Social Institutions in the Modern World - Essay Example

Global sociology Examination Sociology is A) an awareness of the relationship between an individual and the wider society B) the systematic study of social behavior and human groups C) concerned with what one individual does or does not do D) very narrow in scope 2. Which sociologist introduced the concept of anomie to the discipline? A) Max Weber B) Herbert Spencer C) Émile Durkheim D) C. Wright Mills 3. Anomie refers to A) a construct, or a made-up model that serves as a measuring rod against which actual cases can be evaluated B) the study of small groups C) the loss of direction felt in a society when social control of individual behavior has become ineffective D) a set of statements that seeks to explain problems, actions, or behavior 4. Which sociological perspective holds that if an aspect of social life does not contribute to a societys stability or survival it will not be passed on from one generation to the next? A) conflict perspective B) interactionist perspective C) microsociology D) functionalist perspective 5. One function that a university serves is to delay peoples entry into the job market. This is an example of what kind of function? A) dysfunction B) manifest function C) latent function D) conflict function 6. Which sociological perspective assumes that social behavior is best understood in terms of tension between competing groups? A) conflict perspective B) interactionist perspective C) microsociology D) functionalist perspective 7. Within sociology, a/an __________ is a set of statements that seeks to explain problems, actions, or behavior. A) theory B) hypothesis C) operational definition D) correlation 8. According to the text, Herbert Spencer A) applied the concept of evolution of the species to societies B) felt compelled to correct and improve society C) argued that it is "unnatural" that some people are rich while others are poor D) all of the above 9. Sociologist Max Weber coined the term __________ in referring to a made-up model that serves as a measuring rod against which actual cases can be evaluated. A) operational definition B) theory C) ideal type D) Verstehen 10. __________ and Friedrich Engels prepared a platform called The Communist Manifesto, in which they argued that the masses of people who have no resources other than their labor (the proletariat) should unite to fight for the overthrow of capitalist societies. A) Karl Marx B) Émile Durkheim C) Max Weber D) Herbert Spencer 11. Thinking of society as a living organism in which each part of the organism contributes to its survival is a reflection of which theoretical perspective? A) interactionist B) functionalist C) conflict D) feminist 12. __________ functions of institutions are open, stated, and conscious. A) Manifest B) Latent C) Dys D) Structural 13. Latent functions are A) open, stated, and conscious. B) disruptive and threaten stability. C) unconscious and/or unintended D) destructive. 14. The __________ perspective generalizes about everyday forms of social interaction in order to understand society as a whole. A) conflict B) functionalist C) interactionist D) feminist 15. Culture is defined as A) the largest form of human group B) the totality of learned, socially transmitted customs, knowledge, material objects, and behavior C) the established standards of behavior maintained by a society D) norms governing everyday behavior 16. Peoples need for food, shelter, and clothing are examples of what Murdock referred to as A) norms B) folkways C) cultural practices D) cultural universals 17. The process of introducing a new idea or object to culture is known as A) innovation B) diffusion C) globalization D) cultural relativism 18. The finding of the DNA molecule is an example of a/an A) invention B) discovery C) cultural universal D) Sapir-Whorf hypothesis 19. What term do sociologists use to refer to the process by which a cultural item spreads from group to group or society to society? A) innovation B) globalization C) diffusion D) cultural relativism 20. The observance of Western holidays in China, Vietnam, South Korea, and the Philippines is a sign of what aspect of culture? A) innovation B) globalization C) diffusion D) cultural relativism 21. The statement, "Respect your elders," reflects which one of the following? A) diffusion B) cultural universals C) ethnocentrism D) norms 22. In the United States, we often formalize norms into A) ideals B) folkways C) laws D) values 23. Standards of proper dress are a common example of which one of the following? A) informal norms B) sanctions C) values D) formal norms 24. Patterns of male dominance are reinforced in many societies around the world by A) mores B) values C) folkways D) sanctions 25. Health, love, and democracy are examples of A) mores B) values C) folkways D) sanctions 26. Which theoretical perspective maintains that stability requires a consensus and the support of societys members? A) conflict theory B) interactionist theory C) social control theory D) functionalist theory 27. Which one of the following terms describes the set of cultural beliefs and practices that help to maintain powerful social, economic, and political interests? A) mores B) dominant ideology C) consensus D) values 28. Which of the following life goals has shown the strongest gain in popularity for first-year