1. SOCIOLOGY Chapter 3 Lecture Questions Section 1 (pgs. 43-49)
Revised September 2015

2. 1. What are the basic values that form the foundation of American culture? Who identified them? How many are there?
Personal achievement
Individualism
Work
Morality & Humanitarianism
Efficiency & Practicality
Progress & Material comfort
Equality & Democracy
Freedom
Robin M. Williams identified these values.
He said there are at least 15 values that are central to the American way of life.

3. 2. What other values did Williams list?
Nationalism & Patriotism
Science & Rationality
Racial & Group Superiority

4. 3. What values did Rushworth Kidder identify in his book?
In his book Shared Values for a Troubled World, author Rushworth Kidder interviewed people in 16 different countries about their values.
Kidder identified eight values universal to all 16 countries.
These values include: fairness, freedom, love, respect for life, responsibility, tolerance, truth, and unity.

5. 4. What other values does sociologist James M
4. What other values does sociologist James M. Henslin believe are important?
Education
Many Americans think that everyone should achieve the highest level of education that his or her abilities will allow.
Religious values
Americans do not expect people to belong to a church, temple, or mosque, they do expect them to live according to basic religious principles.
Romantic love
Americans strongly believe that people should marry primarily because they fall in love with each other.

6. 5. Should morality be taught
5. Should morality be taught? Do you think that public schools should teach students social values such as morality?
Concerns that a growing number of American youth no longer place a high value on morality has many public schools embracing character education.
This movement involves the use of various techniques to teach students values such as honesty, respect for others, and responsibility.

7. 6. Are values dynamic? Explain.
Yes
Values change over time and new ones emerge.
Some of these new values could include: use of leisure time, physical fitness and focus on a better diet.

8. 7. What does self-fulfillment mean?
Self-fulfillment is a commitment to the full development of one’s personality, talents, and potential.
The emergence of this value can be seen in the large and growing self-help industry.
Seminars, television programs, books, and web sites offer people ideas on how to improve their personal and professional lives.

9. 8. Who is Christopher Lasch? What did he write? What is it about?
Social historian
Wrote the book The Culture of Narcissism.
He considers self-fulfillment a personality disorder.
A long-term and deeply ingrained pattern of socially unacceptable behavior that is harmful to the person who displays it and to others.
He termed this disorder narcissism.

10. 9. What is narcissism? Extreme self-centeredness.
People, whom are narcissistic, believe the world revolves around them and care very little about others.

11. 10. Who is Daniel Bell?
Sociologist who also believed that the focus on the self weakens the established values of hard work and moderation.
“It threatens the stability of the capitalist system”.

12. 11. Who is Daniel Yankelovich and what does he believe?
Psychologist and survey researcher
He believes that this new value (narcissism) indicated Americans believed less in hard work, however he believes this marks a movement away from satisfaction based on material gain.
Thus he views this shift as a beneficial change.

13. Chapter 3 Lecture Questions Section 2 (pages 50-53)
SOCIOLOGY
Chapter 3
Lecture Questions
Section 2 (pages 50-53)

14. 1. What does internalization of a norm mean?
When people come to believe that a particular norm is good, useful, and appropriate, they generally follow it and expect others to do the same.
Internalization is the process by which a norm becomes part of an individual’s personality.
This conditions the individual to conform to society’s expectations.
For example, driving on the right side of the street. You automatically do this because you have internalized this particular norm.

15. 2. What is a sanction?
Most members of society follow norms without conscious thought.
However, not everyone internalizes all of society’s norms.
Some people must be motivated by sanctions.
Sanctions are rewards or punishments used to enforce conformity to norms.

16. 3. What is a positive sanction? Give two examples.
An action that rewards a particular kind of behavior is a positive sanction.
This is usually done early in life.
Young children are praised for good behavior.
Positive sanctions continue into adulthood.
Employers often give pay raises to workers who show initiative and dedication.
Cheers from teammates and the crowd are used to push athletes to try even harder.

