Discussion Questions

  1. Compare and contrast the way theft would be explained by a structural-functionalist, a conflict theorist, and a symbolic interactionist. What would each say about why someone steals? What would each say about how the crime is punished? What would each say about the impact on the community when theft happens?
  2. Which theory do you think best explains the recent economic downturn? Why?
  3. Are Marx’s views still relevant today? Did Marx predict the current stratification in America? If so, how?
  4. How has rationalization affected society since the Industrial Revolution? Does it still affect us today? How?
  5. Why was Durkheim’s book “Suicide” important to the field of sociology? How was his study of suicide different than how psychologists might study suicide?