1. Think of a problem that impacts you personally (e.g., the high cost of tuition, unemployment, or divorce), and explain how you would make sense of it differently if you viewed it as (a) only a personal problem or (b) influenced by a public issue. How do possible solutions to the problem differ depending on how you view it?

2. How can sociology help you become a more informed citizen and better able to understand how government policies impact society?

3. What are three ways the sociological perspective can help you succeed in college and the workforce?

4. Think of some of the ways the social institutions of government and education are connected. Why is it in the interest of the government to support higher education? How has government support (or lack of support) impacted your college experience?

5. Imagine you would like to look at reasons behind the high college dropout rate in the United States. How might your explanations differ based on whether your analysis was on the micro, meso, or macro level? Why? Which level or levels would you focus on for your study? Why?

1. If you were to examine the relationship between the government and the economy in the United States today, which of the four major theoretical perspectives outlined in the chapter would be most helpful? Why?

2. Imagine you would like to conduct a sociological study of the students with whom you attended the fourth grade to determine what key factors influenced their academic achievements. Which of the four major theoretical perspectives would you employ in your study? Why?

3. Why do research questions have to be asked in a precise way? Give an example of a precise research question. How do precise questions make it possible for you to test and measure your topic?

4. Sociologists must be continually open to having their findings reexamined and new interpretations proposed. Describe a time when you changed your mind due to new information. Was it difficult for you to change your mind? Why, or why not?

5. Why is the ability to be open to new ideas and interpretations and to be objective so vital to the scientific perspective? Do you think you could carry this aspect of the scientific process out successfully—no matter how you feel about a topic? Why, or why not?

6. If you were to conduct a study to measure student satisfaction with a particular academic department on campus, what research method(s) would you use? Why? How would the method(s) you select vary according to (a) the size of the department and (b) the type of information you sought?

1. Think about the evolution of societies described in this chapter. In which type of society (huntergatherer, herding, horticultural, agricultural, industrial, or postindustrial) would you prefer to live? Why? In which would you most likely be (a) economically successful and (b) content? Why?

2. This chapter points out that today, material culture “drives the globalization process.” Look around at what your classmates are wearing and carrying, and come up with some examples that support that point.

3. Think of a subculture to which you belong. What are the norms, values, and material artifacts that distinguish members of your subculture from those who do not belong to it?

4. Every classroom has norms of behavior. Some are mores, and some are folkways. Describe two of each in a typical classroom at your school. How are both enforced? How do you help enforce these norms? 

5. Are you part of a counterculture? Why, or why not? In what ways might a counterculture benefit a society?

1. Cooley’s idea of the looking-glass self helps us understand that how we think other people view us influences our view of ourselves. How has your sense of your ability to succeed in college been influenced by the feedback you have processed from those around you (particularly teachers, peers, and family members)?

2. Socialization occurs throughout the life cycle. Into what role have you been socialized most recently? Who were the primary agents in this socialization process? Did you find the process relatively easy or difficult? Why?

3. Sociological studies have shown that middleclass and working-class parents tend to socialize their children differently. Explain the differences and describe how they relate to how you were socialized by your family of origin.

4. How has your socialization been influenced by television and video games? Do you think the extent to which these informal agents of socialization influence children these days has a positive or a negative impact on our society? Why?

5. If you were asked to create a government policy to promote positive socialization experiences that would strengthen our society, what might you propose? Why?

1. Think about your social network. How useful might it be in helping you get a job (or a better job) once you graduate from college? Why?

2. During a typical day, when do you engage in front-stage and backstage behavior? Why? With whom do you engage in each? Why?

3. Have you ever experienced role strain because of your status as a student? Explain why or why not. If so, how did or do you cope with it?

4. Most college students, particularly those with family, work, and/or sports team obligations, deal with role conflict. Describe a time when you dealt with a conflict between the roles you carry out. What did you do about it? How might colleges and universities diminish role conflict among students?

5. To what primary and secondary groups do you belong? How does your involvement (or lack thereof) in primary groups on your campus impact your feelings of attachment to your school?

