Review Notes – Sociology 101 – Morrisville State College – Exam 2

Major Ideas and Concepts to Review for Exam 2:

D. Social Construction (text Chapter 4 and course notes)

• How is food production related to social development?
• What types of food production have developed?
• What types of societies have developed in relation to food production? (what characterizes pre-industrial, industrial, and post-industrial societies?)
• What is Social Status? (what are: status set, ascribed status, achieved status?)
• What is a Social Role? (and what are: role set, role conflict, role strain, role exit?)
• What does the Social Construction of Reality mean? (give three examples)
• What is the Thomas Theorem?
• What is Ethnomethodology?
  

 

E. Socialization (text Chapter 5 and course notes)

- What is the definition of socialization?
- What is the definition of personality?
- What is the definition of identity?
- What is the nature vs. nurture debate?
- Who is Phineas Gage and what does his case demonstrate?
- What effect does social isolation have on people and some animals? Give examples.
- Who and what are our agents of socialization?
- What are mirror neurons?


F. Social Groups and Conformity (text Chapter 6 and course notes)

- What are primary and secondary groups?
- What are the Expressive and Instrumental functions (and leadership) of groups?
- What are in-groups and out-groups?
- What is a reference group?
- What is the Six Degrees of Separation idea, and how is it connected to social networks?
- What is a sociogram?
- What is the Asch Conformity Experiment about?
- How likely is it that people will conform in small groups?
- What two types of conformity characterize the reasons why we go along with the group?
- What is the Milgram Obedience Experiment about?
- What factor does authority play in creating group conformity?
- What is the Stanford Prison Experiment and what were its outcomes?

G. Deviance - Chapter 7

- How is deviance defined (violation of norms - expected behavior; neither good nor bad; demand sanctions)
- What are the social functions of deviance according to Durkheim?
- What does it mean to say that deviance is defined by power (Marx/conflict theory)?
- What is 'Labeling Theory'? (primary vs. secondary deviance; stigma)
- What are the four parts of the criminal justice system?
- What different types of sanctions exist in the criminal justice system?
- Why is the U.S. the nation with the highest incarceration rate in the world?




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