Answer the following questions using ONLY your assigned readings. Do not employ other sources or retrieve information from the internet. To do so will be considered plagiarism and subject to disciplinary action. Type using 12” font, black ink, Times Roman if possible. Paginate and begin each question on a new page. Spell check and proof your work. 1. It is argued that we are experiencing the “Age of Mass Incarceration” in the U.S. today. For example, your readings show sentencing (not crime rates) in China are 1/4th the rate of the U.S. and that this is a result of encroaching corporatism and militarism of the State. Explain how your text explains the above as a product of the increasing and inevitable “irrationality of capitalism.” 2. Why are bureaucracies, according to Sociologists, antithetical to democracy? How did their growth, according to Weber and others, affect the demise of capitalism predicted by Marx and others? What does your text argue has been the result? Answer in your own words to the best of your ability. You may use and cite readings and chapters assigned during the course. Learning Resources /Links In this module we explore the differences between philosophical and sociological approaches to the question, "What is the relationship between the individual and society?" In doing so, we summarize the three theoretical frameworks sociologists typically have used to respond to this question. We then review four recent developments that challenge these established perspectives, developments that are explored in greater detail in subsequent modules. Throughout this module, we summarize several terms used in our analysis. The module closes with an overview of the key questions we will consider throughout the semester's readings. Module 1 Read this for an introduction to the principles of macrosociology. Principles of Macrosociology This reading discusses how social scientists analyze religion in terms of what it does for the individual, community, or society. http://www.sociologyguide.com/religion/social-functions-and-dysfunctions-of-religion.php This article talks about the allegation that some clergy are suspected of helping those causing unrest in the Ukraine. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/07/world/europe/evidence-grows-of-russian-orthodox-clergys-aiding-ukraine-rebels.html?_r=0 This chapter discusses how material factors such as population change, technology, division of labor, and the environment give rise to and subsequently affect the course of sociocultural systems.  Chapter 2: Materialism in Macrosociology This article discusses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its history and ethnic relations, architecture, food, economy, and political life. Pay particular attention to the section gender roles and statuses. http://www.everyculture.com/Sa-Th/Saudi-Arabia.html A report that presents labor market and economic opportunities for both men and women. The report touches on significant progress towards gende.

1. Answer the following questions using ONLY your assigned
readings. Do not employ other sources or retrieve information
from the internet. To do so will be considered plagiarism and
subject to disciplinary action.
Type using 12” font, black ink, Times Roman if possible.
Paginate and begin each question on a new page. Spell check
and proof your work.
1. It is argued that we are experiencing the “Age of Mass
Incarceration” in the U.S. today. For example, your readings
show sentencing (not crime rates) in China are 1/4th the rate of
the U.S. and that this is a result of encroaching corporatism and
militarism of the State.
Explain how your text explains the above as a product of the
increasing and inevitable “irrationality of capitalism.”
2. Why are bureaucracies, according to Sociologists, antithetical
to democracy? How did their growth, according to Weber and
others, affect the demise of capitalism predicted by Marx and
others? What does your text argue has been the result?
Answer in your own words to the best of your ability. You may
use and cite readings and chapters assigned during the course.

2. Learning Resources /Links
In this module we explore the differences between philosophical
and sociological approaches to the question, "What is the
relationship between the individual and society?" In doing so,
we summarize the three theoretical frameworks sociologists
typically have used to respond to this question. We then review
four recent developments that challenge these established
perspectives, developments that are explored in greater detail in
subsequent modules.
Throughout this module, we summarize several terms used in
our analysis. The module closes with an overview of the key
questions we will consider throughout the semester's readings.
Module 1
Read this for an introduction to the principles of
macrosociology.
Principles of Macrosociology
This reading discusses how social scientists analyze religion in
terms of what it does for the individual, community, or society.
http://www.sociologyguide.com/religion/social-functions-and-
dysfunctions-of-religion.php
This article talks about the allegation that some clergy are
suspected of helping those causing unrest in the Ukraine.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/07/world/europe/evidence-
grows-of-russian-orthodox-clergys-aiding-ukraine-
rebels.html?_r=0
This chapter discusses how material factors such as population
change, technology, division of labor, and the environment give
rise to and subsequently affect the course of sociocultural
systems.
Chapter 2: Materialism in Macrosociology
This article discusses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its
history and ethnic relations, architecture, food, economy, and
political life. Pay particular attention to the section gender roles

