Learning Goals

Module Materials

Sequence of Lesson

Understanding social rather than individual explanations for phenomena

Data on suicide rates by state.

Film, Quiet Rage: The Stanford Prison Experiment

Written responses:

Q:  Why do people commit suicide?  Distribute data on each state in the U.S.

Q: Why do suicide rates vary by states?  Introduction to the film and Qs:  “How do

you think the participants playing the role of prisoner will act?”, “Why do you think

they will act that way?” “How do you think the participants playing the role of guard

will act?” and “Why do you think they will act that way?”

Show first 45 minutes of Quiet Rage, to the end of the experiment.

Qs: “Why do you think the prisoners and guards behaved the way they did in the

Zimbardo simulated prison experiment?”  “What is the most important idea you

get from the film?” “Suppose all the people who were randomly assigned to be

guards had instead been assigned to be prisoners, and vice versa.  How do you think

that would have affected the behavior of the people?  Do you think they would have

behaved differently?”  “Why or why not?” 

Returning to the suicide data, students were again asked “Why do you think the rates

vary by states?”

Understanding the scientific basis of sociology

Took place in a computer laboratory.

Participants were asked to find and print four sociological abstracts from CSA Sociological Abstracts, and decide whether they were based on a research study.

Written responses to Opening Qs: “Do you think sociology is scientific?” and

“Why, or why not?”  “What does a field need to have to be a science?” and “What

keeps a field from being a science?”  Brief PowerPoint presentation on what makes a

field scientific: Theory that helps to explain phenomena and research based on observation

of the world that aims to test or apply theory.  Features of scientific research: systematically

collected observations (data), efforts to reduce bias, attention to sampling, validity and reli-

ability issues.  Students conduct Abstract Exercise.  Discussion of abstracts

students found and whether they saw them as based on a  research study or not. 

Discuss Qs: “Do you think sociology is scientific?” and “Why or why not?”

Understanding the centrality of inequality

Table with 2005 Household Earnings (U.S. Census Bureau 2005)

Parker Brothers game, Monopoly, with some revisions of the rules and initial distribution of money [see text].

Introduction.  Students asked to write responses to the Q: “Why do you think

different households receive different amounts of income?”  Answers discussed. 

Written responses to Q: What affects what people in different occupations or

with different amounts of education, skill, and years of experience are paid? 

Then students were randomly placed into a team representing one specific social

class to play a modified Monopoly game for about 45 minutes.  Students were asked

to discuss their feelings about the game.  Referring back to the Earnings table, they

were asked: Why do you think some household incomes differ from others? 

Is there anything besides the hypothesized causes we suggested earlier?  What

affects what people in different occupations, or with different amounts of education,

skill, and years of experience are paid?  Do you think that starting points, i.e.,

wealth at birth and the rules of the game might influence their social class?  How?

Understanding the social construction of ideas.

Obach (1999) exercise

Race: The Power of an Illusion film.

Introduction.  Students asked to write responses to Q: “Do you think different

racial groups exist in the world?” and three follow up questions. 

Conducted Obach exercise in which students were given a picture with six different

circles and asked to create two different groups out of these circles.  Discussion.

Showed 37-minute version of Part I of Race film.  Discussed Qs: Do you think racial

categories are based on scientific criteria?  Why or why not?  Where do you think racial

categories come from? Why?

Part A:  Using Suicide Rates by State

Before Handing Out Suicide Data – Q1) Why do you think people commit suicide?  (After handing out suicide data by state) Q2) Looking at this table, why do you think suicide rates vary by states?

After Seeing Data and Video - “Think back to the suicide data.  Any new ideas or hypotheses about why suicide rates might vary by state?”

Jeff

Q1) People commit suicide for several reasons.  One is because they may feel unworthy to continue living within a society that has required or demanded a certain way of [living] that they believe they can’t uphold.  Q2) In states such as Wyoming or Montana, the suicide rates may be very high as a result of a lack of purpose or an individual’s personal sense that they have no significance or reason to live.  It’s better in New York or Massachusetts because people in these metropolitan areas are immersed in the American way of capitalism.

“I think it’s contradictory.  When you think of NYC, you think of rude, insensitive people.  You’d think the suicide rate would be higher.”

