SOC S161 - Final Exam Review Guide
Dr. Foltz, Sp 2019
Covers Race, Gender, Politics, Healthcare , Family & videos
PLUS major sociological theories/theorists and concepts learned throughout semester
RACE & ETHNIC RELATIONS
Ethnicity and race - differences, myths about race; what is stealth racism, the invisible knapsack, what are the
characteristics of minority vs majority groups? What is the difference between discrimination and prejudice?
Individual and institutional racism? What is Plessy vs. Ferguson and the Jim Crow laws, what is the Civil Rights
movement; and scapegoat theory? What is selective perception and negative labeling? What about genocide,
population transfer, & ethnic cleansing? Know examples of de jure segregation & de facto segregation; Driving
while Black (DWB) and implications; what is meant by redlining; social class vs race; what is ethnic work? Our
discussion of “True Colors” – two men’s different experiences based on their race; Canvas reading: “The Mark
of a Criminal Record”
Videos: “Eye of the Storm” (Brown eyes, blue eyes)
GENDER & SEXUALITY
Why are women a minority group? What was the cult of true womanhood? What are Gender pay gaps?
How do these gaps affect one’s quality of life (life chances?), how did the major World Wars affect women’s
participation in the labor market? Who was Rosie the Riveter and what was the role of government propaganda
in getting women to work in the factories AND in getting them to leave? What is the history of feminism,
including women’s suffrage, women’s entry into college and the pay gap? What is the dual labor market; sex
segregation; the glass ceiling and glass escalator? Understand that sex discrimination in employment, including
academia; and know the differences in the types of sexual harassment - Quid Pro Quo and Hostile
Environment; have some understanding of rape statistics and profiles of rapists and victims.
How does gender inequality affect health, gender tracking in schools programs, practices like female
circumcision (FGM, female genital mutilation), dowry burnings in India; infanticide in China & India; what are
the dynamics and structure of spousal or partner abuse and reasons for not leaving? Know key battering statistics
posted on Canvas (75% of abused partners are at risk of being killed when they try to leave); characteristics of
battering relationship versus a relationship of equality. Know the “Rewards of Rape” as stated by the convicted
rapists in the Canvas reading, “Riding the Bull at Gilley’s”
MARRIAGE & THE FAMILY
Know the difference between nuclear and extended families; various functions of family, Parson’s functionalist
view, Rose Coser’s conflict view of the family as “Greedy Institution;” cultural varieties of families; polygyny,
polyandry, polygamy; challenges of one-parent families; measuring divorce (what is the RATE of divorce in the
U.S.?). What are blended families? What is meant by matrilineal vs patrilineal descent, Arlie Hochschild’s
concept, “the Second Shift”; S.I theory and husband’s contributions to housework as well as strategies to avoid
it; studies on dual earners; and what is meant by the “politics of housework” (an S.I. perspective)?
How much has cohabitation increased since the 1960s? What is meant by “the sandwich generation” and the
“dark side” of marriage & family (Patriarchal terrorism): child abuse, child sexual abuse, spouse abuse, and “how
to have a happy marriage!”
Canvas Reading: “Fear and Perception of Alternatives”
POLITICS and ECONOMICS
What is meant by POLITICS? = Power! What types of power are authority vs coercion, the role of the
state; types of authority: traditional, rational-legal, charismatic—why are charismatic leaders a threat?; Know
the types of government: monarchy, Democracy (direct and representative); dictatorships and oligarchies,
totalitarianism, theocracy. Which groups vote the most and the least in the US and why, what is
alienation/apathy? How do lobbyists and special interest groups work? Understand the Pluralist, Veto Groups
(structure functionalist) perspective on our government as well as the Power Elite view (conflict
approach). According to C. Wright Mills and William Domhoff, Who Rules the U.S.? What is the military-
industrial-congressional complex? What is meant by the REVOLVING DOOR in terms of high ranking
political positions? Why do nations go to war? What are the costs and who pays the highest price? How do we
sow the seeds of future wars? What is the importance of the Citizens United Supreme Court decision? Why is
it important to know who fills the cabinet positions of the current administration? Which view (pluralist or
power elite) best describes our current government? Discuss your reasoning.
ECONOMIC SYSTEMS: What are the main differences between capitalism and socialism? What phases
did economic systems go through and where are we now? What is corporate capitalism and what are
multinational corporations? How did corporate capitalism work in the article on Halliburton? What is meant
by state-corporate crime?
Healthcare Video: SICKO
Here is a list of some (but not all) Important Sociological Concepts that could appear on the final:
Sociology, culture, cultural relativism, ethnocentrism, culture shock, organic vs mechanical solidarity, division
of labor, socialization and gender socialization, important studies (books, kids, homosocial bonding), groups,
peer pressure experiments (Asch, Milgram, Zimbardo – on youtube), Social Stratification and life chances,
poverty index, the power elite, major sociological theorists in addition to the 3 dead white guys – DuBois,
Martineau, know about Jane Addams and the Hull House, sexism and racism in sociology, the 3 different
sociological perspectives represented by Marx, Durkheim and Weber; (Conflict, S-F, S.I.) how they are
different and the questions they ask about the social world; know the major differences between QUALITative
(field work, humanistic, based on immersion in the field) and QUANTITative (survey, statistics, produces
tables and statistics) sociological methods: how does each approach research? What is each characterized by?
Which one is inductive vs deductive? Which one starts with a theory and hypothesis vs starting with data?
Study your PPT notes and the REVEL text chapters!
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
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FINAL EXAM: The class will be taking the final exam ONLINE on Canvas on Tuesday of finals
week during our FINAL EXAM CLASS TIME: 10am- 10pm. If for some reason you miss the
exam you must contact me immediately through Canvas messaging, or at tfoltz@iun.edu or 9806786. Official documentation is required if you miss the final (just like if you miss any
exam). You will need to take the final before grades are due in order to finish the class.
If you cannot finish the class and you have at least a “C” average going into the final, I
can give you an Incomplete, but if you have a lower grade than that you will have to take
whatever grade you have earned.
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Grades will be posted by Monday after finals at the latest
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If you have any questions, please ask me during class, my office hours (Zoom), or
through Canvas messaging