Sociology 322: Study Guide: Final Exam—Spring, 2008

 

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          The following essay questions are intended to help you prepare for your final exam, which will be given on Monday, May 5th, from 4:00 to 6:50 P.M. in (our regular class room).  You will need to bring a SCANTRON answer sheet and a #2 pencil.   You may anticipate 50 questions from the cumulative section of the exam and 50 questions from the most recently covered material, below.  It will help you tremendously to go over your old tests carefully.

 

Sociology 322:  Study Guide for Final Exam

 

You should be thoroughly familiar with the following from Ridgeway’s Blood in the Face:

 

1.      What does anti-Semitism and the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion" have to do with the racist right's hatred of non-whites?

 

2.      Explain the significance of the "Christian Identity Church" (or Church of Jesus Christ Christian) to various racist organiza­tions such as the Order and Aryan Nations. In what way does it serve to link anti-Jewish sentiment with racism?

 

3.      What structural conditions in the larger society promote the rise of groups like the Klan, Aryan Nations, the Order, and Posse Comitatus? (Be specific-- go through the book and find them).

 

4.      Ridgeway quotes John F. Kennedy at length on page 58, "In the most critical periods of our nation's history, there have always been those on the fringes of our society who have sought to escape their own responsibility by finding a simple solution, an appeal­ing slogan or a convenient scapegoat. ...politics" Do you feel that this quotation provides an adequate overall summary about why the radical racist right exists in our society?  Ex­plain.

 

5.      BRIEFLY describe each of the following groups-- Be able to name one or two major figures prominent in each. In one or two sentences describe the salient features of each group, (i.e., its goals, objectives, philosophy: the John Birch Society; Ku Klux Klan; United Klans of America; Knights of the Ku Klux Klan; White Aryan Resistance; Posse Comitatus; Aryan Nations; Church of Jesus Christ Christian; American Nazi Party; Liberty Lobby.

 

6.      What is the "Fifth Era Klan?" What is its significance today?

 

7.      How does the Turner Diaries, by William Pierce reflect the scenario (or at least one of the scenarios) that the racist right believes will launch its revolu­tion in America? 

 

8.      What is the Posse Comitatus? Why does it advocate rebellion against the United States Government? What role does racism play in this organization?

 

9.      Discuss the roles of David Duke and Tom Metzger in establishing what Ridgeway calls the "New White Politics."

 

10.    What is the meaning and significance of Ridgeway's statement on page 182, "The Fringe Becomes Part of the Fabric"? 

Chapter 8: East and Southeast Asian Americans (Pages 260-304):

1.      According to the text, what conditions on the West Coast prompted racist attitudes against many Asian groups?

2.      Discuss the interrelationship between labor conflict and racism with regard to the Chinese, and Japanese.

3.      Describe life in Chinatowns, both past and present. (Focus on living conditions and membership in social organizations such as Hui Kuan, Tong, etc.). Describe D. Y. Yuan's four-stage process of development in Chinatowns.

4.      Discuss the "model minority" stereotype of Asian Americans. How is it misleading?

5.      Compare the early experiences of Chinese and Japanese immigrants to the United States. Which group received more support from the motherland? What factors are responsible for this? (Discuss the Japanese-American practice of classifying themselves by generations removed from Japan).

6.      Discuss the reasons behind the Japanese "evacuation" to concentration camps and the effects this had on them. How can we explain the different treatment of Japanese Americans in Hawaii and on the mainland During World War II.

7.      How did sex play a role in stirring racial hostility against the Chinese (p. 272) and Filipinos (p. 284)?

8.      Discuss the role of astrology and phuc duc in Vietnamese society (p. 290).

9.      Discuss the legislation and court rulings directed against Asian Americans.  (The Chinese Exclusion Act is one good example of this).

10.    How do today's Asian immigrants differ from their predecessors? How and why does society respond to them differently?

11.    How do the major sociological perspectives of functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism approach the Asian experience in the United States?

12.    Look at immigration figures for various Asian groups between 1981 and 2000.

13.    Review the text’s definition of “ethnophaulism” and be and be prepared to answer a question about it.

Chapter 9: Other Asian and Middle Eastern Americans (Pages 307-310; 316-322; 322-327; 327-329): 

1.      Apply the “push-pull” theory of migration to Middle Eastern immigrants to the United States.  (Be as specific as you can in identifying the various factors). 

