Sociology terms

Since the beginning of COVID-19, have there been changes to our material and non-material culture? If so, what? If not, why not?
Increasingly, we see the rise of people identifying as “global citizens.” Is there a new ‘global’ culture? Or, is this group a subculture or counterculture? Explain your answer.

Week 4:

How is social capital (considered at the individual level) related to systems of inequality – such as socioeconomic inequality?
Can a bureaucracy be stable without creating conditions for ‘groupthink’? Why or why not?

Week 5:

How do gender and racial socialization influence our interactions with one another? How does this relate to systems of inequality (e.g. gender stratification in work)?
Which agent of socialization had the strongest effect on you? Why?

Week 6:

Which social theory best explains current changes to family life? Specifically, changes related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Unpack the social roots of one health disparity. Choose one specific example (such as the social roots of obesity rates, or racial disparities in maternal mortality).

Week 8:

How do schools reproduce social stratification? Think specifically about socialization and the ‘curriculum’ types.
Marx argued that religion was a source of oppression, while Weber argued that religion was a vehicle for social change. Which theory do you think is more applicable today? Why?

Week 12:

What is the relationship between urbanization and globalization?
One component of “environmental injustice” is that communities that contribute the least to climate change (e.g. agrarian societies, small island nations) and have the least resources to protect from extreme weather events (e.g. poorer neighborhoods) are the most at risk for displacement due to climate change. What social theorist would best explain this, and suggest a course for “climate justice”?

Week 13:

Which social theorist would best explain democracies in the 21st century? Why?
During the COVID-19 pandemic, work (from certain jobs transitioning to work-from-home to unpaid labor within family units) has drastically changed. Do you think these changes will exacerbate inequalities post-pandemic, or is this change an opportunity to reorganize work in a more equitable way? Explain your answer.

Week 14:

Is the term “globalization” interchangeable with “Americanization”? Why or why not? Think specifically back to aspects of culture (e.g. food, clothing, music, media).
Has social media contributed positively or negatively to social movements? Why? Think specifically about globalized social movements (such as Black Lives Matter), and the rise of “slacktivism.”