Maria

Q1) I think people commit suicide because of a combination of overwhelming pressures and sadness possibly coupled with some sort of emotional/psychological issue that leads them to this sort of drastic decision, generally after some sort of tragic experience in their lives. Q2) Perhaps this has something to do with the number of opportunities in each state, or maybe other resources/availability of help to those considering suicide.  It could also have something to do with the states’ ability to help people out of bad situations, the views of poverty, etc.

“NY is more open to new ideas.  Small towns are more closed off.” 

Anthony

Q1) I think people commit suicide because they are fed up with the world.  A person commits suicide because they don’t feel they are loved or wanted in the world. Q2) Suicide rates vary by state because of the different cultures in the USA.  There are more suicides in more rural states which might mean that such rural settings attract deaths by suicide.

“This makes me think of the recent student suicides at NYU.  In cities, when someone comes who is, for example, the best artist in their small town, then they come here and they’re just another artist.”

Patricia

Q1) I believe that people commit suicide because they are depressed or have no desire to continue life.  Another reason could be to avoid jail or the law (for example when murderers kill themselves, or inmates).  A third reason could be loneliness, like if one has no friends or family to engage in companionship. Q2) I believe that suicide rates vary by state because the highest occurrences are in states that have sparser populations without major, influential cities.  This results in fewer opportunities, perhaps lower paying jobs, and possibly a feeling of being “stuck”.  In places such as New York and D.C. there are many opportunities to meet new people and increase job ranking.

“I think it goes back to feeling isolated, trapped in rural areas.  People can get around easily in a city and do things on their own, with public transportation, etc.  This is less true in rural areas.”

Kevin

Q1) I think people commit suicide because of outstanding societal pressures.  The pressures of society make it too overwhelming for a person to live their life.  Life becomes unmanageable.  This goes along with the idea of when someone commits suicide because they cheated on their spouse or visa-versa (sic).  The pressure for things to be normal and function in society is therefore disrupted and suicide is an easy escape, as an ultimate way to eliminate these pressures.  Q2) Some ways to explain the differing suicide rates w/in the regions of the US.  We must look at both religion and wealth.  States in the North East and New England nearly all appear with the lowest rates suggesting maybe that the average incomes for these states may eliminate some societal pressures.  The highest rates occur in poorer areas.  Religion may also play a part – a conservative restrictive state’s ideology may lend to extreme pressures to conform.

“I think this situation is more restrictive for people in the more suicide prone states.”

Part B: Using the Film, Quiet Rage, on the Zimbardo Prisoner and Guard Experiment

Before Video – Qs: “How do you think prisoners will act in the prison experiment?” “And the guards?”

[Several students mentioned that they had read about the experiment or seen the film before, so that might have affected their responses.]

After Video – Q1)“Why do you think the guards behaved the way they did?”  Q2)“What is the most important idea you get from the film?”

Jeff

“There should be no difference between prisoners and guards.  Since the assignments [of prisoner/guard roles] were arbitrary, why should there be a difference?”

1) “The length of time also had something to do with it.  If it were just one day, it wouldn’t have been that real, but it went on so long that it just got so real.”  2) “People can become dehumanizing just to maintain their status as a guard.  It’s pretty astounding how people can change like that.” 

Maria

1) “I think too that once the prisoner told them they weren’t allowed to go home that made it a lot more real.”  2) “I agree.  But, if you see this as a mock experiment, what effects would 20 years in prison have?” “You see someone doing something evil, but they have another side.” 

Anthony

“I agree [with Patricia].  It just seems very arbitrary.”

1) “[The experimenters] made it so real to everyone.  Did Zimbardo tell the guards what to do?”  “It seemed so real, so it was real to me.   2) “I kinda relate this to the Milgram experiment in that people submit to another authority.”

Patricia

“I think the prisoners would be angry cause they could’ve been guards and they would’ve questioned the legitimacy of the guard’s authority.”

1)“I think they felt really powerful being given that role and they played off of each other and the prisoners.”  2)  “When guards go home, particularly the one who was really into it, does he still feel the same power when he goes home?  It could be dangerous to carry that home with you.”  “Another thing about switching roles – the former prisoner [who consulted for the experiment] said he was acting like his own parole officer when he was put in the role of the parole board [member] for the experiment.” 

Kevin

“They’ll take on the assigned roles of prisoners/guards.”

1) “I think it’s just that they conformed to what they were told.  The guards put pressure on the prisoners, and Zimbardo told the guards what to do.”  2) “Everyone basically conformed.  This says something about the population as a whole.”

