Sociology Final Exam
mctt3p1
SociologyFinalExam.docxAnswer the following questions using ONLY your assigned readings. Do not employ other sources or retrieve information from the internet. To do so will be considered plagiarism and subject to disciplinary action.
Type using 12” font, black ink, Times Roman if possible. Paginate and begin each question on a new page. Spell check and proof your work.
1. It is argued that we are experiencing the “Age of Mass Incarceration” in the U.S. today. For example, your readings show sentencing (not crime rates) in China are 1/4th the rate of the U.S. and that this is a result of encroaching corporatism and militarism of the State.
Explain how your text explains the above as a product of the increasing and inevitable “irrationality of capitalism.”
2. Why are bureaucracies, according to Sociologists, antithetical to democracy? How did their growth, according to Weber and others, affect the demise of capitalism predicted by Marx and others? What does your text argue has been the result?
Answer in your own words to the best of your ability. You may use and cite readings and chapters assigned during the course.
In this module we explore the differences between philosophical and sociological approaches to the question, "What is the relationship between the individual and society?" In doing so, we summarize the three theoretical frameworks sociologists typically have used to respond to this question. We then review four recent developments that challenge these established perspectives, developments that are explored in greater detail in subsequent modules.
Throughout this module, we summarize several terms used in our analysis. The module closes with an overview of the key questions we will consider throughout the semester's readings.
Read this for an introduction to the principles of macrosociology.
This reading discusses how social scientists analyze religion in terms of what it does for the individual, community, or society.
http://www.sociologyguide.com/religion/social-functions-and-dysfunctions-of-religion.php
This article talks about the allegation that some clergy are suspected of helping those causing unrest in the Ukraine.
This chapter discusses how material factors such as population change, technology, division of labor, and the environment give rise to and subsequently affect the course of sociocultural systems.
Chapter 2: Materialism in Macrosociology
This article discusses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its history and ethnic relations, architecture, food, economy, and political life. Pay particular attention to the section gender roles and statuses.
http://www.everyculture.com/Sa-Th/Saudi-Arabia.html
A report that presents labor market and economic opportunities for both men and women. The report touches on significant progress towards gender equality in education around the world, but notes persistent inequalities in pay.
http://www.oecd.org/social/50423364.pdf
In this module we present a brief history of modern society and describe how the development of the modern world has had an impact on the individual in society. We begin by discussing how society's movement from small agrarian villages to urban centers changed the way people interact within society—especially through their work roles. In our discussion we will briefly examine how Karl Marx and Max Weber defined this era, but we'll spend most of our time investigating how modern systems affect our lives today.
Most of our discussion of modern systems will focus on George Ritzer's theory of the McDonaldization of society. Ritzer proposes that the efficient, predictable, calculable, and highly controlled system for delivering fast food to customers—first and most notably exhibited in our society by McDonald's restaurants—has become a system that is now pervasive all through our lives, from our schooling to our medical care.
This chapter covers evolutionary theory in the social sciences. The author discusses the evolution process and its analogy to biological and social evolution.
Chapter 3: Evolutionism in the Work of the Founders
An interactive timeline on the Middle East protests of 2011.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2011/mar/22/middle-east-protest-interactive-timeline
This article discusses the political unrest North Africa, Syria, and Middle East and how has democracy fared against the support for Islam in these regions.
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/138479/sheri-berman/the-promise-of-the-arab-spring
In this module we introduce the concept of postmodernism and describe how postmodern society developed from modern society. We'll explore how postmodern society has challenged modern, rational systems and the impact these challenges have had on the individual in society. We'll specifically look at how the postmodern definition of "what is truth" differs from the modern view and how this led to the development of new sociological theory, such as social constructivism, to explain how individuals interact with their world. We will also learn about how sociologists define and study social movements, applying this study to two major social movements of the twentieth century: the American civil rights movement and the women's movement.
This chapter covers contemporary social evolutionary theory, in particular the contributions of Gerhard Lenski, Jared Diamond, and Elizabeth Eisenstein.
