1. How was reality defined and reconstructed in this experiment?
2. How did this experiment affect the achieved statuses of the students involved?
3. Can you apply the concept of master status to anyone involved in the experiment? Explain.
4. Discuss the social roles of the participants from both a functionalist and a conflict perspective.
5. Your text discusses how Philip Zimbardo experienced role strain during the experiment. Do you think any of the students experienced role strain? Explain.
6. The term role exit is used to describe the process of disengagement from a role that is central to one's self identity and reestablishment of an identity in a new role. Do you think it was difficult for both the guards and the prisoners to exit their roles and reestablish their identities as students? Explain.

1. What political, family, educational, and social roles has the president played in his life? What statuses has he held? Which of these are ascribed and which are achieved?
2. Has this mix of roles ever led to role conflict or role strain? How so?
3. Before becoming the leader of the United States, did the person you selected have a master status? Why would the role of "president" be considered a master status?
4. Imagine you are a two-term president leaving office. How could you apply Helen Rose Fuchs Ebaugh's role exit model to the process?
5. If you were president, what impact would this position have on the other social roles that you currently have? How would family life, friendships, hobbies, and other daily activities be affected?

1. Link to "Basic Statistics'' and look at "Areas Reporting Most Cases.'' Which state or territory had the greatest number of cumulative AIDS cases?

Click on your Back button. Link to "Slide Sets.'' Select "Surveillance by Race/Ethnicity.'' Download the slides (you may find it best to use Adobe Acrobat to do this).

2. How has the proportional distribution of AIDS cases shifted among racial/ethnic groups in the United States since the beginning of the epidemic?
3. Of the 774,476 AIDS cases reported to CDC through 2000, Blacks and Hispanics accounted for what percent of children with AIDS?
4. Scroll through the slides until you come to slide 6: AIDS Cases Reported in 2000 and Estimated 2000 Population, by Race/Ethnicity, United States. Study the slide and read the discussion below it. Why is the distribution of cases among some racial/ethnic groups disproportional to their distribution of the general population? Give examples.
5. Look at slide 9: Adult/Adolescent AIDS Rates per 100,000 Black Population Reported in 2000. What is the AIDS rate per 100,000 Black population for your home state?
6. Look at slide 10. What is the adult/adolescent AIDS rate per 100,000 Hispanic population for your home state?
7. Look at slide 11. What is the adult/adolescent AIDS population per 100,000 White population for your home state?
8. One focus of this chapter has been social interaction. Do you know anyone who has AIDS? What do you consider to be the master status of that person? How has the disease affected that person's social interactions?