17. 4. What is a negative sanction? Give two examples.
Positive sanctions are not always enough to ensure conformity.
A negative sanction is a punishment or the threat of punishment used to enforce conformity.
The threat of punishment is often enough to ensure acceptable behavior.
Negative sanctions can range from frowns, ridicule, and rejection to fines, imprisonment, and even death.
In general, the more important the norm is to social stability, the more serious the negative sanction.

18. 5. What is a formal sanction? Give two examples.
In addition to being positive or negative, sanctions also can be either formal or informal.
A formal sanction is a reward or punishment given by a formal organization or regulatory agency.
Schools, businesses, or the government are formal organizations.
Examples include: suspension from school, termination from a job, fines, imprisonment, awards, and even pay raises.

19. 6. What is an informal sanction? Give two examples.
Formal sanctions play a major role in maintaining social stability.
However, the majority of norms are enforced informally.
An informal sanction is a spontaneous expression of approval or disapproval given by a group or an individual.
These include: a standing ovation, compliments, smiles, pats on the back, frowns, gossip, insults, ridicule and even ostracism.

20. 7. Describe life in Singapore.
Singapore, the city-state north of Australia and near Malaysia, is proud of being tough.
Singapore inherited its criminal code from British colonialists, cracks down against anything that smacks of a political challenge.
Its heavy fines--$640 for such offenses as using chewing gum, spitting or feeding birds—are legendary.
Singapore’s toughness is one of its greatest selling points to foreign investors.
Government corruption is practically nonexistent, contracts are enforced.
Michael Fay, an American, was “caned” six times for vandalism in 1993.
The death penalty is used against those who smuggle drugs into the country.
With a population of approximately 3 million, Singapore averages about 50 murders a year and 80 rapes.
Compared with over 1,000 murders and 2,000 rapes in Los Angeles, California.

21. 8. Give two examples of the following:
Formal negative sanction—court fine, ISS
Informal negative sanction—gossip, stern look
Formal positive sanction—honor roll, reduced auto insurance rates for good grades
Informal positive sanction—pat on the back, saying “congratulations” for a deed well done

22. 9. How many states have the death penalty. How many do not
9. How many states have the death penalty? How many do not? How many executions have occurred in each year since 2010? Revised September 2015
31 states have the death penalty (also US gov’t and military)
This includes Kansas.
19 states do not have the death penalty (also includes the District of Columbia)
Alaska, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland & Wisconsin.
Number of executions a year:

23. 10. How many people are on death row in the U. S
10. How many people are on death row in the U.S.? What was Furman v Georgia? Name the five states with the largest death row population.
Number of people on death row
Capital punishment declared “cruel and unusual” in 1972 (Furman v Georgia).
All those on death row were given life sentences, with the possibility of parole.
Reinstated in 1976 (Gregg v Georgia)
States with the highest numbers of death row inmates:
California---746
Florida---401
Texas---271
Alabama---201
Pennsylvania---184
Kansas---11

24. 11. List the five states with the most executions since 1976.
Number of executions since 1976
Texas
Virginia
Oklahoma
Florida
Missouri
Kansas-----0

25. 12. What was Roper v Simmons. Atkins v Virginia
12. What was Roper v Simmons? Atkins v Virginia? List three other facts about the death penalty.
Facts
2005-”Roper vs Simmons”, juvenile death penalty declared unconstitutional
22 defendants have been executed since 1976 with crimes committed before the age of 18.
Since 1973, over 130 people have been released from death row with evidence of their innocence.
There have been 2054 executions in the U.S. since 1976.
2002-”Atkins vs. Virginia”, unconstitutional to execute individuals who are mentally handicapped.
There are 56 women on death row right now.
15 have been executed since 1976
Regional numbers of people executed in the U.S. since 1976:
South—1148
Midwest—177
West—85
Northeast—4
Texas & Oklahoma—640

26. 13.Which countries around the world still have the Death Penalty?
18 countries carried out executions in 2009.
Six countries are documented:
Iran
Iraq
Saudi Arabia---69+
United States---52
China ??????
Pakistan---???

