Family Questions for Final Exam

Below are the questions (and answers) I accepted from the families, with some editing on my part. Remember, these questions will be on the final exam.

BLUE FAMILY (Lauren, Kelly, Tim, Wilson) earn 8 pts., plus 1 bonus point.

1. As the authors noted in Chapter 16 and I noted in my paper on Max Horkheimer's book, "Eclipse of Reason," what do these critical theorists see as the difference between SUBJECTIVE and OBJECTIVE REASON? (2)

ANSWER: Subjective reason is concerned with means and ends; with the adequacy of procedures to achieve purposes which are more or less taken for granted and supposedly self-explanatory. Objective reason refers to reason as an instrument for determining social ends. It insists that fundamental concepts such as truth, justice, right, have meaning and are discoverable in the world. It also encompasses a critical perspective.

2. Identify and briefly describe the THREE basic elements of the psyche that Freud identified. (6)

ANSWER: Id - unconscious, impulse; source of psychic energy which strives for pleasure, gratification. Infant is all id.
Super-ego - control element, which includes moral norms that govern conduct; the prescriptions and proscriptions (dos and don'ts) that society seeks to teach an individual.
Ego - the conscious intelligence that referees, or is the executor between the id and super-ego. In a healthy individual, the ego strikes a balance between impulse and control.

3. What is another term used for Parsons' concept of equilibrium? (1)

ANSWER: homeostasis


GREEN FAMILY (Kat, T.J., Brianna, William) earn 8pts. plus 1 bonus point.

1. Briefly describe what Ahrens means by suggesting that civilization is a by-product of action or work? (1)

ANSWER: As human beings grappled with problems of survival, they developed objects, inventions which became the basis for civilized life.

2. How did Merton distinguish between MANIFEST and LATENT FUNCTIONS? (2)

ANSWER: Manifest function is the observed or intended outcome, while latent function is the unintended or unrecognized result.

3. What is Michel's "iron law of oligarchy?" (1)

ANSWER: that all human organizations tend to be ruled by a few.


ORANGE FAMILY: (Terry, Stephanie, Katie) earn 8 pts., plus 1 bonus point.

1. In the context of my lecture notes on Weber's position on the value question which were posted on the blog, identify and briefly describe the compromise position adopted by American sociologists in the 1960s. (2)

ANSWER: "let's be honest" - that sociologists need to openly admit to the biases they hold so that readers can keep that in mind when evaluating their work.

2. Briefly describe Cooley's "looking-glass self" concept, and give an example. (2)

ANSWER: Our sense of self, of who we are, is developed in reference to others -- that you understand yourself in terms of your understanding of what others think or imagine you to be -- or attitudes and expectations of others are a key to who you are. Example: if others see you as a criminal or expect you to be a criminal, you are likely to develop a criminal identity.

3. Briefly describe DuBois's idea of "double-consciousness." (2)

ANSWER: He spoke of his "twoness" -- an American, a Negro, two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body -- being American and African American at the same time.


RED FAMILY: (Holly, Peter, Alex, Jamar) earn 8 pts.

1. What did DuBois believe to be the basic element in social organization? (1)

ANSWER: oppression (also referred to as the "manure theory of social organization")

2. Veblen argued that the governing boards of higher learning in America were mainly concerned with the 4 p's. Name TWO of these 4 p's. (2)

ANSWER: any 2 of the following: (1) publicity, (2) plant, (3) prestige, (4) perpetuation.
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