TOPICS TO REVIEW FOR EXAM 1
Sociology of Work 3342
Lecture Topics
What were Durkheim’s views on industrialization?
What were Marx’s ideas on inequality, work, and capitalism? How did the ideas of Marx differ from
those of Adam Smith?
How did Max Weber view capitalism? How did Weber view the relationship between religion and work
relations? Compare Weber’s ideas to those of Marx.
How do bureaucracies differ from earlier forms of work organizations? What are the advantages and
disadvantages of bureaucracies?
What practices have been used over time to control large organizations?
What is the concept of “rationalization” and the various dimensions of this concept? How is
rationalization occurring in the world of work today?
Describe the characteristics of the major types of economic systems that have existed.
What are the major types of capitalist economies? Know the various stages of capitalism.
Keep in mind the difference between monopoly and oligopoly. What concept best describes
contemporary capitalism?
How important are multinational firms in the present economic order? For example, how much economic
power do large firms have?
What is the Fisher-Clark theory of industrialization? What are the major reasons for a changing industrial
structure? How do the various stages of industrialization affect the occupational structure? Does research
support their theory?
Do all less developed nations go through the industrial stages in the manner hypothesized by Fisher and
Clark? What are the three various perspectives used by sociologists to examine industrialization
processes in developing nations? Will the developing nations always be better off with industrialization?
According to Department of Labor projections, what kinds of jobs will become more plentiful in the near
future? What are projections for employment in broad occupational groups?
What are some of the major differences between employment in manufacturing and service industries?
For example, how do earnings vary across different industries? On the average, which industry pays
more than others? Which type of broad industry has more equal earnings across employees? What
general kind of industry has more unequal earnings distributions? How does a changing industrial
structure affect the equality of earnings in society? Specifically, what are the societal implications for a
decline in manufacturing employment in the United States?
What major strategy has businesses utilized in the past few decades to maintain profit margins? Why
have businesses used these strategies? What structural features of society, for example tax laws, enable
business to favor some strategies over others?
What are some of the major effects that these contemporary business practices have had on the U.S. labor
force? What effects have these strategies had on workers outside of the United States? How might a
conflict theorist interpret these business practices?
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What factors have been mentioned as contributing to the decline of manufacturing employment in the
US? What are the possible implications of a weakening manufacturing sector in American society?
Readings Topics
Hodson & Sullivan
Chapter 1
What were the major features of work in prehistoric societies, imperial agricultural societies, during the
feudal era, during the era of merchant capitalism, the industrial revolution, monopoly capitalism, and
post-industrialism? What have been the consequences for workers as technology changed over time?
How have the social relations of production changed over time? Be sure that you understand the meaning
of the key concepts and their importance. For example, what was the importance of the ‘put-out’ wage
relationships?
Chapter 2
What problems arise when trying to measure unemployment?
How do the terms industries, occupations, and jobs differ?
What are the various units of analysis of primary interest to sociologists studying work? What problems
are entailed in classifying occupations? What are the problems that sociologists face when trying to study
work?
What is the meaning and importance of the key concepts?
Chapter 7
How do the authors define technology, organizations, and the social relations of work?
What are the major types of technologies?
How do workers acquire skills? How do workers in occupations which do not require a college degree
learn to perform their jobs?
What the various kinds of division of labor?
What are the five general methods organizations have used to control labor? What is the method most
often used to control employees today? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the general control
procedures listed in the text?
What are the advantages and limitations of bureaucracies?
Chapter 8
How do Hodson & Sullivan describe the present American industrial structure? What term do they use to
characterize the current American economy?
What are the major characteristics of American agricultural, forestry, fishing, mining, and construction?
For example, what are the major problems facing workers in these industries? What are some of the
major characteristics of workers in these industries?
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What are the major characteristics of the three major groups of manufacturing workers? In what
industries are they located? What occupations do craft workers occupy? How do craft workers learn
their skills? What are the cultural features of various occupational work groups?
What are the problems faced by three key US manufacturing industries?
Why has US manufacturing stagnated according to Hodson & Sullivan? What are the implications for a
decline in manufacturing employment, according to the authors?
What are the various strategies American firms have used to counter foreign economic competition?
What have been the implications of these strategies for workers? What do Hodson & Sullivan
recommend to revitalize American manufacturing?
Chapter 9
What is the Deskilling Thesis debate? What are the different perspectives on the impact of high
technology on productivity and jobs?
How have changing technologies affected selected occupational groups?
According to Hodson & Sullivan, have technological advances created fewer or more jobs? What do they
conclude after presenting the different points of view?
What kinds of jobs exist in a high technology firm? What is the nature of working conditions in high
technology industries? How are workers often controlled? What seems to be the life cycle of high
technology industries?
Chapter 10
What are the general characteristics of service industries that distinguish them from other kinds of broad
industries?
What are the major reasons that account for growth in service industries?
To what does “tertiarization” refer? What are the implications of tertiarization for societies?
What are the general characteristics of the six major broad service industries?
How does performing service work differ from manufacturing work?
What are some common features of social interaction in service industries? For example, what features
differentiate how employers and employees interact with each other and clients?
Chapter 5
What have been the trends in American unemployment patterns over the last four decades? What have
been unemployment patterns among various racial groups?
How do frictional unemployment and structural unemployment differ?
What are the characteristics of unemployment among men, women, ethnic minorities, youths, industries,
and occupations? Which groups have higher unemployment rates? What reasons might help explain the
differences in unemployment rates across these various groups?
What is a “cultural division of labor”?
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According to Hodson & Sullivan, what been the results of affirmative action legislation?
What are the various forms of hiring discrimination?
Chapter 15
What are the implications of corporate power for socieites?
What are the various kinds of corporate market power?
What is the legal status of corporations? How has this definition affected the independence of
corporations from the public?
What has been the history of mergers in American industries? What is the current status of mergers in the
American economy? What factors explain mergers? What are the implications of mergers for
organizations and employees?
What are the possible effects on society of increasing organizational size and the concentration of
enterprises? How do large firms acquire and maintain their economic dominance?
How are corporations linked together? What are the implications of these linkages for workers?
What are the characteristics of small firms? How important are small firms for society, especially for
generating employment? Why might smaller firms be better for society? Why do the authors argue that
small firms may be more likely to help revitalize the economy rather than large firms?
How do large and small firms differ with respect to pay and affirmative action practices?
Chapter 16
What are the three major theories of industrial development, according to Hodson & Sullivan? What are
the strengths and weaknesses of each theory?
What are the characteristics of multinational corporations? How beneficial are multinational corporations
to third world nations?
According the Hodson & Sullivan, what factors have resulted in a decline of US economic dominance in
the world economy?
What are the nature of work practices in the least developed and developing nations?
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Rothman -- Chapter 9
How do men and women differ in the reported reasons for their unemployment?
What are the major causes of unemployment?
What kinds of benefits do the unemployed receive?
What are some of the major effects of joblessness?
During the early 1990s, what were the patterns of reemployment among individuals who lost their job?
What is the concept of “employability?” What does this imply for workers and employers?
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