Sociology Final Exam Study Guide
The following items are designed to give you some direction in studying for the exam. Great resources to study will be:
vocabulary sheets, old tests, notes, reaction papers, PowerPoint’s (on my website), handouts and projects!
Layout of the test:
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75 Multiple choice/ Matching questions
5 identifications
1 essay
Introduction, philosophies, perspective
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You will need to know and be able to explain the philosophies of functionalist, perspective and conflict
theories. You will also need to know how to apply to them to other things that we have studied, such as:
deviance, culture, socialization, inequality and stratification.
Be sure to know what each father of sociology believed and his theories
o Emile Durkheim
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Karl Marx
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Max Weber
What is sociology? What is sociological imagination?
Culture
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What is culture? What is culture made up of? Characteristics?
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Be able to explain the theories of culture.
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What is material? Nonmaterial? Be able to give examples of each
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Norms? Folklores? Mores? Taboos? Be able to give examples of each
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What is culture shock? Ethnocentrism?
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What is cultural relativism?
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What impact does culture have on people's behavior?
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How are subcultures created and how do they distinguish themselves from larger cultural groups?
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What shapes American popular culture?
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How do sociologists view American culture from various perspectives?
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How is American culture shaped by our changing world?
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What impact does culture have on American’s behaviors?
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Be able to change sentences to represent cultural relativism.
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Refer to the chart about sociological views of culture
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Social Groups
Be able to explain, give example and/ or identify an example of the following :
Status
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Roles
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Ascribed and achieved statuses
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Master status
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Reciprocal roles
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Role expectations
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Role performance
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Role conflict
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Role strain
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Social Institutions
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Types of interaction
o Exchange, reciprocity, competition, cooperation
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Aggregate
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Social category
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Primary group
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Secondary group
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In group
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Out group
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Reference group
Socialization
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Nature v. nurture- what do social scientists believe about this?’
What examples can be shown to prove their point from the Genie film?
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What are the different agents of socialization and how do they socialize us? (Chart- think your web)
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What is the difference between sex and gender?
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What are gender roles and stereotypes?
o Be able to explain the different theories of socialization (Functionalism, Conflict and Erikson)
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How is gender socialized through education, government and media?
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What impact is Social Media having on socialization?
Deviance
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What is deviance? Why some actions are considered deviant in some places but not others?
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Be able to explain the different theories of deviance
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What is stigma?
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What is the strain theory and anomie?
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What is the control theory, inner and outer controls? Examples of this? (Handout)
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How is deviance a learned theory?
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What is the association theory? Examples of this?
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What is the labeling theory? What is the self fulfilling prophecy? (Think of examples of this)
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What is crime? What is the Uniform Crime Reports and what is wrong with the statistics?
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What is happening with crime in the United States?
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Be able to define and understand examples of the following
o Property crime
o White collar crime
o Violent crime
o Victimless crime
o Organized crime
What role do the police play in the justice system? What are some flaws and challenges of this role?
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What happens to many cases in the judicial system?
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- Correctional system issues
What are the functions of the correctional system? What are some failures of the correctional system?
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What is the recidivism rate? What impact does this have on society?
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What is mandatory minimum sentencing? What impact does this have on society?
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What is capital punishment? What are some issues that have been raised about capital punishment?
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What are hate crimes? Why are people targets of these crimes?
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Stratification/ Social Class
Be able to explain the different type of stratification systems and examples of both
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Theories on stratification by different perspectives of Sociology
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How are people stratified into social classes in the US?
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Be sure to know the different social classes in the US.
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What is social mobility? What are some challenges for social mobility?
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Different types of social mobility?
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What are problems people in poverty face? How does poverty impact education, children, health care etc.? Why is
there a cycle of poverty?
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How is race a social construct?
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Know the difference between race and ethnicity.
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What are minority groups and what are characteristics of them?
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How are minority groups treated?
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What is the conflict perspective of race and minority groups?
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What is discrimination? What is legal and institutionalized?
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Be sure to be able to define prejudice and scapegoats
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What are some explanations for discrimination?
Race/ Ethnicity and Gender
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How are we socialized about race, gender, and discrimination/prejudice?
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What impact does discrimination have on people? (Think A Class Divided)
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What is internalized racism and colorism? How has socialization led to colorism?
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Patterns of minority treatment- know them all with examples
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What is affirmative action? What is the purpose of it?
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What is white privilege? Examples.
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How are women treated?
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What are the issues regarding women and the workplace?
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What are steps that are being taken to change the pay gap?
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What was the message in Lean In?
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What is the glass ceiling, sticky floor and glass escalator?
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Be able to explain institutionalized racism and give examples of it.
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Explain and describe the different theories on racism.
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How can prejudice impact someone’s life? (Use sociological terms to explain)
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Explain and describe the theories on gender discrimination.
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How are women a minority?
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What are the costs and consequences of gender stratification?
Social Change
- What is collective behavior?
- What is a social movement?
- What are the five stages of a social movement? Be able to give examples.
- Different types of social movements with examples
Gender
Main Ideas from our favorite books of the year:
Tipping Point
Nickel and Dimed