Deck 3: Today: Remaking Race and Ethnicity

Question 1

You are likely familiar with the phrase "children are our future." With this context, why do you think it is important to understand how children's ideas about race and ethnicity develop?

Answer 1

Understanding how children's ideas about race and ethnicity develop is important because it directly impacts the future of our society. Children are the future leaders, decision-makers, and influencers, and their understanding of race and ethnicity will shape how they interact with others, how they contribute to creating an inclusive and equitable society, and how they address issues of discrimination and prejudice. By understanding the development of children's ideas about race and ethnicity, we can work towards creating educational and social environments that promote empathy, understanding, and respect for diversity. This understanding can also help us identify and address any biases or misconceptions that children may have, ultimately working towards creating a more just and equitable future for all.

Question 2

Think of an ascribed role that applies to you. How has this impacted your life? How would your life be different if a different role had been ascribed to you?

Answer 2

An ascribed role that applies to me is being the eldest child in my family. This has impacted my life in various ways. Firstly, I have always felt a sense of responsibility towards my younger siblings. I have often had to set an example for them and take on a leadership role in guiding and supporting them. This has taught me important life skills such as patience, empathy, and the ability to prioritize others' needs over my own.

Additionally, being the eldest child has also meant that there are certain expectations placed on me by my parents and extended family. I have often felt pressure to succeed and be a role model for my siblings, which has motivated me to work hard and strive for excellence in all areas of my life.

If a different role had been ascribed to me, such as being the youngest child or the only child, my life would likely be very different. As the youngest child, I may have had less pressure and responsibility placed on me, allowing me to focus more on my own personal growth and development. As an only child, I may have had more independence and freedom, but also potentially felt a sense of loneliness without siblings to share experiences with.

Overall, being the eldest child has shaped my identity and influenced the way I navigate the world. It has taught me valuable lessons and skills, but I also recognize that a different ascribed role would have led to a different set of experiences and challenges.

Question 3

Social scientists offer various explanations of the process of assimilation. Describe the differences between these approaches and explain which explanation you find most compelling. Why?

Answer 3

The process of assimilation, or the integration of minority groups into the dominant culture, has been a topic of interest for social scientists for many years. There are several different approaches to explaining this process, each with its own perspective and emphasis.

One approach to assimilation is the cultural assimilation model, which focuses on the adoption of the dominant culture's customs, values, and language by minority groups. This approach emphasizes the importance of cultural integration and the erosion of distinct cultural identities.

Another approach is the structural assimilation model, which emphasizes the integration of minority groups into the social and economic structures of the dominant society. This approach focuses on factors such as intermarriage, residential patterns, and occupational attainment as indicators of assimilation.

A third approach is the racial assimilation model, which emphasizes the process of racial and ethnic intermarriage as a key indicator of assimilation. This approach highlights the role of individual relationships and the blurring of racial and ethnic boundaries.

Finally, the segmented assimilation model takes into account the different pathways of assimilation experienced by different minority groups. This approach recognizes that assimilation is not a uniform process and that factors such as social class, immigration status, and discrimination can shape the experiences of different groups.

Of these approaches, I find the segmented assimilation model to be the most compelling. This model acknowledges the complexity and diversity of assimilation experiences and recognizes that assimilation is not a one-size-fits-all process. It takes into account the unique challenges and opportunities faced by different minority groups and provides a more nuanced understanding of assimilation. By considering the various pathways of assimilation, this approach offers a more comprehensive and inclusive perspective on the process of integration into the dominant culture.

Question 4

Imagine an alternative to Bonilla-Silva's conception of the emerging tri-racial stratification system in the U.S. What social change would be necessary to reach that alternative?

Question 5

Why is it important to understand that adult-centric thought is prominent in psychological and social science theories about how children think and learn? What other implications could this knowledge have aside from our understanding of children's learning of racial and ethnic issues?

Question 6

Describe an experience in your childhood when you recognized racial and ethnic differences.

Question 7

Think of an example of how assimilation is depicted in popular culture in the U.S. and describe it. Can you also think of an example that depicts an alternative view of assimilation?

Question 8

Jiménez and Horowitz find that stereotypes assigned to Cupertino whites closely align with stereotypes about ethnoracial minorities in other settings. Why is this? What can we learn about how social norms about academic achievement operate through this study?

Question 9

Discuss the problems with the color-blind ideology, or what Bonilla-Silva calls "color-blind racism."

Question 10

Discuss what the policy of "Mexicanize the Indian" means. Can you think of similar processes that occurred in the U.S.?