27. 14. What are the issues that make capital punishment so controversial?
Deterrence???
The south region of US has the highest murder rate (5.3 per 100,000) yet accounts for 87% of all executions.
Mental illness—should they be accountable for their actions?
Innocence—death penalty is final !!!
Race—423 African-Americans have been executed since 1976, even thought they comprise only 12% of the population.
Number of whites executed in the same time is 686.
Cost—it is more expensive to execute someone than to keep them in prison for the rest of their lives.
Life without parole—preferred by most Americans.
Morality---Do we have the right to do this?
Application---Who gets the death penalty vs who doesn’t. Rich vs Poor?

28. 15. What are the modern methods of execution used in America
15. What are the modern methods of execution used in America? How often have they been used since 1976?
Hanging
3 since 1976
Electrocution
158 since 1976
Gas chamber
11 since 1976
Firing squad
Lethal injection
1139 since 1976

29. 16. List 5 key facts of the Kansas Death Penalty.
Number of executions before
Life without parole is now an option in Kansas.
Execution method---lethal injection.
Location of death row---El Dorado for men and Topeka for women.
Lansing Correctional Facility houses the death chamber.
Prior to 1976, method of execution was by hanging.
Kansas reinstated the death penalty in 1994.
The last executions in Kansas were at the Kansas State Penitentiary when the serial killers George York and James Latham, were executed for murder in 1965.
Except for John Coon executed in 1853 by firing squad, all federal and state executions in Kansas have been by hanging.

30. 17. What does social control mean
17. What does social control mean? What does internal and external enforcement mean. Give examples.
Social control is the enforcing of norms either internally or externally.
Self-control, which is learned through the internalization of norms, is the process of socialization.
External enforcement involves various agents of social control including, authority figures, the police, the courts, religion, the family, and public opinion.

31. 18. What would happen if a society did not have an effective system of social control?
Social stability is lost.
No society can survive for long without an effective system of social control.

32. Chapter 3 Lecture Questions Section 3 (pages 54-61)
Sociology
Chapter 3
Lecture Questions
Section 3 (pages 54-61)

33. 1. What determines how fast a culture will change?
The pace of change is closely related to the total number of culture traits that a culture has at a particular time.
The more culture traits a culture has, the faster the culture can change since more possibilities for change exist.
American culture is in constant change.

34. 2. What else can accelerate cultural change?
The rate of change can also accelerate because each change brings about other changes.
Automobile

35. 3. What changes did the car bring with it?
The invention of the automobile did more than furnish Americans with a new form of transportation.
It also provided employment and affected the way people shopped, where they lived, and what they did with their leisure time.

36. 4. How do changes in values and beliefs bring cultural change?
As functionalist sociologists have noted, society is a system of interrelated parts.
A change in one aspect of society produces change throughout the system.
Changes in values and beliefs, therefore, can have far-reaching consequences for society.

37. 5. What is an ideology? How are ideologies spread?
An ideology is a system of beliefs or ideas that justifies the social, moral, political, or economic interests held by a group or by society.
Ideologies are often spread through a social movement.

38. 6. What is a social movement? Give several examples.
A social movement is a long-term conscious effort to promote or prevent social change.
Examples include:
Women’s rights movement (19th amendment in 1920)
Prohibition ( th & 21st amendments)
Civil Rights movement of the 1950s & 1960s

39. 7. How did the Civil Rights Movement change the United States?
African Americans are no longer treated as second-class citizens, particularly in the South.
Laws limited where they could live, go to school, sit on buses, and eat lunch.
Through legal and illegal means, African Americans were denied the right to vote or hold public office.
Transformed the American political landscape.
The number of African American elected officials has jumped from fewer than 1,500 in 1970 to nearly 9,000 by the end of the 1990s.

40. 8. What is technology?
Social change also occurs when people find new ways to manipulate their environment.
The knowledge and tools that people use to manipulate their environment are called technology.

