UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS: 2017/2018
EXAMINATION FOR THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF APPLIED
COMPUTING
BAC 2508 SOCIOLOGY
FULL TIME/PART TIME
DATE: DECEMBER, 2017 TIME: 2 HOURS
INSTRUCTIONS: Answer Question One & ANY OTHER TWO questions.
QUESTION ONE
CASE STUDY: A “NATURAL MOTHER”
Some parents who have not read the experts on child care and development seem to arrive at
many of the same insights and conclusions on their own. While studies have shown that not
all women are “natural mothers,” other studies have revealed the excellent psychological
knowledge that some parents seem to acquire through love and intuition. For instance,
researcher Fred Davis studied fourteen families in which children had been afflicted by polio.
In these families, the need for understanding care and special teaching was far greater than
normally required.
Six-year-old Laura Paulus was badly crippled. Of the children, Davis studied, she was the
most severely handicapped. Mrs. Paulus did not attempt to deny her daughter’s handicap, but
she did do everything in her power to help Laura follow a path of “normalization.” She
enrolled Laura in her former school and decided for her classmates to help her get on and off
the bus. She also encouraged Laura to play with her old friends even though she could not
keep up with all their activities.
Mrs. Paulus believed that if Laura did not learn normal roles as child, she would never be an
independent person. She realized that if Laura’s daily interactions had been with people who
defined her as a victim, crippled and unable to cope, she would have begun to see herself in
that light. And she was determined to instil in her daughter a view of herself as a competent
person who need not feel inferior,
Therefore, Mrs. Paulus made sure that Laura’s contacts and activities with others would
maintain her self-image as someone who accepted and who could continue family
relationships, friendships and schooling. She tried to ensure that her daughter’s self-concept
would reflect the positive images of parents, peers, neighbours, and teachers. Mrs. Paulus
acted on the belief that learning ins cumulative-that one stage builds on another. And she
reinforced the crucial belief that people could be trusted and relied on to lend a helping hand
and Laura as an equal.
Questions.
i) Describe how the theories Psychologist Charles Cooley and Maslow’s hierarch of
needs coincide with mrs. Paulu’s decisions on how to meet Laura’s needs.
(10Marks) the student should be able to explain the key variables in each
theory relate to the case study.
ii) What is good parenting? (4Marks)
iii) Explain the limiting factors to becoming a good parent. (8Marks).
iv) Discuss how your society treat the disabled.
(6Marks)
v) What is the most striking thing that you have learnt in this class?
(2Marks)
QUESTION TWO
a) Give formal definition of sociology as a science. By use of examples, illustrate how
you can apply sociological knowledge to understand the social world.
(10Marks)
b) What is social stratification? What are the major forms of inequality you are aware of
in society? (10Marks)
QUESTION THREE
a) After the release of the 2011 examination results for the Kenya Certificate of Primary
Education (KCPE) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE), a number
of the 2011 candidates who were dissatisfied with their results committed suicide.
How would you apply sociology to explain this emerging behaviour in Kenya
society?
(10Marks)
b) Identify six major functions of most modern educational systems. Why are these
functions difficult to carry out?
(8Marks)
c) What is the most important function of schools? (2Marks)
QUESTION FOUR
a) Describe the functions that deviant behaviour performs for society. (10Marks)
b) Explain how crime can be reduced in our country. (10Marks)
QUESTION FIVE
a) What is democracy? Describe the social conditions that are important to the survival
of democracies.
(10Marks)
b) Is Kenya a democratic nation? Explain your answer. (4Marks)
c) Describe the functions of culture. (6Marks)
