Reference no: EM132303277

Essay Questions

Question #1 [from The Price of Inequality]

*To successfully answer the questions below, read Chapter 6 1984 Is Upon Us in the textbook, The Price of Inequality (pdf file available in the Final Exam folder).

In Chapter 6, the author discusses how those at the top (the 1 percent) have shaped beliefs about what is fair and efficient, about the strengths and weaknesses of government and the market, and even about the extent of inequality in America today. Based on your reading, discuss critically the authors' main arguments.In your answer, address at least three main questions such as:

(1) How can "framing" and "confirmative bias" shape [mis]perceptions?

(2) How do perceptions affect individual behavior?

(3) Why does the author suggest that the battle over policies is a battle over perceptions?

(4) Choose one of three big battles that occurred in recent years-over the repeal of the estate tax, the bank bailout, and mortgage restructuring, and support the author's argument that those at the top have the instruments, resources, and incentives to shape beliefs in ways that serve their interests [*You can find a pdf file in the Final Exam folder in Pilot].

Question #2:

*To successfully answer the questions below, read Chapter 12 "The Power Elite" in Unit 11.

(1) According to C. Wright Mills, "Nowhere in the United States is there as great a class consciousness as among the elite; nowhere is it organized as effectively as among the power elite." Based on your reading, discuss the personal and social basis of the power elite's unity in terms of origin, career, and style of life.Discuss also the interchangeability of position between the higher circles of the power elite as a structural basis of their unity.

(2) Do factions or conflicts exist within the higher circles of the power elites? Why or why not?

(3) What are the implications of the power elite's unity for structured social inequality?

Question #3:

In the reading, "Can Education Eliminate Race, Class, and Gender Inequality?" placed in Unit 13, the authors begin by discussing some of the major educational policies and programs of the past forty-five years. They point out that inequality is so deeply rooted in the structure and operation of the United States political economy, and that, at best, educational reforms can play only a limited role in ameliorating such inequality.

In fact, for poor and many minority children, education helps legitimate, if not actually reproduce, significant aspects of social inequality in their lives. Many government programs, including for example school desegregation, have sought to reduce social inequality through expanding equality of educational opportunity.

(1) Why do you think the equality of educational opportunity is so important?

(2) Based on your understanding of the reading, discuss critically whether expanding educational opportunity is enough to reduce race, social class, and gender inequality in the United States society.

Question #4:

**To successfully answer the questions below, read "Students Are Already Workers" placed in Unit 14.

(1) What is the "earn and learn" program at UPS? Why does the author label it a "carefully planned corporate strategy"?

(2) Why do corporations like UPS hire student workers? Discuss the ways in which student workers reduce UPS's costs.

(3) What are the working conditions and employment outcomes that student workers experience at UPS?

(4) According to the author, student workers consider themselves something other than workers.

What sort of consciousness is being framed by student workers? What are the consequences of separating one's consciousness (e.g., I am working here just to get through college) from the embodied self at work (e.g., a package handler)? What is the role of "achievement ideology"?

(5) Discuss the ways in which the costs of education are shifted away from society to students. What are the consequences from the perspective of social justice? Why does the author argue that low wages aren't cheap to society?

Question #5:

*This question replace the written assignment #2. Choose only ONE out of three options below:

[Option #1: Discussion Paper]: There are multiple sources of developing your knowledge base reading the issues and problems of social inequality in the United States. You can choose ONE of the following sources to write a discussion paper.

(1) Go to Pathways Magazine published by the Center for the Study of Poverty and Inequality at Stanford University. Choose an interesting question to you and write a discussion paper. Issues covered in the magazine include:

Has the Great Recession Made Americans Stingier?

Does the new poverty measure tell a new story about poverty?

Is this executive paid too much?

Is there an "Obama effect" leading to a new future for inequality?

How can we fight poverty during economic downturns?

Is it time for a new War on Poverty?

(2) Alternatively you can go to New York Times' special section on "Class Matters" and read the series. Discuss what role class plays in American life with examples.

[Option #2: Writing a Position Paper]

A position paper presents an arguable opinion about an issue. The goal of a position paper is to convince the audience that your opinion is valid and worth listening to. Ideas that you are considering need to be carefully examined in choosing a topic, developing your argument, and organizing your paper.

You should choose one topic from the journal, CQ Researcher, from the library database as shown in class. When you type "inequality" in the search, you can find:

Wealth and Inequality: Does the Gap between Rich and Poor Threaten Democracy?

Income Inequality: Is the Gap between Rich and Poor Getting Wider?

Middle-Class Squeeze: Is More Government Aid Needed?

Child Poverty: Are Out-of-Wedlock Births the Root Cause?

Domestic Poverty: Is a New Approach Needed to Help the Poorest Americans?

Upward Mobility: Does Income Inequality Threaten the American Dream?

Welfare Reform: Are Former Welfare Recipient Better Off Today?

Living-Wage Movement: Do Laws Requiring Higher Wages Cause Unemployment?

"Occupy" Movement: Does the Protest against Inequality Have Staying Power?

Future of the Middle Class: Is the Outlook Getting Grimmer for Average Americans?

Student Debt: Should College Tuition Be Free?

Choose one that is highly interesting o you. It is very important to ensure that you are addressing all sides of the issue and presenting it in a manner that is easy for your audience to understand.

Your job is to take one side of the argument and persuade your audience that you have well-founded knowledge of the topic being presented.

It is important to support your argument with evidence to ensure the validity of your claims, as well as to address the counterclaims to show that you are well informed about both sides.