college students in the United States from 1966-2002? A) developing a meaningful philosophy of life B) helping to promote racial understanding C) helping others D) being very well-off financially 29. An American touring different parts of China wants local meat for dinner, but is shocked to learn that the specialty in one restaurant is dog meat. This illustrates A) counterculture B) dominant ideology C) a cultural universal D) culture shock 30. Terrorist groups are examples of A) cultural universals B) subcultures C) countercultures D) dominant ideologies 31. What term do sociologists use to refer to a segment of society that shares a distinctive pattern of mores, folkways, and values that differs from the pattern of the larger society? A) dominant culture B) counterculture C) subculture D) superculture 32. Anyone who feels disoriented, uncertain, out of place, even fearful, when immersed in an unfamiliar culture may be experiencing A) culture lag B) culture shock C) cultural relativism D) xenocentrism. 33. What is the term used when one places a priority on understanding other cultures, rather than dismissing them as "strange" or "exotic?" A) ethnocentrism B) culture shock C) cultural relativism D) xenocentrism 34. Which of the following is, in a sense, the reverse of ethnocentrism? A) culture lag B) culture shock C) cultural relativism D) xenocentrism 35. Evaluating the practices of other cultures on the basis of our own perspective is referred to as A) ethnocentrism B) culture shock C) cultural relativism D) xenocentrism. 36. In which of Meads stages of the self, do children merely imitate the people around them? A) the play stage B) the game stage C) the preparatory stage D) the sensorimotor stage 37. Suppose a clerk tries to appear busier than he or she actually is when a supervisor happens to be watching. Goffman would study this behavior from what approach? A) a functionalist approach B) a conflict approach C) a psychological approach D) an interactionist approach 38. According to Jean Piaget, what is the key to development? A) social interaction B) intelligence C) personality D) the id 39. Assuming new social and occupational positions occasionally requires us to unlearn a previous orientation. We refer to this process as what? A) anticipatory socialization B) socialization C) resocialization D) the life course 40. Which social institution is seen as the most important agent of socialization in the United States, especially for children? A) the school B) the peer group C) the mass media D) the family Question 1: Social Institutions Social institutions are described as established patterns of rule-oriented behavior (Mouzelis, 2013). A social institution can also be described as a group of populace who join for the purposes of having rights, liabilities, objectives, privileges, or goals. Social institutions are divided into sub groups, which follow a hierarchical order. The following is the order starting from the smallest to the largest unit Family A family should consist of a man, woman, and their offspring. In most cases, a family will be found living under the same roof. A family is also a defined set of relationships between persons related at least by marriage, birth, adoption or in some cases long-standing ties of intimate moments. The family helps uphold the capitalistic economic order by enhancing the reproduction of the laboring class, as well as, maintaining housewives as a source of labor (Taylor & Thio, 2011). A different theory would describe a family as serving the functions of regulating sexual promiscuity, socializing young ones, distributing resources, and providing social support. When other relatives other than those who make up the basic family are included, the family is referred to as an extended family. An extended family can be described as a social grouping consisting of several nuclear families who have a common ancestry. Community A community consist a group of persons who reside in a similar locality. A community will usually have similar governance and common interests. The aspect of a community can be related to the concept of federalism where as many decisions as possible are usually made at the lowest level. On a political aspect, decentralization of power is important, and a community serves just the purpose of making political decisions. The community serves the function of preventing centralization of power by keeping the decision-making processes and responsibilities close to the people (Zubechi, 2010). On a general aspect, a community also offers a sense of security to those in it. Religion Religion entails a system of beliefs, as well as, practices that are unified and that pertain to norms about right ways of life, and is shared by a group of people sharing similar beliefs. It is important to note that sociologists treat religion as social rather than a supernatural occurrence. There are varying opinions about religion. Marx, a sociologist, saw religion as“opium of the people”. He considered it as a cover of domination and a way to divert workers from fighting exploitation. Another sociologist saw religion as a way of providing solidarity socially, as well as, the collective conscience. The functionalist theory describes functions of religion as a way of providing meaning for life, a way of reinforcing social norms, marking status changes (such as