Writers Den

“Student’s Guide to Research” Please respond to one (1) of the following:

• Read “Zimbardo’s Experiment: The Individual and the Social Role,” located on page 48 of the textbook. Discuss one (1) alternative approach to the one used in the Zimbardo experiment to investigate how role expectations shape behavior. Provide a rationale for your response.
• Using Table 3.1: “Values, Norms, Folkways, Mores, Taboos, Laws, and Beliefs” on page 56 of the textbook; describe the culture, class, and language of your community. Suggest one (1) area that needs further research. Provide a rationale for your response.

week 3

week 3

“Agents of Socialization, Economics, Cultural, and Social Capital” Please respond to one (1) of the following:

• Go to TED’s Website and watch the first two (2) minutes of the video titled, “How technology allowed me to read,” (15 min 44 s) located athttp://www.ted.com/talks/ron_mccallum_how_technology_allowed_me_to_read. Examine one (1) of the six (6) agents of socialization (family, school, peer groups, work, religion, and technology and mass media). Describe the agent of sociology that has changed the most during your lifetime and discuss the importance of this change.
• Select one (1) of the following terms: structuralism, economic capital, and social capital, and provide one (1) example of the term using your personal experience, from your family or work environment.

week 4

“Deviance and Social Class” Please respond to one (1) of the following:

• Sociologists explain deviance by three (3) major perspectives: biological, functional conflict, and symbolic interaction. Identify your role, for example, as a parent and which perspective best reflects your personal experience. Discuss the main reasons why this perspective is relevant.
• Review Figure 7.1: “Class in the United States” on page 159 of the textbook, in particular, the typical incomes. Speculate on the typical per capita income for your area. Next, go to the United States Census Bureau’s Website, located athttp://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/index.html, to determine the actual per capita for your county or region. Compare your perception of your area’s per capita and the actual per capita for your area. If you were close, provide a rationale for your speculation. If there was a major discrepancy between your speculation and the actual per capita, suggest a reason for the discrepancy.

wek 5

week 5

“Race, Ethnicity, Sex, and Gender” Please respond to one (1) of the following:

• Describe the effects that the statistical information on a specific race or ethnicity in the areas of health, crime, employment, or education may have in terms of being a predictor of behavior. Provide your opinion on the most likely effects these statistics will have on an individual.
• Select one (1) of the following terms: liberal feminism, socialist feminism, radical feminism, patriarchy, and multicultural feminism, and define it in your words. Describe the manner in which this term relates to you.

week 6

wee 6

“Families and Education” Please respond to one (1) of the following:

• The definition of marriage has changed over the past years and the recent Supreme Court ruling. Review Figure 11.6 on page 276 of the textbook. Identify your state’s status on same-sex marriage. Explain which sociological concept best supports the changing attitude towards same sex marriage (depicted in Figure 11.5 on page 276 of the textbook).
• According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2013) on page 307 of your textbook, eight (8) percent of U.S. students dropped out of high school which is an issue for parents, educators, and the community. Use the Internet to research and identify the high school drop-out rate for your city. Discuss two (2) of the possible effects that your city’s high school drop-out rate may have on the community. Provide a rationale for your response.

week 7
Week 7 Discussion

According to the textbook, sociologists use the religious economy approach or a business perspective to describe religions as organizations competing with each other for followers. Speculate on the relation between the religious economy approach and the trend of more adults becoming nonaffiliated with any religion.”Religion and Politics” Please respond to one (1) of the following:

• According to the textbook, U.S. voter participation has decreased over the years. Review Figures 14.4, 14.5 and 14.6 on page 362 of the textbook, and go to the U.S. Census’ Website located at http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/cats/elections/voting-age_population_and_voter_participation.html to research the percentage of voter participation by age, education, race, or ethnicity in the last presidential election for your state. Describe the major effect(s) that you believe the percentage of voter participation has on your community in terms of changes in policies. Justify your response.

week 8

“Public Health” Please respond to the following:

• During outbreak of Ebola in West Africa in 2014, many U.S. healthcare workers and military members were exposed to the contagious disease (see the New York Times’ article, “Ebola-Infected Health Care Worker in Dallas Took a Flight on Monday” for an example, located athttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/16/us/ebola-infected-dallas-health-worker-was-on-flight.html?%20Here%20is%20an%20article%20for%20the%20military%20_r=0). Use the Internet to locate one to two (1-2) other articles about this particular Ebola outbreak. Discuss your initial reaction to the news of the outbreak, citing one (1) article about the outbreak. Explain the effect that this has had on your current perception about public health policy.

week 9

“Local and Global Communities” Please respond to one (1) of the following:

• Use the Internet to research the population of your community or town. City-Data, is a great Website to get you started. Identify whether you town is growing or declining. Describe at least one (1) sociological aspect that can be attributed to this change.
• Select a country and go to the CIA’s World Factbook Website, and research its economic wealth or poverty. Note: Please review the other student’s responses so that you do not repeat another student’s selection of a country. Then, describe the economic wealth or poverty of that country. Discuss any sociological aspects that may be causing this wealth or poverty.

week 10

“Organizing Online” Please respond to the following:

• Read “#SOCIALCHANGE” located on pages 474 and 475 of the textbook. Describe the manner in which social media provides a venue for activism. Provide one (1) example of online support for an issue or cause.

