Sociological

Questions

Soc. 100-001, Ana Mallen

Dayna Schambach

• How has the media (i.e. reality shows, hip-hop, rap, and celebrities) influenced the way teenagers interact with peers of the opposite sex?

• Would the way adolescents act in America correlate to any other teenage culture in the world?

• What does the consistent innovations of apple say about the relationship between American citizens and the so called “American dream”?

• How has the more “technologically advanced” image of apple influenced how modern society perceives success in America?

• How has the use of candles in America from traditional society to modern society affected the way Americans value electricity?

• Does the use of the candles over any other form of light, aside from religious institutions, symbolize more than just “light” in today’s society?

• Does the option (rather than enforcement) of recycling say anything about the way Americans value our natural resources?

• Has the deforestation in our most lush regions of the country effected the way citizens view environmental issues in America compared to how they viewed them in traditional society?

• Have magazines, such as “Vogue” shown above, made women and teens in American society more likely to care about body image and sex appeal compared to women in other cultures and society’s around the world, such as India or China?

• Has the increase in television shows, which put much emphasis on promoting a hot body image and sex appeal (such as “America’s top Model,” or “Janice Dickinson’s Modeling Agency”) had any affect on the rate of eating disorders among teens in American society?

• How have fast food restaurants, such as McDonald’s, correlated to the increase in childhood obesity in American society?

• Has the increased awareness of obesity in America prompted U.S. citizens to start eating healthier, or be more physically active?

• Why is it that in American society more and more individuals are resulting to text messaging, or instant messaging, as a form of communication, rather than talking on the phone?

• Does this increased amount of text messagers in today’s society say anything about how Americans rely on instant gratification?

• What was it in American society that gave women an opportunity to go from “housewife” to “working woman” from the sixties up until the eighties, ninety’s, and now?

• How has this transformation affected the role men now play in modern society?

Then Now

• How has the invention of the TV had an effect on the way American society relaxes, or entertains?

• Does the amount of TV watched by children in today’s society correlate to the increased obesity rates among children?

• What does the large variety of religions in the United States say about the individualism of American society?

• Is it all areas of the United States that have this individual freedom, or are there certain patterns that are restricted to have this individualism due to their political or social “rank”?