Exam 1: Foundations

From The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. DuBois DuBois' classic essay charts the impact of slavery as well as post-slavery treatment on the "souls" or psyche of blacks. He views both as equally pernicious and responsible for ongoing marginality and psychological turbulence. -How does DuBois characterize whites in terms of race relations in the post-emancipation period?

From "The Manifesto of the Communist Party" by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels This piece represents the classic exposition of the growing division between two groups--the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. These groups have antagonistic interests owing to their different positions in the economic means of production that characterizes capitalism. The authors maintain both groups become increasingly polarized from each other as the bourgeoisie progressively own and receive a greater share of economic resources. The proletariat, in contrast, view the bourgeoisie more and more as the enemy who must be opposed as the proletariat progressively experience more exploitation. -What causes the proletariat to rise up and overthrow the bourgeoisie?

From "Some Principles of Stratification" by Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore Davis and Moore offer a classical "functional" account of stratification. In particular, stratification is viewed as functional for the overall good of society. This perspective emphasizes the functional importance of positions, not the individuals who fill them; filling them ensures that all of the jobs necessary for the sustainability of society will be performed. These roles, however, contribute to the functioning of society to different degrees and the rewards attached to them are a product of how important particular roles are. Individuals who perform these roles are seen as motivated to perform them because there is a natural tendency for the abilities and talents of the individual to find the appropriate role in a social structure. -According to the functional theory, stratification is inevitable.

From "Some Principles of Stratification" by Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore Davis and Moore offer a classical "functional" account of stratification. In particular, stratification is viewed as functional for the overall good of society. This perspective emphasizes the functional importance of positions, not the individuals who fill them; filling them ensures that all of the jobs necessary for the sustainability of society will be performed. These roles, however, contribute to the functioning of society to different degrees and the rewards attached to them are a product of how important particular roles are. Individuals who perform these roles are seen as motivated to perform them because there is a natural tendency for the abilities and talents of the individual to find the appropriate role in a social structure. -Which of the following is a characteristic of positions that determines who will fit them? :

From Class Counts by Erik Olin Wright Wright lays out a typology of class that is informed by both Marx and Weber. He is particularly interested in finding a "location" for categories of individuals who are not incorporated in classic Marxian formulations, namely, employees with varying amounts of job authority and skills/expertise as well as categories of individuals not in the labor force. -Why is authority an important dimension of social class?

From "Woman Versus The Indian" by Anna Julia Cooper Cooper discusses the plight of women, maintaining they are proud, significant contributors to American society and they should identify with Indians and blacks who share a similar history of oppression. -Does Cooper believe that women are as discriminated against as blacks and Indians? Why or why not?

From The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. DuBois DuBois' classic essay charts the impact of slavery as well as post-slavery treatment on the "souls" or psyche of blacks. He views both as equally pernicious and responsible for ongoing marginality and psychological turbulence. -According to DuBois, emancipation has served to lessen the "Negro problem."

From "Woman Versus The Indian" by Anna Julia Cooper Cooper discusses the plight of women, maintaining they are proud, significant contributors to American society and they should identify with Indians and blacks who share a similar history of oppression. -According to Cooper, what are women's contributions to American society?