 

2.      Do Ravenstein’s Laws of migration apply to immigrants from the Middle East to the U.S.  Cite specific examples.

 

3.      What was the pattern of Arab immigration to the U.S.  (When did they come, where did they come from, and where have they settled)?

 

4.      Evaluate the diversity of the U.S. Arab population in terms of homeland, religion, and economic status.

 

5.      What factors associated with Lebanese Americans made their assimilation into U.S. society more successful than other Asian groups?

 

7.      According to census estimates, how many Palestinian Americans are currently living in the U.S.?  Where have they settled?  How do recently arrived Palestinians compare to those who came over to this country in the past in terms of socio-economic status.

 

8.      Discuss the factors that stimulated immigration from Iran to the U.S. (p. 329)

 

Chapter 11: Hispanics (Pages 387-429)

 

1.      Briefly describe the experiences of the nation’s two largest Hispanic Groups beginning with their early involvement with the U.S.

 

2.      What are the chief reasons for high levels of immigration of Hispanics to the United States?  What Latin American countries supply the highest numbers of immigrants to this country?

 

3.      Describe cultural characteristics such as La Rasa Cosmica, machismo, marianismo, and dignidad as they apply to Hispanic peoples.  What are some of the other cultural differences observed between the North Americans and Latinos?

 

4.      How does the concept of race differ between the United States and Latin America?

 

5.      Discuss current patterns of residence and settlement of Hispanics in the United States.  The text asserts that Hispanics will “…probably fundamentally affect U.S. culture, itself.”  What is meant by this statement and what do you think the effects will be.

 

Chapter 12: Religious Minorities (Pages 439 – 445 Jewish Americans)  (Pages 451 – 453 Muslim Americans)

 

1.      How does the concept “consciousness of kind” apply to people of the Jewish Faith?  According to the text, Jean-Paul Sartre wrote that “a Jew is someone whom other people identify as a Jew.”  How do both these points fit in with the concept of a “Jewish minority”?

 

2.      When did the first Jews arrive in North America?  (What is the first recorded instance of Jewish immigrants arriving on this continent?)

 

3.      What was General Grant’s infamous “General Order Number 11”?

 

4.      Describe the “second wave” of Jewish immigration to the U.S. between 1840 and 1880 when the Jewish-American population increased from 15,000 to 250,000.  How does it compare to the “third wave” that immigrated between 1880 and 1920?  Describe the differing Jewish ethnicities—e.g. Sephardic Jews (the earliest arrivals from Spain and Portugal); Ashkenazic Jews (from Germany), etc., and more recent Jewish immigrants. How did these groups settle their differences and become a unified community?

 

5.      Describe anti-Semitism in the United States from the late 19th century to the present.  Include the Seligman and Frank incidents as well as actions by groups like the Silver Shirts and followers of Father Charles Coughlin.

 

6.      Discuss Jewish upward mobility and financial success in the United States.  How did this relate to social success in this country?

 

7.      Discuss socialization into the Jewish community.

 

8.      Describe the growth of Islam in the United States since the 1960s.  What are key tenets of this faith?

 

Chapter 13: Women as a Minority Group (Pages 475-506):

 

1.      Briefly discuss the origins of the ideology of male superiority.  What parallels does the text draw between the status of blacks and women in American society (Gunner Myrdal’s work p. 476)?

 

2.      How did the industrial revolution in the United States affect the status of women?  (Discuss differences by social class).  What happened to the women’s rights movement after the passage of the 19th amendment in 1919?

 

3.      What is the difference between sex and gender as discussed in class?

 

4.      What are some of the biological explanations of gender differences between men and women discussed in the text?  What does the text conclude about socialization and gender roles?

 

5.      In what areas have women made the most progress in achieving equality with men?

Chapter 14: The American Mosaic (Pages 536-539)  You may want to look over these 4 pages:

1.      What are the Census projections for the racial and ethnic make-up of the United States in the mid-21st century?  See the chart on p. 536.  Note that in 2050 Whites will comprise around 50% of the population.

2.      What does the text project for interethnic and interracial marriage over the next 50 years?  What does it have to say about religious diversity in the future?  (Both are expected to increase)

 

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