1. What is the central question of Sociology?
A. What is society? If so, what is it?
B. What holds society together: conflict or consensus?
C. Sociology asks: How can we classify and divide people up for understanding? What does classificatory division do? What is the latent function of rationality?
D. Sociology is an assortment of intersectional questions such as: all the categories that people tell you that you are in: black, white, brown, man, woman, rich, poor, immigrant, gay, straight - all these identities you have been given and you accept. Patricia Collins chapter might help you on "intersections." C.Wright Mills first used the word 'intersection' in The Sociological Imagination
E. How do we fix things? I.e., what goes wrong and/or what do we want?
2. A century - a time, an era, an administration - has a mission (Goal) and a manner (Latent Pattern Maintenance). What is ours? What is our mission, our way of carrying out that mission?
A. It is a time of change - and we don't know what is happening.
B. A moment in history when we will re-establish the meaning of being human, which is what America is.
C. Our time is about the growth and perpetuation of consumer society and our failure to understand our place in history: we buy in to our own oppression. What we do supports our oppressors. Education is the route out.
D. People just come together and work it all out.
E. Technology and rationality vie with magic: ways of thinking, ways of being are constrained because they exist "against" some other way. Culture and cultural awareness is heightened. Anything goes.
3. The power elite
A. Assumes a power outside me
B. Is correct - but so what
C. Was coined by C. Wright Mills, a popular Sociologist of the mid 20th Century
D. Consists of Military, Economic, and Politically blurred puppets, personalities, and veiled powerful phenomena
E. Are forces far greater than Sociologists see, such as population growth, number, energy systems, gender transformations, free will, creativity, order, desire, and God.
4. What thinkers go best with what quotes on www.sorenkerk.com home page (like a "match 'em" type question)
A.
B.
C.
5. Married to the soul of Gaia, Saved by the symmetry of heaven. Re-read the piece on "Romanticism" here: http://www.stuartwildeblog.com/perceptions/2009/1/30/romanticism.html
A. This line "Married to the soul of Gaia, Saved by the symmetry of heaven" is an example of Romanticism - Marx might call it an opiate for us, the masses - plus Classicism, which all the early Sociologists were inadvertantly expressing with their desire to find a unified theory
B. This 'poem' helps to express the distinction between macro and micro sociology
C. The difference between Macro and Micro Sociology rests in large part on Mead's understanding of the "I" and "Me" in the emergent self. (option provided by "eve")
D. You may make up your own option, as "eve" did in C above.
6. As Sociologists, is it our goal to learn for the sake of enlightenment and provoking thoughts in the minds of those who will change the world or are we changing the world simply by understanding and embracing it?
A. Understading is the mirror of change-Mead would argue it's both understanding and change, because as reflexive beings by changing ourselves we are slowly changing society-the world, melding new me-Is, balancing play and game.
B. This is the argument of the Marco versus the Micro Sociological theorists.
C. Marx would say it is foolish to understand and embrace a world that does not fufill our needs, therefore the only objective is change! And change will be quick, bold, and possibly violent, for controllers naturally go towards more control, not less.
D. Sociologists' goals of enlightenment or change can never be fufilled because sociologists' theories are tainted by our own glasses. (this excellent question #6 provided by "eve")
22 comments:
check this out http://theory414.blogspot.com/2009/02/midterm-quiz-type.html
I thought of two possible questions for the take home mid term: 1) Do you consider yourself to be a classist or more of a romantic, and what sociological charactersitcs attribute to this? 2) What do you think has more of an impact or signifigance, macrobiology (the way the outside world effects us) or microbiology (the way we view the outside world)?
I'm not sure if the way I put these questions makes sense but hopefully you get the idea and if anyone has any suggestions on how to reword these questions so they make bettter sense...please feel free to do so, if you like the ideas.
QUESTION!?!?
How are we supposed to know what the final questions are that we can choose from?
