Sociology 4949: Study Guide 2
I. Multiple choice. Be familiar with the following concepts, theories, events, people, and videos:panethnicity, immigrants as sojourners, cognitive dissonance, justification of cruelty, racism as conformity, race prejudice as a side effect of competion, race prejudice as a sense of group position,Immigration Act of 1924, Immigration Act of 1965, Watts Riot of 1965, Los Angeles Riot of 1992, Issei, Nisei, Sansei, repatriation, hypersegregation, transformative assets, index of dissimilarity, barrio, ghetto, Great Migration, melting pot, blockbusting, restrictive covenant, ideology of colorblindness, white flight, tipping point, housing audit,Supreme Court: Brown vs. Board of education, Gautreaux, Milliken vs. Bradley ("unitary status"), nonmonetary benefits of Burger Barn Job("No Shame in my Game"), street values vs. decent values(Elijah Anderson), concentrated poverty, sentencing disparities, , "LA is Burning,"Becoming American: the Chinese Experience--No Turning Back," A Family Gathering," "Why Can't We Live Together?"

II. Essay Questions
1. Contrast white perceptions of race relations in the United States with minority perceptions. Why do whites and minorities see this issue so differently, and what are the implications for government action to eliminate race and ethnic inequalities?

2. Applying Blumer to "LA is Burning," write about how Blumer sees racial stereotypes and prejudice as developing. Include a treatment of the Rodney King, Reginald Denny, and Soon Ja Du incidents.

3. Why is housing segregation such a big issue for minorities in general, and African-Americans in particular, in the United States? Why can't we live together? Is this a matter of white racism? What are the consequences?

4. Political institutions (including the courts) and economic institutions (including business and labor unions) have functioned at times to exclude, discriminate, and oppress, and at times to overcome race and ethnic divisions. Draw on Takaki as well as other course materials to describe and illustrate this often contradictory dynamic. Pay attention to Oliver Cox's claim that employers often consciously used race to combat worker solidarity and union organizing.

5. What are the forces that created a panethnic movement among Asian Americans? What are the advantages of such a movement, and what are the disadvantages? Why do Asian Americans have the reputation of being a "model minority," and what are some of the reasons Asian-Americans might object to that label?

6. What are the advantages of looking at race prejudice as a sense of group position (Blumer) rather than seeing in mainly in terms of ignorance and stereotyping? How does that change the measures we need to take to overcome racism in our society?

7. How prevalent are multi-racial churches or other religious organizations in the United States? What does Emerson see as the disadvantages of racial segregation in the religious sphere, and what does he find to be the strengths of multi-racial religious organizations?

8. What is the appeal of fast food jobs in Harlem, and how do those who take such positions counter the stigma sometimes attached to such work? What are the noneconomic benefits of such jobs?

9. How do Reiman and Cole support their arguments that the American criminal justice system is characterized by both race and class discrimination? Do you see any flaws in their arguments or trends in the direction of more equal treatment?