Exam 11: Class and Inequality

In a ranked society, what two characteristics are stratified?

The work of anthropologist Leith Mullings has examined the connections between class, race, and gender, which resulted in the development of which useful analytical framework?

A young man decides to take a class about art history, which he has been interested in ever since his parents began taking him to museums when he was a child. He believes that art appreciation and knowledge are good qualities to have. How would Pierre Bourdieu describe this young man's taste for classic art?

Despite overall increased levels of income and wealth in the United States during the past four decades, poverty continues to be a societal issue. According to your textbook, what are two key theories that developed in the social sciences to identify the roots of poverty in the United States? How do these two theories differ and what elements might they have in common? What is meant by poverty as pathology versus poverty as a structural economic problem? Which theory do you find most convincing for identifying the root causes of poverty in the United States, and why? Do you think additional theories are needed to more fully address the underlying causes of poverty in the country and globally? What do you think is the appropriate role of the government in addressing the roots of poverty? What do you think is the appropriate role of the individual in overcoming poverty? Do you think poverty can be eradicated in the future? Why or why not?

What do we call the total value of what someone owns, including stocks, bonds, and real estate, minus any debt?

Why is Karl Marx considered an important theorist in the study of class?

What is significant about Hutterite society in contrast to present-day social structures?

Why is the issue of the water poisoning in Flint, Michigan, referred to as a hydro-social process?

What does recent archaeological evidence suggest about hierarchy, violence, and aggression?

In a populous market town where a small number of merchants and landholders have accumulated wealth, extreme stratification arises. What is the most likely explanation for this?

As a ritual ceremony, the potlatch serves to establish prestige and social status by demonstrating a person's capacity for which of the following?

Class is a topic that is not commonly discussed among most people in the United States, and yet it is a system of stratification that continues to affect peoples' daily lives. How often and in what context do you talk about class issues with family and friends? In what class position would you classify yourself and your family? How do you know what category to use to identify your class position? Does your class position differ from that of your parents or grandparents? Why or why not? Does your class position differ from that of your friends? Why or why not? What types of efforts do you make to increase your social mobility, and do you think the efforts will indeed help you increase your class position at some point in your lifetime? Given what you know about your own class position, why do you think that class is not commonly talked about in U.S. society? What other types of social stratification are more commonly discussed in public, and how might they be drawing attention away from class issues?

According to Marx, why were the proletariat unable to develop a political awareness of their class position while the bourgeoisie were able to do so?

Carmen's parents enroll her in AP Honors French, where the content of the class is more academically demanding than the general French class. They also spend their summer vacation in France and hire a tutor to help Carmen study for the AP Honors French test. Carmen receives high marks and praise from her teachers. What aspect of Pierre Bourdieu's work is exemplified here?

Pierre Bourdieu argued that in addition to a family's economic circumstances, two key factors affect an individual's social mobility within society. What are these two additional key factors, and how do they differ from each other? What are some examples that best illustrate these two key factors? How can these two factors limit one's social mobility? How can these two factors improve one's social mobility? How do you think these two factors affect your own social mobility in society? Are there individuals in societies who are not affected in any way by either of these factors? Please provide at least one example to support your argument.

Why might theorist Pierre Bourdieu have decided to examine his theory of social mobility-the interrelationships between culture, class, and power-in the French school system as opposed to, say, the workplace of adults?

A(n) ________ is a system of stratification most commonly found in India.

What is a significant defining characteristic of a ranked society?

According to anthropologist Setha Low, what is the role of gated communities?

How do systems of class affect an individual's life chances?