6. Would you rather live in a bureaucratic society or in a society without bureaucratic forms of organizations? Why?

7. How does the informal structure at your college or university impact how the school functions? Does it do more to help or hurt students? Why?

1. List five acts that were once considered deviant but are now considered acceptable or even courageous.
Have you ever committed a deviant act because you believed it was the moral thing to do? If yes, please explain why. If not, in what sort of situation might you consider carrying out a deviant act?

2. Have you ever been labeled deviant? Why, or why not? How does your social class, level of education, gender, race or ethnicity, and nation of origin impact the chances you will be considered deviant in your country?

3. Which of the following theories of deviance described in the chapter—rational choice, differential association, labeling theory, social control, anomie and social disorganization, strain theory, and conflict theory—best explains the recent increase in cheating among college students? Why?

4. Why is occupational crime not given as much attention as violent crime? What are some examples of occupational crimes that hurt millions of Americans every day? Have you ever been the victim of one of these crimes? What would you suggest policymakers do to curb these crimes?

5. How do conflict theorists explain the makeup of prisoners in the U.S. prison system? Do you agree with their explanation? Why, or why not?

6. How can social capital help keep people out of prison and help former prisoners avoid returning to prison? How will your social capital help you conform (or not conform) to the norms of society?

1. Were you surprised to learn that among rich nations, life expectancy in the United States is among the lowest? Explain. What sociological theory best explains this fact? Support your answer.

2. How has the social class of your parents and your upbringing influenced your success in school and your professional aspirations?

3. What is the social class of most of the people with whom you hang out? Why do you think you tend to associate with people from this social class?

4. Describe factors at the (a) micro, (b) meso, and (c) macro levels that impact your ability to move up the social class ladder.

5. How do the forces that have led to the shrinking of the middle class impact your chance of becoming (or remaining) a member of the (a) middle, (b) upper middle, or (c) upper class after you graduate from college?

6. How can bridging the global digital divide lead to a decrease in inequality across the world? How does your ready access (or lack of access) to a computer and the Internet impact your life chances?

1. Have you ever experienced being stereotyped because of your race or ethnicity? Why, or why not? How can racial stereotypes harm societies, as well as groups and individuals?

2. What is the difference between the color-blind perspective on race and blatant bigotry? How does the color-blind ideology lead to racism evasiveness? Why is it often so difficult to recognize and address racial discrimination in the United States today?

3. Give two examples, respectively, of both side-effect discrimination and past-in-present discrimination. How have they impacted you and your life chances? Why?

4. We know that efforts to reduce prejudice, racism, and discrimination must take place at all levels (micro, meso, and macro). Most organizations, though, must choose one level on which to focus their particular efforts. If you were going to start an organization to decrease racial or ethnic prejudice, would you focus on the micro, meso, or macro level? Why? Explain what your organization would do.

5. Do you agree with preferences for college applicants at the University of Michigan who were scholarship athletes or the sons or daughters of a large donor or a politician but not for racial or ethnic minorities? Why, or why not? Was the Supreme Court correct in ruling that a referendum passed by voters in Michigan should trump concerns about diversity? Why?

1. Describe some of the ways socializing agents (e.g., family, peers, the media, religion, and schools) encouraged you to conform to traditional gender norms. Do you think you will encourage (or have you encouraged) your own children to conform to traditional gender norms? Why, or why not?

2. Give two examples of side-effect gender discrimination that lead to economic inequality between men and women.

3. How does gender socialization influence who runs for office and for whom we vote? How are female politicians treated by the media, compared with male politicians? How has that impacted your own perception of female politicians?

4. How does gender discrimination harm society? What could be done on your campus to improve the status of women or men? How might you join these efforts?

5. Why do many boys perform poorly in school, and what impact does this have on their lives? What can be done to correct this problem?

6. What are your career goals? Do they follow traditional gender roles? Why or why not? How has your gender socialization impacted your career plans?

7. More women than men are now in college. How do you think this fact will impact gender roles on campus and in the larger society?

1. Does (or did) your family expect you to marry someone of a particular (a) race or ethnicity, (b) social class, (c) educational background, or (d) religion? Why, or why not? How do you think endogamous norms impact (a) individual marriages and (b) society?