3. and statuses.
http://www.everyculture.com/Sa-Th/Saudi-Arabia.html
A report that presents labor market and economic opportunities
for both men and women. The report touches on significant
progress towards gender equality in education around the world,
but notes persistent inequalities in pay.
http://www.oecd.org/social/50423364.pdf
In this module we present a brief history of modern society and
describe how the development of the modern world has had an
impact on the individual in society. We begin by discussing how
society's movement from small agrarian villages to urban
centers changed the way people interact within society—
especially through their work roles. In our discussion we will
briefly examine how Karl Marx and Max Weber defined this
era, but we'll spend most of our time investigating how modern
systems affect our lives today.
Most of our discussion of modern systems will focus on George
Ritzer's theory of the McDonaldization of society. Ritzer
proposes that the efficient, predictable, calculable, and highly
controlled system for delivering fast food to customers—first
and most notably exhibited in our society by McDonald's
restaurants—has become a system that is now pervasive all
through our lives, from our schooling to our medical care.
Module 2
This chapter covers evolutionary theory in the social sciences.
The author discusses the evolution process and its analogy to
biological and social evolution.
Chapter 3: Evolutionism in the Work of the Founders
An interactive timeline on the Middle East protests of 2011.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2011/mar/22/mid
dle-east-protest-interactive-timeline
This article discusses the political unrest North Africa, Syria,
and Middle East and how has democracy fared against the
support for Islam in these regions.
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/138479/sheri-

4. berman/the-promise-of-the-arab-spring
In this module we introduce the concept of postmodernism and
describe how postmodern society developed from modern
society. We'll explore how postmodern society has challenged
modern, rational systems and the impact these challenges have
had on the individual in society. We'll specifically look at how
the postmodern definition of "what is truth" differs from the
modern view and how this led to the development of new
sociological theory, such as social constructivism, to explain
how individuals interact with their world. We will also learn
about how sociologists define and study social movements,
applying this study to two major social movements of the
twentieth century: the American civil rights movement and the
women's movement.
Module 3
This chapter covers contemporary social evolutionary theory, in
particular the contributions of Gerhard Lenski, Jared Diamond,
and Elizabeth Eisenstein.
Chapter 4: Contemporary Social Evolution
This article discusses the declining birth rate of women
throughout most the world and the sociological and
demographic implications.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/05/opinion/sunday/bye-bye-
baby.html?_r=0
A series of articles on the ranking of US students compared to
the world, based on the PISA exam. The first two articles have
opposing interpretations of US test scores. The third shows
where the US compares to the world in education, and the last
one shows how educational rankings relate to economic
performance of nations.
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/education/2010-12-07-us-
students-international-ranking_N.htm
http://news.stanford.edu/news/2013/january/test-scores-ranking-
011513.html
http://www.oecd.org/pisa/keyfindings/PISA-2012-results-
snapshot-Volume-I-ENG.pdf

5. http://www.oecd.org/pisa/46643496.pdf
This article discusses how the US students lag around the
average on the Program for International Student Assessment
(PISA) test of science, math, and reading.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/us-students-
lag-around-average-on-international-science-math-and-reading-
test/2013/12/02/2e510f26-5b92-11e3-a49b-
90a0e156254b_story.html
A podcast by Diane Rehm on a book by Amanda Ripley, The
Smartest Kids In the World, where the author follows three
American kids who study abroad.
http://thedianerehmshow.org/audio/#/shows/2013-08-
19/amanda-ripley-smartest-kids-world/@00:00
This chapter examines the characteristics, causes, and
consequences of bureaucratic organization.
Chapter 5: Bureaucratization
This Oxford Dictionary of Sociology article discusses
McDonaldization, through which the principles of the fast-food
restaurant are dominating modern societies, causing them to
become increasingly standardized, predictable, and uniform.
http://ezproxy.umuc.edu/login?url=http://www.oxfordreference.
com.ezproxy.umuc.edu/view/10.1093/acref/9780199533008.001.
0001/acref-9780199533008-e-1311
This article discusses a report ranking India’s bureaucratic
system as one of the most stifling in the world.
http://www.bbc.com/news/10227680
This paper discusses issues facing developing countries on how
bureaucratic performance can be improved and how it relates to
development outcomes.
http://www.odi.org/sites/odi.org.uk/files/odi-
assets/publications-opinion-files/4104.pdf
In this module, we focus on the evolution of the global and
virtual (Web-based) societies of the twenty-first century. We
begin by defining globalization—what it is and how it has
developed through the increased sophistication of
telecommunications and large, international financial systems.