41. 9. What is the difference between discovery and invention?
Discovery occurs when people recognize new uses for existing elements in the world or begin to understand them in new ways.
Examples of discoveries include atomic fission, chewing gum, and oil shale.
Invention occurs when people use existing knowledge to create something that did not previously exist.
Examples of invention include a machine to take the pits out of cherries or a computer so small it fits in the palm of your hand.

42. 10. How can changes in population bring about social change?
A change in the size of the population may bring about changes in the culture.
For example, the population of the U.S. has increased rapidly since the early 1900s.
The arrival of new groups of people with their own unique cultures and values have influenced American culture.
Population increases and decreases affect the economy.
An increase in the general population also means that there are more people occupying the same amount of space, which creates more crowded conditions.

43. 11. What is diffusion?
People often borrow ideas, beliefs, and material objects from other societies.
This process is called diffusion.
The more contact a society has with other societies, the more culture traits it will borrow.
Today, with mass transportation and instant communication through radio, television, the telephone, and the Internet, diffusion takes place constantly.

44. 12. What is reformulation?
Societies often adapt the culture traits they borrow to suit their own particular needs.
For example, many of the societies in Africa, Asia, and South America that have adopted Christianity have blended Christian beliefs with elements of their traditional religions.

45. 13. Describe how Sesame Street has been reformulated in other countries.
The childrens’ television show Sesame Street centers around humans and Muppets along a city neighborhood street.
As the show has gone global, this format has been adapted to fit other cultures.
The South African version incorporates all of the country’s 11 official languages and replaces the brownstone buildings of the American set with round mud huts.
The Chinese version of Sesame Street is set in an urban Chinese neighborhood with a bicycle and noodle shop.
Instead of Bert and Ernie, Muppets such as Puffing Pig and Little Plum entertain children and teach Chinese values and traditions.

46. 14. How does the physical environment affect social change
14. How does the physical environment affect social change? Give examples.
The environment provides conditions that may encourage or discourage cultural change.
Food sources, whether grown locally or imported can bring cultural change.
A change in the supply of natural resources may bring about social change.
1970s—high fuel prices and fuel shortages caused long lines at American gasoline stations
Began the development of fuel-efficient cars
Natural disasters such as droughts, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, and tidal waves can also produce social and cultural change.
Hurricanes Katrina (New Orleans) and Rita (Texas/Louisiana)
Can destroy whole communities.
Greensburg, Kansas

47. 15. What brings about the greatest change in the least amount of time
15. What brings about the greatest change in the least amount of time? Why does it do that?
Wars and conquests are not as common as other sources of social change.
However, they probably bring about the greatest change in the least amount of time.
War can also promote advances in technology and medicine that can have civilian applications.
War may also result in changes in government as new rulers come to power.
War causes the loss of many lives.
It brings about the destruction of property.
Leads to the rise of new cities.
Changes the economy

48. 16. What is ethnocentrism. How does it resist social change
16. What is ethnocentrism? How does it resist social change? Give an example.
Cultural change, regardless of its source, rarely occurs without some opposition.
For each change introduced in society, there are usually people who strongly oppose it.
Change that comes from outside a society often meets with a particularly strong resistance.
People tend to believe that their own ideas and ways of doing things are best.
This tendency to view one’s own culture or group as superior to other is called ethnocentrism.
Extreme ethnocentrism can make cultural borrowing difficult or even impossible.
The “Buy American” campaign of the 1970s, 1980s, & present.

49. 17. What is cultural lag. What does James M. Henslin use as an example
17. What is cultural lag? What does James M. Henslin use as an example? Why?
Not all cultural traits change at the same rate.
Some traits change rapidly, and the transformation of others may take considerable time.
This situation is called cultural lag.
Traditional school year
Based on an agrarian society
Amish
Refusal to use basic technology (electricity, cars)

50. 18. What are vested interests? Give an example.
A person who is satisfied with the way things are now is likely to resist change.
They will resist any change that threatens their security or standard of living.
In other words, they have a vested interest to protect.
For example, workers may oppose the introduction of new technology because they fear that technology may replace them and cost them their jobs.
American oil companies
Health insurance companies
Banks & financial institutions