Jdean: wow - is that the difference between macro and micro biology? fascinating. Just like macro and micro sociology. I read last year that we actually change our own genetic structures (micro). Can you formulate this into either a question with a-b-c- type answers or propose it as a choice for one of the existing 5 questions?
YOU WILL KNOW WHICH are the final 5questions because I will finalize them by tomorrow at 5:30. They will be the top post at that time.
I think writing about whether our classist society is in need of some romanticism would be an interesting topic. The class discussion was fascinating and really made me question the power within.
yes - that type of discussion you could fit under question #5!
My suggestions about the existing questions:
In Question 2
D. and E. are too contradictory. D.States that people come together and work it all out, meaning they compromise and they use their "me" inside of them (not that there is anything wrong with that). It implies peace for the many, not necesarily for all. And E states that cultural awareness is heightened and anything goes, meaning we are all seperated by our traditions/values and we all decide was is right for ourselves, and are not concerned about the many...
Question 3 and 4 are perfect , as they stand.
Question 5:
Possible Option C.- In expressing the difference between Macro and Micro Sociology it also emphasizes Mead's understanding of the "I" and "Me" in the emergent self.
eve - great observations - you're already on your own, and using our thinkers and their concepts. I'll make some adjustments per your suggestions!
Possible 6:
As Sociologist is it our goal to learn for the sake of enlightenment and provoking thoughts in the minds of those who will change the world or are we changing the world simply by understanding and embracing it?
A. Understadnig is the mirror of change-Mead would argue its both understanding and change, because as reflexive beings by changing ourselves we are slowly changing society-the world.
B. This is the argument of the Marco versus the Micro Sociological theories.
C. Marx would say it is foolish to understand and embrace a world that does not fufill our needs, therefore the only objective is change!
D. Our goals of enlightenment or change can never be fufilled because sociologists' theories are tainted by our own glasses.
*open for suggestions and constructive criticism!
I had a question about the paper. For example, if i choose the number 3 and the letter D as my answer, do you want me to write 3)D and then give my explaination or just give my explaination, and write the question and answer at the beginning?
you need all the space you can get so I'd write 3D - then BCA (or whatever order) Then write.
so these are our FINAL QUESTIONS for the midterm. I'm a little confused because once you click on the blog post it says thursday... as the date, so wondering... FINAL QUESTIONS?
yes, these are final. and this currently topmost post will always direct you to these edited final questions and instructions http://theory414.blogspot.com/2009/02/mid-term-creative-part-qs-and.html
Maybe we could argue that existing a balance in between the two (Romatic/empirical) is a necessity and one can not exist without the other.
A.S.: I think so! The two halves make the whole. It's male-female. It's the two sides of our brains. It's Classicism and Romanticism. It's Lions and Owls Vs. Peacocks and Porpoises.
How balance the two? In our world of division, in our world of argument, in our world of partisan politics, we have it one Vs. other. But the truth is both and the way is to meld them.
are the only questions we can choose from Prof. Tabors questions?
there are 6 questions here. 4 of them are from me and 2 are from you. from these six, you pick 2.
MT
I have something to admit, when I wrote that question above I actually meant microsociology and macrosociology, it was a mistype. haha, I hope you still like the questions
Oh, jdean! that's interesting freudian - typo - slip with biology and sociology. Can you word it exactly the way you want to now? then you could answer that question. Use the format: a question and 3-5 alternative choices for answers.
Mt
I didnt use this question for my paper, but maybe this could be a possible question for the final.
1). What do you think has more of an impact or signifigance on society, macrosociology (the way the outside world effects us) or microsociology (the way we view the outside world)?
a). microsociology, because the rest of the world like our government effects how we interact with one another.
b). microsociology, because the way we interact with each other effects the attitude of the country or society we live in
c). Both are equally important, adn if so how?
jdean: it's exciting to see people thinking with sociological glasses and asking questions
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