Exam 10: Class and Inequality

The water crisis in Flint, Michigan, is an example of how:

Egalitarian societies depend on sharing which of the following in order to ensure group success?

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

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. What are Carmen's parents attempting to help her acquire?

Compare the water crises of the poor urban settlers in Mumbai, India, and the residents of Flint, Michigan.

Of all the systems of stratification and power in a society, which of the following is often considered the most difficult to see clearly and to discuss openly?

What is a significant defining characteristic of a ranked society?

In Mumbai, how do people without permanent, legally-recognized residences gain access to water?

Mr. Turner owns a nuclear power plant that sells electricity to the residents of Springville. He is a member of the:

The advent of intensive agriculture as a primary means of subsistence signaled a change in what aspect of human social structures?

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?

Leith Mullings's work using intersectionality emerges out of a long history of anthropological fieldwork. What characterizes this variety of fieldwork?

When the Kwakiutl of the Pacific Northwest perform a potlatch, there may be times when the excess of gifts is actually destroyed rather than given away. Why is this done?

The potlatch is a ceremony of Kwakiutl people of the Pacific Northwest that serves both practical and ceremonial functions, in that it redistributes resources for the benefit of the group and it establishes the chief's social status and prestige by displaying his capacity for generosity. Give two examples of similar gift-giving practices in your own society. What is the function of gift giving in these examples -how does it benefit the giver, the receiver, and the social group generally? What would happen if an individual did not give a gift? What influences may be changing these gift-giving practices? Do you think they will continue in the future?

Hydraulic citizenship is:

Since the mid-1970s, how has class inequality in the United States changed?

Karl Marx, Max Weber, Pierre Bourdieu, and Leith Mullings are four theorists who have examined class as a system of social stratification. Which of the four approaches do you find the most effective tool for examining class in society today? Briefly describe the approach and compare it to the other approaches. Why is this one more convincing? Given the increasingly global nature of our societies and economies, do you believe this approach will continue to be useful in examining class systems in future societies? Or, will additional approaches will be needed to more fully examine class systems in the future? Explain,

Toma is a Ju/Huansi, who grew up in a hunter-gatherer society. He tells you about a successful hunt he went on as a young man during which he killed an animal large enough to supply many meals. When he returned home, he most likely:

Which society is based on the sharing of resources to ensure group success and has relatively low hierarchy and violence?

Economists report that the income and wealth gaps in the United States are widening. What is the difference between income and wealth? Can an individual have high income but little wealth? What are some explanations for the income and wealth disparities that exist in the United States today? Why are the U.S. income and wealth gaps widening despite economic globalization and access to educational opportunities? How do income and wealth affect one's social mobility? How do other systems of social stratification affect an individual's income and wealth??