Delta State University

Sociology 101

Fall Semester 2003

Potential Essay Questions for the Final Exam

(1)  What are the four major social revolutions, according to Henslin?  For each, identify the important technological change and/or commodity that produced the revolution, and describe how this technology or commodity transformed economic organization and social relations.

(2)  Is the “global village” a suitable analogy for the “new world order” described by Henslin?  Why or why not?  Draw on information in the articles "'This is a White Country': The Racial Ideology of Western Nations of the World System" by Eduardo Bonilla-Silva and Mary Hovsepian, and "Modernization's Challenge to Traditional Values: Who's Afraid of Ronald McDonald" by Ronald Inglehart and Wayne E. Baker to illustrate your explanation.

(3)  What is meant by “status inconsistency?”  Use the dimensions of social class to explain status inconsistency, and provide an example that illustrates this concept.  Suggest two problems that might result for an individual as a result of status inconsistency.

(4)  Compare the theories of stratification provided by Karl Marx and Max Weber.  What do the theories have in common, and how do they differ?  Does the article “Upper-Class Power” by Harold R. Kerbo represent the Marxist or Weberian perspective on stratification, or both or neither?  Explain.

(5)  What is meant by “social structure?”  Identify and describe two distinct ways in which sociologists conceptualize and study social structure.  Use race/ethnicity and education to illustrate how institutions and social relations interact.

(6)  What does it mean to say females are a minority group?  Explain how females have taken on this status.  In your explanation, draw on the articles "The Role of Gender Socialization in Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa" by Diane E. Taub and Penelope A. McLorg, and “Domestic Violence Against Women: A Contemporary Issue in International Health” by Ruth L. Fishbach and Elizabeth Donnelly.

(7)  What is meant by the “power elite?”  Contrast the power elite with the pluralist view on how power is distributed in U.S. society.  Draw on the articles “Savage Inequalities: Children in America’s Schools” by Jonathan Kozol and “Money Changes Everything” by Dan Clawson, et al., to illustrate the power elite argument.

(8)  What is meant by “legitimate authority?”  What is the role of religion in legitimating authority?  Use the articles “Religion in Post-Protestant America” by Peter L. Berger and “The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life” by Emile Durkheim to illustrate the interaction between religion and authority.