AMERICAN UNIVERSITY
College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Sociology

Comprehensive Examination in Sociological Theory

August 2000

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This comprehensive exam consists of four parts. Please answer one question from each part. Each part counts equally in the exam grade, so plan your time to write an approximately equal-length answer for each part.

I. Answer only one of the following questions:

I. 1. Which classical theorist would best address or contribute to our understanding of the contemporary question of "globalization"? Explain. What would be his/her critique of this concept?

I. 2. August Comte and Karl Marx influence on interpretation of rapid economic change in the nineteenth century was profound. Would their theoretical frameworks explain the much faster patterns of contemporary economic and social change? How?

I. 3. Discuss the sources and dynamics of social change in the theories of Karl Marx, Max Weber and Emile Durkheim.

II. Answer only one of the following questions:

Discuss the relationship (similarities and differences) between the following trends in contemporary sociological theory. Be sure to describe each trend, citing theorists and/or writings as appropriate. Use an example to illustrate each of the distinctions you address.

II. 1. Sociological theories of "modernity," or "modernization" and "post-modernism" in sociology.

II. 2. Structural-Functionalism, or Systems theory and "Structuration" theory (Giddens) in sociology.

II. 3. Exchange Theory and Conflict Theory.

III. Answer only one of the following questions:

III. 1. What and how does contemporary feminist theory contribute to our understanding of economic, political and cultural change? Assess its ability to deal with these three aspects of social reality. Bring into your discussion any research and formulations falling under the "umbrella term" of feminist theory which address or deal with these different aspects of societal structure and change.

III. 2. Choose two theories (one classical and one contemporary) which seek to explain the nature of social structure and discuss their key concepts, propositions, etc. Discuss how these two theories might be linked to provide a more comprehensive account of social structure and social change.

III. 3. Show how the concepts of social structure and social change differ between theorists who see society as a system of power and social control and modern theorists who see society as a system of symbols and communication. Choose one theorist to illustrate each perspective.

IV. Answer only one of the following questions:

IV. 1. The divorce rate in the United States is very high (over 40% of all marriages end in divorce). How would you theoretically explain this "social fact"?

IV. 2. Offer a theoretical sociological interpretation of the current rise in world-wide "identity- based" social ideologies and movements.

IV. 3. Offer a theoretical sociological interpretation of the social consequences of the "information revolution" throughout the globe.

Theory Fall 1998