Sociology – Real World – Ch 10- Social Institutions

Organizations that have no official connection to a candidate but that raise and spend funds like a campaign does; named after the section of the tax code that authorizes their existence (page 294)

527 committees

System of government by and for a small number of elites that does not include representation of ordinary citizens (page 287)

authoritarianism

The legitimate, noncoercive exercise of power (page 287)

authority

A proposition or idea held on the basis of faith (page 311)

belief

Public schools run by private entities to give parents greater control over their children’s education (page 306)

charter schools

Two-year institution that provides students with general education and facilitates transfer to a four-year university (page 310)

community college

A political system in which all citizens have the right to participate (page 288)

democracy

stripped of voting rights, either temporarily or permanently (page 290)

disenfranchised

Institutions in which students earn a high school diploma and two years of credit toward a bachelor’s degree (page 307)

early college high schools

The process by which a society transmits its knowledge, values, and expectations to its members so they can function effectively (page 301)

education

A term describing conservative Christians who emphasize converting others to their faith (page 316)

evangelical

A person’s public display of commitment to a religious faith (page 313)

extrinsic religiosity

The media, which are considered like a fourth branch of government (after the executive, legislative, and judiciary) and thus serve as another of the checks and balances on power (page 294)

Fourth Estate

The practice of emphasizing literal interpretation of texts and a "return" to a time of greater religious purity; represented by the most conservative group within any religion (page 315)

fundamentalism

The formal, organized agency that exercises power and control in modern society, especially through the creation and enforcement of laws (page 287)

government

Values or behaviors that students learn indirectly over the course of their schooling because of the structure of the educational system and the teaching methods used (page 303)

hidden curriculum

The education of children by their parents, at home (page 307)

homeschooling

A person’s inner religious life or personal relationship to the divine (page 313)

intrinsic religiosity

A movement within the Catholic Church to understand Christianity from the perspective of the poor and oppressed, with a focus on fighting injustice (page 312)

liberation theology

A government ruled by a king or queen, with succession of rulers kept within the family (page 288)

monarchy

A term describing religions that worship a single divine figure (page 312)

monotheistic

Any educational course or program in which the teacher and the student meet via the internet, rather than meeting physically in a classroom (page 310)

online education

High-profile individuals whose interpretation of events influences the public (page 296)

opinion leaders

A system of political power in which a wide variety of individuals and groups have equal access to resources and the mechanisms of power (page 292)

pluralist model

An organization that raises money to support the interests of a select group or organization (page 293)

political action committee (PAC)

methods and tactics intended to influence government policy, policy-related attitudes, and activities (page 287)

politics

The ability to impose one’s will on others (page 287)

power

A relatively small group of people in the top ranks of economic, political, and military institutions who make many of the important decisions in American society (page 292)

power elite

The ordinary, mundane, or everyday (page 311)

profane

Any institutionalized system of shared beliefs and rituals that identify a relationship between the sacred and the profane (page 311)

religion

The regular practice of religious beliefs, often measured in terms of frequency of attendance at worship services and the importance of religious beliefs to an individual (page 313)

religiosity

A practice based on religious beliefs (page 311)

ritual

The holy, divine, or supernatural (page 311)

sacred

Payments from the government to parents whose children attend failing public schools; the money helps parents pay private school tuition (page 309)

school vouchers

Nonreligious; a secular society separates church and state and does not endorse any religion (page 316)

secular

An image or media representation that does not reflect reality in any meaningful way but is treated as real (page 298)

simulacrum

systems and structures within society that shape the activities of groups and individuals (page 286)

social institutions

organizations that raise and spend money to influence elected officials and/or public opinion (page 293)

special interest groups

The placement of students in educational "tracks," or programs of study (e.g., college prep, remedial), that determine the types of classes students take (page 303)

tracking

A term describing those who consider themselves spiritual but not religious and who often adopt aspects of various religious traditions (page 316)

unchurched

Which of the following is an example of how the hidden curriculum can reinforce inequality?

all of the profs are white and heterosexual

Why is it not surprising that Evangelical Protestants are the most common religious affiliation in the United States?