Question 11

George Herbert Mead's idea that human knowledge develops mainly within the settings of human interaction is called the

A) Sociological imagination
B) Sociological eye
C) Social mind
D) Social structure

Question 12

Which term describes roles that stay with people in all situations for their entire lives?

A) Ascribed roles
B) Achieved roles
C) Situational roles
D) Patterned roles

Question 13

Which term describes U.S.-born individuals of U.S.-born parents?

A) First-plus generation
B) Second-plus generation
C) Third-plus generation
D) Fourth-plus generation

Question 14

Which trend describes the historical trajectory of where immigrants generally settle in the U.S.?

A) Immigrants used to settle primarily in urban ethnic enclaves and still do today.
B) Immigrants used to settle primarily in urban ethnic enclaves but now also settle in suburbs.
C) Immigrants used to settle primarily in suburbs but now also settle in urban ethnic enclaves.
D) Immigrants used to settle primarily in suburbs and still do today.

Question 15

Which term describes disparities in educational outcomes between blacks and whites, Latinos and whites, and recent immigrants and whites?

A) No Child Left Behind
B) Educational equality
C) Equality of opportunity
D) Achievement gap

Question 16

Which of the following terms describes the decline of an ethnic distinction and its corollary cultural and social differences, as defined by Alba and Nee?

A) Pluralism
B) Relativism
C) Assimilation
D) Mainstreaming

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT one of the categories in Bonilla-Silva's conception of the emerging tri-racial stratification system in the U.S.?

A) Whites
B) Honorary whites
C) Collective black
D) Other

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT one of the reasons why race relations in the U.S. are moving to a tri-racial stratification system, according to Bonilla-Silva?

A) The demography of the country is changing.
B) White supremacy is disappearing.
C) Race relations have become globalized.
D) The attack on affirmative action is signaling the end of race-based social policy.

Question 19

Bonilla-Silva's concept of the emerging tri-racial stratification system is similar to the racial matrix in which part of the world?

A) Latin American and Caribbean countries
B) European countries
C) Asian countries
D) African countries

Question 20

Bonilla-Silva predicts multiple consequences for race relations in the U.S. if the tri-racial stratification system takes hold. Which of the following is NOT one of these predicted consequences?

A) Racial politics will change dramatically.
B) The ideology of colorblindness will disappear.
C) Colorism may become a more important factor as a way of making social distinctions among blacks.
D) There will be a reshuffling of all racial identities.

Question 21

What does the term "adult-centric" mean?

A) Adults interpret children's activities in comparison to adult conceptions of what children should be doing.
B) Adults interpret children's activities based on what children are actually doing.
C) Adults interpret children's activities based on how children interpret their own behavior.
D) Adults and children interpret the children's behavior together.

Question 22

Piaget's theories of cognitive development emphasize which of the following?

A) Children's systems of thought are fundamentally the same as those of adults.
B) Children's systems of thought are fundamentally different from those of adults.
C) Children are capable of understanding information in the same way as adults.
D) Children can understand information that is not developmentally appropriate if it is delivered carefully enough.

Question 23

Which of the following does NOT describe how academic achievement is defined among immigrant-origin Asians in Cupertino?

A) College attendance is an expectation.
B) What kind of college a student attends matters.
C) A high school degree is the primary goal, and college attendance is a marker of great success.
D) Involvement in college preparation activities during high school is an expectation.

Question 24

In Bonilla-Silva's conception of the emerging tri-racial stratification system in the U.S., into which category do assimilated, urban Native Americans fit?

A) Whites
B) Honorary whites
C) Collective black
D) Other

Question 25

In Bonilla-Silva's conception of the emerging tri-racial stratification system in the U.S., into which category do reservation-bound Native Americans fit?

A) Whites
B) Honorary whites
C) Collective black
D) Other

Question 26

Describe the primary findings of Van Ausdale and Feagin's research on children's development of racial and ethnic concepts. What cognitive development theories do they critique, and why? Which theories do they utilize in their analysis?

Question 27

Explain what the Asian model minority stereotype is. In your answer include how this stereotype evolved and what the implications of it are.

Question 28

Explain what Bonilla-Silva means by the emerging tri-racial stratification system in the U.S. In your answer describe the three categories, discuss the historical context of the emergence of these categories, and describe the implications of this system.

Question 29

Describe the ways in which artists and intellectuals attempted to make the vision of a unified, mestizo-based society in Mexico a reality during the 1940s and early 1950s. What were the results of these efforts?

Question 30

Describe how Jiménez and Horowitz's research on academic achievement and ethnoracial identity is influenced by assimilation theories focusing on the influence of immigrant-origin populations on established individuals and institutions.