Chapter 4: Contemporary Social Evolution
This article discusses the declining birth rate of women throughout most the world and the sociological and demographic implications.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/05/opinion/sunday/bye-bye-baby.html?_r=0
A series of articles on the ranking of US students compared to the world, based on the PISA exam. The first two articles have opposing interpretations of US test scores. The third shows where the US compares to the world in education, and the last one shows how educational rankings relate to economic performance of nations.
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/education/2010-12-07-us-students-international-ranking_N.htm
http://news.stanford.edu/news/2013/january/test-scores-ranking-011513.html
http://www.oecd.org/pisa/keyfindings/PISA-2012-results-snapshot-Volume-I-ENG.pdf
http://www.oecd.org/pisa/46643496.pdf
This article discusses how the US students lag around the average on the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) test of science, math, and reading.
A podcast by Diane Rehm on a book by Amanda Ripley, The Smartest Kids In the World, where the author follows three American kids who study abroad.
http://thedianerehmshow.org/audio/#/shows/2013-08-19/amanda-ripley-smartest-kids-world/@00:00
This chapter examines the characteristics, causes, and consequences of bureaucratic organization.
This Oxford Dictionary of Sociology article discusses McDonaldization, through which the principles of the fast-food restaurant are dominating modern societies, causing them to become increasingly standardized, predictable, and uniform.
This article discusses a report ranking India’s bureaucratic system as one of the most stifling in the world.
http://www.bbc.com/news/10227680
This paper discusses issues facing developing countries on how bureaucratic performance can be improved and how it relates to development outcomes.
http://www.odi.org/sites/odi.org.uk/files/odi-assets/publications-opinion-files/4104.pdf
In this module, we focus on the evolution of the global and virtual (Web-based) societies of the twenty-first century. We begin by defining globalization—what it is and how it has developed through the increased sophistication of telecommunications and large, international financial systems. We then explore the individual's role in global society, and how roles in poor societies differ from those in rich societies. For example, we'll explore how the physical distance between these societies affects individuals' feelings of responsibility and involvement.
We will then investigate a new and growing society that is essentially built on physical distance—the virtual society of the Internet. In our explorations we consider two important questions: How do we interact as individuals in a Web-based society, and how can our knowledge of sociology help us to understand this world better?
This chapter covers the origins, expansion, “crisis,” and contradictions of capitalism.
A video by Thomas Piketty discussing his formula for economic inequality, an existing, worsening condition with radical possible impacts.
A list of reviews of Thomas Piketty’s New Thoughts on Capital in the Twenty-First Century video.
This article discusses the skepticism over free trade and the results for American workers.
This chapter covers the “origin of the state as well as the modern state's relation to capital, military power, and the prospects of democracy.”
This article discusses how tribalism evolved into nation statehood, but the modern nation state has declined because of technology and competing tribal interests.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-reich/the-new-tribalism-and-the_b_5020469.html
This article discusses the protests taking place in Hong Kong by young people who identify themselves with the culture of Hong Kong, but not that of China, causing tensions with the Chinese government.
This chapter explores the impact of "human nature" on society as well as the relationship of increased bureaucracy to irrational behavior.
This chapter “constitutes a materialist’s summary of the overall structure and dynamics of sociocultural systems.”
This article discusses the US problem with imprisonment and incarceration and how US rates compare to those of other nations.
http://www.nccdglobal.org/sites/default/files/publication_pdf/factsheet-us-incarceration.pdf
This report focuses on the privatization of prison internationally, including the extent, the countries covered, and the concerns by each country.
This article discusses the growing alarm over the numbers of suicides by Native American teenagers.
An article discussing the rise of suicide rates among middle-aged Americans in the last decade, likely due to economic worry.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/03/health/suicide-rate-rises-sharply-in-us.html?_r=0
A report from the CDC on the increasing public health concern about the number of suicides among adults 35–64.
Suicide Among Adults Aged 35–64 Years—United States, 1999-2010
This paper shows the theoretical and empirical link between individual culture and growth and innovation.
http://eml.berkeley.edu/~groland/pubs/IEA%20papervf.pdf
