In Chapter 9 of Theories of Social Order, Cohen and Vandello describe the meanings of violence in the southern and northern United States that can be explained by theories of shared meaning. a) Summarize some different aspects
SOC 237: Classical Sociological Theory
TAKE HOME FINAL EXAM
DUE: Tuesday, May 26, 2026
Upload your paper to the link on our Brightspace site by 11:59PM on the due date. Please do not post it as an attachment.
CHOOSE ONLY TWO of the following questions to answer. Answer each question in a separate essay but please only upload one document/file:
1. In Chapter 9 of Theories of Social Order, Cohen and Vandello describe the meanings of violence in the southern and northern United States that can be explained by theories of shared meaning.
a) Summarize some different aspects of their analysis, e.g. institutions and the law, the “frontier south” and its culture of honor, survey and experimental evidence, rituals for aggression and resolving conflict. What is it about? Who are the actors? What is the historical context?
b) Explain how theories of shared meaning account for the social order of the south as different from the north United States.
c) Choose two additional theoretical perspectives (e.g. Hierarchies and Power, Markets, Groups, Networks) from the five we have considered in this course to explain how they might also account for the social order of the US South. Explain the theories thoroughly with supporting detail and quotations from the theorists/authors from which we read. (Use the summary table and your reading journal to help you.)
2. In Chapter 13 of Theories of Social Order, Paul Willis describes a case called “Learning to Labor” that can be explained by theories of hierarchies and power.
a) Summarize the case. What is it about? Who are the actors? What is the historical context?b) Explain how theories of hierarchies and power account for the social order of the Hammertown School and the factories where the fathers of the “lads” work.
c) Choose two additional theoretical perspectives (e.g. Individuals and Shared Meaning, Markets, Groups, Networks) from the five we have considered in this course to explain how they might also account for the social order of the lads and their world. Explain the theories thoroughly with supporting detail and quotations from the theorists/authors from which we read. (Use the summary table and your reading journal to help you.)
3. In Chapter 18 of Theories of Social Order, Robert Axelrod describes a case called “The Live and Let Live System of Trench Warfare in WWI” that can be explained by theories of markets and spontaneous order.
a) Summarize the case. What is it about? Who are the actors? What is the historical context?
b) Explain how the theoretical perspective of markets or spontaneous order according to Adam Smith explains how the soldiers fighting on the front line during WWI resisted committing warfare on each other.
c) Choose two additional theoretical perspectives (e.g. Individuals and Shared Meaning, Hierarchies and Power, Groups, Networks) from the five we have considered in this course to explain how they might also account for the social order of trench warfare on the front line. Explain the theories thoroughly with supporting detail and quotations from the theorists/ authors from which we read. (Use the summary table and your reading journal to help you.)
4. In Chapter 31, Max Gluckman describes the social order of Nuer society in “The Peace in the Feud” that can be explained by theories of social networks.
a) Summarize the case. What is it about? Who are the actors? What is the historical context?
b) Explain how theories of networks account for the social order or lack of formal government in Nuer society using Simmel’s and Granovetter’s work.
c) Choose two additional theoretical perspectives (e.g. Individuals and Shared Meaning; Hierarchies and Power; Markets; Groups) from the five we have considered in this course to explain how they might also account for the social order of Nuer society. Explain the theories thoroughly with supporting detail and quotations from the theorists/authors from which we read. (Use the summary table and your reading journal to help you.)
For each essay, be as clear and specific as possible. Be careful to consider those theoretical perspectives and theorists that you think are most relevant to your analysis. Each essay should be about 4-5 pages double-spaced, typewritten pages (using typical 12-point font and 1” margins).
Important: Provide a bibliography at the end of each essay and cite your sources correctly in the text of your paper. If you use any external sources (sources we did not read in class; this is not required but you may wish to do so), you must also cite those in the body of your paper and in the bibliography. If you use AI, you must also include a note on how you used
AI.
How to Cite: In-text citations, bibliographic references, and AI
Citation extensions and apps (Choose APA style/format)
Purdue Owl
Quillbot
Citation Machine
MyBib
Zotero
Grammarly
GoogleDocs
Scribbr
How to cite a chapter in a book
In your bibliography:
Smith, A. [1776] (2008). “The Division of Labor” in Hechter, M. And C.
Horne, eds. Theories of Social Order: A Reader, 2d edition, pp. 166-174.
In-text citation when you are quoting:
Adam Smith argues our self-interest guides cooperation and that we cooperate with each other because we need to exchange one thing for another. He states this famously as: “It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own self-interest” (Smith [1776] (2008), p. 172).
In-text citation, if you are not quoting:
Smith [1776] (2009) argues that markets are the basis of social order because…
Citing AI:
For more information on APA style and AI tools see: https:// apastyle.apa.org/blog/how-to-cite-chatgpt Always ask for help when you are unsure.
Good luck!
