SOC 200 Fall 2021 Final Exam Questions

Chapter 7 Questions (deviance) Please answer 1 of the following 2 questions:

· Emile Durkheim made the surprising statement that crime is actually useful and perhaps even necessary for all social organization. Explain Durkheim’s three functions of deviance and point to examples in which crime (or, more broadly, deviance) is functional for society as a whole. How might a society control deviance in a way that it remains functional rather than becoming dysfunctional?

· Describe the labeling theory of deviance. What basic insights about deviance are offered by this approach? How does labeling figure into the difference between primary deviance and secondary deviance? What is the importance of stigma in labeling analysis?

Chapter 9 (Social Stratification) Please answer 1 of the following 2 questions:

· Define and describe the three types of social mobility as presented in your textbook (remember that upward and downward aren’t types, but possible effects of the different types of social mobility). In general, what type of mobility has the COVID-19 pandemic produced? How can a society mitigate against the potential mobility effects of a pandemic?

· Consider social stratification from the symbolic interactionist perspective. How does social stratification influence the mundane daily interactions of individuals? How do systems of class, based on factors such as prestige, power, income, and wealth, influence your own daily routines, as well as your beliefs and attitudes? Illustrate your ideas with specific examples and anecdotes from your own life or someone you know.

Chapter 11 (Race and Ethnicity) Please answer 1 of the following 2 questions:

· What evidence is there that race is a socially constructed concept? You may use a combination of objective evidence and examples that you choose, but your answer should be grounded in the lectures and readings.

· What is institutional discrimination? How do some prime examples of institutional discrimination – such as redlining and racial steering – contribute to institutional discrimination? What do think can be done to fight institutional discrimination?

Chapter 12 (Sex and Gender) Please answer 1 of the following 2 questions:

· Define feminism. Choose three of the forms of feminist thinking that you learned about in the GABI (we learned about a lot more, but choose three). What do the approaches have in common? How do they differ? How do these differences impact how these ideas are viewed by the larger public?

· The socialization process links gender to personal identity (gender identity) as well as distinctive behavior and activities (gender roles). Explain how gender is a central element of socialization across the life course from birth through early adulthood. Begin by addressing the fact that gender socialization actually begins before birth. Consider parental expectations, peer group activity, and school life. Provide data or examples where you can.

Chapter 14 (Marriage and Family) Please answer 1 of the following 2 questions:

· Summarize the findings of Gerson’s 2007 article and Grose’s 2013 article (see Canvas for links to the articles). What connections can you make between the two readings? How do Grose’s finding reinforce and/or contradict Gerson’s? What are the lessons we can learn from these research projects?

· What were the main reasons for the divorce boom between 1960 and 1980? What have been the causes for the steady decline in divorce rates since 1980 and why have they been important? What do you think will happen over the next several decades to the divorce rate? Support your answer.

Chapter 16 (Education) Please answer 1 of the following 2 questions:

· What is the difference between formal and informal education? Explain how formal education and informal education can contradict one another at various stages of the life course. Feel free to cite examples from your own education to illustrate your point.

· What is cultural capital? How does it relate to physical capital (wealth)? How does cultural capital impact educational achievement in the public school system?