Sociological Theory and Methodology: A Comprehensive Assessment
A detailed assessment of sociological theories and methodologies used in the study of social behaviors and structures.
Dylan Price
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Sociological Theory and Methodology: A Comprehensive AssessmentTest one, sp12True/FalseIndicate whether the statement is true or false.True_ 1. Humans are essentially social beings.False_ 2. America is so powerful that it doesn’t need thesupport of other nations.False_3. Unlike other aspects of society, like the economy, the media have not become truly global in nature.False_ 4. The most widely accepted definitions of sociology as a discipline are those that are narrow and focused.True_ 5. When we ask psychologists to help us understand the behavior of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, who murdered 13 people andinjured 24 more at Columbine High School in 1999, we are using our sociological imaginations.True_ 6. If a sociologist attempts to study whether men are really less emotional than women, she is taking the role of the social analyst,rather than the everyday actor.False_ 7. The poem “The Blind Men and the Elephant” suggests that there is only one correct approach to understanding social life.True_ 8. Conflict theory uses a dynamic model of historical change that presents change as constant, ongoing, and inevitable.True_ 9. W. E. B. Du Bois became so disillusioned with the United States that he voluntarily exiled himself toGhana near the end of his life.True_ 10. Thomas Kuhn, a philosopher of science, argues that truth is relative, in that it is dependent on the paradigm through which oneunderstands the world.False_ 11. You are about to do a series of interviews about drug abuse and academic performance. In order to make people feel morecomfortable, you tell them that these interviews are about student satisfaction with the university and have them sign a formshowing thatthey’ve willingly agreed to participate. You have the informed consent of your research subjects.True_ 12. The order in which a questionnaire asks about different issues cannot affect the way people respond.True_ 13. Codes of ethics in the social sciences provide very strict guidelines for researchers to follow.True_ 14. Market research is probably the most common use of sociological methods for nonacademic purposes.False__ 15. Marxists are among the strongest supporters of value-free sociology.Multiple ChoiceIdentify the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.__A__ 16. Sociologists observe society:a. by studying the various parts of a society and the ways they interact and influence each otherb. by studying the shape and boundaries of society as a wholec. by studying society as if it were a concrete object, in the same way that a geologist studies rocksd. by utilizing the preconceptions, assumptions, and beliefs that come from living in a societye. through the use of special scientific tools that allow unmediated access to the very heart of society__A__ 17. Even though a small number of people have been academically trained as sociologists, we all can be described as “naturalsociologists” because:a.we are born with certain skills that naturally allow us to think sociologicallyb. society is a part of nature, so everyone has to be a natural sociologistc. our parents taught us to be sociologists even before they sent us to schoold. we are all members of society and so have a great deal of background knowledge about how society workse. sociologists are really just observers of conventional wisdom__A__ 18. Howard Becker said that sociology can be best understood as the study of people “doing things together.” This definition remindsus that:a. neither society nor the individual exists in isolation; each is dependent on the otherb. sociology is only interested in the way people act, not in the way they thinkc. only large-scale interactions that involve many people can be understood by sociologistsd. people must have some knowledge of each other before they can really do anything togethere. individuals exist independently of society and can be understood without considering social influence__A__ 19. Most sociologists specialize in one particular method of study. The first distinction is usually made between qualitative andquantitative methodologies. What do quantitative sociologists do differently from qualitative sociologists?a. Quantitative sociologists preserve the detail and diversity of their data so that each individual piece of information canbe analyzed todetermine its meaning.b. Quantitative sociologists look for signs of social conflict and tension in their data.c. Quantitative sociologists translate their data into numbers so that it can be analyzed mathematically or statistically.d. Quantitative sociologists look for data exclusively in traditional cultures.e. Quantitative sociologists only do interviews.__B__20. Regardless of which methodology they use, what are all sociologists trying to do?a. explain why social change happens
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