Question

Answer the following questions in your own words. Explain your choices and your reasons. Provide examples where possible. Be sure to number your answers and present them in order:

Chapter 8: Contrast Marx’s and Weber’s models of social class.

Chapter 8: Explain the problems in drawing the poverty line and how poverty is related to race-ethnicity, education, feminization, and age.

Chapter 9: Contrast prejudice and discrimination, as well as, individual and institutional discrimination AND give an example of each.

Chapter 9: Explain genocide, population transfer, internal colonialism, segregation, and assimilation – providing examples of each.

Answer 1

Chapter 8: Contrast Marx’s and Weber’s models of social class.

Chapter 8: Explain the problems in drawing the poverty line and how poverty is related to race-ethnicity, education, feminization, and age.

The poverty line is based on cash income which does not take into account government aid to its citizens or federal housing and assistance. It applies to people who do not get the basic necessities in life - but in the U. S, the government already provide food aid, Medicaid and housing. Therefore, there is a need to rethink the concept of the poverty line and find better parameters to measure it. The main problem is the identification of a unique poverty line, the issue is that across states there are varied incomes and expenditures. There are varying requirements and government aids. All these need a lot of analysis.

Poverty does vary according to the factors mentioned. It starts on a gender level, the percentage of women below the poverty line is more than the men. By race, Blacks top the list followed by Hispanics and then the whites in a percentage of people below the poverty line. By ages, Children and adults under age 25 make up a large chunk of people under poverty line, followed by the people in 30s and there is a constant range of people over their 40s.

Chapter 9: Contrast prejudice and discrimination, as well as, individual and institutional discrimination AND give an example of each.

Prejudice: It is the perception and judgment of people, places and things in our mind.
Discrimination: It is the way we act on our prejudices. It is reflected in our words, actions and behaviors.

Individual discrimination: An individual treats one person in a group different from the others in the group, usually in a negative way.

E.g., Picking out a person for their race, age, gender, culture, sexual orientation etc. Factors that are unique to the individual.

Institutional discrimination: Discriminatory policies that are employed on an institutional level and is part of the culture of the institution.

E.g., Picking out people because of some characteristic. E.g., Avoiding employing people of certain race, gender or appearance.

Chapter 9: Explain genocide, population transfer, internal colonialism, segregation, and assimilation – providing examples of each.

Genocide: The intentional destruction of people, based on some defining characteristic such as race or religion. It could be done as a whole or in parts.

E.g., The systematic elimination of Jews by Hitler.

Population Transfer: Resettlement or movement of people from one region or state to another mainly by force. This could be due to governmental policies or changes.

E.g., The expulsion of Germans after WWII from Eastern and European countries.

Internal colonialism: A condition where one region develops better than the other or one group exerts control over the other within the same state.

E.g., The case of Ireland and Britain where Ireland is a result of internal colonialism.

Segregation: Separation of individuals from a group for the sake of special treatment.

E.g., City planning such that housing is allocated for African Americans separate from European Americans.

Assimilation: The process where one group gradually accepts and adapts to the culture, customs and behaviors of another group.

E.g., Rome assimilated both Latin and the culture of Rome in spite of having Italian roots.