marriage) and strengthening social bonds. Religion serves the role of reminding people their duties and reliance on a supreme being responsible for their safety. Education Education is the formal process through which skills, knowledge and values are systematically transferred from an individual group to another. Education serves as the capitalist order by helping produce workers with skill and features such as punctuality and respect for the authority. Education serves the purpose of transferring shared beliefs and values, transferring specified skills and knowledge, sorting individuals based on their skill and a way of establishing control over the youth (Coy, 2013). However, factors such as educational tracking systems and differing treatments of students create conflicts in education. Education, however, is relevant in helping the society avoid past mistakes, preventing socio-economic differences, reducing ignorance and a way of keeping the government on check by keeping residents informed about the civic affairs. Personal interactions between students in classrooms are also known to have impacts on the students both positively and negatively. Economic institutions The economy, from a sociologist point of definition is a set of preparations by which society produces, distributes and consumes goods and resources. The economy is believed to serve the functions of distribution and production of goods, and assigning various individuals to their respective social roles, for instance, their occupations. In a free-market economy, prices of products and services usually decrease through innovation and competition. The ultimate benefactors end up being the consumers. In the same free-market economy, the living standards increase, poverty decreases, and people tend to find their self-satisfaction as their needs are met (Taylor & Thio, 2011). Politics A political institution aims at governing a society through its formal distribution of authority, use of force and relations to other political units and societies. An essential political institution is the tool through which a certain territory is governed. A political institution serves functions such as defining societal goals, offering protection from external enemies, resolving conflicts between groups, and strengthening the identity and norms of the territory under governance. A political institution, such as a government should not wrong those under it by use of unnecessary force. Question 2: social forces and movements. The social movement theory is a study within sciences related to sociology that seeks to explain why there is the occurrence of social mobilization on a general view. It also seeks to explain the form under which social mobility shows itself and its potential cultural, political, and social impacts. Collective Behavior Early sociologists saw movements as events of individuals trying to react to circumstances beyond their control emotionally. Movement participants were mainly those not entirely assimilated into a society. Present day sociologists, however, oppose this notion. Relative Deprivation This would mean that people get into movements due to inequality or deprivation in connection to their prospects or other people. In a separate view, the participants usually see others as having more power, status, or economic resources and, therefore, try to acquire things for their own benefits. On another view, people will probably rebel when a persistently improving situation ceases, and moves in the negative. At such a point, people join movements since their anticipations will have overwhelmed their actual material setting. Rational Choice Individuals play roles of rational actors trying to evaluate the profits and costs of alternative courses of action, usually go for one that is most likely to maximize their utility. The problem with this perspective is the general dilemma of what action to take, or why rational individuals decide to connect in collective action if they gain from its attainment despite their failure to contribute. Resource Mobilization: Social movements, primarily, need organizations (Zubechi, 2010). The organizations are capable of acquiring and deploying resources to achieve their goals. The resources that have been put forward by scholars include: Moral,(offering support and solidarity for the movement) material (physical and monetary capital) Human (leaders, staff), cultural (comprehension of the issues) and social- organizational. Political Opportunity Specified political contexts should be suitable for causing social movement activity. Such climates may not favor certain social movements as they may pose risks allowing possibility for social movement activity. Framing Certain claims made by activists on behalf of their social movements resonate with audiences such as media and potential recruits (Coy, 2013). Successful frames are mainly based on cultural comprehensions. Impact of Social Movements Social movements are argued to help create collective identities. It is also argued that they allow participants a chance to articulate and elaborate their moral principles. They help voice the emotions. The effects of a social movement have different impacts on cultures, institutions, individuals, or political systems. The New social movements, in contradiction to the old, are caused by the new contradictions in a