Evangelicals emphasize the importance of gaining new converts

What does Jean Baudrillard call an image in the media that people can no longer distinguish from the reality that it is supposed to represent?

simulacrum

According to C. Wright Mills, who rules America?

the power elite

Politicians using Twitter to communicate with their constituents and hear back from them directly is an example of________

new media or web 2.0

Organizations formed expressly to raise and spend money in order to influence elected officials are called:

special interest groups

Within the Christian religion, certain days (Sundays), books (the Christian Bible), and objects (crucifixes) are treated differently than other days, books, and objects. Chapter 10 would say that this different treatment is needed to separate them from:

the profane

What do schools, churches, and governments all have in common?

they are social institutions

Sociologists like R. S. Erickson have noted that "the informal and decidedly antidemocratic set of teaching practices and power relationships by which the school operates" produces a "disjuncture between the democratic creed and what actually goes on in school" so students often learn that it’s important to take orders and to not make waves. What concept is Erickson talking about?

the hidden curriculum

__________ students perform significantly better, on average, than public school students.

Home schooled

Attending religious services would be an example of ___________

extrinsic religiosity

_________ recommend that to reform the American educational system it should be illegal for employers to ask about educational credentials.

Randall Collins

Which of the following is an advantage cited by supporters of school vouchers?

vouchers give more choice for parents and their children’s educational options

Robert is walking down the street late at night in New York City when a man in a ski mask suddenly sticks a gun in his face and takes his wallet. Sociologists would say that Robert’s mugger had ____________ but not ____________.

power; authorith

The Swift Vets and POWs for Truth was a group of veterans and former prisoners of war from the Vietnam War who formed during the 2004 presidential campaign in order to oppose John Kerry’s candidacy for president, primarily by attacking his record of military service. What could they be called?

a special interest group

A large-scale, longitudinal study of students in America found that those who pick a major in the humanities or social sciences attended religious services less often and rated religion as being less important in their lives than students who picked either education or science majors. What were the researchers trying to measure?

both extrinsic and intrinsic religiosity

_______ argued that the true function of schools is to reproduce the class structure, making sure that most people grow up to have a socioeconomic status similar to their parents.

Randall Collins

What is it called when a government bars an individual, either temporarily or permanently, from voting?

disenfranchisement

In 2008 the Obama family’s search for a church to attend in Washington, D.C., was big news. A sociological analysis of the national curiosity about the president’s church might argue that being a Christian is an _____________ of the presidency.

unofficial requirement

Puerto Rico is a self-governing republic, but is ultimately under the control of the U.S. government. Since 1917 all Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, but are not represented in Congress and cannot cast ballots in presidential elections. In this sense they are:

disenfranchised

According to Savage Inequalities by ___________, schools reinforce inequality by using local property taxes to fund public schools, trapping poor children in poor schools.

Jonathan Kozol

Why do critics object to vouchers?

They believe that vouchers will drain funds from vulnerable public schools and cause them to deteriorate further.

What development transformed and expanded the role of distance learning in the American educational system?

the rise of the internet

In 1971 Daniel Ellsberg, working for the Department of Defense, found himself in possession of a large collection of classified documents that showed many members of the U.S. government did not believe that the Vietnam War was winnable, despite public assertions to the contrary. Ellsberg felt it was his patriotic duty to do something about this, and he turned to the Fourth Estate, giving the documents to:

the New York Times

What subjects were taught in European universities during the Middle Ages?

law, theology, medicine

In 2009, shortly after Sarah Palin resigned as Governor of Alaska, a Republican political strategist asked, "If Sarah Palin looked like Golda Meir, would we even be talking about her today?" No matter what else you might say about this quote, it reminds us that politics today:

rewards style over substance

Manuel Noriega was never elected president of Panama, but became its de facto ruler when he became head of the army and thus powerful enough to demand the resignation of the elected president. Given only this information, what was Noriega’s government?

authoritarian

The former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor voted to allow a Christmas display on public property that included a nativity scene, but voted to prohibit city governments from having displays that had only a nativity scene. This indicates that:

we are both a secular and a nonsecular society at the same time

What is the most likely source of the following quote:
American medical training is attached at the end of a very long and expensive education that keeps the supply of physicians low and their incomes and social backgrounds very high. This formal education appears to have little real practical relevance; most actual training is done on the job in the most informal circumstances, through the few years of internship
and residency.

