Midterm Exam
1. Who was Emile Durkheim and what were his ideas regarding functionalism, division of labor,
deviance, and the two types of social solidarity? Who was Karl Marx and what were his main
ideas concerning conflict theory? Who was Max Weber and what were his main ideas that were
focused on the ideal type of bureaucracy and economics organizing society?
Emile Durkheim was a Jewish sociologist who observed how public degradation of Jews by non-Jews
calmed and unified the majority of the divided French public which developed his ideas of social
solidarity being by identifying some as “other” or not belonging. Durkheim indicated that society was
larger than the sum of its parts and produced the term Sui Generis which means in a literal sense, “thing
in itself”. Sui Generis entailed that society was a subject to be studied separately from the sum of
individuals who composed it. Durkheim further adds social structures produce social forces that impinge
on individuals. Durkheim identifies that society as an integrated whole, each part contributes to its
stability which were the basis of functionalism. Rituals create social solidarity, referring to the bonds that
link the members of a group.
Karl Marx expressed his beliefs that capitalism, an economic system based on the pursuit of profit
and sanctity of private property shapes society. Marx expressed that profit was produced through the
exploitation of the working class. There was a difference between the wages being paid and the worth of
the goods being sold that produced profit for the capitalist. He further states that capitalist controlled the
production of goods and ideas which allowed to dictate people’s behavior. Conflict theory emphasizes the
role of coercion and power in society and the ability of some to influence and control others. According to
conflict theory, inequality exists because those in control of a disproportionate share of society’s
resources actively defend their advantages. Marx sees conflict theory sees a dominant class as controlling
the resources of society and using its power to create the institutional rules and belief systems that support
its power. Some groups of people have access to fewer resources in capitalist society, they are forced into
crime to sustain themselves which produce deviance and crimes.
Max Weber was a sociologist that stated that cultural values interact with economic and political
systems to produce society; no one factor determines the character of society. Even when the economy is
stagnant, cultural beliefs in hard work and the Protestant ethic mean that people will blame individuals, not
the system, for failure. In terms of bureaucracy, Weber analyzed the ideal type. The characteristics
involved a high degree of division of labor and specialization., hierarchy of authority, rule and regulations,
impersonal relationships, career ladders and efficiency.
2. What is culture including the elements and characteristics discussed in class? Why is it essential
for culture to have an established language? What are examples of material and nonmaterial
culture? What is cultural relativism and explain the differences in the types of cultures we
defined in chapter 2.
Culture is a complex system of meaning and behavior that defines the way of life for a given group
or society. Culture includes beliefs, values, knowledge, art, morals, laws, customs, habits, language, and
dress style. Culture also includes ways of thinking and patterns of behavior. Culture holds society together,
gives people a sense of belonging and tells them how to behave or think in certain situations.
Culture is both material and non-material components where material culture is objects created in
society such as art, tools, toys, literature and etc. Non-material components include norms, laws, customs,
ideas, and beliefs of that group of people. Examples of material culture is an object such as the Mona Lisa
