Introduction to Sociology Essay

Essay Questions 1. Develop the differences among the three theoretical approaches by applying each to the family. In each case, how do we understand a family and its operation? 2.Imagine that you were asked by another student, â€Å"What would be the benefits of taking a course in sociology?† Explain how and why sociology can transform the way someone sees the world. 3. The sociological perspective helps us recognize that the lives of individuals are shaped by the forces of society. Explain, in a short essay, how the sociological perspective reveals â€Å"the general in the particular.† To illustrate, explain how society plays a part in your own decision to attend college. 4. Outline the ten steps in the process of carrying out sociological investigation. You may use the format presented in the text; that is, what specific questions must be answered as a researcher moves along? 5. How and why is gender important in research? What are some of the problems in research that involve gender? How about race and ethnicity? Why might a researcher need to take race and ethnicity into account when planning research with a specific category of people? 6. How does ideal culture differ from real culture? Illustrate your essay using three examples of how ideal and real culture differ in Saudi society. 7. Drawing on the ideas of Lenski, Marx, Weber, and Durkheim, cite ways in which one might claim modern society is better than societies in the past. In what ways might any of these thinkers see modern society as getting worse? 8. What would Marx propose as a solution to the problem of alienation? What would Weber propose as a solution to the same problem as he understood it? What would Durkheim propose as a solution to the problem of anomie? Which of these three problems do you think is the most serious in today’s world? Why? How might you address these three issues? 9.Explain the nature-nurture debate. How did Sigmund Freud and George Herbert Mead take different position in this debate? 10.Based on everything you have read in this chapter, write an essay in which you state your own position on the degree to which human beings can claim to have freedom. Provide specific references to chapter material in your essay.