Randall Collins, The Credential Society

Systems and structures that persist over time and help to organize group life are called:

social institutions

What was Jonathan Kozol’s impression of the poorly funded schools that he visited in urban Chicago?

they were extraordinarily unhappy places

The fact that school schedules are organized around Christmas is evidence:

the U.S. is not a totally secular society

What variable would account for the dramatic jump in test scores evidenced by the students in Rosenthal and Jacobson’s Pygmalion in the Classroom?

teacher attitudes

Within the Christian religion, certain days (Sundays), books (the Christian Bible), and objects (crucifixes) are treated differently than other days, books, and objects. Chapter 10 would say that this different treatment is needed to separate them from:

the profane

In 2008 the Obama family’s search for a church to attend in Washington, D.C., was big news. A sociological analysis of the national curiosity about the president’s church might argue that:

being a Christian is an unofficial requirement for being U.S. President

John Dewey, an American educational reformer, once wrote, "Perhaps the greatest of all pedagogical fallacies is that a person learns only the particular thing he is studying at the time. Collateral learning in the way of formation of enduring attitudes, of likes and dislikes, may be and often is, more important." What is another term for what Dewey calls "collateral learning?"

the hidden curriculum

When John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon debated during the 1960 presidential campaign, voters who watched the debate on television were more likely to see Kennedy as the winner than those who listened to it on radio. Why?

Nixon refused to take advice on hair, makeup, and clothing that would make him look better on camera

Why are 527 committees much more important to political campaigns now than they were in the past?

Unlike candidates or political parties, there are no limits on how much money an individual can give to them

What does the sociologist Randall Collins recommend to reform the American educational system?

It should be illegal for employers to ask about educational credentials.

Within the Christian religion, certain days (Sundays), books (the Christian Bible), and objects (crucifixes) are treated differently than other days, books, and objects. Chapter 10 would say that this different treatment is needed to separate them from:

the profance

High-profile individuals who interpret political information and influence the voting habits of the public are called:

opinion leaders

Manuel Noriega was never elected president of Panama, but became its de facto ruler when he became head of the army and thus powerful enough to demand the resignation of the elected president. Given only this information, what was Noriega’s government?

authoritarian

In "The Promise and Limits of Secular Spirituality in Cascadia," Mark Shibley wrote about people who feel more connected to their spirituality when they are in a forest. What are these people known as?

unchurched

Mike McCurry was the White House Press Secretary from 1995 to 1998. It was his job to field questions from the press and explain the president’s policies and attitudes in language that was compelling and persuasive. According to this job description, he could be called a(n):

spin doctor

How does the academic achievement of homeschooled students compare to that of public school students?

Homeschooled students perform significantly better, on average, than public school students.

Systems and structures that persist over time and help to organize group life are called:

social institutions

A large-scale, longitudinal study of students in America found that those who pick a major in the humanities or social sciences attended religious services less often and rated religion as being less important in their lives than students who picked either education or science majors. What were the researchers trying to measure?

both intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity

n 2009, shortly after Sarah Palin resigned as Governor of Alaska, a Republican political strategist asked, "If Sarah Palin looked like Golda Meir, would we even be talking about her today?" No matter what else you might say about this quote, it reminds us that politics today:

rewards style over substance

Why do critics object to school vouchers?

They believe that vouchers will drain funds from vulnerable public schools and cause them to deteriorate further.

