(BREKHUS)CORRECT QUESTIONS &
ANSWERS
1. How does sociology differ from conventional wisdom?
(use examples) - ANSWER Sociology-
requires evidence and statistics. Whereas common sense simply requires beliefs and
faith that are recognized as part of a culture's. it also uses systematic patterns
CW-
uses single anecdotes
uses common sense or faith
ex: "children are our most precious commodity"-- people say that we love children, yet
soc proves that wrong because 1 in 4 children live in poverty an U.S. politics are
favored towards senior citizens.
2A. Sociology vs psychology - ANSWER Soc-
focuses on a group
Ex: Suicide- focuses on groups that commit the most suicides.
Psych-
focuses on the individual (the brain)
Ex: Suicide- MENTALLY an issue-- views on psychological health.
2B. Durkheim Unhappiness theory (explain) - ANSWER Egoistic suicide- "excessive
individualism" --lack of integration
Ex: men 65+ have high rates possibly due to the fact that they are out of a job and may
have lost their spouse and are LONLEY
Anomic Suicide- "Excessive freedom" --lack of regulations
ex: winning the lottery
altruistic- too much integration
3. Give an example each of anomic, altruistic, and egoistic suicide. - ANSWER -Anomic:
drinking in college
-Altruistic: mass suicide
-Egoistic: not having any friends
4B. What are the characteristics of a good statistic? - ANSWER - more than a quess
- clear, reasonable definite measures
- not mangled or mutated numbers (original source)
- random, representable sample