UNIVERSITY OF MALTA
FACULTY OF ARTS
JANUARY 2013 EXAMINATION SESSIONS
SOC 1001: UNDERSTANDING SOCIOLOGY
Date: Thursday 31st January 2013
Time: 15.30 – 17.30
NO USE OF DICTIONARY
Answer TWO questions:
1.
The sociological imagination enables sociologists to bridge macro and
micro perspectives in a historical perspective.
2.
The current epoch is usually called the 'age of ageing'. Discuss.
3.
The term 'glass ceiling' is frequent in feminist scholarship. Elaborate.
4.
The role of religion in society is a double-edged sword. Discuss.
UNIVERSITY OF MALTA
FACULTY OF ARTS
JANUARY 2013 EXAMINATION SESSIONS
SOC1002 Introducing Research Methods
Wednesday 23rd January 2013
18.00 – 20.00
NO USE OF DICTIONARY
Answer TWO questions from the following:
1
Discuss the difference between qualitative and quantitative research, including
data collection tools and data analysis methods of both research techniques.
2
Define and compare two different types of data analysis methods used in
qualitative research.
3
Give a detailed account of data collection methods used for both qualitative
and quantitative research.
4
Identify and discuss ethical considerations a researcher needs to adopt when
conducting research.
UNIVERSITY OF MALTA
FACULTY OF ARTS
JANUARY 2013 EXAMINATION SESSIONS
SOC1007 The Sociological Imaginary in Practice
Friday 1st February 2013
10.30 – 11.30
NO USE OF DICTIONARY
Answer ONE question from the following:
1
Sociology scientifically examines everyday phenomena to establish processes
and patterns that help us understand better why we do what we do. Discuss.
2
The Sociological Imaginary can result in a critical and active sociology,
as a tool for social change. Do you agree?
3
The concept of “heteronormativity” refers to one of the most basic and
influential norms in our society. It dictates that there are fundamental
differences between men and women, that a person must be either a man or a
woman and that it is “natural” to be attracted to the opposite sex. It focuses on
heterosexuality as a normative notion that repeatedly asserts heterosexual life
as the right life to live. These gender categories, together with their
prescriptions of how to behave and what to desire are normative constructions,
a heteronormative construction. Those who transgress these categories run the
risk of becoming invisible, strange, excluded, different and even meaningless
in the eyes of others.
By reflecting on the above and your life experience, discuss ways you could
use sociology to offer a critique of, or highlight the impact of such
heteronormative practices within institutions in our society (e.g. family,
education, media).
4
Can recipes and traditional food ingredients become part of a national
identity? Answer this question with examples taken from the Maltese context
of traditional cuisine.
5
Describe an aspect of contemporary society in Malta that you feel warrants
exploration and identify the key methods you would use to gather and analyse
data on the subject. Give a clear account of the reasons for your choice and
identify any ethical or logistical problems you might encounter.
UNIVERSITY OF MALTA
FACULTY OF ARTS
JANUARY 2013 EXAMINATION SESSIONS
SOC2002 Sociology of Social Welfare
Monday 21st January 2013
11.45 – 12.45
NO USE OF DICTIONARY
Answer ONE question from the following:
1.
According to Etzioni, it is important to ‘shore up the moral
foundations of society’ and ‘restore civic virtues’. Elaborate, with
respect to social welfare.
2.
Critically discuss Marshall’s conceptualization of citizenship.
3.
Is postmodern theory relevant to the study of social welfare? Elaborate.
4.
Why does Keynesianism justify the welfare state? Discuss.
UNIVERSITY OF MALTA
FACULTY OF ARTS
JANUARY 2013 EXAMINATION SESSIONS
SOC2004 Sociology of Family Life
Thursday 31st January 2013
10.30 – 11.30
NO USE OF DICTIONARY
Answer ONE question from the following:
1.
Symbolic interactionism enables a sociological analysis of everyday
life in families. Elaborate.
2.
Why do sociologists speak of ‘gendered families’?
3.
Family priorities are related to cultural and situational factors.
Discuss.
4.
Families are situated in specific environments, and can be analyzed
accordingly. Discuss, focusing on a perspective of your choice.
UNIVERSITY OF MALTA
FACULTY OF ARTS
JANUARY 2013 EXAMINATION SESSIONS
SOC2010 Environmental Sociology
Monday 28th January 2013
18.00 – 19.00
NO USE OF DICTIONARY
Answer ONE question from the following:
1.
