1. With a few classmates, construct a short dialogue between four members of a group that illustrates a case of groupthink where the process leads to an action that is unethical or illegal. Try to show in the dialogue the process by which pressures of group conformity unfold and draw in the members. Read the dialogue and discuss points at which different members might have challenged or dissented from the group’s decision-making.

2. As we learned, sociologist George Simmel hypothesized that “as group size increases, the intensity of relationships within the group decreases, while overall group stability increases.” What did Simmel mean by this? Do you agree with this hypothesis? Offer evidence from your own experience that could be used to support or refute the idea.

3. Susan Cain, author of the popular book Quiet, The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking (2013, Broadway Books) delivers a powerful TED talk “The Power of Introverts.” After listening to this talk, discuss the idea of groupthink and transformative leadership as described by the text and apply this to Cain’s talk. Were you surprised by the idea that some of our most beloved transformative leaders were introverts, like Eleanor Roosevelt, Rosa Parks, and Gandhi? What other revelations did Cain discuss with regard to group leaders and avoiding “groupthink?”

4. Max Weber was interested in studying bureaucracies and the effects of bureaucracies. Listen to the podcast Criminal, Episode 5: Dropping like. How does the Venus Flytrap crime ring function like a bureaucracy? Identify at least three of the characteristics of bureaucracy from the text and apply them to how the Venus Flytrap crime ring operates.

5. List the types of economic, cultural, and social capital you possess and the social advantages or disadvantages you have in your community as a result of having these types of capital. Now consider if you were suddenly placed into a tribal community living in the Amazonian rain forest, into a wealthy community within a large urban city in China, or into a religious community within a rural area in the Middle East. How would your current economic, cultural, and social capital serve you in these new environments? What forms of capital would still be valuable and what forms would put you at a disadvantage? What forms of capital would be more useful than the ones you possess?

6. With a group of peers, make a list of a dozen people who you think are historically influential leaders. Debate how much you think these leaders’ powers were based on positional power versus personal power. Discuss whether there are patterns in the types of leadership power the leaders had and their social behavior, roles, and activities. Do certain types of leadership lend themselves more to one type of power than the other?