final exam

this is an exam and please answer the following questions in order and by using the provided source:

group 1 questions:
Answer ALL of the following questions. Please be specific! It’s easy to get vague with theory, so examples are very helpful.

Your answer should end up to be between 6-8 sentences total:

a) Why did functionalism fall out of favor in Sociology?

b) What are the strengths of functionalism?

c) What can functionalism help explain about (any of the) events in 2020?

group 2 questions:
Answer ALL of the following questions. Please be specific! It’s easy to get vague with theory, so examples are very helpful.

Your answer should end up to be between 6-8 sentences total:

a) Describe 1 strength and 1 weakness of conflict theory.

b) What considerations would you like to ADD to conflict theory after you experienced 2020? In other words, what new things emerged in 2020 that you think conflict theory should incorporate into its ideas? Give a couple examples.

to answer the group 1 and 2 questions please use the following sources and the week 9 and 10 powerpoint that is attached

sources:
https://learn-us-east-1-prod-fleet01-xythos.content.blackboardcdn.com/blackboard.learn.xythos.prod/5954eb74c7df4/1814256?X-Blackboard-Expiration=1607817600000&X-Blackboard-Signature=TK6SzEQYbeZaS3V%2BCh6OWep1WvY3yJtBZm87YOmL6Q8%3D&X-Blackboard-Client-Id=100208&response-cache-control=private%2C%20max-age%3D21600&response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%2A%3DUTF-8%27%27%2528Gans%25201972%2529%2520The%2520Positive%2520Functions%2520of%2520Poverty.pdf&response-content-type=application%2Fpdf&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Date=20201212T180000Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=21600&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAYDKQORRYTKBSBE4S%2F20201212%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Signature=1d47de0317d9cb50f5f40ab7d11bce976d56bdf5e2778e1edb67f619ea0fe998

https://umbc.webex.com/recordingservice/sites/umbc/recording/b12c72c78468437bba9c601e4450d948/playback

https://umbc.webex.com/recordingservice/sites/umbc/recording/8cb31d51a6ac4b6e933114ea544346ba/playback

group 3 questions:
Answer ALL of the following questions. Please be specific! It’s easy to get vague with theory, so examples are very helpful.

Your answer should end up to be between 6-8 sentences total:

a) Which theory do you think is the most useful to describe our micro-level experiences (individual and dyadic interactions) 2020? Exchange theory and rational choice OR symbolic interactionism?

b) Why? Describe in detail which one you think most accurately fits with our current experience and explain why so that I can understand your thinking.

To answer the group 3 questions please use the following source and the week 11 powerpoint:

https://umbc.webex.com/recordingservice/sites/umbc/recording/f55217ab6a6f441ead890df6450a2e5b/playback

group 4 questions:

Answer ALL of the following questions. Please be specific! It’s easy to get vague with theory, so examples are very helpful.

Your answer should end up to be between 6-8 sentences total:

Thinking about all the theories: 1) functionalism, 2) conflict, 3) exchange theory & rational choice, 4) globalization, 5) symbolic interactionism, 6) critical theories…

a) Which theory did you like the LEAST? Which felt the least useful to you and why?

b) Which theory do you think is the MOST useful for making sense of our situation in 2020 and why?

c) Which theory resonated with you the most personally and why?

(if b & c have the same theoretical branch for an answer, the “why” should differ at least a bit)

To answer the group 4 question feel free to use any of the provided sources

https://umbc.webex.com/recordingservice/sites/umbc/recording/c4ff00b3d50640d49f2abe69d2107e56/playback

Expert Answer:

Group 1:

a) Functionalism fell out of favor in sociology due to its inability to address social change and conflict. It also had a tendency to reproduce and reinforce social inequalities, as it viewed social institutions as necessary for the functioning of society and did not consider the ways in which they may benefit some groups over others.

b) One strength of functionalism is its focus on how social institutions contribute to the stability and integration of society. It also emphasizes the importance of shared values and norms in shaping social behavior.

c) Functionalism can help explain the role that social institutions played in shaping the events of 2020, such as the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the protests against racial injustice. For example, the functionalist perspective might examine how the healthcare system and government institutions responded to the pandemic, and how shared values and norms influenced public behaviors and attitudes.

Group 2:

a) One strength of conflict theory is its emphasis on power dynamics and social inequality. It highlights how social institutions and practices often serve to benefit those in positions of power, while marginalized groups may be disadvantaged. A weakness of conflict theory is that it may overemphasize conflict and overlook the ways in which cooperation and consensus can also shape social relationships.

b) After experiencing 2020, I would like to add a greater focus on intersectionality to conflict theory. The events of 2020, such as the Black Lives Matter protests and the impact of COVID-19 on marginalized communities, highlighted the ways in which multiple forms of oppression can intersect and compound one another. Examples of this might include the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black and Latino communities, or the intersection of racial and gender discrimination in the treatment of Black women.

Group 3:

a) I think symbolic interactionism is the most useful theory to describe our micro-level experiences in 2020.

b) Symbolic interactionism emphasizes the role of interpretation and meaning-making in shaping social interactions and relationships. This perspective is useful in understanding how events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests were interpreted and experienced by individuals and dyads. For example, symbolic interactionism might examine how people’s interpretations of mask-wearing and social distancing were shaped by their values, beliefs, and social identities, and how these interpretations influenced their behaviors and interactions with others.

Group 4:

a) The theory that I liked the least was functionalism. I found it to be overly deterministic and unable to adequately address issues of social change and conflict.

b) The theory that I found the most useful was conflict theory. I appreciated its emphasis on power dynamics and social inequality, and its ability to shed light on the ways in which social institutions and practices can reinforce and reproduce these inequalities.

c) In terms of applying these theories to current events, I found that conflict theory was the most useful in understanding the Black Lives Matter protests and the impact of COVID-19 on marginalized communities. Functionalism was less useful in this regard, as it did not adequately address issues of power and inequality.