6. We then explore the individual's role in global society, and how
roles in poor societies differ from those in rich societies. For
example, we'll explore how the physical distance between these
societies affects individuals' feelings of responsibility and
involvement.
We will then investigate a new and growing society that is
essentially built on physical distance—the virtual society of the
Internet. In our explorations we consider two important
questions: How do we interact as individuals in a Web-based
society, and how can our knowledge of sociology help us to
understand this world better?
Module 4
This chapter covers the origins, expansion, “crisis,” and
contradictions of capitalism.
Chapter 6: Capital
A video by Thomas Piketty discussing his formula for economic
inequality, an existing, worsening condition with radical
possible impacts.
http://www.ted.com/talks/thomas_piketty_new_thoughts_on_cap
ital_in_the_twenty_first_century?language=en
A list of reviews of Thomas Piketty’s New Thoughts on Capital
in the Twenty-First Century video.
http://equitablegrowth.org/2014/03/25/dialogue-ten-so-far-
worthwhile-reviews-of-and-reflections-on-thomas-pikettys-
capital-in-the-twenty-first-century-wednesday-focus-march-26-
2014/
This article discusses the skepticism over free trade and the
results for American workers.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/04/opinion/sunday/our-
misplaced-faith-in-free-
trade.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3As%2C%7B
%221%22%3A%22RI%3A8%22%7D&_r=0
This chapter covers the “origin of the state as well as the
modern state's relation to capital, military power, and the
prospects of democracy.”
Chapter 7: The State

7. This article discusses how tribalism evolved into nation
statehood, but the modern nation state has declined because of
technology and competing tribal interests.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-reich/the-new-tribalism-
and-the_b_5020469.html
This article discusses the protests taking place in Hong Kong by
young people who identify themselves with the culture of Hong
Kong, but not that of China, causing tensions with the Chinese
government.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/08/world/asia/hong-kong-
people-looking-in-mirror-see-fading-chinese-
identity.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar%2C%7
B%221%22%3A%22RI%3A6%22%7D&_r=0
This chapter explores the impact of "human nature" on society
as well as the relationship of increased bureaucracy to irrational
behavior.
Chapter 8: Rationalization
This chapter “constitutes a materialist’s summary of the overall
structure and dynamics of sociocultural systems.”
Chapter 9: The System
This article discusses the US problem with imprisonment and
incarceration and how US rates compare to those of other
nations.
http://www.nccdglobal.org/sites/default/files/publication_pdf/fa
ctsheet-us-incarceration.pdf
This report focuses on the privatization of prison
internationally, including the extent, the countries covered, and
the concerns by each country.
http://sentencingproject.org/doc/publications/inc_International
%20Growth%20Trends%20in%20Prison%20Privatization.pdf
This article discusses the growing alarm over the numbers of
suicides by Native American teenagers.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/the-
hard-lives--and-high-suicide-rate--of-native-american-
children/2014/03/09/6e0ad9b2-9f03-11e3-b8d8-
94577ff66b28_story.html

8. An article discussing the rise of suicide rates among middle-
aged Americans in the last decade, likely due to economic
worry.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/03/health/suicide-rate-rises-
sharply-in-us.html?_r=0
A report from the CDC on the increasing public health concern
about the number of suicides among adults 35–64.
Suicide Among Adults Aged 35–64 Years—United States, 1999-
2010
This paper shows the theoretical and empirical link between
individual culture and growth and innovation.
http://eml.berkeley.edu/~groland/pubs/IEA%20papervf.pdf