In "The Promise and Limits of Secular Spirituality in Cascadia," Mark Shibley wrote about people who feel more connected to their spirituality when they are in a forest. What are these people known as?

unchurched

Short sentences or phrases on a political subject designed to be catchy and memorable, but not necessarily to convey much information, are called:

sound bytes

When Congress recessed in August of 2009, it was hotly debating a bill to overhaul America’s health care system. The House Republican leader John Boehner sent rank-and-file Republicans a memo asking them to use "new media" like Twitter to get their message out. Given that a Twitter post can only be 140 characters long, what feature of modern politics closely resembles Twitter posts?

sound bytes

a small group of people who occupy key positions in political, economic, and military institutions

What did C.Wright Mills mean by the power elite?

A sociologist tells you that she believes that "the owners and top-level managers in large income-producing properties are far and away the dominant power figures in the United States" as "their corporations, banks, and agribusinesses come together as a corporate community that dominates the federal government." What concept is being described here?

the power elite

In the Sermon on the Mount, in the Christian New Testament, believers are told, "Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them." Which of the functions or dysfunctions of religion does this remind you of?

religion provides morals, values, rules and norms for participants

Before 1900, approximately what percentage of Americans graduated from high school?

2 percent

A police officer stops you for driving 73 mph in a 65-mph zone and gives you a ticket that costs $150. This means you will have less money than you did before you were stopped, just as you would if you had been mugged. If you go home and mail a check, then you are acknowledging that, unlike a mugger, the police officer has:

authority

According to C. Wright Mills, who rules America?

the power elite

Short sentences or phrases on a political subject designed to be catchy and memorable, but not necessarily to convey much information, are called:

sound bytes

Robert is walking down the street late at night in New York City when a man in a ski mask suddenly sticks a gun in his face and takes his wallet. Sociologists would say that Robert’s mugger had ____________ but not ____________.

power; authority

Kim Jong Il inherited control of North Korea from his father, Kim Il Sung. Both men ruled the country in absolute terms, to the extent that when North Koreans do manage to escape the country, which they are not legally allowed to leave, they are shocked to discover that the history they have been taught is full of distortions and lies. What type of government does North Korea have?

authoritarian

Why are 527 committees much more important to political campaigns now than they were in the past?

Unlike candidates or political parties, there are no limits on how much money an individual can give to them.

In 1971 Daniel Ellsberg, working for the Department of Defense, found himself in possession of a large collection of classified documents that showed many members of the U.S. government did not believe that the Vietnam War was winnable, despite public assertions to the contrary. Ellsberg felt it was his patriotic duty to do something about this, and he turned to the Fourth Estate, giving the documents to:

the New York Times

In 1988 Michael Dukakis, the Democratic nominee for President, visited a General Dynamics plant and posed for a photo in an M1 tank. He hoped that the pictures from this staged event would make him seem stronger on defense issues, but instead many people felt that he looked silly, and his opponents used the image in their ads. This demonstrates:

the importance of presenting a ‘telegenic’ image

The adhan is the Islamic call to prayer, recited five times each day. This means that, in theory, five times each day every Muslim is doing the exact same thing at the exact same time. What function or dysfunction of religion does the adhan help to bring about?

it creates social solidarity

"Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church." Many people still look to passages from the Christian Bible like this one to justify gender roles. This may be a:

dysfunction of religion because it promotes sexism

The America’s educational system is in _____ because
a. Literacy rates are low.
b. Standardized test scores are lower than in other industrialized countries.
c. Teachers are poorly paid.
d. School infrastructure is in poor condition.

crisis

What is it called when a government bars an individual, either temporarily or permanently, from voting?

disenfranchisement

Sociologists like R. S. Erickson have noted that "the informal and decidedly antidemocratic set of teaching practices and power relationships by which the school operates" produces a "disjuncture between the democratic creed and what actually goes on in school" so students often learn that it’s important to take orders and to not make waves. What concept is Erickson talking about?

the hidden curriculum

When John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon debated during the 1960 presidential campaign, voters who watched the debate on television were more likely to see Kennedy as the winner than those who listened to it on radio. Why?

