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Study Guide for Test 3

[Revised:  August 1, 2007]

 

Social Class

1. What are Life Chances?

1. What is social stratification?

2. What is a social class? What is a classless society?

3. What is a caste system?

  • Endogamy
  • Ritual pollution.

4. Describe stratification from a functionalist view. Give three points.

5. Describe Stratification from a conflict perspective.

  • How is the poverty line determined?

6. Describe the syntheses between the functionalist and conflict perspectives on class.

7. Discuss the three kinds of social mobility.

  • Intergenerational
  • Exchange
  • Structural

8. What is a social class from the perspective of Karl Marx?

  • What are the two primary classes according to Marx?
  • What are contradictory class locations.

9. Distinguish between three methods for determining social class:

  • Objective
  • Subjective
  • Reputational

10. Discuss the assets that are controlled by the rich.

11. Describe the two components of wealth: Income and Assets.

12. What is power?

13. What is prestige?

14. What is false consciousness?

15. What is class consciousness?

16. From Data Project #2:

  • What is meant by standardized dollars?
  • Which border County had the lowest per capita income in year = 2000?
  • Which border County had the highest unemployment rate in year = 2000?
  • Which border County had the poverty rate in year = 2000?

17. The notes provide a six-tiered system of stratification of American culture.

  • Discuss the upper class (top 1%) in terms of how they earn their wealth and the kind of work they perform.
  • Discuss the upper middle class (10%) in terms of how they earn their wealth and the kind of work they perform.
  • Discuss the middle class (30%) in terms of how they earn their wealth and the kind of work they perform.
  • Discuss the working class (40%) in terms of how they earn their wealth and the kind of work they perform.
  • Discuss the lower class (20%) in terms of how they earn their wealth and the kind of work they perform.

 

Majority / Minority Relations

1. What is a race?

2. Discuss race as a social creation.

3. What is an ethnic group?

4. What is a minority group?

5. What is racism?

6. Discuss colonialism as the primary cause of racism.

7. Why do minorities continue in society? (List four reasons)

8. What is amalgamation

9. What is assimilation

10. What is pluralism (salad-bowl theory)

11. What is the relationship between prejudice and discrimination? There are four possible combinations. List them and explain them.

12. What is an authoritarian personality and how does it develop?

13. What is a scapegoat?

14. How are women like other minorities? (Provide three points)

15. How are women different than other minorities? (Provide three points)

 

Gender Stratification

1. What is institutional discrimination?

2. What is comparable worth?

3. Three topics were discussed under the topic of differential access. List them.

4. What is the second shift?

5. What is the split-labor market? What are the characteristics of the two segments?

6. What is the glass ceiling?

7. What is pink collar work?

8. What are blocked opportunities?

9. What are old boy networks?

10. The last section of the material on gender stratification discusses inequality within the family. Provide a few basic points from this section.

11. What is patriarchy?

12. What is the difference between sex and gender?

13. What is feminism?

 

Political Sociology -- The State

1. What is traditional authority?

2. What is rational-legal authority?

3. What is charismatic authority?

4. What is the difference between state and government?

5. How do you measure the power of the state?

6. List four reasons why the state is necessary from a functionalist perspective.

7. What is Karl Marx's opinion of the state?

8. What separates traditional conflict theories (e.g., Marx) from neo-conflict theories?

9. What is state autonomy?

10. List four prerequisite for democracy to be successful.

11. What are political parties?

12. Interest groups use two methods to gain influence from politicians. List them and describe them.

13. What are positive and negative points with interests groups?

14. Under the topic of political sociology, what are pluralist models?

15. What is the power elite model?

16. What are interlocking directorates?