Updated April 23, 2009


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) In terms of their response to the perceived threat of Black encroachment into their neighborhood, how was the University of Chicago's response different from the response of the White ethnic neighborhoods around the South Side of Chicago?


2) How successful can the urban underclass be in using the system of electoral politics to press their demands? Compare the views of 2 of the 3 books.


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


* Eminent Domain


* Elizabeth Wood


* Dorothy Gatreaux


* Cooptation