Nixon refused to take advice on makeup, clothing and hair

What is the hidden curriculum?

lessons that students learn indirectly through the method in which the curriculum is presented and the way that the school is organized

In their Pygmalion in the Classroom, how did Jacobson and Rosenthal select the students they identified as ready to academically "bloom" in the coming school year?

randomly

High-profile individuals who interpret political information and influence the voting habits of the public are called:

opinion leaders

What is it called when a government seeks to control every aspect of life?

totalitarianism

Puerto Rico is a self-governing republic, but is ultimately under the control of the U.S. government. Since 1917 all Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, but are not represented in Congress and cannot cast ballots in presidential elections. In this sense they are:

disenfranchised

Ecclesiastes, in the Hebrew Bible, often strikes people as very depressing because it implies that life is pointless, but others take something of value from this book and feel that it shows that life and suffering are beyond human comprehension, but must be enjoyed anyway. Which function or dysfunction of religion does Ecclesiastes fulfill for those who value it?

giving meaning to our lives

How does the textbook define the hidden curriculum?

lessons that students learn indirectly through the method in which the curriculum is presented and the way that the school is organized

What is a criticism of the No Child Left Behind Act, passed by Congress in 2002?

Teachers, under pressure to raise test scores, may stop doing everything but "teaching to the test."

According to the textbook, what do all religions have in common?

a system of beliefs and rituals that establish a relationship between the sacred and the profane

Why do critics object to school vouchers?

They believe that vouchers will drain funds from vulnerable public schools and cause them to deteriorate further.

What do schools, churches, and governments all have in common?

they are all social institutions

A large-scale, longitudinal study of students in America found that those who pick a major in the humanities or social sciences attended religious services less often and rated religion as being less important in their lives than students who picked either education or science majors. What were the researchers trying to measure?

both intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity

A police officer stops you for driving 73 mph in a 65-mph zone and gives you a ticket that costs $150. This means you will have less money than you did before you were stopped, just as you would if you had been mugged. If you go home and mail a check, then you are acknowledging that, unlike a mugger, the police officer has:

authority

Why is it not surprising that Evangelical Protestants are the most common religious affiliation in the United States?

Evangelicals emphasize the importance of gaining new converts

For which of the following reasons could the supposed increase in voter turnout in the 2004 election really be just an artifact of the way that voter turnout is measured?

For the first time, the turnout rate was based on eligible voters, as opposed to all residents of voting age.

When students are tested, and the test results are used to place them in a certain category of classes (remedial, advanced, college prep, etc.), this process is called:

tracking

In Who Governs, Robert Dahl examined the way that power was distributed in New Haven, Connecticut, and concluded that a wide variety of actors played a role in the political decision-making process, which he believed was largely divorced from economic influence. What theory of power does Dahl believe in?

pluralism

According to Savage Inequalities by Jonathan Kozol, how do schools reinforce inequality?

by using local property taxes to fund public schools, trapping poor children in poor schools

On January 30, 2005, Iraq held what many claim were the first free and fair elections in its history, after many decades of military dictatorship. This was seen as the first step in transforming Iraq into a:

democracy

What do sociologists call the lessons that students learn indirectly, but which they are not officially or formally tested on?

the hidden curriculum

When schools fail to make any mention of gays or lesbians in the curriculum, what message is being sent?

gays and lesbians are not full members of society

What are the most significant consequences of a high school freshman being assigned to a remedial math course?

she has been effectively locked out of certain careers

Which of the following is NOT a technique that could work to disenfranchise part of the population?

requiring polling places to display the American flag

Attending religious services would be an example of:

extrinsic religiosity

What does the sociologist Randall Collins argue is the true function of schools?

They reproduce the class structure, making sure that most people grow up to have a socioeconomic status similar to their parents

What is a term for someone who labels himself "spiritual but not religious"?

unchurched

Within the Christian religion, certain days (Sundays), books (the Christian Bible), and objects (crucifixes) are treated differently than other days, books, and objects. Chapter 10 would say that this different treatment is needed to separate them from:

the profane

What is a term for someone who labels himself "spiritual but not religious"?

