Exam 7: Social Class: the Structure of Inequality

Greg J.Duncan and a team of researchers analyzed the effect of parental income on the academic achievement of children.Given what you have read about socioeconomic status and life chances,what do you think Duncan found?

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Question 1

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What do most Americans claim about their class status?

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Question 2

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According to Max Weber,the traditional source of wealth-owning the means of production-is not the only factor in determining social status.How does Weber conceptualize power and prestige? Why does he argue that power and prestige,in addition to material wealth,are important factors in determining a person's social status?

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Wealth,power,and prestige are interrelated and often come together.But any answer should mention the distinctions among the three as outlined by Weber: wealth is inherited or earned,power is the ability to impose one's will on others,and prestige is a social identity bestowed by others based on a person's membership in some well-regarded group.A good answer will also discuss the role each factor plays in determining a person's social status.Wealth can be,but is not always,a source of prestige because,in certain circles,prestige is tied to where wealth came from and how long it has been held.Also,power can lead to both wealth and prestige.The example outlined in Chapter 7 concerned the executives of big,publicly traded corporations.They do not own companies,but running them is a powerful and therefore prestigious and well-paid position.

Lilly Ledbetter,a supervisor at a Goodyear tire plant,discovered late in her career that she had been paid considerably less than any of the other people in her position.Since she was the only female supervisor,she argued that this was simple discrimination,and,assuming she was right,it shows that her workplace was NOT:

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Question 4

What criteria does a social class system use to stratify its members?

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Question 5

Manohla Dargis called the movie The Pursuit of Happyness "the same old bootstraps story,an American Dream artfully told,skillfully sold.How you respond to this man's moving story may depend on whether you find Mr.Smith's and his son's performances so overwhelmingly winning that you buy the idea that poverty is a function of bad luck and bad choices,and success the result of heroic toil and dreams." What idea is being expressed here?

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Question 6

Some municipalities in the Los Angeles area have zoning rules that prohibit multifamily dwellings and require that all homes be built on lots of a certain size.What is the effect of these policies?

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Question 7

What is wrong with treating Oprah Winfrey as the ultimate symbol of the American Dream?

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Question 8

Americans are particularly lucky to live in a country where hard work and dedication promise to lift the majority of people out of poverty.

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Question 9

According to Karl Marx,what social relations matter most in a capitalist system?

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Question 10

What is the movement called that encourages people to work less,consume less,and generally "downshift" their lifestyles?

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Question 11

Which of the following is a serious flaw in the way the federal government defines poverty?

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Question 12

Although they make very little money,priests,ministers,rabbis,imams,and clergy are often very prestigious members of their communities.Which social theorist first suggested that this is an important element of class status?

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Question 13

Most people describe themselves as belonging to the middle class,but in reality only about 30 percent of Americans are part of the middle class.Describe the typical occupations,lifestyles,and earnings of people from each of the major social classes of the United States.What do sociologists consider to be problematic about these measures?

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Question 14

In House of Yes,a play by Wendy MacLeod,the character Marty brings his fiancée,Lesly,to meet his family.She comes from a different class,which leads to exchanges like this one between Lesly,Marty,and Marty's two siblings,Anthony and Jackie: Anthony: Would you like a glass of Liebfraumilch? Lesly: No thank you.I'll just have a glass of wine. Marty: That's the name of the wine. Lesly: Oh! [laughs] I do not speak french. Jackie: Who does? Anthony: You do. Jackie: Oh,that's right,I do. According to Pierre Bourdieu,Marty's siblings are unhappy with Lesly because she does not have enough:

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Question 15

Which of the following categories of people is most likely to believe in the American Dream?

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Question 16

Given what you have read about socioeconomic status and life chances,what activity is most likely to take the place of a yoga class for a working-class woman?

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Question 17

A social stratification system exists in every society.Discuss the characteristics that all social stratification systems share.

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Question 18

What does Pierre Bourdieu call the tendency of social class to be passed down from one generation to the next and consequently remain relatively stable over time?

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Question 19

Explain two ways in which belonging to a particular social class has a profound effect on almost every aspect of a person's life.

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Question 20

Showing 1 - 20 of 125

Greg J.Duncan and a team of researchers analyzed the effect of parental income on the academic achievement of children.Given what you have read about socioeconomic status and life chances,what do you think Duncan found?

What do most Americans claim about their class status?

What criteria does a social class system use to stratify its members?

Some municipalities in the Los Angeles area have zoning rules that prohibit multifamily dwellings and require that all homes be built on lots of a certain size.What is the effect of these policies?

What is wrong with treating Oprah Winfrey as the ultimate symbol of the American Dream?

Americans are particularly lucky to live in a country where hard work and dedication promise to lift the majority of people out of poverty.

According to Karl Marx,what social relations matter most in a capitalist system?

What is the movement called that encourages people to work less,consume less,and generally "downshift" their lifestyles?

Which of the following is a serious flaw in the way the federal government defines poverty?

Although they make very little money,priests,ministers,rabbis,imams,and clergy are often very prestigious members of their communities.Which social theorist first suggested that this is an important element of class status?

Which of the following categories of people is most likely to believe in the American Dream?

Given what you have read about socioeconomic status and life chances,what activity is most likely to take the place of a yoga class for a working-class woman?

A social stratification system exists in every society.Discuss the characteristics that all social stratification systems share.

What does Pierre Bourdieu call the tendency of social class to be passed down from one generation to the next and consequently remain relatively stable over time?

Explain two ways in which belonging to a particular social class has a profound effect on almost every aspect of a person's life.

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Studying Social Life: Sociological Research Methods

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Separate and Together: Life in Groups

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