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1

This chapter opens with a discussion of a study conducted by Philip Zimbardo. This study, known as the Stanford prison experiment, provides a revealing glimpse into social interaction and social structure. The Stanford prison experiment website (http://www.prisonexp.org) presents a slide show and discussions of the experiment. Explore the site and view the slides; then answer the following questions:
  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.
2

Our lives are both enriched and complicated by the vast array of social roles that we play. See how the terms role conflict and role strain can be applied to the social life of a former president of the United States by logging onto the White House website (http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/). There you will find biographies and links on presidents from Washington through Bush. Choose a president and explore the material provided to answer the following questions:
  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?
3

One of Max Weber's most important contributions to sociology has been his examination of bureaucracies. To learn more, log onto The Dead Sociologists' Society, a website by Larry R. Ridener (http://www2.pfeiffer.edu/~lridener/DSS/DEADSOC.HTML). (This site is case sensitive.) Click on the picture of Weber and read "The Person," "A Summary of Ideas," and "The Original Work."
  1. What connections can be drawn between Max Weber's life story and his theory? How did childhood, education, work, and personal relationships shape his sociological ideas and research?
  2. What fact did you learn about Weber's life that interested you the most? Why?
  3. What connections can be drawn between Weber's "Types of Authority" and his thinking on bureaucracies? Give your own example of a leader from politics, history, or religion for each of Weber's types of authority.
  4. Do Weber's "Characteristics of a Bureaucracy" (described in Table 6-2 in the book as well as on the website) apply to your place of current or past employment? Why would the place where you work be considered a bureaucracy? Or why would it not be considered as such?
  5. Do the ideas from the chapter regarding primary and secondary groups, in- and out-groups, and reference groups also apply to where you work? How so?
4

Max Weber outlined the characteristics of bureaucracies: division of labor, hierarchy of authority, written rules and communications, impersonality, and employment based on technical qualifications. A modern twist on Weber's thinking can be found in the work of George Ritzer. To learn more about Ritzer's ideas regarding the McDonaldization of society, log onto Lycos (http://www.lycos.com) and enter the name George Ritzer in the search engine. Visit the sites that deal with McDonaldization and answer the following questions.
  1. What does Ritzer mean by McDonaldization? How are fast-food techniques relevant to the wider culture?
  2. Define the terms efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control. What examples of each concept does the site offer? Can you think of other examples?
  3. Where else do you see "McDonaldization" in our society?
  4. What does the "irrationality of rationality" mean?
  5. In what ways does Ritzer's work parallel Weber's?
  6. What arguments could be made by those who might disagree with Weber and Ritzer? Is there anything good or beneficial about living in a rationalized society?
5

The Young Men's Christian Association (http://www.ymca.net/) is the largest not-for-profit community service organization in America, working to meet the health and social service needs of 17.5 million men, women, and children in 10,000 communities. Click on "About the YMCA Movement" and then click on "History." Read the article and answer the following questions.
  1. Where and when was the YMCA founded?
  2. What did George Williams do?
  3. By the end of the Civil War, how many YMCAs were left?
  4. What did Moody and Mott do?
  5. Return to "About the YMCA" and click on "YMCA World." Then click on "Facts." What are the three main priorities of the YMCA?
  6. Click on "Around the World." Pick two YMCAs in any two countries and compare and contrast them.





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