Before exercise - Q1) Do you think sociology is scientific?  Why or why not?  Q2) What does a field need to have to be a science?  Q3) What keeps a field from being a science?

After Exercise – “Now, the question is, do you feel any differently about sociology as a science?  I guess you [Ronald] were a skeptic.  What do you think?”

Jeff

Q1)  Yes.  [Illegible] within Sociology undergoes the same procedure as most scientific experiments.  Sociologists perform observation, theories, experiments, [illegible] and conclusions like scientists.  Q2) In order for a field to be a science, it must require forms of tests, procedures, or experiments. Q3) A field is kept from being a science if it [Incomplete]

NO RECORDED RESPONSE

Mary

Q1) I think it’s somewhat scientific, but not quite on the same level as biology, chemistry, physics and other sciences.  Sociology does involve research, theories, and experiments as sciences should.  However, it’s still somewhat subjective, and mathematical formulas and the like rarely apply to it or aid it in figuring out exact answers.  Also, it’s often next to impossible to fully prove or disprove any sociological theory and its opposite.  Q2) To be a science, a field needs experimentation, research and theory.  Its answers should be provable and precise.  Q3) A field is not a science when it does not have any valid form of research and experimentation and when its answers continually vary, especially from person to person.

“I’m still in the same place I was to begin with.  Because I found a lot of stuff that seems like research, it all seems too [inaudible] on, not just observing human interaction but taking part in it which can take any [inaudible].” 

Margaret

Q1) I think it’s scientific.  It relies on data and facts, and creates theories based on observation.  It deals with topics that are continually changing, and changes with it.  Q2) It needs to be focused on factual support.  I think it needs to be based on theories that explain data, without outside influence.  Experiments must be controlled and not subjective.  Q3) If there is no evidence being used to support claims.  If there is contradictory evidence that is not taken into consideration.  Theories always have the possibility of being disproved; therefore, science does not deal with absolutes. 

NO RECORDED RESPONSE

Maria

Q1) I think sociology is scientific but it is also subjective.  It follows the scientific method, and uses many scientific functions or procedures, however it can also be much more affected by personal bias.  Yet like science, it can be affected by size or sample selection or sample and all those other variables.  Q2) There’s research, a method which can be precisely followed, if science wants to perform the same experiment again, different variables.  Q3) Not being able to repeat a study – not being able to perform an experiment again exactly as it was done.

NO RECORDED RESPONSE

Madison

Q1) Yes, I think sociology is scientific.  It think it is because a sociologist must collect data methodically, and uses the data to test hypotheses and draw conclusions, and make observations. Q2) I think a scientific field is one that employs methods like ones I’ve previously described.  The scientific method can be used in all sciences – social and hard sciences.  Q3) The absence of using data and knowledge to form theories and empirical conclusions or to conduct experiments.

NO RECORDED RESPONSE

Ronald

Q1) No.  While sociology uses facts as a springboard for thought and research, it is concerned with human practices which cannot really be predicted.  Q2) To be able to prove and/or disprove its theories and get the same result every time.  Q3) The unpredictability involved in studying society.  Lack of conclusive, rock solid data – a scientific field must constantly evolve, however, it does so through physical research, not through intellectual inquiry.  While both methods are important, they are not the same thing.

“I don’t know.  There is definitely scientific method, but it’s being used to… but that’s still… I still have my doubts.”

Patricia

Q1) I do think that sociology is scientific (from my minimal understanding, Sociology is how people interact in social situations).  It can be observed, studied, researched.  Hypotheses can be developed and proved, and it is similar to the science of psychology.  It does change over time, though, unlike other sciences.  Q2) Something that can be studied in-depth using research, experiments, observations, tests, etc. There are two kinds of science to me: math science, social science.  Q3)  History can be studied, but it is not a science because it is evaluating what happened and predicting what will happen.  English/languages are not scientific because as communication devices, their form is studied but not tested or experimented on.  Math, physics, chemistry are all sciences using formulas and equations while psychology, anthropology and sociology study people.

“Well, one thing I noticed was that a lot of my data was from surveys, and like, the thing is, once I read that this many teens smoke pot, but [to] get that information they would have to survey asking do you smoke pot, but then there might have been kids who don’t admit [it] or kids who almost tried it and feel that counts and it’s not exact.”