Question 31

Why do you think it is so challenging for researchers to study neighborhood preferences? In what ways do you think Lewis, Emerson, and Klineberg's study addresses these challenges? In what ways does their study still leave unanswered questions?

Question 32

Describe the in-group and out-group preferences debate in the research on racial residential segregation. What are the arguments for and against each of these sides of the debate?

Question 33

How has the history of the U.S. shaped current residential segregation patterns?

Question 34

Lewis, Emerson, and Klineberg speculate that one explanation for the negative preferences blacks express toward Asians is that blacks are reacting to the negative attitudes Asians have toward blacks. How would you design a research project to study this empirically?

Question 35

Why does it matter that volunteer and religious organizations tend to be very homogenous? What impact does this have on members of these organizations and on society as a whole?

Question 36

Research on neighborhood preferences addresses the question "to what extent are 'racial' preferences actually a measure of racial as opposed to class preferences?" What other social dynamics aside from neighborhood preferences might be impacted by the connection between race and class?

Question 37

Discuss how the context of the city of Houston mattered to the research conducted by Lewis, Emerson, and Klineberg. Choose another city and discuss how the context of that city would compare to Houston. How might the results of a research study conducted in that city differ from the results of the research in Houston?

Question 38

How would you answer the example vignettes from the Houston Area Survey study? What do you think shapes your answer?

Question 39

Think of a volunteer or religious organization that you have been or are currently connected to, and describe the demographics of that organization. Is that something you've ever thought about before? Why or why not?

Question 40

What might be the connection between racial residential segregation and the racial homogeneity of volunteer and religious organizations?

Question 41

In which U.S. metropolitan areas are the declines in residential segregation the smallest?

A) Areas with the smallest minority populations
B) Areas with the largest minority populations
C) Areas with the largest majority populations
D) The declines are equal in all metropolitan areas.

Question 42

The showcard methodology in the 1992-1994 Multi-City Study of Urban Inequality found that whites were most comfortable living near which minority group?

A) Blacks
B) Hispanics
C) Asians
D) Native Americans

Question 43

The showcard methodology in the 1992-1994 Multi-City Study of Urban Inequality found that which racial group preferred the most integrated neighborhoods?

A) Blacks
B) Hispanics
C) Asians
D) Whites

Question 44

For blacks, preference for integrated neighborhoods follows which pattern?

A) Increases with income and education levels
B) Decreases with income and education levels
C) Increases with income levels but decreases with education levels
D) Increases with education levels but decreases with income levels

Question 45

Measurements of the likelihood of having persons of another race in one's neighborhood are called

A) Segregation indices
B) Exposure indices
C) Homogeneity indices
D) Neighborhood indices

Question 46

Which racial/ethnic group is the most rapidly growing group in the U.S.?

A) Blacks
B) Whites
C) Hispanics
D) Asians

Question 47

Which of the following is NOT one of the findings from the Houston Area Survey study?

A) Racial composition of neighborhoods has an effect on white respondents' expressed likelihood of buying a home.
B) Whites are less likely to state they would buy a home as the proportion of black or Hispanic residents in the neighborhood increases.
C) All racial groups express in-group preferences.
D) No racial group expressed in-group preferences.

Question 48

The Houston Area Survey study found all of the following EXCEPT

A) Whites express out-group prejudice toward blacks.
B) Whites express out-group prejudice toward Hispanics.
C) Blacks express out-group prejudice toward Asians.
D) Hispanics express out-group prejudice toward whites.

Question 49

According to the National Congregations Survey, about nine out of every ten American religious congregations are comprised of at least what percent of one racial group?

A) 30%
B) 50%
C) 60%
D) 90%

Question 50

The process in which members of a group who are atypical of the group leave faster than other members is called

A) Niche base effect
B) Niche edge effect
C) Out-group preference
D) In-group preference

Question 51

In their research on diverse religious organizations, Christerson and Emerson find that the costs of diversity are born disproportionately by which group?

A) Majority members
B) Non-majority members
C) All leaders
D) None of the above

Question 52

In their research on diverse religious organizations, Christerson and Emerson find that the social ties of members atypical of the dominant ethnic group follow which pattern?

A) Closer ties to people outside the church than inside
B) Closer ties to people inside the church than outside
C) No difference between ties to people inside and outside
D) None of the above

Question 53

In their research on diverse religious organizations, Christerson and Emerson find that which group has the highest proportion of intraorganizational ties?

A) Members atypical of the dominant group
B) Members of the dominant group
C) No difference between the groups
D) None of the above

Question 54

Which of the following is NOT one of the proxy variables used in the Houston Area Survey study?

