Sociology Past Paper PDF - Cairo University

Dr. Laila Elbahnasawy Professor of Sociology, Faculty of Arts, Cairo University Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University Course Title and Code : Sociology Basic (108) Assignment I( 10) / Assessment II ( 10) Mid-term exam(20) / Final exam (60) Total Ex...

Dr. Laila Elbahnasawy Professor of Sociology, Faculty of Arts, Cairo University Faculty of Physical Therapy, Cairo University Course Title and Code : Sociology Basic (108) Assignment I( 10) / Assessment II ( 10) Mid-term exam(20) / Final exam (60) Total Exam Scores ( 100) Dr. laila El- bahnasawy Professor Faculty of Arts, Cairo University The different Branches of science  Outlines Chapter One - Sociology &Anthropology.  Overview about sociology.  Definitions of Sociology.  What is the main focus of Sociology?  Foundations of Sociology.  Relationship of Sociology to other Social Sciences.  Scientists that shaped the field of Sociology.  Why is sociology important?  The concept of society at Micro Level and Macro level.  Introduction Sociology, a social science that studies human societies, their interactions, and the processes that preserve and change them. It does this by examining the dynamics of constituent parts of societies such as institutions, communities, populations, and gender, racial, or age groups. Sociology also studies social status or stratification, social movements, and social change, as well as societal disorder in the form of crime, deviance, and revolution.  Social life overwhelmingly regulates the behaviour of humans, largely because humans lack the instincts that guide most animal behaviour. Humans therefore depend on social institutions and organizations to inform their decisions and actions. Given the important role organizations play in influencing human action, it is sociology’s task to discover how organizations affect the behaviour of persons, how they are established, how organizations interact with one another, how they decay, and, ultimately, how they disappear. Among the most basic organizational structures are economic, religious, educational, and political institutions, as well as more specialized institutions such as the family, the community, the military, peer groups, clubs, and volunteer associations.  Sociology, as a generalizing social science, is surpassed in its breadth only by anthropology— a discipline that encompasses archaeology, physic al anthropology, and linguistics. The broad nature of sociological inquiry causes it to overlap with other social sciences such as economics, political science, psychology, geography, education, and law. Sociology’s distinguishing feature is its practice of drawing on a larger societal context to explain social phenomena. Sociology What Is Sociology ?  Subject matter of Sociology Sociology is: The study of Society The Science of Social Life The Study of Social Relationships The Study of Human Behaviour in groups The Study of Forms of Social Relationships The Study of Social action The Study of Social groups and Social Systems  The concept of society at Micro and Macro levels :  1-Micro level: Focuses on individuals and their interactions.  ( Ex.The relationship between adult children and their parents ,The effect of negative attitudes on older people.)  2-Macro level: Focuses more upon social structure, social processes and problems, and their interrelationships.  (Ex.The effects of industrialization on older people's status , How gender and income affect older people's well being.) Why is sociology important?  Why is sociology important? Sociology is a science of social activities that are used to improve the knowledge of human activity. Sociology deals with social activities meant for human welfare in the society. As man is a social being he has to develop certain ideologies and methodologies to live comfortably and peacefully in the society.  Why is sociology important? Sociology is a science of social activities that are used to improve the knowledge of human activity. Sociology deals with social activities meant for human welfare in the society. As man is a social being he has to develop certain ideologies and methodologies to live comfortably and peacefully in the society. Sociology deals with the interaction between several individuals and groups in the society.  Sociology involves the interaction between humans from individual level to the group level. It is also concerned with social systems and structures apart from very small interactions. Sociology is actually a very wide discipline. Conventionally, this subject concentrates on social stratification, social class, religion, law, and secularization. Sociology is an important branch of study which involves the integrated knowledge on social sciences and humanities in order to improve civic competence. In school, social science includes anthropology, archeology, economics, geography, history, philosophy, political science, psychology, religion and sociology as well as content from humanities, mathematics and natural sciences. Sociology is important as it gives the young people the information to develop their ability to think good about the society. This branch of study makes everyone to know that he or she is responsible to be good to the public. Being good to everyone in the public is vital as they are citizens of culturally diverse, democratic society in this interdependent world. Sociology teaches the necessity of learning the skills of speaking, writing, and thinking which will help us in decision making and problem solving. Sociology makes the students to be rationale, humane and all time learners. Sociology teaches us to appreciate the cultural diversity and significant elements of culture. Sociology allows us to assimilate the principles of politics and other systems to participate in the democratic society. This branch helps us to understand the influence of science and technology on the society as well as individuals. The people are made to understand well the cultural values and personal values. It makes us to learn the cause and effect relationships, change, continuity and turning points, and divergent perspectives. The effect of aesthetic expression is made to be recognized by the people.  