• week 11

“Sum It Up” Please respond to one (1) of the following:

• Summarize what you have learned in this class in 140 characters or less (something you could post on Twitter).
• Describe the one (1) aspect of this course that you liked the most. Explain why this particular aspect of the course was your favorite.

Quiz 1

• Question 1

2.5 out of 2.5 points

_____ is considered the first female sociologist and argued that injustices such as slavery and women’s inequality stunted a society’s moral development.

• Question 2

2.5 out of 2.5 points

The ability to grasp the relationship between individual lives and the larger social forces that shape them is referred to as:

• Question 3

2.5 out of 2.5 points

The bonds that unite the members of a social group is referred to as:

• Question 4

2.5 out of 2.5 points

Accepted social behaviors and beliefs are referred to as:

• Question 5

2.5 out of 2.5 points

The ability to mobilize resources and achieve goals despite the resistance of others is referred to as:

• Question 6

2.5 out of 2.5 points

The scientific study of human social relationships, groups, and societies is known as:

• Question 7

0 out of 2.5 points

The ability to evaluate claims about truth by using reason and evidence is referred to as:

• Question 8

0 out of 2.5 points

According to Marx, the key difference between the working class and the capitalist class was:

quiz 2

Question 1

2 out of 2 points

A researcher finds that as years spent driving increases, the number of accidents decreases. This is an example of:

Question 2

2 out of 2 points

The degree to which two or more variables are associated with one another is referred to as:

Question 3

2 out of 2 points

A characteristic of results that systematically misrepresent the full dimensions of what is being studied is referred to as:

Question 4

2 out of 2 points

A detailed conversation designed to obtain in-depth information about a person and his or her activities is referred to as:

Question 5

2 out of 2 points

Random sampling refers to:

Question 6

2 out of 2 points

Specific techniques for systematically gathering data are referred to as:

Question 7

2 out of 2 points

The process of gathering empirical (scientific and specific) data, creating theories, and rigorously testing theories is known as:

Question 8

0 out of 2 points

In

For a study to be ___, a researcher should report in precise detail the research methods and process.

Question 9

2 out of 2 points

_____ theorists would argue that elites use culture to gain or maintain power over other groups.

Question 10

2 out of 2 points

Which of the following would be considered a violation of a folkway?

Question 11

2 out of 2 points

The worldview whereby we understand the practices of another society sociologically, in terms of that society’s own norms and values and not our own, is referred to as:

Question 12

2 out of 2 points

The abstract creations of human cultures, including ideas about behavior and living, are referred to as:

Question 13

2 out of 2 points

Particular ideas that people accept as true are referred to as:

Question 14

0 out of 2 points

Common rules of a culture that govern the behavior of people belonging to it are referred to as:

Question 15

2 out of 2 points

Cultural representations of social realities are referred to as:

Question 16

0 out of 2 points

Powerful mores, the violation of which is considered serious and even unthinkable, are referred to as:

week 4

Question 1

2 out of 2 points

Correct

Women’s inequality is primarily the result of imperfect institutions, which can be corrected by reforms that do not fundamentally alter society itself. This statement reflects the beliefs of:

Question 2

2 out of 2 points

Correct

The difference between the earnings of women who work full-time year round as a group and men who work full-time year round as a group is called:

Question 3

2 out of 2 points

Correct

The “second shift” refers to:

Question 4

2 out of 2 points

Correct

Which of the following is considered the “factory of gendered personalities”?

Question 5

2 out of 2 points

Correct

How early do sociologists believe parents begin socializing their children into gender?

Question 6

2 out of 2 points

Correct

When two or more people live together and have a legally or normatively recognized relationship, this is an example of which of the following social institutions?

Question 7

2 out of 2 points

Correct

Social groups consisting of one or more parents, children, and other kin, often spanning several generations, living in the same household are referred to as:

Question 8

2 out of 2 points

Correct

Physical or sexual abuse committed by one family member against another is referred to as:

Question 9

0 out of 2 points

Incorrect

Which of the following is an explanation for declining fertility rates in modern societies?

Question 10

2 out of 2 points

Correct

What expression does Talcott Parsons use to describe the family?

Question 11

2 out of 2 points

Correct

School segregation based on residential patterns or student choice, despite the legal segregation being banned, is referred to as:

Question 12

0 out of 2 points

Incorrect

Schools were originally established in the United States for which of the following purposes?

