UNIVERSITY OF MALTA FACULTY OF ARTS · 5 Talcott Parsons views the legal system in terms of its ......

UNIVERSITY OF MALTA FACULTY OF ARTS

JANUARY 2013 EXAMINATION SESSIONS

SOC 1001: UNDERSTANDING SOCIOLOGY

Date: Thursday 31st January 2013 Time: 15.30 – 17.30

NO USE OF DICTIONARY

Answer TWO questions: 1. The sociological imagination enables sociologists to bridge macro and micro perspectives in a historical perspective. 2. The current epoch is usually called the 'age of ageing'. Discuss. 3. The term 'glass ceiling' is frequent in feminist scholarship. Elaborate. 4. The role of religion in society is a double-edged sword. Discuss.



SOC1002 Introducing Research Methods

Wednesday 23rd January 2013 18.00 – 20.00

NO USE OF DICTIONARY Answer TWO questions from the following:

1 Discuss the difference between qualitative and quantitative research, including

data collection tools and data analysis methods of both research techniques.

2 Define and compare two different types of data analysis methods used in

qualitative research.

3 Give a detailed account of data collection methods used for both qualitative

and quantitative research.

4 Identify and discuss ethical considerations a researcher needs to adopt when

conducting research.

UNIVERSITY OF MALTA

FACULTY OF ARTS


SOC1007 The Sociological Imaginary in Practice

Friday 1st February 2013 10.30 – 11.30

NO USE OF DICTIONARY Answer ONE question from the following: 1 Sociology scientifically examines everyday phenomena to establish processes and patterns that help us understand better why we do what we do. Discuss. 2 The Sociological Imaginary can result in a critical and active sociology, as a tool for social change. Do you agree?

3 The concept of “heteronormativity” refers to one of the most basic and influential norms in our society. It dictates that there are fundamental differences between men and women, that a person must be either a man or a woman and that it is “natural” to be attracted to the opposite sex. It focuses on heterosexuality as a normative notion that repeatedly asserts heterosexual life as the right life to live. These gender categories, together with their prescriptions of how to behave and what to desire are normative constructions, a heteronormative construction. Those who transgress these categories run the risk of becoming invisible, strange, excluded, different and even meaningless in the eyes of others.

By reflecting on the above and your life experience, discuss ways you could use sociology to offer a critique of, or highlight the impact of such heteronormative practices within institutions in our society (e.g. family, education, media).

4 Can recipes and traditional food ingredients become part of a national identity? Answer this question with examples taken from the Maltese context of traditional cuisine.

5 Describe an aspect of contemporary society in Malta that you feel warrants

exploration and identify the key methods you would use to gather and analyse data on the subject. Give a clear account of the reasons for your choice and identify any ethical or logistical problems you might encounter.



SOC2002 Sociology of Social Welfare

Monday 21st January 2013 11.45 – 12.45

NO USE OF DICTIONARY Answer ONE question from the following:

1. According to Etzioni, it is important to ‘shore up the moral foundations of society’ and ‘restore civic virtues’. Elaborate, with respect to social welfare. 2. Critically discuss Marshall’s conceptualization of citizenship. 3. Is postmodern theory relevant to the study of social welfare? Elaborate. 4. Why does Keynesianism justify the welfare state? Discuss.



SOC2004 Sociology of Family Life

Thursday 31st January 2013 10.30 – 11.30


1. Symbolic interactionism enables a sociological analysis of everyday life in families. Elaborate. 2. Why do sociologists speak of ‘gendered families’? 3. Family priorities are related to cultural and situational factors. Discuss. 4. Families are situated in specific environments, and can be analyzed accordingly. Discuss, focusing on a perspective of your choice.



SOC2010 Environmental Sociology

Monday 28th January 2013 18.00 – 19.00

NO USE OF DICTIONARY Answer ONE question from the following: 1. Critical realism analyzes the interaction of social and the natural through a Marxist perspective. Elaborate. 2. Environmental sociology enables a holistic analysis of the relationship between environment, self and society. Discuss. 3. What is ecological modernization? Critically discuss. 4. In an EU context, the environment is a political construction. Discuss.



SOC 2019: MARRIAGE, KINSHIP AND THE FAMILY

Tuesday 22nd January 2013 09.15am – 11.15am

NO USE OF DICTIONARY Answer in essay form ONE question from EACH Section:

SECTION A

1. Marriage is often defined as “the process through which domestic groups are interlinked and the reproduction of society is socially achieved”. Elaborate substantiating your argument with relevant examples.

2. Discuss the stability of marriage with reference to an arranged marriage and a love marriage SECTION B

3. The traditional family has over the years been undergoing a lot of changes.

Elaborate and substantiate your answer with examples from your country.