Critical realism analyzes the interaction of social and the natural
through a Marxist perspective. Elaborate.
2.
Environmental sociology enables a holistic analysis of the relationship
between environment, self and society. Discuss.
3.
What is ecological modernization? Critically discuss.
4.
In an EU context, the environment is a political construction. Discuss.
UNIVERSITY OF MALTA
FACULTY OF ARTS
JANUARY 2013 EXAMINATION SESSIONS
SOC 2019: MARRIAGE, KINSHIP AND THE FAMILY
Tuesday 22nd January 2013
09.15am – 11.15am
NO USE OF DICTIONARY
Answer in essay form ONE question from EACH Section:
SECTION A
1. Marriage is often defined as “the process through which domestic groups are
interlinked and the reproduction of society is socially achieved”. Elaborate
substantiating your argument with relevant examples.
2. Discuss the stability of marriage with reference to an arranged marriage and a
love marriage
SECTION B
3. The traditional family has over the years been undergoing a lot of changes.
Elaborate and substantiate your answer with examples from your country.
4. In kinship, residence is used to specifically denote the post nuptial location of
a couple in regard to their kin. Elaborate.
UNIVERSITY OF MALTA
FACULTY OF ARTS
JANUARY 2013 EXAMINATION SESSIONS
SOC2024 Sociology of Gender
Tuesday 5th February 2013
14.15 – 16.15
NO USE OF DICTIONARY
Choose 10 of the concepts listed below, 5 from each column. Give a short
definition of each in not more than a page. In the case of 5 concepts, please cite
who came up with that particular concept. (10 marks each).
List A
Homophily
Token
Glass escalator
Division of labour
Marriage bar
Pull factors into the labour market
Sticky floor
Glass ceiling
Emotional proletariat
Feminisation of labour force
List B
Job evaluation
Gender wage gap
Sex role spillover
Gender typed jobs
Institutional barriers in labour market
Push factor into the labour market
5 types of sex discrimination adopted by
employers
Segmentation of occupation
Time bind
Sex segregation
UNIVERSITY OF MALTA
FACULTY OF ARTS
JANUARY 2013 EXAMINATION SESSIONS
SOC2034 Economic Sociology I
Wednesday 30th January 2013
8.00am – 9.00am
NO USE OF DICTIONARY
Answer ONE question from the following
1
Richard Swedberg argues that "culture and interests belong together". Discuss
with reference to Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.
2
Outline and discuss Schumpeter's views on innovation in the development of
capitalism.
3
What is the central thesis of Karl Polanyi's The Great Transformation?
UNIVERSITY OF MALTA
FACULTY OF ARTS
JANUARY 2013 EXAMINATION SESSIONS
SOC2044 Sociology of Law I
Friday 1st February 2013
15.30 – 17.30
NO USE OF DICTIONARY
Answer TWO questions from the following:
1
2
3
4
5
6
Baron de Montesquieu was a strong critic of the French absolutist monarchy
and argued for a democratic constitution of law. Discuss in the context that
laws are reflective of the people’s will.
Max Weber distinguishes substantive and formal rationalization. Discuss
with regard to legislation and adjudication.
Emile Durkheim holds that law serves as an indicator of social solidarity. He
specifies the development of mechanical to organic solidarity. Discuss in
relation to the evolution of law from a repressive to a restitutive system.
What is the basis of private property right according to Emile Durkheim?
Talcott Parsons views the legal system in terms of its integrative function.
Discuss.
Talcott Parsons states that a system of government is particularly distinctive in
the degree of autonomy it accords its courts of law. Do you agree with this
statement? Give your answer by citing examples from the US and Malta.
UNIVERSITY OF MALTA
FACULTY OF ARTS
JANUARY 2013 EXAMINATION SESSIONS
SOC2058 Sociology of Health and Illness
Thursday 24th January 2013
8.00am – 9.00am
NO USE OF DICTIONARY
Answer ONE question from the following:
1.
The ‘sick role’ legitimizes the ‘deviance’ of ‘being sick’.
Use sociological theory to expand on this, and discuss the relevance of this
statement in contemporary society.
2.
Inequalities in health : what aspects of contemporary society influence this
issue? Use sociological concepts to describe everyday examples in support of
your answer.
3.
How has the use of the Internet altered the individual’s illness experience in
contemporary society? Discuss with particular reference to the shifting power
dynamics in the process of medicalization.
