Updated Apr 14, 2024

Some potential questions for the midterm for Sociology 149/249

Sample questions for the in-class midterm exam. The midterm will consist of essay questions and brief identifications, including some of the following. The midterm is a closed- book exam, no notes are allowed.

Essay answers should explain causes and effects, rather than simply providing a laundry list. A careful explanation with a few detailed and carefully considered examples is always better than a long list of examples without sufficient explanation.

1) How does Arnold Hirsch compare institutional power with interpersonal power. Give examples.

2) What is the history and significance of the Fair Housing Act, first passed in 1968? What were the strengths and weaknesses of the law, and what effect did it have? When and how was the law revised? How is Massey and Denton’s view of the legacy of Civil Rights different from Wilson’s view?

3) In Massey and Denton's view, what institutional factors or public policies created the urban underclass in Northern U.S. cities?

4) How does Wilson describe the historical trajectory of work and race relations in the US?

Identifications (define the item, and briefly explain its significance)

* Shelley v. Kraemer

* Split Labor Market

* Urban Renewal

* Chicago Congressman William Dawson

* Fair Housing Act of 1968

* Great Black Migration(s)

* Index of Dissimilarity

* Index of black isolation

* Eminent Domain

* Elizabeth Wood

* Dorothy Gatreaux

* Cooptation