Question 13

0 out of 2 points

Incorrect

Which of the following is an example of the sociological term “moral education”?

Question 14

2 out of 2 points

Correct

A society in which access to desirable jobs and social status depends on the posession of a certificate or diploma is referred to as:

Question 15

2 out of 2 points

Correct

The transmission of society’s norms, values, and knowledge base by means of direct instruction is referred to as:

Question 16

2 out of 2 points

Correct

_____ refers to the education of racial minorities in schools that are geographically, economically, and/or socially separated from those attended by the racial majority.

quiz 5

Question 1

2 out of 2 points

Correct

A system of common beliefs and rituals centered on “sacred things” that unites believers and provides a sense of meaning and purpose is referred to as:

Question 2

2 out of 2 points

Correct

An item believed to have acquired transcendent or magical qualities connecting humans with the divine is known as:

Question 3

2 out of 2 points

Correct

A belief in one or more supernatural deities is known as:

Question 4

2 out of 2 points

Correct

The rise in worldly thinking, particularly as seen in the rise of science, technology, and rational thought, and a simultaneous decline in the influence of religion, can be described as:

Question 5

2 out of 2 points

Correct

A single people or nation governed by a political authority or state is commonly referred to as:

Question 6

2 out of 2 points

Correct

People who are temporary or permanent residents and who do not have the same rights and privileges as citizens are referred to as:

Question 7

2 out of 2 points

Correct

Groups comprised of people who share the same concerns on a particular issue are referred to as:

Question 8

2 out of 2 points

Correct

_____ is power based on devotion inspired in followers by the personal qualities of a leader.

Question 9

2 out of 2 points

Correct

An economy based on the exchange of goods and services rather than money is known as:

Question 10

2 out of 2 points

Correct

Large-scale, highly standardized manufacturing of identical commodities on a mechanical assembly line is known as:

Question 11

0 out of 2 points

Incorrect

Highly educated professionals who engage in mental labor and the manipulation of symbols are also known as:

Question 12

2 out of 2 points

Correct

An economic order characterized by the market allocation of goods and services, production for private profit, and private ownership of the means of producing wealth is referred to as:

Question 13

2 out of 2 points

Correct

Activities intended to sustain, promote, and enhance health are referred to as:

Question 14

2 out of 2 points

Correct

An institutionalized system for the scientific diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of illness is known as:

Question 15

2 out of 2 points

Correct

Which of the following countries spends the most per capita on health care?

Question 16

2 out of 2 points

Correct

Which of the following food categories receives the most federal subsidies?

quiz6

Question 1

0 out of 2 points

Incorrect

Zygmunt Bauman has written on what he describes as ____, where modern citizens vie for a relationship to physical spaces and places, including countries.

Question 2

0 out of 2 points

Incorrect

North America and Europe combined account for about what percentage of the global list of millionaires?

Question 3

2 out of 2 points

Correct

The comparative economic measure that uses international dollars to indicate the amount of goods and services someone could buy in the United States with a given amount of money is known as:

Question 4

2 out of 2 points

Correct

The idea that poverty of some countries is a consequence of their exploitation by wealthy, capitalist states is known as:

Question 5

2 out of 2 points

Correct

With a population over 1 billion, about ____ of Indians live on less than $2 a day.

Question 6

2 out of 2 points

Correct

The science of population size, distribution, and composition is defined as:

:

Question 7

2 out of 2 points

Correct

What total fertility rate represents replacement rate fertility (in which each parent is able to replace himself or herself)?

Question 8

2 out of 2 points

Correct

The tendency of population growth to continue beyond the point when replacement-rate fertility has been achieved because of the high concentration of people of childbearing age is referred to as:

Question 9

2 out of 2 points

Correct

E-waste accounts for what percentage of toxic waste?

Question 10

2 out of 2 points

Correct

What term is used to describe a constant rate of population growth that produces a population that grows by an increasing amount with each passing year?

Question 11

2 out of 2 points

Correct

Traditional, homegeneous societies are characterized by _____ solidarity, while diverse, modern societies are characterized by _____ solidarity.

Question 12

2 out of 2 points

Correct

_____ norms are those that are situationally created to support a collective action.

Emergent

Question 13

2 out of 2 points

Correct

An illegal, prolonged outbreak of violent behavior by a large group of people against individuals or property is referred to as:

Question 14

2 out of 2 points

Correct

Which of the following is true of fads and fashions?

Question 15

2 out of 2 points

Correct

According to Antonio Gramsci, _____ intellectuals are those who emerge from oppressed groups and create counterhegemonies that challenge dominant and dominating ideas.

Question 16

2 out of 2 points

Correct

Theories that argue that change reflects a cycle of growth and decline are referred to as:

• assignment