Description
1. Contrast the four stages of child development outlined by George Herbert Mead.
2. How do children learn to “do gender”?
3. What is the difference between “norms” and “values”? What do breaching experiments reveal about the significance of norms in everyday life?
4. Contrast ethnocentrism and cultural relativism. Describe an issue where this distinction is a key factor.
5. What is the difference between a subculture and a counterculture? Provide an example to illustrate.
6. Why is The Simpsons an example of postmodern culture? How does it illustrate a postmodern way of engaging with culture and society today?
7. What is media bias? How do Herman and Chomsky describe the mechanisms of media bias? Please provide a contemporary example of media bias to illustrate.
8. What is the “pop gene” described in Barbara Duden and Silya Samerski’s research? (Note: see Activity 2.1b in Unit 2). How does the scientific terminology of genetics impact popular consciousness?
Part B
1. What is the logic behind biological explanations of human behaviour, and why do sociologists argue that these explanations are misguided? To what degree is human life more than a function of biology? From a sociological point of view, what is the popular appeal of biological determinist arguments, and what are their problems or dangers?
2. How do sociologists reconcile the processes of socialization with the existence of individual uniqueness? (Note: Make sure to include a discussion of Mead’s concept of the “I” and “me” in your answer.)
3. Contrast the issues involved in the “rationalization” of culture and “consumerism.” Which issue seems more significant today? (Note: See the discussion in your textbook and Activity 2.1d “Consumerism as an Unstable Project” in Unit 2.)
4. What elements define Canadian identity and Canadian culture? In the era of globalization, is Canadian culture still distinct? (Note: In your answer, make sure to describe the issues of globalization’s effects on culture.)
5. Contrast functionalist, critical, and interpretivist approaches to advertising images. Provide an example of an advertising image to illustrate your analysis. (Note: See the discussion in Brym et. al.’s Chapter 18 “The Mass Media” and Topic 2.3 in Unit 2.) Assignment 3 (Weight 15%) – Instructions and Submission Assignment 3 covers material presented in Unit 3 of the course and is worth 15% of your total course mark. In Part A, you must write two short paragraph answers of 150–250 words each and, in Part B, you must write two short essays of 400–600 words each. Before you begin, under the Assignments Overview tab, review the Assessment Criteria and Submission Instructions for Parts A & B. Part A Answer two of the following questions in paragraphs of 150–250 words. (10 marks each) 1. What is the difference between the micro, meso, and macro levels of analysis? How might the institution of the family be examined at these three different levels? 2. In Erving Goffman’s dramaturgical analysis, what is the difference between the ”front stage” and the ”backstage”? Provide an example to illustrate. 3. What is the difference between networks, social groups, and bureaucracies? (Hint: In your answer, make sure to provide clear definitions and examples of each of the three concepts.) 4. What are the four typical problems of bureaucracies? Cite an example from the news or from your own experience with bureaucracy and determine which of the problems it represents. 5. According to Simmel, what is the relationship between the content and form of social interaction? Provide an example. 6. What is love (for a sociologist)? Why is love not so individualistic a phenomenon as it first appears to be? 7. What is a family? What debates exist over the definition of the family? Does your definition account for the variability of contemporary family forms? 8. Discuss: “Half of all marriages end in divorce.” Is the divorce rate increasing in Canada? Part B Answer two of the following questions in essays of about 400–600 words. (40 marks each) 1. Discuss: “The common sense view of emotions as unique, spontaneous, uncontrollable, authentic, natural, and perhaps even rooted exclusively in our biological makeup proves to be misguided.” 2. With regard to the dynamics of social groups and networks, why do sociologists argue that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts? In what respects are the effects of social groups on individuals different than the effects of networks on individuals? (Note: See the discussion in the textbook and the reading “In the Thick of It” in Activity 3.2b “Network Analysis” in Unit 3.) 3. Discuss: “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” (Hint: Make sure to outline Goffman’s dramaturgical perspective in your answer and provide examples to illustrate his concepts of line, face, and impression management.) 4. Outline the functionalist, critical, and symbolic interactionist perspectives on the family. Which provides the strongest insights into the contemporary diversification of family forms? (In your answer make sure to describe the “contemporary diversification of family forms” ) 5. What are the sociological conditions of conformity and groupthink? Is there a conformist personality? (Note: See the discussion in the textbook and Activity 3.2c “Lessons from the Milgram Experiments on Conformity—Factors that Influence Obedience and Conformity” in Unit 3.) 