1. What is sociology and what are its main goals? (2 marks)

Sociology is the scientific study of human social behavior, groups and societies. Its main

goals are to understand the patterns, causes and consequences of social interactions

and to apply this knowledge to improve social conditions.

2. What are the three major sociological perspectives and how do they differ? (3 marks)

The three major sociological perspectives are functionalism, conflict theory and

symbolic interactionism. Functionalism views society as a system of interrelated parts

that work together to maintain stability and harmony. Conflict theory views society as a

arena of inequality and struggle between different groups over scarce resources and

power. Symbolic interactionism views society as a product of everyday interactions and

meanings that people create through symbols and language.

3. What is the difference between culture and society? Give an example of each. (2

marks)

Culture is the shared beliefs, values, norms, symbols and practices that guide the

behavior of a group of people. Society is the organized and patterned interactions of

people who live in a specific geographical area. For example, American culture includes

the values of individualism, freedom and democracy, while American society consists of

the institutions, laws and policies that regulate the interactions of its citizens.

4. What are some of the main agents of socialization and how do they influence our

social development? (3 marks)

Some of the main agents of socialization are family, peers, school, media and religion.

They influence our social development by teaching us the skills, values, norms and

expectations that we need to function in society. For example, family socializes us into

our gender roles, peers socialize us into our peer groups, school socializes us into our

academic roles, media socializes us into our consumer roles and religion socializes us

into our moral roles.