4. In kinship, residence is used to specifically denote the post nuptial location of a couple in regard to their kin. Elaborate.



SOC2024 Sociology of Gender

Tuesday 5th February 2013 14.15 – 16.15

NO USE OF DICTIONARY Choose 10 of the concepts listed below, 5 from each column. Give a short definition of each in not more than a page. In the case of 5 concepts, please cite who came up with that particular concept. (10 marks each).

List A List B Homophily Job evaluation Token Gender wage gap Glass escalator Sex role spillover Division of labour Gender typed jobs Marriage bar Institutional barriers in labour market Pull factors into the labour market Push factor into the labour market Sticky floor 5 types of sex discrimination adopted by

employers Glass ceiling Segmentation of occupation Emotional proletariat Time bind Feminisation of labour force Sex segregation

UNIVERSITY OF MALTA

FACULTY OF ARTS


SOC2034 Economic Sociology I

Wednesday 30th January 2013 8.00am – 9.00am


Answer ONE question from the following

1 Richard Swedberg argues that "culture and interests belong together". Discuss with reference to Weber's The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.

2 Outline and discuss Schumpeter's views on innovation in the development of capitalism.

3 What is the central thesis of Karl Polanyi's The Great Transformation?


JANUARY 2013 EXAMINATION SESSIONS SOC2044 Sociology of Law I

Friday 1st February 2013 15.30 – 17.30 NO USE OF DICTIONARY Answer TWO questions from the following: 1 Baron de Montesquieu was a strong critic of the French absolutist monarchy

and argued for a democratic constitution of law. Discuss in the context that laws are reflective of the people’s will.

2 Max Weber distinguishes substantive and formal rationalization. Discuss with regard to legislation and adjudication.

3 Emile Durkheim holds that law serves as an indicator of social solidarity. He specifies the development of mechanical to organic solidarity. Discuss in relation to the evolution of law from a repressive to a restitutive system.

4 What is the basis of private property right according to Emile Durkheim? 5 Talcott Parsons views the legal system in terms of its integrative function.

Discuss. 6 Talcott Parsons states that a system of government is particularly distinctive in

the degree of autonomy it accords its courts of law. Do you agree with this statement? Give your answer by citing examples from the US and Malta.



SOC2058 Sociology of Health and Illness

Thursday 24th January 2013 8.00am – 9.00am

NO USE OF DICTIONARY Answer ONE question from the following: 1. The ‘sick role’ legitimizes the ‘deviance’ of ‘being sick’.

Use sociological theory to expand on this, and discuss the relevance of this statement in contemporary society.

2. Inequalities in health : what aspects of contemporary society influence this

issue? Use sociological concepts to describe everyday examples in support of your answer.

3. How has the use of the Internet altered the individual’s illness experience in

contemporary society? Discuss with particular reference to the shifting power dynamics in the process of medicalization.



SOC2060 Sociology of Eating and Cooking

Tuesday 29th January 2013 11.45am – 13.45

NO USE OF DICTIONARY Answer ONE question from the following: 1 Food consumption in one country has social, political and cultural consequences in other parts of the world. Illustrate this statement with historical and contemporary studies discussed during the course and with examples taken from your own experiences. 2 "Where there is dirt there is a system." Comment on this famous assertion with precise references from the course and illustrate it with examples taken from your own observations. 3 Are traditions faithful translations or creative transformations? Question the transmission process of cooking techniques in Malta and in other parts of the world, basing your argument on theories discussed during the course.



SOC 3011 SYSTEMS THEORY

Monday 28th January 2013 9.15am – 11.15am NO USE OF DICTIONARY Answer in essay form ONE question from EACH section

SECTION A

1. Discuss the importance of socialization within the Parsonian theory of systems.

2. Through his analysis of systems, Talcott Parsons attempts to give an overall picture of how societies are structured and fit together. Discuss.

SECTION B

3. According to Niklas Luhman’s neo-functionalist theory, ‘structural differentiation ‘ takes analytical primacy over ‘functional differentation’. Discuss.

4. Discuss the extent to which the structural parts that make up a system are

actually integrated with one another while maintaining their structural autonomy.


JUNE 2013 EXAMINATION SESSIONS

S0C1010 Contemporary Sociology

Tuesday 11th June 2013 9.15am – 11.15am


Answer any two questions

1) The power of the image or ‘the sign’, is central to Baudrillard’s critique of his Marxist roots. Outline the main argument in this critique, and expand on the impacts of images on ‘postmodern’ society, referring to Baudrillard’s concepts of simulacra, implosion and hyperreality.

2) ‘Photographic images convey more than visual facts’ – discuss this statement

by exploring the processes that occur in the ‘practice of looking’, and highlight the effects they may have on everyday social life.

