Study Guide Test 4

This study guide covers Chapters 8 and 12 and pages the section on education in Chapter in Macionis. Your fourth test covers material not included in this study guide (e.g., Amazing Grace). You are responsible for this other material.

Chapter 8

1. How did class influence who lived or died on the Titanic? Define social stratification. What are the four fundamental principles associated with social stratification? What is a closed an open class system? Describe the caste system found in India. Give another example of a society that had a caste system. Define status consistency. Does England have more social mobility than the United States? Was the former Soviet Union consistent with Marx's vision of a classless society? What caused the former Soviet Union to experience a larger degree of social mobility than experienced by the US?

What causes people to believe that inequality is "fair?" Outline and criticize the functional theory of stratification. Outline Karl Marx's theory of class and class conflict. Criticize Marx's theory of the demise of capitalism. Why hasn't the US experienced a Marxist revolution? Describe the three distinct dimensions of the social stratification system according to Max Weber. What does one's SES mean? Why have most Marxist revolutions occurred in agrarian societies? Outline the economic disparities that exist within the US. Where do college professors rank on the occupational prestige scale? What percent of wealthy families inherited their position? How much does an Afro-American intact family make in comparison to the same family for whites? Approximately what percent of people belong to the four broad class categories? Describe how class makes a difference in your life. What are inter and intragenerational mobility and horizontal mobility? Discuss the four general conclusions about mobility. On average, in 1995, how much do women earn in comparison to men? Why has the earnings gap between men and women narrowed since the 1980s? Describe the different trends that characterize the period of income stagnation the United States has experienced since the 1970s. What does it mean that we have moved from a manufacturing to a service based economy? What is the difference between absolute and relative poverty? What is leading cause of death among the youngest members of our society? What percent of children under the age of eighteen live in poverty? What gender and race are most poor people? What is the feminization of poverty? What does "blaming the victim" mean in relation to why there is poverty in the US? Is poverty primarily caused because people are "lazy, etc." or because of lack of opportunities? Discuss some societal factors that are causing homelessness. What are some hidden injuries of class?

Chapter 12

What is the economy and what is the difference between goods and services? What are four consequences of the agricultural revolution? Describe the five changes introduced by the industrial revolution. What marks the postindustrial economy? Which sector of the economy has grown the most during the information revolution? What are the four main consequences of the global economy? What are the three distinctive features of capitalism? Who is this nation's biggest employer? What are the basic tenets of socialism? What form of economic policies does Sweden and Italy have? Compare the relative advantages and disadvantages of capitalism and socialism. Why did some eastern European countries reject socialism in the late 1980s? What percent of the population principally derives their income from agricultural production? In Denmark and Sweden, what percent of the workforce is unionized? What defines a "professional occupation?" Has self-employment increased or decreased? What are t he unemployment rates for men/women and for blacks/whites? Which is the fastest growing ethnic group in the workplace? How have computers transformed the workplace? What is the largest corporation in the US? Why do companies form conglomerates? What are a monopoly and an oligopoly? Do multinationals create more wealth in dependent societies? Define politics, power, authority, government, democracy, authoritarianism, the military-industrial complex, and totalitarianism. Which form of authority operates in postindustrial economies? According to Weber, the song "Cult of Personality" would fit into what form of authority? What do socialist countries emphasize? Which political party in the US is more conservative? Which minority voted Republican in 1996? What is a political action committee (PAC)? Why don't people vote? Compare and contrast the pluralist model and the power-elite model. Why do revolutions occur? What are some insights about terrorism? What is the largest government expenditure in the US?  What are the arguments for allowing gays to serve in the military? How can governments promote peace?

Chapter 13 section on education

What do all poor societies have in common? What percent of adults have a high school education in the US? How do we compare in terms of higher education to other industrial countries? How does schooling promote social stab ility according to the structure-functionalists? How does schooling promote social inequality according to conflict theorists? Why do students attending private schools perform better than public-school students? What did the Coleman report find? Why don' t minorities enroll in college at the same rate as whites? What does "schooling transforms social privilege into personal merit" mean? Can schools prevent violence within their boundaries? How do schools contribute to student passivity? Why do you refuse to help me make our class discussions more interesting? Why do people drop out of high school? What recommendations do the report A Nation at Risk make to improve schooling? What is the argument behind school vouchers? What is inclusive education? What percent of students now are aged twenty-five and older?