UNIVERSITY OF MALTA
FACULTY OF ARTS
JANUARY 2013 EXAMINATION SESSIONS
SOC2060 Sociology of Eating and Cooking
Tuesday 29th January 2013
11.45am – 13.45
NO USE OF DICTIONARY
Answer ONE question from the following:
1
Food consumption in one country has social, political and cultural
consequences in other parts of the world. Illustrate this statement with
historical and contemporary studies discussed during the course and with
examples taken from your own experiences.
2
"Where there is dirt there is a system." Comment on this famous
assertion with precise references from the course and illustrate it with
examples taken from your own observations.
3
Are traditions faithful translations or creative transformations?
Question the transmission process of cooking techniques in Malta and in
other parts of the world, basing your argument on theories discussed
during the course.
UNIVERSITY OF MALTA
FACULTY OF ARTS
JANUARY 2013 EXAMINATION SESSIONS
SOC 3011 SYSTEMS THEORY
Monday 28th January 2013
9.15am – 11.15am
NO USE OF DICTIONARY
Answer in essay form ONE question from EACH section
SECTION A
1. Discuss the importance of socialization within the Parsonian theory of
systems.
2. Through his analysis of systems, Talcott Parsons attempts to give an overall
picture of how societies are structured and fit together. Discuss.
SECTION B
3. According to Niklas Luhman’s neo-functionalist theory, ‘structural
differentiation ‘ takes analytical primacy over ‘functional differentation’.
Discuss.
4. Discuss the extent to which the structural parts that make up a system are
actually integrated with one another while maintaining their structural
autonomy.
UNIVERSITY OF MALTA
FACULTY OF ARTS
JUNE 2013 EXAMINATION SESSIONS
S0C1010 Contemporary Sociology
Tuesday 11th June 2013
9.15am – 11.15am
NO USE OF DICTIONARY
Answer any two questions
1) The power of the image or ‘the sign’, is central to Baudrillard’s critique of his
Marxist roots. Outline the main argument in this critique, and expand on the
impacts of images on ‘postmodern’ society, referring to Baudrillard’s concepts
of simulacra, implosion and hyperreality.
2) ‘Photographic images convey more than visual facts’ – discuss this statement
by exploring the processes that occur in the ‘practice of looking’, and
highlight the effects they may have on everyday social life.
3) In his text Runaway World , Giddens suggests that ‘risk’ has become central to
late modern society. Using examples from everyday life, outline the particular
qualities of the ‘risk’ that Giddens describes, and demonstrate the potential
paradoxical effects of ‘risk management’.
4) One of the key properties of Bourdieu’s concept of ‘habitus’ is that it is a
potential source of social advantage. Describe the social processes at the root
of this concept and use examples to highlight the impact it has on everyday
social life.
5) Bauman claims that there is a fluid border between ‘sociological thinking’ and
‘common sense’. Expand on this statement and refer to his work to outline
how he suggests sociologists should ‘make sense of the human condition’.
UNIVERSITY OF MALTA
FACULTY OF ARTS
JUNE 2013 EXAMINATION SESSIONS
SOC 2013: CLASSICAL SOCIOLOGY
Monday 3rd June 2013
9.15am – 11.15am
NO USE OF DICTIONARY
Answer in essay form ONE question from each section:
SECTION 1
5. Talcott Parsons’ Four Functional Paradigm is the cornerstone of his whole
theoretical framework. Discuss
6. Through his Pattern Variables, Talcott Parsons wanted to show that an actor’s
situation is not entirely unstructured or uncertain. Elaborate.
SECTION 2
7. Discuss how Robert K. Merton has clarified and strengthened the importance
of sociological research.
8. According to Emile Durkheim “the degree of cohesion present in a society
will generate a tendency to certain forms of suicide”. Discuss.
UNIVERSITY OF MALTA
FACULTY OF ARTS
JUNE 2013 EXAMINATION SESSIONS
S0C1004 QUANTITATIVE APPROACHES IN THE SOCIAL
SCIENCES
Monday 3rd June 2013
3.30pm – 5.30pm
NO USE OF DICTIONARY
Answer TWO questions from the following:
1.
Describe different types of samples and how they are drawn.
2.
Reliability and validity are very important and should be given a lot of attention
when planning sociological research. Discuss.
3.
The sources of sociological research can be varied. Discuss at least three sources in
detail and give examples on the kind of research project you would use each of them.
4.