Susan

Q1) Yes.  The impression I have of sociology is that it is not based on one’s personal interpretation or opinion, like many humanities subjects.  Rather, it seems to be a detailed study of facts, statistics and history.  Also, it ends in “-ology” which to me implies science.  Q2)  An emphasis on fact and research rather than interpretation and opinion as well as the utilization of the scientific method.  Q3) When one’s thoughts are based more on one’s own subjective experiences than a compilation of objective observations over the course of time.

NO RECORDED RESPONSE

Before Game – Q1) Looking at this table [of income data], why do you think different households receive different amounts of income?  Q2)   What affects what people in different occupations, or with different amounts of education, skill, and years of experience are paid? (written responses)

After game – 1) “Ok.  So thinking back to why households have different incomes, Would you add anything to your answers to Question 1?” 2)  “People with money have more voice, right?  How do they have more voice?”

Jordan

1)-Number of people in the households bringing in income.

-Level of education of each person bringing in income.

-Job rates/minimum wage enforced by government if applicable

-Welfare received, lack of motivation

-Inherent wealth, lack of motivation

2)  Years of education and pay   -to enter fields at younger age, degrees are the primary factor, so they are in jobs longer

-Older people (illegible) working to higher paying jobs after climbing up ladder

-References help

-Already have basic skills, companies don’t have to train.

1) “Sales tax—poor people spend a larger share of their income on household goods, so they’re actually paying relatively more in taxes than the rich.  We learned this in my economics class.”

Patricia

1) Single parent families would earn less income because only one person is working, families with a stay-at-home parent would earn less income.  Families with two or more people contributing to income would earn more money.   2)  What factors affect years of education and pay etc. Necessity-- computer and technical jobs are important right now, government jobs, healthcare jobs are essential to working society.  Benefits, holidays, health insurance.

1)  “Or there is luck like, when you have a house fire and can’t afford insurance to begin with, your roof leaks or something like that, or a child gets sick or something like that  And jail too.”  “Well, if you’ve ever watched cops, it’s always lower class people, so it’s like, certain people are more predisposed to go to jail.  Like they’re more at risk for it, it is just very realistic.”  “Another is just buying stuff versus saving your money.  Cause maybe I wouldn’t have gone bankrupt [Thinks for a second] Well, actually I still would’ve gone bankrupt cause I didn’t spend that much on my two properties.  I don’t know if you…. It’s a way of [earning] income, but if nobody lands on it, it’s not really helping you.  Like the passing Go to put money in, I could never afford to put money in, so I had no chance of winning.”  2)  “(regarding generous Class 1 player) I was thinking about that and when she gave us money, it was just enough to get by, but not enough to improve our status, like, we were never going to beat her in the game so she could just throw her money at us, and she still went around the board.  Like, she probably did it so we would land on her property.”

Maria

1)Whether there are single or multi-person homes; whether both work; kind of work they’re doing; age; years of school 2) experience often plays a part – better at job [Company] would want you more pays you more

Age family status may also have effect b/c/ w/ increased factors need a higher paying job

Jobs that people feel more important or don’t understand often willing to pay more.

1)  2)  “I feel like if you have more money or job stability to take time off to go talk to your representative in your state and get them to change their view.”

Madison

1)  I think it mostly depends on an individual’s job which is limited to the amount and quality of education one has.  Also whether it is a dual or single income household.  Also, luck.  2)  A person with more education, such as one or multiple degrees or learned marketable skills, often makes more money because they have spent money and time to achieve skills that employers find desirable.  In other words employers buy these skills we buy from places of learning.  I also believe personal connections play a large part in finding a desirable job.

1)  “How much you start out with.  Like, I know it’s just a game, but if you’re lucky, you’re lucky, like we landed on Free Parking once and won the lottery.  Luck really does play a role.  You were saying before, you can know someone and get a great job, while someone can have all the same qualifications and never even know this job had existed.  So, I think it has a lot to do with it.”  2)  “They can afford to make their voices heard.  Money buys everything.  It buys advertising, policy, power.  It buys people, it pays people off.  Nobody at this table would say that our government is not corrupt to the point where you can buy people off.  So if you have enough money you can make things happen.”

Jeff

1)  Single parent-family, lack of bachelor degree, inheritance, and larger families may lend a helping hand to each other.  2)  Medical professions are paid more because they are seen as heroic, jobs that require mental labor over physical labor are seen as more virtuous.  White collar vs. blue collar.

1)  I also feel that if she [Jordan] got sent to jail, she could just easily pay her way out.