3) In his text Runaway World , Giddens suggests that ‘risk’ has become central to

late modern society. Using examples from everyday life, outline the particular qualities of the ‘risk’ that Giddens describes, and demonstrate the potential paradoxical effects of ‘risk management’.

4) One of the key properties of Bourdieu’s concept of ‘habitus’ is that it is a

potential source of social advantage. Describe the social processes at the root of this concept and use examples to highlight the impact it has on everyday social life.

5) Bauman claims that there is a fluid border between ‘sociological thinking’ and

‘common sense’. Expand on this statement and refer to his work to outline how he suggests sociologists should ‘make sense of the human condition’.



SOC 2013: CLASSICAL SOCIOLOGY

Monday 3rd June 2013 9.15am – 11.15am


Answer in essay form ONE question from each section:

SECTION 1

5. Talcott Parsons’ Four Functional Paradigm is the cornerstone of his whole theoretical framework. Discuss 6. Through his Pattern Variables, Talcott Parsons wanted to show that an actor’s

situation is not entirely unstructured or uncertain. Elaborate.

SECTION 2

7. Discuss how Robert K. Merton has clarified and strengthened the importance of sociological research.

8. According to Emile Durkheim “the degree of cohesion present in a society will generate a tendency to certain forms of suicide”. Discuss.



S0C1004 QUANTITATIVE APPROACHES IN THE SOCIAL

SCIENCES

Monday 3rd June 2013 3.30pm – 5.30pm

NO USE OF DICTIONARY Answer TWO questions from the following:

1. Describe different types of samples and how they are drawn.

2. Reliability and validity are very important and should be given a lot of attention when planning sociological research. Discuss.

3. The sources of sociological research can be varied. Discuss at least three sources in detail and give examples on the kind of research project you would use each of them.

4. Describe the differences between qualitative and quantitative research methods in respect of (a) data collection and (b) data analysis.

5. Establishing a correlation is very important in research. Describe one method on how this is done statistically.



SOC1006 THEORIES OF SOCIAL POLICY

Friday 14th June 2013 10.30am – 12.30pm

NO USE OF DICTIONARY Answer ONE question from the following: 1. Compare and contrast universalist welfare with selectivist welfare, showing the strengths and weaknesses of both. 2. Is Green ideology comparable to other political ideologies in relation to social policy? 3. Sexual orientation has become a main issue in contemporary social policy. Elaborate.



S0C2006 SOCIAL INEQUALITY

Monday 10th June 2013 11.45am – 1.45pm


Answer one question from each section. Each question is worth 50 marks. Section A 1. Why do sociologists give so much importance to the issue of social class? 2. Compare and contrast two sociological theories which attempt to define social class. Underline how applicable they are in today’s world and why. Section B. 3. How does disability, or race effect access to education or employment?



S0C2015 TOURISM AND DEVELOPMENT

Tuesday 18th June 2013 2.15pm – 4.15pm


Answer one question from each section. Each question is worth 50 marks. Section A 1. Discuss the negative and positive economic outcomes tourism can have in a particular country. 2. Butler and Doxey came up with very similar models to describe the tourist life cycle. Choose one of these theoretical models and use it to explore the impact tourism had on a particular country. Section B 1. Illustrate the difference between economic, social and cultural sustainability. 2. Which of these two types of tourisms – eco tourism or community based tourism - will enable local people to benefit socially, culturally and economically from tourism?



S0C2030 THE SOCIAL PROCESS OF AGEING

Tuesday 4th June 2013 9.15am – 11.15am

NO USE OF DICTIONARY Answer in essay form ONE question from each of the following Sections: Section A 1. “The twenty-first century is often called THE AGE OF AGEING”. Discuss the three main determinants of Population Ageing. 2. Various social gerontologists have brought forward different theories about ageing.

Discuss in detail two of these perspectives. Section B 3. In recent years, the family has undergone various transformations which have affected its traditional role of providing care to its elderly members. Discuss and elaborate with reference to your country. 4. Priority direction 1 of The Madrid International Plan of

Action on Ageing deals with “Older persons and development”. (a) Mention the main issues highlighted and (b) elaborate some of the actions recommended to implement these issues.



SOC2038 Economic Sociology II

Friday 21st June 2013 8.00am – 9.00am


1. In his classic 1985 paper, Mark Granovetter argues that "all market processes are amenable to sociological analysis and that such analysis reveals central, not peripheral, features of these processes." Discuss.

2. In what sense is economics performative? Discuss with reference to the work of Michel Callon and Donald Mackenzie.

3. For Viviana Zelizer shared cultural understandings and interpersonal relations shape everyday economic activities. Discuss.


