Gilbert Stuart: Abigail Adams, 1800-15.
Abigail Adams, 1800-15.

Introduction
  1. The exam will have five questions, worth 10 points each.
  2. All students will answer a question related to data analysis (items 1-4 on the help sheet).
  3. Students will be asked to select 2 of 4 questions related to education, teen pregnancy, divorce, and child care (items 5-14 on the help sheet).
  4. Students can select 2 issue areas from the remaining topics. These are: same-sex marriage (items 15-17), health-care (items 18-20), obesity (item 21), and euthanasia (item 22).
Be prepared to interpret any social problem from any of the three sociological perspectives. Thus, regarding obesity (item 21), I do not specifically state that you will need to interpret this problem from one of the sociological perspectives, but you should be prepared to do so. Having said this, I will not ask you to make what I consider to be awkward interpretations. For example, I think it is very easy to interpret obesity from the perspective of symbolic interactionism, but a bit awkward to talk about it from the perspective of structure-functionalism.

To summarize:
  1. Be prepared to answer items 1-14 on the help sheet.
  2. Pick which of items 15-22 you want to answer based on your interest in these topics: same-sex marriage, health-care, obesity, and euthanasia.
  3. By this time in the course, you should be able to use your "sociological imagination"; that is, interpret social problems from any of the three sociological perspectives.
Reading Assignments Discussion Questions:
    Key Points for Section One (Required question)

  1. Describe the aggregation bias and why it is important for scientists to examine disaggregated data.
  2. Describe the ecological fallacy and why it is important for scientists to examine individual-level data.
  3. Describe a spurious effect and why it is important for scientists to examine potential moderating effects when testing hypotheses.
  4. Describe specification and why it is important for scientists to examine potential moderating effects when testing hypotheses.

    Key Points for Section Two (Answer two of four questions related to education, teen pregnancy, divorce, and child care.)

  5. Describe the trends in public school student academic achievement. Have our public schools failed in their responsibilities to educate children? Explain your answer.
  6. Describe the advantages and limitations of using public vouchers to help send children to private schools. Do you support vouchers? Select one of the three sociological perspectives to explain your answer.
  7. Describe the No Child Left Behind Act. What are the strengths and limitations of this act?
  8. Select one of the three sociological perspectives to evaluate proposals for increased privatization of the public school system.
  9. Describe the entrepreneurial approach to improving public schools advocated by W.G. Ouchi and L.G. Segal. What are the advantages and limitations of this approach?
  10. Describe the sociological explanations for unmarried teenage girls becoming pregnant? In what ways do social demographic indicators explain rates of abortion and giving up children for adoption among teenage girls?
  11. What effects does divorce have on children? If it seems impossible to save an unhappy marriage, should spouses remain married for the sake of the children? Use one of the three sociological perspectives to explain your answer. [Note: This question is addressing the effects of divorce on children, not the broader issue of whether spouses should ever divorce.]
  12. What suggestions does S. Coontz offer to minimize the long-term negative effects of divorce on children.
  13. Why do parents have difficulty finding good quality child care in America?
  14. What suggestions do Bergmann and Helburn offer to improve child care in America?

    Key Points for Section Three (Pick two topics: same-sex marriage, health-care delivery, obestity, euthanasia.)

  15. Describe the perspective of opponents of same-sex marriage.
  16. Describe the perspective of the proponents of same-sex marriage.
  17. In what ways can sociology help citizens better understand the potential social consequences of same-sex marriage? In what ways is sociology limited in its ability to advise citizens about the potential social consequences of same-sex marriage?
  18. Why does America face the problem of an increasing need for high quality health care delivery?
  19. Describe the single payer system of health care delivery. How does this system differ from a system of universal health care?
  20. Describe the advantages and limitations of a single payer system. Use one of the three sociological perspectives to support or defend the single payer system.
  21. Why are rates of obesity in America increasing at a very rapid rate? Describe two suggested policies for reducing rates of obesity in America.
  22. Describe the arguments of the proponents and opponents of euthanasia. Use one of the three sociological perspectives to support or defend the application of euthanasia to patients who have been classified as terminally ill.
Help Session

Help Session: The help session for this exam will be held on Wednesday, April 16, 5:00 p.m., in Room 2432 Food Science.

Dr. Sapp's office hours are Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., and by appointment.
Please feel free to contact Dr. Sapp