Sociology Questions

On The Colbert Report, (March 13, 2008), Sudhir Venkatesh was interviewed. Please answer the following questions:

a. What type of scientist is Venkatesh?
b. How did he gather his data?
c. Who did he study?
d. Where did the study take place?
e. What did he discover about the population that he was studying?
f. According to Venkatesh, what is the role of a leader?
g. What role did the police play in this subculture?
h. Where was Venkatesh raised? Were you surprised?

Highlight for answers:
a. Rogue sociologist
b. 1-5 multiple choice at first, immerse himself, participant observation
c. Poor people, less than $10,000, Black Kings
d. Robert Taylor Projects in Chicago
e. Modeled themselves around a corporation, head of directors, they work for minimum wage
f. Enforce the “rules” of the gang, delegate fighting
g. Avoided the situation, too dangerous
h. Irvine, California; Yes, I thought he was from India


Japanese Baseball

1. Define ethnocentrism.
2. Define cultural relativism.
3. What are the major ways in which baseball in Japan differs from baseball in the United States?
4. How is this related to differences in culture?
5. What is the difference between a concept of fairness based on “fair play” versus a concept of fairness based on “fair shares”?
6. What does this comparison of baseball in these two countries tell us about the dangers of ethnocentrism?

Highlight for answers:
1. Judging another’s culture from your culture. Comparing another culture with yours. subjective
2. Being able to analyze another culture from their context and history. Objective
3. Strikezone wider, balls lighting, infield smaller, team oriented success, cuisine, hair short, shaven, managers disciplined, conformity, organized cheering factions, time limits
4. Team-oriented culture that focuses more on the group than the individual in Japan. In the United States, the individual is valued more so home runs are emphasized. There is a more competitive culture where there must be a winner and a loser.
5. Fairplay, if rules are fair then outcome is fair. Fair share, did everyone contribute equally?
6. It is dangerous to enthocentrize because you will only be disappointed and confusing in a culture that appears to everyday citizens to be normal. You will appear selfish and shallow minded to the citizens of that culture. It can also lead to conflict.


Impact of the Media: Socialization
1. What are the images of men in the media?
2. What are the messages of these images to males?
3. What are some of the consequences of these messages?
4. What are the images of women in the media?
5. What are the messages of these images to females?
6. What are some of the consequences of these messages?

Highlight for answers:
1. Superheroes are commanding figures (the Incredibles). Dominant partners in relationships. Climatic scenes in movies are between two men, often over women
2. Men should see women as objects of pleasure or service. Men should take a more active role than women. If you’re not like these men, you are weak.
3. Steroid use, feelings of inadequacy
4. Cooks, objects of pleasure, sex symbols, homemakers, sexuality, beauty, objects of desire, breasts/butts
5. They should be inferior to men and seek them for their appearance and power. Must spend time and money to look perfect, thin and white are best
6. Inferiority in women, insecurity in looks, 1 in 5 women have eating disorder, must be painful to be attractive, high rates of teen pregnancy, hypersexualized, batter/rape/assault


Race: Reel Bad Arabs
1. What are the images of Arabs in Hollywood films?
2. If you were a citizen of an Arab nation, how would you feel after watching these movies?
3. How do you think these films might shape perceptions of the United States in the Arab world, especially among young people?

Highlight for answers:
1. Subhuman, terrorists, villains, dangerous, women as belly dancers, buffoons, too rich and stupid to know the value of money, obsessed with American women, incompetent
2. I would feel villafied and would see these as untrue. I would petition and protest these films. I would say that these represent stereotypes that are often untrue.
3. Young people may think that the United States is using these films as propaganda to villafy the Arab world. The young people may think that the United States is racist towards them. They may become motivated to attack the United States.