SOCI 287 Study Questions Athabasca University Exam Questions With Verified Answers

SOCI 287 Study Questions Athabasca University Exam Questions With Verified Answers UNIT 1 What is "sociological imagination"? How might it be used to study a particular issue? - answerA term coined by C. Wright Mills: "the awareness of the relationship between personal experience and the wider society. The capacity to shift from one perspective to another-from the political to the psychological; from examination of a single family to comparative assessment of the national budgets of the world." According to Marx, what is the basis of the conflict between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat? - answerMarx argued that the capitalist bourgeoisie mercilessly exploited the proletariat. He recognized that the work carried out by the proletariat created great wealth for the capitalist. ... In this way, the capitalist, who controls the process of production, makes a profit. What area of social life does symbolic interaction theory attempt to explain? Provide an example. - answerSymbolic interactionism is an approach that looks at the meaning of symbolism in our daily lives. It focuses on individuals rather than larger social structures. It seeks to explain the meaning we communicate with one another about relationships, shared interests, and role models through symbols. An example of this would be two men giving each other a subtle nod, then engaging in a "bro" hug. What is a total institution? Why do they exist? What are some of the key features of total institutions? - answerA total institution is " a range of institutions in which whole blocks of people are bureaucratically processed, whilst being physically isolated from the normal round of activities, by being required to sleep, work, and play within the confines of the same institution". Examples: Prisons, psychiatric hospitals, monasteries, boarding schools, convents-and other institutions where residents are powerfully regulated, controlled, or manipulated by those in charge. Using Goffman's dramaturgical approach, explain the difference between "front stage" and "back stage" as they might apply to a restaurant. - answerThe dramaturgical approach is a way of conducting research as if everyday life were taking place on the stage of a theater. Using the example of a restaurant, wait staff may act differently when in the "front stage" dining room area within the eye of customers, than they would when in the "back stage", behind the kitchen door with their colleagues. Goffman called this "impression management". What is the role of critical sociology and conflict theory? How is feminism related to conflict perspectives? - answerCritical sociology challenged both established sociological theories and the research that sociologists do. ITs aim is to make sure that professional sociologists do not lose sight of the goals of sociological inquiry, specifically to bring about meaningful social change. Because conflict theory is based on the idea that conflict exists in all large societies and breaks it down on the basis of "stress lines" caused by sex, ethnicity, race, gender, class, age, religion, I would assume that critical sociology leads to further refinement of sociology as a whole and conflict theory provides a theoretical base for the study of society. Name three female sociologists in Canada. What were their major contributions? - answerAnnie Marion MacLean: First Canadian Woman to obtain a PhD in sociology. Pioneered the sociological study of working women, especially with her research on wage- earning women. Aileen Ross: The first woman hired as a sociologist at a Canadian university. First to conduct studies on homeless women in Canada. Helen C. Abell: The founder of rural sociology in Canada. Her research played an important role in identifying systemically the roles women played on the farm. Briefly explain the concepts of a cultural mosaic, a melting pot, and a vertical mosaic. - answerCultural Mosaic: A metaphor frequently used to characterize Canada's multicultural society. Each racial, ethnic and religious group maintains a distinct identity, rather than being absorbed into a melting pot. Melting Pot: Encourages the rapid assimilation of recent immigrants into their new society. Vertical Mosaic: Systemic discrimination produced a hierarchy of racial, ethnic, and religious groups. UNIT 2