unchurched

The methods and tactics of managing a political entity are called:

politics

The former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor voted to allow a Christmas display on public property that included a nativity scene, but voted to prohibit city governments from having displays that had only a nativity scene. This indicates that:

we are both a secular and a non secular society at the same time

When students are tested, and the test results are used to place them in a certain category of classes (remedial, advanced, college prep, etc.), this process is called:

tracking

When Congress recessed in August of 2009, it was hotly debating a bill to overhaul America’s health care system. The House Republican leader John Boehner sent rank-and-file Republicans a memo asking them to use "new media" like Twitter to get their message out. Given that a Twitter post can only be 140 characters long, what feature of modern politics closely resembles Twitter posts?

sound bytes

What large-scale social change has made celebrity politicians more popular and successful?

the increasing importance of television

In Schooling in Capitalist America, Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis argued that schools train a labor force in the skills and attitudes necessary for the health of a modern economy. What are these skills and attitudes?

taking orders and performing repetitive tasks

What is the central means by which modern society transmits knowledge, values, and expectations to its members?

education

Public schools that are run by private entities are called:

charter schools

What does the sociologist Randall Collins argue is the true function of schools?

They reproduce the class structure, making sure that most people grow up to have a socioeconomic status similar to their parents.

In Soviet Russia, it was a common practice to edit old photographs to reflect the current political mood. For example, Nikolai Yezhov was a veteran of the Russian Revolution who became the head of the Soviet secret police before he ran afoul of Stalin and was arrested and shot. He was then literally cut out of pictures that showed him posing with Stalin and other high officials, making these pictures into an example of:

simulacrum

In the past, most voters formed political opinions by listening to speeches, meeting with representatives of political parties, or attending town hall meetings. How do voters today learn about political issues?

through human interest stories in the media

According to the text, what do all religions have in common?

a system of beliefs and rituals that establish a relationship between the sacred and the profane

During the 2008 Democratic primary, Hillary Clinton was endorsed by the porn star, author, and adult industry entrepreneur Jenna Jameson. Although not as influential as Oprah Winfrey, to the extent that people pay attention to her and care about what she says, she is a(n):

opinion leader

What do sociologists call the lessons that students learn indirectly, but which they are not officially or formally tested on?

the hidden curriculum

Organizations formed expressly to raise and spend money in order to influence elected officials are called:

special interest groups

According to Thomas Dye’s Who’s Running America?, what percentage of the American population makes up the power elite?

considerably less than one percent

What does the sociologist Randall Collins argue is the true function of schools?

They reproduce the class structure, making sure that most people grow up to have a socioeconomic status similar to their parents.

What is an example of web 2.0?

politicians using Twitter to communicate with their constituents and hear back from them directly

Why are 527 committees much more important to political campaigns now than they were in the past?

Unlike candidates or political parties, there are no limits on how much money an individual can give to them.

Mike McCurry was the White House Press Secretary from 1995 to 1998. It was his job to field questions from the press and explain the president’s policies and attitudes in language that was compelling and persuasive. According to this job description, he could be called a(n):

spin doctor

Which of the following is a criticism of the No Child Left Behind Act, passed by Congress in 2002?

Teachers, under pressure to raise test scores, may stop doing everything but "teaching to the test."

"Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church." Many people still look to passages from the Christian Bible like this one to justify gender roles. This may be a:

dysfunction of religion, because it promotes sexism.

A police officer stops you for driving 73 mph in a 65-mph zone and gives you a ticket that costs $150. This means you will have less money than you did before you were stopped, just as you would if you had been mugged. If you go home and mail a check, then you are acknowledging that, unlike a mugger, the police officer has:

authority

What is the most extreme form of authoritarianism called?

totalitarianism

In 2008 Joe McCain, brother of the presidential hopeful John McCain, called 911 to complain about a traffic jam. When the 911 operator scolded him, he used a vulgarity and hung up. Unsurprisingly this incident was reported on the news almost immediately, but an audio recording of it can still be heard on YouTube and other websites. This illustrates that:

the power and potential of new media in the political process cuts both ways.

In Soviet Russia, it was a common practice to edit old photographs to reflect the current political mood. For example, Nikolai Yezhov was a veteran of the Russian Revolution who became the head of the Soviet secret police before he ran afoul of Stalin and was arrested and shot. He was then literally cut out of pictures that showed him posing with Stalin and other high officials, making these pictures into an example of:

simulacrum

Public schools that are run by private entities are called:

charter schools

Why do critics object to school vouchers?