2. What are arguments for and against monogamy versus polygamy as a form of marriage? Which might be more stable, and why?

3. A majority of Americans and a strong majority of young Americans (those below 30) now support same-sex marriages. What are some cultural and structural changes that have led to this increase in support for marriage equality over the past decade?

4. What are examples of the hidden curriculum in schools? Describe your own school experience with the formal and informal systems.

5. Do you think there should be tracking in schools? Why, or why not? How has tracking (or an absence of tracking) in your school impacted your education and sense of yourself as a student? How does tracking in schools impact society?

6. How do schools “reproduce and perpetuate social stratification”? If you had the power and desire to use the school system to reduce inequality, what policies would you implement? What do you think the chances are of your policies actually being put into place? Why?

1. Imagine that your state has a law on the ballot that would legalize assisted suicide, following the model of Oregon’s law. Would you vote for or against the ballot question? Why? Would the conditions necessary for the legality of assisted suicide described in Oregon’s law influence your vote? Why, or why not? Why do you think most of those who participated in the Death with Dignity program in Oregon were Whites with college degrees?

2. Think of the last time you or someone close to you was seriously ill. What were the repercussions of the illness on the micro level? How did these repercussions relate to health care issues on the meso and macro levels?

3. What are three ways social class impacts health? Describe how social class has impacted your health and the health of your family members.

4. Do you think health care is a human right? Why, or why not? How can equality or inequality in health care impact a society?

5. If you were a policy maker, how might you try to curb binge drinking or smoking among college students?

6. Do you think vaccinations should be mandatory for schoolchildren? Why, or why not?

1. As you were growing up, did your parents encourage you to try to influence your local community or society? Why, or why not? Was their perspective on power more like the pluralist or elite theoretical perspective? Explain. How have their views about power influenced your own?

2. Is your family of origin part of the power elite? What makes you think so? Are you a member of the power elite? Why, or why not? If you are not, what do you think your chances are of becoming a member of the power elite? Why?

3. Do you think that large corporations have undue influence over the U.S. government? Why, or why not?

4. If you had the choice, would you rather live in a society with a planned, centralized economic system or market capitalist economic system? Why?

5. How do conflict theorists explain terrorism? Do you agree? Why, or why not? How would you suggest the U.S. government try to stem terrorism? What theoretical perspective do you think is most helpful in terms of understanding and dealing with terrorism? Why?

1. Why is it important for policymakers, including urban planners, to understand demographic trends in their communities and nation? Why should you be interested in such knowledge? How might it impact your understanding of and positions on issues related to (a) immigration, (b) education, (c) health care, and (d) Social Security legislation?

2. How many children (if any) do you think you would ideally like to have? Why? What might make this ideal number change?

3. What are some examples of (a) pronatalist and (b) antinatalist policies? Do you approve of such policies? Why, or why not? How might your perspective differ depending on the demographics of your particular nation?

4. How is the social status of girls and women related to a society’s ability to control population growth? If you were a male leader in the government of an overcrowded nation, why and how might you use this information to promote gender equality in your country? How might your ideas be perceived differently, depending on your sex?

5. What are some of the major reasons people leave their country of origin and move to another? Have you ever done so? Why? If not, under what circumstances would you be willing to leave the country in which you were born and move to another?

1. What is the latest technological device you or your family has acquired? How has it changed your life? What are the (a) intended and (b) unintended consequences of having it?

2. Every organization must adapt to change. Describe how an organization to which you belong coped with change. Was the adaptation successful? Why, or why not? What was your role? Did you feel as though you had some influence over the adaptation strategy? Why, or why not?

3. Why is it in the self-interest of Global North nations to help Global South nations battling the effects of climate change? How can sociologists impact efforts to address climate change?

4. What type of social movement has helped bring about the dramatic increase in support for samesex marriage over the past few years? Why? How do the results of this movement indicate the power of social movements to influence society at the micro, meso, and macro levels?

5. If you were to join a social movement today, which would you join? Why? What would you hope to achieve?