Urgent

SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1Soc 302 - Study Guide

Chapters 3 and 9 in Appelrouth and Edles, “Functionalism”

1. What are the main points of functionalism?

2. An early contributor was Emile Durkheim. Describe his backgrounds and interests. What was his major interest as a sociologist?

3. A study by Durkheim is The Division of Labor in Society. Define division of labor. What question was Durkheim trying to answer with this book? Distinguish between Mechanical Solidarity and Organic Solidarity. How does a society move from one type to the other? How does each type contribute to social solidarity? Which one is a stronger type of solidarity? How does Durkheim define crime?

4. Another book by Durkheim is The Rules of Sociological Method. Why did he write this book? Sociology studies Social Facts. What is a social fact? What two things do we want to study about social facts? How can we explain social facts? If we want to explain social life, where do we start, with the individual or the group? How does he criticize psychology? How does he review crime? What research methods should sociology use?

5. A third major work by Durkheim is Suicide. Why did he choose this topic for study? How did he define ‘suicide?’ How did he study suicide? Was he studying why a person commits suicide? If not, what was he studying? Define and illustrate the four types of suicide. How can suicide be reduced?

6. Durkheim’s final work is The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life. How does he define religion? What is the function of religion? What is the cause of religion?

7. Talcott Parsons is a major contributor to functionalist theory. What is Grand Theory? Review his Voluntaristic Theory of Action. Action takes place in four systems. Define the organism, social, cultural, and personality systems. What is a social system? Discuss thoroughly. What three factors hold a social system together? What is AGIL? Define the pattern variables.

8. Who was Robert K. Merton? What is middle range theory? Why does Merton insist this is important? Merton’s contributions include: anomie theory of deviance, self-fulfilling prophecy, and manifest and latent functions, role set, reference groups, dysfunction. Identify all. What is the relation between theory and research?

9. What are the positive contributions of functionalism? The major criticisms?

Chapters 8 and 12 in Appelrouth and Edles, “Symbolic Interactionism”

1. According to Blumer, what are the three basic premises of symbolic interaction theory? What determines how people behave? Why is this theory called ‘Symbolic Interaction?’

2. Charles Horton Cooley is a major contributor to Symbolic Interaction theory. Define ‘looking glass self’ and ‘primary group.’

3. Discuss the contribution of George Herbert Mead in his Mind, Self, and Society. What is Social Behaviorism? Include: the self (I and me), significant other, generalized other, taking the role of the other. How does a person become a social being? Mead identified three stages children go through. What are each of them? What happens in each? Which stage lasts our whole life? What is a significant symbol? Why is language crucial?

4. W. I. Thomas is another major contributor. In The Unadjusted Girl he introduces the concept of Definition of the Situation. Discuss its importance. Define Thomas and Florian Zneniecki’s contribution in the Polish Peasant in Europe and America. Why are we paying more attention to this research that in past years?

5. Describe Goffman’s dramaturgical approach. Review his discussion of The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. Define Stigma, and identify the three types of stigma. How can a stigmatized person react to the stigma? Who are the Own, the Wise? How does stigma effect social relationships? What is a total institution? Why is Asylums very different from most studies about mental illness? What has been Goffman’s contribution? Describe Total Institutions.

6. What is the Chicago School? What do we mean by ‘school?’ Why is the Chicago School important? What research methods did this school use? What were the results?

7. Identify the positive contributions of Symbolic Interaction theory. What are the common criticisms?