Learning Objectives – Chapter 7

These are the learning objectives for Chapter 7 – some of the narrative questions on the next exam will be based on these.

1.      How do patterns of mate selection and courtship vary around the world?

2.      What are some sex/gender differences in loving?

3.      What is meant by sexual orientation and what are Americans’ attitudes toward gays and lesbians?

4.      How is sexual behavior influenced by scripts?

5.      How are sexually transmitted diseases affecting the American population as well as other populations today?

6.      What are the current trends in cohabitation?

Learning Objectives – Chapter 5

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The following are the learning objectives – questions you should be able to answer (and may be asked on Exam #2) for Chapter 5 on Social Class

1. What is meant by social class and social stratification?
2. How many social classes are there, and what proportion of the population belongs to them?
3. What are the differences between a class system and a caste system?  Can you give an example to illustrate the differences?
4. What are the ways that social class affect family relationships in each of the social classes?
5. What is the difference between an ascribed status and an achieved status?
6. What are the risk factors for poverty in the United States?
7. In what specific ways does poverty affect families to cause negative outcomes?
8. What is meant by “resiliency” in families? Give examples
9. What factors may assist individuals or families in overcoming poverty? Give examples.
10. What are the types of protective factors that help families? Give examples.

Learning Objectives – Chapter 4

1.      What is the difference between sex and gender?

2.      What is meant by “social construction” in general? With regard to gender?

3.      Where and how do we learn gender? What are the agents of socialization?

4.      What are the pitfalls of traditional masculinity?

5.      What is meant by institutional sex discrimination?

6.      What is meant by the double standard?

Chapter 3 – Learning Objectives

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After reading this chapter, you should understand the following:

1. How have families changed over time?
   What are the various ways that families have carried out their functions in the past?
2. What was the private life of the family like in the past?
3. What were the functions of the family as a public social institution in the past?
4. What are the political, social, economic, and cultural forces that have contributed to changes in family life?
5. How did inequality affect family life in the past?
6. What are the most common myths about families in the “good old days?”
   What are the realities about those myths?
7. How can families be researched from a historical perspective?
   How can we uncover the impact of historical, political, cultural, and social forces from times past?
8. How has the progression of society and of economic systems affected family life?

Chapter 3 – Map

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Here is the Concept Map for Chapter 3, passed out in class on Friday 18 September.

You will need to decide how many elements to include for some of the sub-topics in this Chapter.

Concept Map – Chapter 3

Levels of Thinking Skills

Bloom's Taxonomy of Thinking Skills

In class on Wednesday, I mentioned Bloom’s Taxonomy of  Thinking Skills.  Teachers use this pyramid to think about the information in a course – but it can be equally useful to students.

As we said in class, remembering (plain old memory) and comprehension (what those words, concepts, and facts mean) is the necessary foundation. Without it, you have nothing much to think about.

On the other hand, if you only learn to memorize or explain basic concepts, without learning how to apply them in new situations or the other, higher level tasks, you are still unable to use the information you acquired.

Bloom structured this hierarchy as a pyramid.  Students need to get a grasp of a tremendous amount of factual information: memorized, so they have instant access at any time, but organized so they can comprehend its meaning.

From all the knowledge at hand, people select the relevant pieces to apply to new situations, even less to make the finely-detailed analysis, and even fewer parts to create new ideas.

The following graphic shows those six levels as wedges in a pie – with verbs that teachers commonly use when they want students to work at a particular level, and some of the projects and products that they ask students to complete for thinking at that level.  This will help you in SOC 2433 – and in many of your other classes as well.

Verbs and Projects for Blooms Taxonomy

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Chapter 2 – Learning Objectives

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After reading Chapter 2 in the Seccombe text, you should be able to provide specific and accurate answers to the following questions:

1.      What are the most common functions of the family?

2.      What are the various marriage structures around the world?

3.      What are the different patterns of power and authority found in marriage?

4.      What are the different patterns of kinship and residence found around the world?

5.      What are the primary assumptions of Modernization Theory and World Systems Theory?

Chapter 1 – Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives for Chapter 1

After reading this chapter, you should understand the following:

1.      What is the U.S. Census Bureau’s definition of “family?” How does this definition differ from the author’s definition?

2.      Why is defining “family” a political issue?

3.      What is meant by the “sociological imagination” and how does this concept help us to  understand families?

4.      What is meant by the empirical approach?

5.      What is a theory and how do social theories help us understand families?

6.      Name the major theoretical perspectives, and be able to define them.

7.      What are the three competing perspectives identified by the author?

8.      What are the four themes of this textbook?  Be able to explain each one

Map – Sociological Imagination

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I used the program MindManager to create a map of the concepts that make up the Sociological Imagination as presented in Seccombe’s textbook.   Distributed and discussed in class, the map helps you organize the definitions and examples, and see the relationships among the parts.

Here is a link to a Sociological Imagination Map.

(If you find this kind of map helpful in your study, try the free online MindMeister software, or download FreeMind, or use Inspiration in the CSS computer labs)

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Study Tips for Sociology

Slides with some good methods for organizing and mastering all the information in this class.

Learning Objectives – Chapter 14 and Chapter 15

Cover of The Sociological Imagination

Learning Objectives, Chapter 14 – Divorce & Remarriage

1.      How are divorce rates measured?

2.      How do divorce rates vary across cultures?

3.      How have divorce rates varied historically in the United States?

4.      What factors are associated with divorce?

5.      What are the dimensions of the divorce experience?

6.      What are the consequences of divorce for children?

Learning Objectives, Chapter 15 – Families and the Sociological Imagination

1.       How does the sociological imagination help us to understand families?

2.      How are family members, especially women and children, affected by economic disparities in the United States?

3.      How are societies and nations around the world interconnected?

4.      How are families both private relationships and public institutions?

5.      How do family policies reflect historical, cultural, political, and social factors?

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Study Techniques

Sociology presents a lot of information.

• Facual information
• Theories explaining observations
• Historical trends
• Names of major researchers

Keeping track of all of it can be hard. The following slideshow offers a few techniques for organizing information in your notes. Using these techniques makes it easier to learn and remember the information you read.