M.A. Comprehensive Examination in Sociological Theory
Department of Sociology
Sample Exam Questions:
1. Consider Marx’s social theories of capitalism, the working class, and movements towards socialism. With this in mind, choose ONE of the following theorists: Durkheim, Weber, Simmel, Pareto, Michels, Tonnies. Provide a reasoned argument show how the work of the theorist you chose either departed from Marx’s work, or extended Marx’s analysis:
2. Max Weber and Emile Durkheim have contrasting views on systematic methodology in sociology. Compare their views, identifying the key issues of each in your discussion. Which of these two approaches has produced the best results in sociology? Provide a reasoned argument to support your choice.
3. Consider the following theorists in light of their relative contributions to conflict theory: Spencer, Marx, Weber, Simmel, Pareto, Michels, and Freud. In your opinion, which two of these theorists have made the most valuable contributions to our understandings of social conflict? Provide a reasoned argument to support your choice.
4. Consider the following classical theorists and their perspectives: Comte, Spencer, and Durkheim (functionalism), Marx, Weber, Sinunel, and Pareto (conflict), or Simmel, Weber and Durkheim (micro-sociological approaches). Pick any one of the abovementioned, and discuss the ways in which that theoretical perspective has been interpreted and carried on in the work of contemporary (post WWII) sociologists.
5. Consider the following micro-sociologles in light of their relative conceptions of interaction and the methods of studying it: exchange theory (Homans); symbolic interactionism (Mead, Blumer); phenomenology (Schutz) and ethnomethodology (Garfinkel). Choose two of these micro-sociologies and compare them. For each, identify the key conceptions about interaction in your discussion. For each, identify the primary approaches to studying interaction.
6. In The Sociological Imagination, C. Wright Mills criticized dominant tendencies of Post World War II US Sociology. What were Mills criticisms of “grand theory?” What were Mills criticisms of “abstracted empiricism?” Discuss what Mills meant by the “sociological imagination” and what the public role of Sociology could be.
7. Consider macro versus micro sociological approaches. What are micro sociologists’ key criticisms of macro-sociology? What are macro sociologists’ key criticisms of micro-sociology? Identify a sociologist you believe does the best job linking macro and micro. Provide a reasoned argument to support your choice.
8. Consider these competing perspectives on the state of the world today: the neo-llberal globalization thesis, neo-Marxist world-system analysis, the Weberian state-centered and geopolitical approach, and the clash of fundamentalisms cultural approach. Which perspective do you find the most persuasive? Provide a reasoned argument to support your choice.
9. Consider the relative weight given to the following three factors of inequality: class, ethnicity/race, and sex/gender. Discuss how can these three factors of inequality intersect in the social world. Discuss ways in which a theory that holds class as the primary factor in this triad May miss important aspects of the social world. Identify specific examples in your discussion.