Study Questions

  1. How has consumption changed over the decades since the 1950s? Describe the major changes that have occurred.
     
  2. C. Wright Mills made the connection and distinction between “public issues” and “private troubles.” How is divorce an example of a “private trouble?” How is divorce an example of a “public issue?”
     
  3.  Discuss the differences between “pure science” sociology and “public sociology.” What do you believe the role of the sociologist should be? What are the strengths and weaknesses of each approach to sociology?
     
  4. Imagine what your college experience would have been like before the internet, e-mail, and smartphones came in. How would the experience have been more difficult? Would it have been a better experience in any aspect?
     
  5. Describe how the information age changed the nature of globalization.
     
  6.  Define McDonaldization and explain its four defining characteristics.
     
  7. Describe how technology has changed the nature of communication.
     
  8. What is the micro–macro relationship and how does it relate to the sociological imagination?
     
  9. Explain the social construction of reality. Give two examples.
     
  10. How do the social sciences differ from common sense?
     
  11. Define and explain the agency-structure relationship. Provide one example of each.
     
  12. Define social structures and social processes and explain how the two concepts work together.