SOCIOLOGY 210 FINAL EXAM
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
(SCORED A+)
Sociology - ANSWER-the systematic study of society and social interaction
Society - ANSWER-a group of people who live in a defined geographical area who
interact with one another and who share a common culture
Sociological Imagination - ANSWER-the ability to understand how your own past
relates to that of other people, as well as to history in general and societal structures
in particular
C. Wright Mills - ANSWER-(1916-1962) American Sociologist, wrote The Power
Elite, which introduced that term and describes the relationships and class alliances
among the U.S. political, military, and economic elites and The Sociological
Imagination, which presents a model of analysis for the interdependence of
subjective experiences within a person's biography, the general social structure and
historical development
August Comte - ANSWER-(1798-1857) French sociologist, father of sociology,
named the scientific study of social patterns positivism
Karl Marx - ANSWER-(1818-1883) German philosopher and economist, coauthored
Communist Manifesto with Friedrich Engels (1848), rejected positivism and believed
that societies grew and changed as a result of struggles of different social classes
over the means of production
Emile Durkheim - ANSWER-(1858-1917) French, helped establish sociology as a
formal academic discipline, established first European department of sociology at the
University of Bordeaux (1895), believed that people rise to their proper levels in
society based on merit
Max Weber - ANSWER-(1864-1920) German, best known for his book the
Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, argued that the beliefs of many
Protestants, especially Calvinists, led to the creation of capitalism, introduced
verstehen
Georg Simmel - ANSWER-(1858-1918) German art critic, anti-positivism, much of
his work focused on the micro-level theories, emphasized individual culture as the
creative capacities of individuals
Positivism - ANSWER-the scientific study of social patterns
Micro Level - ANSWER-the study of specific relationships between individuals or
small groups
, Macro Level - ANSWER-a wide-scale view of the role of social structures within a
society
Structural Functionalism - ANSWER-a theoretical approach that sees society as a
structure with interrelated parts designed to meet the biological and social needs of
individuals that make up that society
Conflict Theory - ANSWER-a theory that looks at society as a competition for limited
resources
Symbolic Interactionism - ANSWER-a theoretical perspective through which scholars
examine the relationship of individuals within their society by studying their
communication (language and symbols)
Verstehen - ANSWER-a German word that means to understand in a deep way
Social Reseach - ANSWER-research conducted by social scientists following a
systematic plan
Scientific Method - ANSWER-an established scholarly research method that involves
asking a question, researching existing sources, forming a hypothesis, designing and
conducting a study, and drawing conclusions
Field Research - ANSWER-gathering data from a natural environment without doing
a lab experiment or a survey
Participant Observation - ANSWER-when a researcher immerses herself in a group
or social setting in order to make observations from an "insider" perspective
Secondary Data Analysis - ANSWER-using data collected by others but applying
new interpretations
Manifest Function - ANSWER-the intended and visible functions of
education
Latent Function - ANSWER-the hidden and unintended functions
Reliability - ANSWER-a measure of a study's consistency that considers how likely
results are to be replicated if a study is reproduced
Validity - ANSWER-the degree to which a sociological measure accurately reflects
the topic of study
Qualitative Research - ANSWER-comprise information that is subjective and often
based on what is seen in a natural setting
Quantitative Research - ANSWER-represent research collected in numerical form
that can be counted
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
(SCORED A+)
Sociology - ANSWER-the systematic study of society and social interaction
Society - ANSWER-a group of people who live in a defined geographical area who
interact with one another and who share a common culture
Sociological Imagination - ANSWER-the ability to understand how your own past
relates to that of other people, as well as to history in general and societal structures
in particular
C. Wright Mills - ANSWER-(1916-1962) American Sociologist, wrote The Power
Elite, which introduced that term and describes the relationships and class alliances
among the U.S. political, military, and economic elites and The Sociological
Imagination, which presents a model of analysis for the interdependence of
subjective experiences within a person's biography, the general social structure and
historical development
August Comte - ANSWER-(1798-1857) French sociologist, father of sociology,
named the scientific study of social patterns positivism
Karl Marx - ANSWER-(1818-1883) German philosopher and economist, coauthored
Communist Manifesto with Friedrich Engels (1848), rejected positivism and believed
that societies grew and changed as a result of struggles of different social classes
over the means of production
Emile Durkheim - ANSWER-(1858-1917) French, helped establish sociology as a
formal academic discipline, established first European department of sociology at the
University of Bordeaux (1895), believed that people rise to their proper levels in
society based on merit
Max Weber - ANSWER-(1864-1920) German, best known for his book the
Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, argued that the beliefs of many
Protestants, especially Calvinists, led to the creation of capitalism, introduced
verstehen
Georg Simmel - ANSWER-(1858-1918) German art critic, anti-positivism, much of
his work focused on the micro-level theories, emphasized individual culture as the
creative capacities of individuals
Positivism - ANSWER-the scientific study of social patterns
Micro Level - ANSWER-the study of specific relationships between individuals or
small groups
, Macro Level - ANSWER-a wide-scale view of the role of social structures within a
society
Structural Functionalism - ANSWER-a theoretical approach that sees society as a
structure with interrelated parts designed to meet the biological and social needs of
individuals that make up that society
Conflict Theory - ANSWER-a theory that looks at society as a competition for limited
resources
Symbolic Interactionism - ANSWER-a theoretical perspective through which scholars
examine the relationship of individuals within their society by studying their
communication (language and symbols)
Verstehen - ANSWER-a German word that means to understand in a deep way
Social Reseach - ANSWER-research conducted by social scientists following a
systematic plan
Scientific Method - ANSWER-an established scholarly research method that involves
asking a question, researching existing sources, forming a hypothesis, designing and
conducting a study, and drawing conclusions
Field Research - ANSWER-gathering data from a natural environment without doing
a lab experiment or a survey
Participant Observation - ANSWER-when a researcher immerses herself in a group
or social setting in order to make observations from an "insider" perspective
Secondary Data Analysis - ANSWER-using data collected by others but applying
new interpretations
Manifest Function - ANSWER-the intended and visible functions of
education
Latent Function - ANSWER-the hidden and unintended functions
Reliability - ANSWER-a measure of a study's consistency that considers how likely
results are to be replicated if a study is reproduced
Validity - ANSWER-the degree to which a sociological measure accurately reflects
the topic of study
Qualitative Research - ANSWER-comprise information that is subjective and often
based on what is seen in a natural setting
Quantitative Research - ANSWER-represent research collected in numerical form
that can be counted