What Do Sociologists Study? Sociologists study all things human, from the interactions between two people to the complex relationships between nations or multinational corporations. While sociology assumes that human actions are patterned, individuals still have room for choices. Becoming aware of the social processes that influence the way humans think, feel, and behave plus having the will to act can help individuals to shape the social forces they face.  Society Society – organized life in groups Society is the term to describe human beings together (collective, the sum of their social networks and social interactions).... It can also mean a specific group of people who interact, as well as a wider society of which they are members. Sociology of Family Sociology of the family is a subfield of the subject of sociology, in which researchers and academics evaluate family structure as a social institution and unit of socialization from various sociological perspectives.  The Family is defined as : A group of individuals related to one another by blood ties, marriage, or adoption, who form an economic unit, the adult members of which are responsible for the upbringing of children living in the same household.  What are 10 characteristics of a family? Ten Family Characteristics That Nurture Smart Kids Willing to go the extra mile for each other.... Respecting each other.... Delighting in each other.... Communicating with each other.... Growing from each other and from mistakes.... Valuing effort, not product.... Solving problems together.... Creating an environment that values learning. Functions of the family for health maintenance and promotion:- Affection. Provision of security and acceptance. Instills identity and satisfaction. Provides affiliation and companionship. Provides socialization. Establishes controls. What are the different types of families? Skills and Methods used by Anthropologists Participation-observation Collection of statistics Field interviews Rigorous compilation of detailed notes Fieldwork on anthropologists is know as “ethnography”: the scientific study of human races and cultures Examples of Famous Anthropologists Louis, Mary Leaky Jane Goodall Franz Boaz Margaret Mead Louis and Mary Leakey Credited with discovering physical evidence to support the evolutionary timeline Much of their discoveries were throughout Africa Short Biography: http://www.leakey.com/origins Jane Goodall Born: 3 April 1934, Birthplace: London, England, Died: n/a Worked directly with the Leaky family Her specialty was living with and understanding the language and behaviour of chimps Her famous work is an example of the participation/observation method View the short interview with Jane Goodall: – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k 5Q6-hh49mU – Documentary: Wild Chimpanzees Franz Boas Born: 9-Jul-1858, Birthplace: Minden, Germany, Died: 22-Dec-1942 Studied and widely collected information on race, linguistics, art, dance, and archaeology. From these studies he developed his theory of relativism, debunking the prevailing beliefs that Western Civilization is superior to less complex societies. Short Biography: – http://www.biography.com/people /franz-boas-9216786  Margaret Mead Born: December 16, 1901 , Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Died: November 15, 1978 Proposed that culture and gender roles play just as strong a role as biology in influencing adolescent behavior— Short Biography: – http://www.biography.com/people/margar et-mead-9404056 Much of her research was completed via participation/observation in Samoa and New Guinea – published Coming of Age in Samoa presented the idea that the individual experience of developmental stages could be shaped by cultural demands and expectations – published Growing Up in New Guinea she demonstrated that gender roles differed from one society to another, depending at least as much on culture as on biology Cultural Relativism Cultural relativism is the view that all beliefs, customs, and ethics are relative to the individual within his own social context. – In other words, “right” and “wrong” are culture-specific; what is considered moral in one society may be considered immoral in another, and, since no universal standard of morality exists, no one has the right to judge another society’s customs. Cultural relativism is widely accepted in modern anthropology. Cultural relativists believe that all cultures are worthy in their own right and are of equal value. Diversity of cultures, even those with conflicting moral beliefs, is not to be considered in terms of right and wrong or good and bad. Today’s anthropologist considers all cultures to be equally legitimate expressions of human existence, to be studied from a purely neutral perspective. Chapter (2) Socio-cultural Variations Culture: refers to : A - The norms and practices of a particular group that are learned and shared and guide their thinking, decisions, and actions. B- It is the learned way of behaving that are communicated by one group to another to provide tested solutions to vital problems in day to day life. & Culture is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups. The Culture as a living concept: A set of shared and learned values, ideals, and meanings that guide behaviors, decisions, and actions. It has explicit and implicit rules of behavior and expectations. a- Explicit rules : Visible components such as easily seen Clothing, jewelry, hairstyles, etc. b- Implicit rules : Invisible components & less observable Value belief system that drives visible practices. It has material and non-material items that characterize the culture It has traditional practices that are passed on through generations. There are (outsider’s) and (insider’s) views and knowledge about the culture. There are intercultural variations between two or more cultures and within a particular culture.