society, especially between individuals and the state. Social movements are differentiated by the nature of their activities and the strength of their doings. The new social movements are aimed at not changing the society, but the norms in a society. The three kinds of social movements are; Norm-oriented social movements, Value-oriented social movements intended for to the development of a new social order, and Value-oriented social movements directed towards the defense of an existing social order. Question 3: Race, Ethnicity and Gender Racism is defined as the discriminatory behavior and attitude of prejudice brought out by an individual towards people of a certain race. A race is a strong social category historically forged through slavery, oppression, and conquest. Races are often categorized based on similar biological features such as skin color, genes, and other features that are observable. Ethnicity helps denote groups that share a common identity based on their ancestry, culture, or language. Ethnicity is based on beliefs, religion, customs, and memories of colonization or migration. Ethnic groups are often used to categorize people, while race is not. Ethnicity can be used as a categorizer even with the consideration of the race being a stereotypical feature of the ethnic group. Factors such as nationality, citizenship, national self-identity, and national origin may be related to ethnicity but are not the same as ethnicity. Race and ethnicity are both social build-ups. Race and ethnicity are both evolving concepts, making comparing groups or creating a follow up on a certain group a challenge (Mouzelis, 2013). Racism often takes the form of social doings, beliefs and practices or political systems that consider different races inferior or superior to others. Racism may also entail different ways of treating people based on their race. A view suggests that the concept of racism is best held as a combination of power and prejudice. This is so because if political and economic powers were absent, prejudice would not manifest with ease, either as a social, cultural, or institutional phenomenon. Historically, racism was a force driving the trans-Atlantic trade for slaves between the nineteenth and twentieth century’s. Ideologies and any practices associated with racism are highly condemned by the United Nations. Ethnicity shows itself through symbolic systems like rituals, cuisine, dressing style, mythology, and physical appearance. The largest known ethnic groups in modern settings amount up to millions or hundreds of millions of people. Large ethnic groups may further be divided into subgroups like clans or tribes. The tribes may later split due to physical isolation from the parent groups. The formation of a separate ethnic identity, either through amalgamation or division is referred to as ethno genesis. Gender refers to the characteristics differentiating masculinity from femininity. Gender as a topic is wide. The above-mentioned characteristics may be inclusive of the biological sex or social structures based on sex (gender roles). A gender-specified category would be of use whenever gender is associated. On the category of women, for example, there are sub-categories of articles such as women’s studies. In the same sense, gender on the category of men has its sub-categories such as men’s studies and human male sexuality. Notable sporting activities are unfortunately and mainly segregated based on gender. It is however recommended that sportsperson categories are split, except on the cases of women and men being primary participants of mixed-gender competitions. On government positions, both women and men should continue being filled in on appropriate gender-neutral categories, such as prime ministers, presidents and monarchs. Gender identity is the gender(s) people identify themselves with. Communities globally interpret differences in biology between women and men as an influence to social expectations defining behaviors that are deemed appropriate for both sexes. They also affect women and men’s access to rights, power, and resources in society. Concerning gender studies, although sex is biologically determined, manners in which persons articulate gender is not. Gendering is conclusively a socially built process based on culture, even though cultural expectations often have a direct relationship to their biology (Mouzelis, 2013). Due to this perspective, may view sex as being the cause of oppression and do not pay tribute to other issues as race and poverty. The status of a person as male or female has legal importance. The sex is usually indicated on official documents and laws passed on vary in relation to the state of being male or female. Pension systems too have varying retirement ages for women and men. Several cultures, needless to say, have varying expectations on gender too, despite there being no global standard to a feminine or masculine role across cultures (Mouzelis, 2013). References Coy, P. G. (2013). Research in Social Movements, Conflicts and Change. West Yokshire: Emerald Group Publishing. Zubechi, R. (2010). Dispersing Power: Social Movements as Anti-state Forces. Oakland: AK Press. Taylor, J. & Thio A. (2011). Social Problems. Sudbury: Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Mouzelis, P. N. (2013). Organisation & bureaucracy. London: Routledge. Read More