BAHRIA UNIVERSITY (KARACHI CAMPUS)
MID-TERM EXAMINATION – SPRING SEMESTER – 2023
INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY HSS 202
Class: BSE- 8 (A&B) Morning
Course Instructor: Fatima Zehra Naqvi Time Allowed: 90 Minutes
Date: (09 /04/2023) Session: II Max Marks: 20
Student’s Name: ____________________ Reg. No: _________
Attempt all questions
Question No 1 (2+2+2) (CLO 2)
Sociological perspectives are a viewpoint by which one can be provided a different outlook to
analyze social phenomena. Read the given situation carefully and explain them:
a) A mother forbidding her children not to throw garbage on road.
Functionalist perspective, family institute. Talcott Parson, Functionalists view the family unit
as a construct that fulfills important functions and keeps society running smoothly.
Functionalists’ perspectives on the family hold that families perform functions such as
socializing children, nurturing them and transmitting morals and values, providing emotional
and practical support, regulating sexual activity and reproduction, and providing social identity.
b) A school celebrating plant day.
Functionalist perspective, education institute. Talcott Parson, Functionalists believe education
is an important social institution that helps to keep society together by establishing shared
norms and values. Functionalists view education as an important social institution that
contributes both manifest and latent functions. Functionalists see education as serving the
needs of society by preparing students for later roles, or functions, in society.
c) An industrialist starting plastic industry at Karachi.
Conflict perspective, Karl Marx, one sociological point of view that can be used to look at the
role of corporations in plastic pollution is the conflict point of view. From this point of
view, companies care more about making money than about the environment, which leads to
the production of single-use plastics that add to pollution.
Question No 2 (3) (CLO 2)
Compare between the following:
a) Assimilation and Amalgamation
While assimilation means a social and cultural merging, amalgamation refers to the
biological merging of an ethnic or a racial group with the native population.
b) Acculturation and Arbitration
Acculturation can be defined as the 'process of learning and incorporating the values,
beliefs, language, customs and mannerisms of the new country immigrants and their
families are living in, including behaviors that affect health such as dietary habits,
activity levels and substance use. Arbitration is a procedure in which a dispute is
submitted, by agreement of the parties, to one or more arbitrators who make a binding
decision on the dispute.
c) Mediation and Conciliation
Mediation is an alternative form of dispute resolution and is supported by an unbiased
third-party mediator. With conciliation, the conciliator will play an advisory role and may
intervene in order to offer feasible solutions to both parties and help settle their disputes.
Question No 3 (2+2+2) (CLO 1)
Social research is systematic and organized method to discover knowledge about social world.
Describe the importance of following research steps in sociological investigation.
a) Review of literature.
It includes research thesis, research papers, books, reports and publications. The purpose of
reviewing the related literature is
To understand the nature of work done on the topic previously.
To check if exactly the same research problem has been addressed before
To identify the research gaps –the areas have not been researched before.
To make a theoretical background for the study.
b) Formulation of hypothesis and its testing.
Hypothesis is a testable assumption showing a relationship among certain variables. It can be
false or true statement. It is put to test in the research to check its authenticity. Hypothesis
becomes a base for the research. It does not only specify the focus but helps the researcher to
generate productive findings. The examples are as follows:
Higher the peer pressure, greater will be drug addiction among youth.
Lower the communication gap between parents and youth, lesser will be drug addiction
among youth.
If there a youngster is depressed then he/she is more likely to consume drug.
The hypothesis of the research is tested in the light of analyzed data. For an example the
hypothesis lowers the communication gap between parents and youth, lesser will be drug
addiction among youth. The relationship of communication gap between parents and youth and
drug addiction rate in the analyzed data will either verify or reject this hypothesis. Similarly,
researcher may also use some test such as chi-square to test hypothesis.
c) Report writing
After conducting research, all the details of the research are compiled into a research report. It
is important for you to communicate with other fellow researchers and practitioners. The
obtained results should be published in journals and conference proceedings as those are
designed as platform for interested parties to communicate and discuss on the findings.
Question No 4 (2.5+2.5) (CLO 1)
The sociology of deviance explores the actions and behaviors that violate social norms across
formally enacted rules. Identify and apply the theories of deviance on the following situations:
a) A young man across the street is a thief because he was seen in the company of other
young men with deviant behavior.
Development of the Theory
The idea of labeling theory began to thrive in the United States around 1960 due to the
contributions of a sociologist known as Howard Becker. However, the original main
contributors to the theory were Emile Durkheim and Frank Tannenbaum in their respective
works.
Labeling theory indicates that society's assigning of labels to individuals or certain groups can
have an effect on their behavior. This theory, in relation to sociology, criminology, and
psychology, has shown that labeling someone as a criminal can lead to bad conduct. The theory
purports that society's establishing someone as a criminal based on deviant behavior (action
perceived to violate society's normal standards) may lead others to mistreat the person labeled
as a criminal. In other words, individuals may face stigma, discrimination against them because
of the criminal label. Therefore, the person might become a criminal. Thus, the focus of the
labeling theory is to show that society's perception and treatment of others can cause them to
commit wrong acts. Therefore, the person might, in turn, become a criminal.
b) Most people do not want to go to work, but they do, because they get paid or to obtain
food.
According to Travis Hirschi, humans are selfish beings, who make decisions based on which
choice will give the greatest benefit. A good example of control theory would be that people go
to work. Most people do not want to go to work, but they do, because they get paid, to obtain
food, water, shelter, and clothing.
Hirschi (1969) identifies four elements of social bonds: attachment, commitment, involvement,
and belief.
Control theory stresses how weak bonds between the individuals and society free people to
deviate or go against the norms, or the people who have weak ties would engage in crimes so
they could benefit, or gain something that is to their own interest. This is where strong bonds
make deviance more costly. Deviant acts appear attractive to individuals but social bonds stop
most people from committing the acts. Deviance is a result of extensive exposure to certain
social situations where individuals develop behaviors that attract them to avoid conforming to
social norms. Social bonds are used in control theory to help individuals from pursuing these
attractive deviations.
