Soc. 101 - Social Problems
C. McGehee, Instructor
STUDY GUIDE WEEK 6
What is a family? Discuss the difficulties in defining what a family is?
Compare and contrast "friends" and "relatives."
What are the key functions the family has performed in society historically?
What practical problems has the family had to solve historically? Which does it
still have today?
Compare and contrast "extended family" with "nuclear family"? Which is more
characteristic of cottage industry? Which of the factory system?
Discuss the effects of industrialization on the relationship between male and
female roles and men and women as individuals.
What does the expression "Blood is thicker than water" imply?
What does the term "serial polygamy" refer to?
What was "the law of primogenitor"? What practical problems did it solve?
What were the historical functions of laws against illegitimacy, incest, bigamy,
and adultery?
Discuss the practical relationship between traditional values of pre-marital
chastity, marital fidelity, and "missionary" sexual practice, and the incidence of
sexually transmitted diseases.
What does the ordinary language idea of "saddled with" imply as discussed in class?
What is a "zero-sum" game? What is the difference between "antagonistic competition"
and "non-antagonistic" competition?
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