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Social Science 1A Principles in the Social Sciences

Fall 2014
Exam 3 Study Guide
From the lectures, please know the following:
Economics:
According to lecture, what is the definition of economics?
What are the goals of economic policies?
What was economic life like before 1800?
What are the definitions of the Market System and the Command System for economic policy?
How has Chinas economic system changed in recent years?
What is the difference between economic analysis and econometrics as branches of economics?
Why was usury once considered a sin?
What was Aristotles view of usury?
What are the contributions of John Maynard Keyes to contemporary economic theory?
What are supply and demand curves; what does the point of equilibrium indicate?
What factors will cause shifts in these curves?
Sociology
What is the definition of sociology?
How is research conducted in sociology?
There was a link to view a portion of the film Bowling for Columbine, where Michael Moore
interviewed James Nichols, brother of one of the convicted Oklahoma City bombers.
We will have one or two questions on the methods and content of this interview, which were also
discussed in the lecture.
What is the gun culture in America?
What were the contributions of Karl Marx, Max Weber and Emile Durkheim to sociology?
What are the main theoretical postulates of sociology?
What is the moral message from sociology?
Political Science
What is the definition of political science?
In general, what are the responsibilities of government?
How is research conducted in political science?
What is political theory?

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What advice did Confucius offer to leaders?

What advice did John Locke and Thomas Jefferson offer for the development of political systems?
What is Rousseaus theory of government?
What did Rousseau mean by the rule of law and the tyranny of the majority?
What are the functions of government given human nature according to Rousseau?
What advice did Machiavelli offer to leaders?
What moral question remains for leaders from Machiavellis work?
What are the characteristics of an effective leader according to Machiavelli?
What are three classic views of government?
Regarding government, what do anarchists, libertarians, conservatives, and liberals favor?
What major difference exists between conservatives and liberals regarding the role of personal decision
making?
How would you characterize the leadership style of Vladimir Putin of Russia?
From lecture, what lessons have been learned from the 2000 presidential election regarding the Electoral
College?
Why does the Electoral College exist?
What are the reasons for keeping it?
From the chapter readings, please know the following:
Chapter 8:
What is the definition of economics?
What is the difference between microeconomics and macroeconomics?
What do the following terms mean in economics: commodities, land, labor and capital.
What is the fundamental problem studied in economics?
Please know the characteristics of the market economy, the command economy and the mixed economy.
According to this chapter, what is unfair about globalization? (See box 8.2)
Chapter 44:
Were the federal programs initiated by Presidents Kennedy and Johnson effective in reducing the
poverty rate in America between 1960 and 1970?
Since 1970, the poverty rate for children has been increasing.
What is the poverty rate for children in the United States in the year 1998?
How does the poverty rate in the United States compare to the poverty rate in other industrialized
countries?
Is poverty in the United States related to race?
If so, what groups seem to suffer the highest rates of poverty?
Based on ethnographic studies, what is life like for a person in poverty in the United States?
Know the three main reasons why the poverty rate in the United States remained constant over the
decade of the 1990s despite a robust economy.

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For a child raised in poverty, what are the dangers to that childs mental and physical health?
Why is it that having a full-time job is not a guarantee that someone will be able to move out of poverty?
Chapter 45:
What is meant by a non-standard work schedule?
In 1997, what percentage of employed American citizens had a standard work schedule?
What is one positive effect upon the family due to parents having non-standard work schedules? How
are divorce rates affected when the husband and/or wife have non-standard work schedules?
Chapter 47:
Why has work disappeared from the ghetto (i.e., inner city) during the 1990s?
How has inner city life affected the family structure?
What are the four proposals offered by the author to help alleviate social injustice in the United States,
especially in the inner cities?
Chapter 53:
The median age of Americans is rising. By the year 2050, how many people out of 5 will be 65 years
old?
As the median age of Americans climbs, several social changes are likely to occur. How will senior
citizens use computer technology? Are seniors a powerful force politically?
Chapter 5:
What is the definition of the science of sociology? What is the basic premise of sociology?
The development of sociological research and theory takes place in countries that have what kind of
government? In what two countries is this changing?
What is the difference between micro-sociology and macro-sociology?
What percentage of the data in sociology is collected by interviews and questionnaires?
One of the classic books of sociology is Mills Sociological Imagination. How does this book present
the field of sociology?
What was the famous legal case of Brown vs. Board of Education about?
How did sociologists contribute to this case?
Who were Jane Addams and W.E.B. DuBois? What did they accomplish? (See Box 5.3)
Chapter 32:
In 1900, what percentage of students graduated from high school compared to now?
According to the chapter, what were the attractive features of the American family during the 1950s?
What was also bad about the 1950s regarding discrimination in society and problems regarding the
family?

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Many families have mother who work. Is the condition of working mothers necessarily bad for the
children in the family? Why or why not? What benefits come from the fact that fathers now spend
more time with their children than in the past?

Chapter 33:
In the past, how did slavery affect the institution of the family for African Americans?
According to this chapter, what is the special task that African-American parents have with regard to the
rearing of their children?
What is meant by multiple mothering?
According to Robert Hill, cited in the chapter, what are the four strengths of the African-American
family?
Chapter 34:
This chapter addresses several trends affecting the American family. According to the chapter, the
American family is changing for economic reasons (trend 2). What are the four implications for the
family when each spouse works?
According to trend 3, what will happen to the divorce rate in the United States? How may divorces be
handled in the future?
According to trend 4, what is the boomerang family and the blended family?
This chapter concludes with an assessment whether Americans still value family life. What data is used
to support a positive conclusion to this question?
Chapter 54:
What is the idea behind the Broken Windows article by Wilson? According to research by the author
of the chapter, what factors work to prevent crime? Why dont Neighborhood Watch programs work?
What is restorative justice?
Chapter 29:
What two enduring themes in American society continue to be confirmed by the 2000 U.S. Census?
According to the material on pages 318-319, why do incumbents tend to win re-election?
How was the term Hispanic created for the U.S. Census?
What are the four official minorities?
From page 324, what are the trends for marriage between people of different races? Are any particular
groups not entering into intermarriages?
What will be the effect of intermarriage for defining the concept of race?
On the 2000 U.S. Census form, it was possible to select more than one category for the respondents
race. Why does the author of this chapter conclude that the whole scheme of racial identification may
have to be abandoned?
Chapter 30:
Who is pressuring the federal government not to include a multi-racial category on the census form?
Why?

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What three factors explain the shift in how Americans are choosing to identify themselves racially?
Chapter 31:
Why is the author of this chapter, Elizabeth Martinez, angry?
According to this chapter what is meant by the Black-White model of Racism? Why is this model
flawed according to the author?
What is La Raza (i.e. National Council of La Raza)? If you do not know, please look up La Raza on
the internet and discover what it is.
The chapter concludes by saying that racism evolves. According to the chapter, what factor seems to
be important for defining the current state of racism?