Sociology

 Describe situations from your life where you have encountered role strain and role conflict. Be sure to clearly distinguish between the two concepts.
 – Clearly state Ritzer’s thesis of the McDonaldization of our society. Be sure to also list and discuss all four goals of McDonaldization and provide concrete examples of each goal that is not part of the fast-food industry. How will the principles of McDonaldization affect our society’s members in the future? What are the pros and cons of McDonaldization in our society? When discussing the cons be sure to incorporate Weber’s concern of the power of formal organizations. 
– Describe the research of Stanley Milgram and explain its contributions to our understanding of obedience to authority. If Milgram’s experiment were conducted on adults in the United States today, do you think that the findings would be similar to those in Milgram’s original study? Why or why not? Be sure to support your position by stating a relatively recent example to support your contention. Furthermore, discuss how sociology helps us understand Milgram’s findings.
 – Describe the labeling theory of deviance (be sure to list and discuss all three stages). What is it about the labeling approach that makes it sociological? Lastly, discuss what type of public policy labeling theory would advocate in order to reduce the drug use problem in the United States. 
– Sociologists use two levels of analysis (i.e., macro- and micro-level). List the two levels and discuss each one’s focus. Which theoretical perspectives (functionalist, conflict, and symbolic interactionist perspectives) tend to use macro-level analysis, and which tend to use micro-level analysis? Describe how sociologists would examine the phenomenon of homelessness in the United States using first one level and then the other. Finally, be sure to discuss two causes of homelessness that would be considered macro-level causes, and two causes of homelessness that would be considered micro-level causes. 
– In what ways are conflict theory and Merton’s strain theory similar in explaining criminal behavior? How do they differ in explaining criminal behavior? (Be sure to elaborate on your response.) In your essay, also list and discuss with some detail the five adaptations that are part of strain theory.