural practices that are dangerous to a womans health, well-
being, and sometimes, life. How do we determine when these actions are a human
rights issue versus a simple cultural difference? Are we not engaging in ethnocentric
thought when we judge the cultural practices of another society? How do we reconcile
our desire for social justice with our duty to remain respectful of the cultural practice of
others?
2. In your opinion, what has limited women like Hilary Clinton from occupying the highest
political positions? What reservations would you have if a woman was running for
president? Would your idea of gender roles have any effect on how you might vote?

Chapter 11
1. What does race mean to you, and how might your upbringing have affected your beliefs
and attitudes toward race?
2. What do you think is the best way to deal with this [illegal immigration] issue? What are
your thoughts on this? Why is it such a contentious issue?
3. Has Affirmative Action ever played a role in your life? How did you feel about it? Why
would such a program be necessary in the first place, and how will we know when it has
outlived its usefulness?
Sterling College Online - BS115: Principles of Sociology
Weekly Questions: The instructor chooses from this pool of questions.

Chapter 12
1. How do we guard against the charismatic but evil leader? Do you think a Hitler-type of
leader could come to power in the United States? What circumstance would make it more
or less likely?
2. Do you think democracy will become a universal form of government everywhere in the
world? What trends do you see that would make it more likely? What obstacles would this
movement encounter?
3. Any party that advocates radical change is doomed to a short life. Do you think this is
true, and what might it mean for todays major political players?
4. If capitalism and socialism are becoming more similar as convergence theory suggests,
why do we use the term globalization of capitalism? Why would socialism be left out if
the two systems are really converging?

Chapter 13
1. Consider some of the cultural differences discussed early in chapter 12 concerning
marriage and family. What functions might some of these practices serve, and why would
marriage look so different depending on the society in which someone lives? Are the
functions of the family similar across cultures? If so, why do so many differences exist?
2. Why would church attendance affect ideal family size? Similarly, why would younger
Americans prefer larger families than slightly older Americans?
3. The issue of religion is mentioned several times in this chapter. What effect does religion
play in marriage and family? Why do you suppose this is the case? Use information from
the text to support your answer.

Chapter 14
1. This chapter mentions the idea of tracking children into certain areas of study depending
on their ability. Do you view this as an efficient way of making sure every child is
educated according to his or her ability or as an unnecessary limitation on achievement?
Did you experience tracking of any sort when you were in grade school or high school?
How did you feel about it?
2. Explain the self-fulfilling prophecy and give an example of how you have seen it work in
real life. Why would the self-fulfilling prophecy be so important in a classroom setting?
3. Can you think of other functions and dysfunctions of religion not outlined in the text?
Please discuss religion in general terms rather than focusing in on any one specific type.
4. From a governments perspective, which religious practices should be allowed and which
should be banned? What about animal sacrifices? Human sacrifices? Polygamy? Child
marriage?

Chapter 15
1. Do you tend to agree with the New Malthusian perspective or the Anti-Malthusian
perspective? Why do you think the way you do? Why is one sides evidence more
persuasive to you than the other sides?
2. . . . female infanticide in China. What can be done to reduce the practice, and why do
you think it is not a priority for world leaders? What are your thoughts? What could the
Chinese government do to address the issue? What could other world leaders do to urge
change?
Sterling College Online - BS115: Principles of Sociology
Weekly Questions: The instructor chooses from this pool of questions.

3. Compare and contrast the location of mega-cities with the data on which nations tend to
have the most urban populations. What trends do you see emerge, and how can you
explain them?
4. The chapter discusses the concept of rural rebound. What does this term mean, and
how could small, shrinking Kansas towns capitalize on the trend? What factors might be
extremely powerful in attracting new residents?