They believe that vouchers will drain funds from vulnerable public schools and cause them to deteriorate further.

Sociologists like R. S. Erickson have noted that "the informal and decidedly antidemocratic set of teaching practices and power relationships by which the school operates" produces a "disjuncture between the democratic creed and what actually goes on in school" so students often learn that it’s important to take orders and to not make waves. What concept is Erickson talking about?

the hidden curriculum

Why are 527 committees much more important to political campaigns now than they were in the past?

Unlike candidates or political parties, there are no limits on how much money an individual can give to them.

Abdullah II of Jordan succeeded his father, Hussein bin Talal, as ruler of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in 1999. This makes his government a:

monarchy

What are religions that worship one divine figure called?

monotheistic religions

Manuel Noriega was never elected president of Panama, but became its de facto ruler when he became head of the army and thus powerful enough to demand the resignation of the elected president. Given only this information, what was Noriega’s government?

authoritarian

According to Randall Collins, why do members of lucrative professions like law and medicine support the current educational system?

They want to keep the number of potential job applicants down, thus minimizing competition and ensuring that there is a large number of people for less lucrative, less pleasant professions.

Religious groups that emphasize literal interpretation of sacred texts are called:

fundamentalist

What subjects were taught in European universities during the Middle Ages?

law, theology, and medicine

Systems and structures that persist over time and help to organize group life are called:

social institutions

Robert is walking down the street late at night in New York City when a man in a ski mask suddenly sticks a gun in his face and takes his wallet. Sociologists would say that Robert’s mugger had ____________ but not ____________.

power; authority

Organizations designed to raise money to support the interests of a particular group are called:

political action committees

The adhan is the Islamic call to prayer, recited five times each day. This means that, in theory, five times each day every Muslim is doing the exact same thing at the exact same time. What function or dysfunction of religion does the adhan help to bring about?

it creates social solidarity

Why do politics, education, and religion all appear in the same chapter of your text?

Political, religious, and educational concerns often overlap in everyday life.

The Swift Vets and POWs for Truth was a group of veterans and former prisoners of war from the Vietnam War who formed during the 2004 presidential campaign in order to oppose John Kerry’s candidacy for president, primarily by attacking his record of military service. What could they be called?

a special interest group

High-profile individuals who interpret political information and influence the voting habits of the public are called:

opinion leaders

In 2009, shortly after Sarah Palin resigned as Governor of Alaska, a Republican political strategist asked, "If Sarah Palin looked like Golda Meir, would we even be talking about her today?" No matter what else you might say about this quote, it reminds us that politics today:

rewards style over substance

What is a term for someone who labels himself "spiritual but not religious"?

unchurched

What do schools, churches, and governments all have in common?

they are all social institutions

Why do politics, education, and religion all appear in the same chapter of your text?

Political, religious, and educational concerns often overlap in everyday life.

When schools fail to make any mention of gays or lesbians in the curriculum, what message is being sent?

gays and lesbians aren’t full members of society

According to C. Wright Mills, who rules America?

the power elite

What is religiosity?

the extent of a person’s commitment to a religion

How is a sociological definition of religion different from a commonsense, everyday definition?

A sociological definition must be broad enough to encompass all brands of religious experience.

What are religions that worship one divine figure called?

monotheistic religions

What development transformed and expanded the role of distance learning in the American educational system?

the rise of the internet

In 2008 Joe McCain, brother of the presidential hopeful John McCain, called 911 to complain about a traffic jam. When the 911 operator scolded him, he used a vulgarity and hung up. Unsurprisingly this incident was reported on the news almost immediately, but an audio recording of it can still be heard on YouTube and other websites. This illustrates that:

the power and potential of new media in the political process cuts both ways.

In the nineteenth century, New Jersey’s legislature adopted a number of so-called "sunset laws" that closed the polls early on election day, usually before the working day at factories was over. What would

disenfranchisement