Describe the differences between qualitative and quantitative research methods in
respect of (a) data collection and (b) data analysis.
5.
Establishing a correlation is very important in research. Describe one method on
how this is done statistically.
UNIVERSITY OF MALTA
FACULTY OF ARTS
JUNE 2013 EXAMINATION SESSIONS
SOC1006 THEORIES OF SOCIAL POLICY
Friday 14th June 2013
10.30am – 12.30pm
NO USE OF DICTIONARY
Answer ONE question from the following:
1.
Compare and contrast universalist welfare with selectivist welfare,
showing the strengths and weaknesses of both.
2.
Is Green ideology comparable to other political ideologies in relation
to social policy?
3.
Sexual orientation has become a main issue in contemporary social
policy. Elaborate.
UNIVERSITY OF MALTA
FACULTY OF ARTS
JUNE 2013 EXAMINATION SESSIONS
S0C2006 SOCIAL INEQUALITY
Monday 10th June 2013
11.45am – 1.45pm
NO USE OF DICTIONARY
Answer one question from each section. Each question is worth 50 marks.
Section A
1. Why do sociologists give so much importance to the issue of social class?
2. Compare and contrast two sociological theories which attempt to define social
class. Underline how applicable they are in today’s world and why.
Section B.
3. How does disability, or race effect access to education or employment?
UNIVERSITY OF MALTA
FACULTY OF ARTS
JUNE 2013 EXAMINATION SESSIONS
S0C2015 TOURISM AND DEVELOPMENT
Tuesday 18th June 2013
2.15pm – 4.15pm
NO USE OF DICTIONARY
Answer one question from each section. Each question is worth 50 marks.
Section A
1. Discuss the negative and positive economic outcomes tourism can have in a
particular country.
2. Butler and Doxey came up with very similar models to describe the tourist life
cycle. Choose one of these theoretical models and use it to explore the impact
tourism had on a particular country.
Section B
1. Illustrate the difference between economic, social and cultural sustainability.
2. Which of these two types of tourisms – eco tourism or community based tourism will enable local people to benefit socially, culturally and economically from
tourism?
UNIVERSITY OF MALTA
FACULTY OF ARTS
JUNE 2013 EXAMINATION SESSIONS
S0C2030 THE SOCIAL PROCESS OF AGEING
Tuesday 4th June 2013
9.15am – 11.15am
NO USE OF DICTIONARY
Answer in essay form ONE question from each of the following Sections:
Section A
1. “The twenty-first century is often called THE AGE OF AGEING”.
Discuss the three main determinants of Population Ageing.
2. Various social gerontologists have brought forward different theories about ageing.
Discuss in detail two of these perspectives.
Section B
3. In recent years, the family has undergone various transformations which have
affected its traditional role of providing care to its elderly members.
Discuss and elaborate with reference to your country.
4. Priority direction 1 of The Madrid International Plan of
Action on Ageing deals with “Older persons and development”. (a) Mention the
main issues highlighted and (b) elaborate some of the actions recommended to
implement these issues.
UNIVERSITY OF MALTA
FACULTY OF ARTS
JUNE 2013 EXAMINATION SESSIONS
SOC2038 Economic Sociology II
Friday 21st June 2013
8.00am – 9.00am
NO USE OF DICTIONARY
Answer ONE question from the following:
1.
In his classic 1985 paper, Mark Granovetter argues that "all market processes
are amenable to sociological analysis and that such analysis reveals central,
not peripheral, features of these processes." Discuss.
2.
In what sense is economics performative? Discuss with reference to the work
of Michel Callon and Donald Mackenzie.
3.
For Viviana Zelizer shared cultural understandings and interpersonal relations
shape everyday economic activities. Discuss.
UNIVERSITY OF MALTA
FACULTY OF ARTS
JUNE 2013 EXAMINATION SESSIONS
S0C2050 SOCIOLOGY OF LAW II
3.30pm – 5.30pm
Friday 14th June 2013
NO USE OF DICTIONARY
Answer TWO questions from the following:
1
On the subject of law enforcement Aaron Cicourel highlighted how the
meanings held by agents of social control led to some individuals being
defined as law-breakers while others were not, even in situations where they
were arrested for similar offences. Discuss.
2
“There is little question but that these statutes were designed for one express
purpose: to force labourers to accept employment at a low wage in order to
ensure the landowners an adequate supply of labour at a price they could
afford to pay’( William Chambliss). Discuss in relation to the history and
evolution of vagrancy laws.