A) School quality
B) Crime level
C) Urban/rural location
D) Housing values

Question 55

The Houston Area Survey study discusses the importance of local context. Which of the following is NOT an attribute of the city of Houston?

A) Houston is a large metropolitan area.
B) Houston has a mixed history of race relations.
C) Houston is a majority-minority metropolitan area.
D) Houston has a very small Hispanic population.

Question 56

Describe the historical trends and current data on racial residential segregation in the U.S.

Question 57

Discuss the various explanations for the persistence of residential segregation in the U.S.

Question 58

Describe the main findings in the Houston Area Survey study on neighborhood preferences by Lewis, Emerson, and Klineberg. What are the implications of this research?

Question 59

Describe the macro sociological reasons and the social psychological reasons that there is a high personal cost to attending racially diverse religious congregations.

Question 60

Discuss the strengths and weaknesses in the methodology used in Christerson and Emerson's research on diverse churches.

Question 61

How does the impact of grandparent wealth connect with the U.S. ideal of a meritocracy in which one's success is dependent on one's own efforts alone?

Question 62

Recent discussions of housing discrimination trends have pointed to the possibility that discrimination may be a "moving target" and that old exclusionary practices have become too recognizable. Why might this be? What factors might contribute to these changes?

Question 63

Why would education still be unequal even if black and white schools were equal in terms of internal resources such as funding, teachers, curriculum, and so on?

Question 64

Bullard states "much of the death and destruction attributed to 'natural' disasters is in fact unnatural and man-made." What does he mean by this? Is this how natural disasters usually are discussed in the media and popular discourse? Why or why not?

Question 65

How are the War on Drugs and mass incarceration related? How do these square with the American ideals of equality and freedom?

Question 66

Think about your own family's resources. In what ways did your parents' and grandparents' wealth impact your life in ways you might not have thought about before?

Question 67

Explain the difference between exclusionary and nonexclusionary housing discrimination.

Question 68

Brainstorm policy responses to the racial segregation in education and the achievement gap. How might we as a society address this gap? What would the political pushback be to these possible policy responses?

Question 69

Bullard analyzes the impact that a lack of public transportation had on the evacuation of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Choose another city and discuss the infrastructure of public transportation. How extensive is the public transportation? Who has access to it and who does not? How well equipped is the system to handle a hypothetical natural disaster?

Question 70

Discuss the connections between racial residential segregation, mass incarceration, and the War on Drugs.

Question 71

Chiteji argues that scholars should use which measure to better understand the impact of family resources on children's life chances?

A) Parental income
B) Grandparent income
C) Grandparent wealth
D) Parental debt

Question 72

Which of the following is NOT one of the ways in which wealth is different than income?

A) It serves as a reservoir that a family can tap into when its income flow is disrupted.
B) A family can use wealth to finance consumption during times of financial instability.
C) Wealth can be leveraged to acquire additional assets.
D) Wealth impacts individuals' life chances and income does not.

Question 73

Which group has the most wealth?

A) Grandparent generation of black children
B) Parent generation of black children
C) Grandparent generation of white children
D) Parent generation of white children

Question 74

Which demographic group experiences the most housing discrimination in the study by Roscigno, Karafin, and Tester?

A) Black males
B) White males
C) Black females
D) White females

Question 75

Landlords and owners of housing units account for approximately what percentage of all exclusionary discrimination cases in the study by Roscigno, Karafin, and Tester?

A) 0%
B) 10%
C) 50%
D) 80%

Question 76

Which category represents the majority of exclusionary discrimination cases in the study by Roscigno, Karafin, and Tester?

A) Advertising
B) Terms and conditions
C) Outright exclusion
D) None of the above

Question 77

Which term describes the measurement of segregation that is the proportion of one group that would need to change subunits to achieve perfect integration within the larger area?

A) Exposure
B) Dissimilarity
C) Disparity
D) Isolation

Question 78

Which of the following is NOT one of the findings from the Condron et al. study of the black/white achievement gap?

A) Increases in black-white dissimilarity contribute to increases in black/white achievement gaps.
B) Increases in black isolation contribute to increases in black/white achievement gaps.
C) Increases in exposure of black students to white students lead to increases in black/white achievement gaps.
D) Increases in exposure of black students to white students lead to reductions in black/white achievement gaps.

Question 79

Scholarly research on education finds that which form(s) of segregation and stratification contributes to the black/white achievement gap?

A) Between-schools
B) Within-school
C) Non-school
D) All of the above

Question 80

In the past three decades the adult correctional population in the U.S. has followed which trend?

A) Increased slightly
B) Increased dramatically
C) Decreased
D) Remained the same