JUNE 2013 EXAMINATION SESSIONS S0C2050 SOCIOLOGY OF LAW II

Friday 14th June 2013 3.30pm – 5.30pm NO USE OF DICTIONARY Answer TWO questions from the following: 1 On the subject of law enforcement Aaron Cicourel highlighted how the

meanings held by agents of social control led to some individuals being defined as law-breakers while others were not, even in situations where they were arrested for similar offences. Discuss.

2 “There is little question but that these statutes were designed for one express

purpose: to force labourers to accept employment at a low wage in order to ensure the landowners an adequate supply of labour at a price they could afford to pay’( William Chambliss). Discuss in relation to the history and evolution of vagrancy laws.

3 Law is a tool of power and furthers the interests of those powerful enough to make it. Discuss. 4 Oscar Wilde’s trials and punishment help us to understand current issues

surrounding legal and social unease with same-sex marriage, sexual orientation and identity politics. Discuss.

5 “As law firms have grown, the increased number of legal positions in law

firms in bottom positions, not as partners, with relatively low income have disproportionately been taken up by women”( Kay and Hagan). Discuss.

UNIVERSITY OF MALTA

FACULTY OF ARTS JUNE 2013 EXAMINATION SESSIONS

S0C2056 SOCIOLOGY Of GOVERNANCE Tuesday 18th June 2013 2.15pm – 4.15pm NO USE OF DICTIONARY Answer TWO questions from the following: 1 According to Max Weber, the actual operation of a democratic society is in the

hands of the bureaucracy. Discuss.

2 Max Weber classified legitimate authority into three types – rational-legal, traditional and charismatic – of which rational-legal is the dominant one in the modern world. Discuss.

3 Steven Lukes argues that the first two views of power are inadequate. The three-dimensional view is a better means for the investigation of power relations. Discuss.

4 In The Power Elite C.W. Mills states that a powerful elite occupies the top

command posts of society, which give their holders authority over governmental, financial, educational, social, civic and cultural institutions. Discuss.

5 In a pluralist democracy a political system has more than one centre of power. Discuss.

6 The central position of pluralist theory is that all citizens have a chance to become politically active through either individual or group action. Compare and contrast this theory with elite theory.



S0C2059 SCRUTINIZING THE BODY

Thursday 20th June 2013 11.45am – 1.45pm


Answer ONE question from the following: 1 What was Marcel Mauss referring to when he first quoted the term "techniques of the body"? Why, in his opinion is it important to collect and study them? 2 According to Michel Foucault, what are the techniques implemented by total insitutions in order to control individual behaviour? 3 Can the human body serve as a model to understand the universe and society? Illustrate your argument with examples taken from the course and from your personal experience.

UNIVERSITY OF MALTA

FACULTY OF ARTS


SOC3082 ISSUES IN SOCIAL POLICY

Monday 3rd June 2013 9.15 – 10.15


1. A postmodern slant on Social Policy may suggest that welfare provision should be universal but that there must be a greater sensitivity to the particular needs and demands of certain groups. Apply to an issue of your choice. 2. When conducting research on issues in social policy it is important to listen to direct experience. Elaborate. 3. Why are the concepts of difference and division important for the sociological analysis of issues in social policy?

UNIVERSITY OF MALTA FACULTY OF ARTS M.A. Preparatory

JUNE 2013 SESSION EXAMINATIONS

SOC3001 Synoptic Study-Unit I: Socio logy Saturday 1 st June 11.45 – 2.45pm

Answer the following questions in essay form: Discuss three of the following notions/ideas in light of your own M.A. Qualifying research. You are free to agree or disagree as long as you argue your case convincingly: i- Research is a matter of choices undertaken by the researcher in response to a number of ongoing developments and constraints; ii- The validity of qualitative data depends very much on the quality of the rapport between researcher and researched; iii- The notion of ‘data saturation’ is a myth; iv- Describing a population, operationalising it, and sampling, each involve a number of choices and limitations.

UNIVERSITY OF MALTA

FACULTY OF ARTS M.A. Preparatory

JUNE 2013 SESSION EXAMINATIONS

SOC3002 Synoptic Study-Unit II: Sociology Monday 10 th June 11.45am – 2.45pm ____________________________________________________________________________ Answer TWO questions.

1. The institution of marriage may perpetuate gender inequality. Elaborate with reference to at least two research studies.

2. How do assumptions and expectations about gender impact on both men and

women in the workplace? Elaborate with reference to two research studies.

3. The tasks women are assigned at work and the expectations of them as

workers are gendered, defining them as women first and workers second. Discuss.

4. Gender is a concept in a social structure that is used to define, explain and

justify inequality. Discuss with particular reference to the Maltese labour market.

UNIVERSITY OF MALTA FACULTY OF ARTS · 5 Talcott Parsons views the legal system in terms of its ......

Documents

Transcript of UNIVERSITY OF MALTA FACULTY OF ARTS · 5 Talcott Parsons views the legal system in terms of its ......