6. What were the sociological conditions of the Holocaust? Would another Holocaust be possible today. Assignment 4 (Weight 15%) – Instructions and Submission Assignment 4 covers material presented in Unit 4 of the course and is worth 15% of your total course mark. In Part A, you must write two short paragraph answers of 150–250 words each and, in Part B, you must write one short essay of 400–600 words. In Part C, you will participate in two Discussion forums. You can contribute at any time throughout the course, but please complete the discussion posts for Part C before submitting Assignment 4 to your Open Learning Faculty Member. Each discussion has two activities. To be eligible for marks, you must complete both the activities in each discussion forum. Refer to the “Getting Started in Moodle” link at the top of the Course Guide tab if you are unsure of how to use Moodle’s discussion forum tool. Part A contributes 20% of your mark for Assignment 4 (2 x 10%); Part B contributes 40%; and Part C contributes 40% (4 x 10%). Before you begin, under the Assignments Overview tab, review the Assessment Criteria and Submission Instructions for Parts A & B. Part A: Short Answer Questions Answer two of the following questions in short paragraph answers of 150–250 words each. (10 marks each) 1. Contrast three modes of social control: penal social control, discipline, and risk management. Which of these modes applies to the Health Officers Council of British Columbia Backgrounder “A Public Health Approach to Drug Control in Canada”? (Note: See Activity 4.1c “Public Health Approaches to Drug Control in Canada” in Unit 4.) 2. Why are aboriginal Canadians overrepresented in Canadian prisons and police arrest statistics? (Hint: In your answer, define overrepresentation and cite the statistics that show the degree of aboriginal overrepresentation.) 3. What is the difference between sex and gender? Explain the importance of this distinction for understanding the dominant gender schema as an ideology. 4. What are the main characteristics and causes of gender inequality in wage earnings in Canada? 5. What is medicalization? Why is it an issue? Provide an example to illustrate your answer. 6. To what degree is obesity a social rather than a physiological phenomenon? (Note: See “Making Connections–Obesity: The Last Acceptable Prejudice” in your textbook and Activity 4.3d: “Obesity and Social Networks” in Unit 4.) 7. What are the basic distinctions between the functionalist, critical sociology, and symbolic interactionist approaches to health, illness, and medicine? Provide an example of each to illustrate. Part B: Short Essay Answer one of the following questions in an essay of about 400–600 words. (40 marks) 1. At a time when the rate of violent crime has decreased, why has the anxiety about violent crime increased? What are the repercussions of this anxiety for contemporary debates about being “tough on crime”? In your answer, please explain the reasons why violent crime has decreased in Canada. (Note: In addition to the information in your textbook, see the debate about mandatory minimum sentences in Activity 4.1b “Debating Mandatory Minimum Sentences—The Safe Streets and Communities Act” in Unit 4.) 2. What do sex and gender nonconformists like transsexuals and intersexed people reveal about the relationship between sex and gender? (Note: On intersexed people and the “five sexes,” see Fausto-Sterling’s article in Activity 4.2b “The Five Sexes” in Unit 4. In your essay, make sure to clearly define sex and gender.) 3. Are there biological limits to equality between the genders? (Note: In addition to the information in your textbook, see the discussion of the research on the biology of gender differences in Activity 4.2c “The Gender Trap” in Unit 4). 4. Why are autism, blindness, and health more than just biological phenomena? (Note: On autism and blindness—in addition to the information in your textbook—see Activities 4.3b “Making Up People” and 4.3c “The Country of the Blind” in Unit 4.) Part C: Discussions Discussion 1: Media Story Activity 1: Select a current newspaper or broadcast media story that is relevant to the topics that we covered in Sociology 1111. Provide a brief summary of the story and then explain how it illustrates sociological ideas, issues, or concepts. By using a specific sociological perspective, explain why this story is relevant for sociologists. Cite the topic of your story in the subject line of your discussion posting. If possible, provide a link to the story, so readers can go to the original source. Activity 2: Review at least one contribution by another student and provide a response to her/his contribution. Explain why you agree or disagree with what this student said and/or provide an additional or alternative view of the story that he/she selected for discussion. Discussion 2: Statistical Data Activity 1: Do some brief web research on a sociological topic on which statistical data has been collected. Provide an outline of the statistical or factual information you have discovered and explain how this information illustrates sociological ideas, theories, or issues. What is the significance of these statistics? Cite the topic of your research in the subject line of your discussion posting. If possible, provide a link to the data, so readers can go to the original source. Activity 2: Review at least one contribution from another student and provide a response to it. Explain why you agree or disagree with her/his interpretation and/or provide supplementary statistical or factual information on the topic. To submit your response click Reply at the bottom of the student’s post. Note For Part C, you do not need to write in formal essay style, but please write in clear, succinct, and grammatically correct paragraphs. Citations to your textbook or other sources are welcome but not required. You should present an argument to support your interpretation of the media story, statistical data, and your responses to other students’ posts.