3
Law is a tool of power and furthers the interests of those powerful enough to
make it. Discuss.
4
Oscar Wilde’s trials and punishment help us to understand current issues
surrounding legal and social unease with same-sex marriage, sexual
orientation and identity politics. Discuss.
5
“As law firms have grown, the increased number of legal positions in law
firms in bottom positions, not as partners, with relatively low income have
disproportionately been taken up by women”( Kay and Hagan). Discuss.
UNIVERSITY OF MALTA
FACULTY OF ARTS
JUNE 2013 EXAMINATION SESSIONS
S0C2056 SOCIOLOGY Of GOVERNANCE
Tuesday 18th June 2013
2.15pm – 4.15pm
NO USE OF DICTIONARY
Answer TWO questions from the following:
1
According to Max Weber, the actual operation of a democratic society is in the
hands of the bureaucracy. Discuss.
2
Max Weber classified legitimate authority into three types – rational-legal,
traditional and charismatic – of which rational-legal is the dominant one in the
modern world. Discuss.
3
Steven Lukes argues that the first two views of power are inadequate. The
three-dimensional view is a better means for the investigation of power
relations. Discuss.
4
In The Power Elite C.W. Mills states that a powerful elite occupies the top
command posts of society, which give their holders authority over
governmental, financial, educational, social, civic and cultural institutions.
Discuss.
5
In a pluralist democracy a political system has more than one centre of power.
Discuss.
6
The central position of pluralist theory is that all citizens have a chance to
become politically active through either individual or group action. Compare
and contrast this theory with elite theory.
UNIVERSITY OF MALTA
FACULTY OF ARTS
JUNE 2013 EXAMINATION SESSIONS
S0C2059 SCRUTINIZING THE BODY
Thursday 20th June 2013
11.45am – 1.45pm
NO USE OF DICTIONARY
Answer ONE question from the following:
1
What was Marcel Mauss referring to when he first quoted the term
"techniques of the body"? Why, in his opinion is it important to collect
and study them?
2
According to Michel Foucault, what are the techniques implemented by
total insitutions in order to control individual behaviour?
3
Can the human body serve as a model to understand the universe and
society? Illustrate your argument with examples taken from the course and
from your personal experience.
UNIVERSITY OF MALTA
FACULTY OF ARTS
JUNE 2013 EXAMINATION SESSIONS
SOC3082 ISSUES IN SOCIAL POLICY
Monday 3rd June 2013
9.15 – 10.15
NO USE OF DICTIONARY
Answer ONE question from the following:
1.
A postmodern slant on Social Policy may suggest that welfare provision
should be universal but that there must be a greater sensitivity to the
particular needs and demands of certain groups. Apply to an issue of your
choice.
2.
When conducting research on issues in social policy it is important to
listen to direct experience. Elaborate.
3.
Why are the concepts of difference and division important for the
sociological analysis of issues in social policy?
UNIVERSITY OF MALTA
FACULTY OF ARTS
M.A. Preparatory
JUNE 2013 SESSION EXAMINATIONS
SOC3001 Synoptic Study-Unit I: Sociology
Saturday 1st June
11.45 – 2.45pm
Answer the following questions in essay form:
Discuss three of the following notions/ideas in light of your own M.A. Qualifying
research. You are free to agree or disagree as long as you argue your case
convincingly:
i- Research is a matter of choices undertaken by the researcher in response to a
number of ongoing developments and constraints;
ii- The validity of qualitative data depends very much on the quality of the rapport
between researcher and researched;
iii- The notion of ‘data saturation’ is a myth;
iv- Describing a population, operationalising it, and sampling, each involve a number
of choices and limitations.
UNIVERSITY OF MALTA
FACULTY OF ARTS
M.A. Preparatory
JUNE 2013 SESSION EXAMINATIONS
SOC3002 Synoptic Study-Unit II: Sociology
Monday 10th June
11.45am – 2.45pm
_____________________________________________________________________
_______
Answer TWO questions.
1. The institution of marriage may perpetuate gender inequality. Elaborate with
reference to at least two research studies.
2. How do assumptions and expectations about gender impact on both men and
women in the workplace? Elaborate with reference to two research studies.
3. The tasks women are assigned at work and the expectations of them as
workers are gendered, defining them as women first and workers second.
Discuss.
4. Gender is a concept in a social structure that is used to define, explain and
justify inequality. Discuss with particular reference to the Maltese labour
market.