Midterm, SCC Sociology 040- Sociology of Families Short Essay Questions

Choose 5 of the following 8 prompts. Respond to each prompt in (at least) 2 paragraphs. Write the number of the prompt you are responding to at the beginning of each of your answers and be sure to address all questions included in the prompts you choose. Answers should be based on course material only- readings, films, discussions, & websites/data sources included in textbook & modules. No use of other websites or outside sources. What does it mean that families are socially constructed? Discuss two examples of ways in which families have been socially defined or constructed found in our course material. These can be either current day or historical examples. In each example: how were families defined, who defined them and what was the outcome/impact of this definition? How did these definitions have differential impacts on people of various identities- race, gender, class, or sexual orientations? Discuss two different ways that we see changes in U.S. families reflected in data. For each: What is happening; what’s the change? Cite specific data from the course material that reflects this change. Using material from the course (text, class presentations, videos, linked data sets or articles, etc.), provide in-depth analysis about social factors driving this change and the consequences of the change. Identify and analyze two examples of research on families from the course material. Which of the four following methods of sociological research were used: surveys, experiments, observational studies, existing data. (Can use any research you find using linked sources in course slides discussing the four research methods, but identify the research and where it was found.) For each example, what were the researchers looking at? How did they conduct their research? What strengths or limitations did the research method chosen have on their work? Using the three primary sociological frameworks: functionalism, conflict theory and symbolic interactionism to analyze one social issue or problem (see definition of social problem included in the text) that we’ve covered in our course material so far. Be sure to clearly identify the social issue or problem you’ll analyze. Describe ways of interpreting or understanding the problem through each of the three frameworks. Explain the difference between dating and courtship. Provide an overview of how we can gain different insights on dating and courtship through each of the three sociological frameworks: functionalism, conflict theory and symbolic interactionism. Explain the different dimensions of sexuality. Why might understanding these three as unique factors be important? Identify and analyze two different statistics or changes related to cohabitation, marriage, divorce and/or remarriage from the course material. For each, what is the specific statistic or change? Discuss potential causes and consequences of each statistic or change. Use one of the three sociological frameworks (functionalism, conflict theory, or symbolic interactionism) or another from the textbook chapters to analyze each social phenomenon. Based on the course material, what are various ways that people become parents? Discuss two social functions that people fulfill as parents, regardless of how they become parents. Describe how these functions might vary or be changed across at least two intersectional identity differences- class, education level, race, habitation status, disability, immigration status, etc. Explain the difference between normative and acute family stressors as defined in the course material. Provide an example of each, describing the problem in terms of causes and effects on families. Suggest how a specific family strength or form of family resilience could be used to address each of the two examples provided. Textbooks are Contemporary Families - An Equity Lens (Pearce et al.) 2020 Sociology of the Family . (Traver) 2022