If you choose to use sources such as articles, books, or websites from outside the class, you must list them at the end of your answer, even if you don’t use a direct quote from them, i.e. if you paraphrase (or reword) the material. You do not need to use outside sources!! I recommend that you only use our course materials.
If you directly quote a theorist from our course texts, just put their name and the page number in parentheses at the end of your quote.
If you have questions about these issues please check out the course policy on the syllabus, look at the following guides from the library, and if you still have questions, just ask me. Better to ask than not to know! My goal is for everyone to succeed and I want to help, so don’t hesitate to email.
https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/plagiarism
Questions:
Briefly describe modernization theory according to Rostow. What was one of the critiques of this theory we discussed? Find a contemporary example of modernization theory. Are there problems with this use related to the critiques we raised in class? Explain why or why not.
According to the Frankfurt School (Horkheimer and Adorno, Benjamin), the culture industry promotes instrumental language that can lead to fascism. Find a contemporary example of instrumental language in contemporary politics or advertising. What critical reflection does this word or phrase try to shut down?
The Black Panther Party emphasized the connection between economic security and self-determination. What is self-determination? How does economic security impact its exercise? Give a contemporary example of the impact of economic security on self-determination.
In The Feminine Mystique Friedan exposed the consequences for middle class white women of the post-World War II idealization of the breadwinner/caretaker family structure. What was the “problem” that she diagnosed? Does the normalization of this family structure impact men and women today? Explain why or why not and give an example.
Althusser distinguishes between the repressive (RSA) and ideological state apparatuses (ISA). Define these distinct areas of state power. Provide a contemporary example of an ISA. How does it interpellate subjects? What ideology does it promote? How does it create social control? (i.e. which subjects, or kinds of people, does it hail and why?)
Beauvoir and Césaire discussed how hierarchical dualisms of man/woman and colonizer/colonized are used to create an Other, or in other words, “thingify” people. Select a hierarchical dualism (either from the ones mentioned in this question or another of your choice) and describe how it functions to (re)create social hierarchies.
Briefly explain why Omi and Winant use the term “racial formation” rather than simply “race.” Why is the term “formation” important to their theory? Give an example of a historical transformation in US racial formation.
According to Omi and Winant, what is neoliberalism and how does it function as a racial project? Explain by defining racial projects, specifying if neoliberalism is racist or anti-racist according to Omi and Winant, and by using an appropriate example that demonstrates your understanding of the concepts.
Audre Lorde writes, of her experience with a feminist conference, “the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.” What does this quote mean, and how does it apply to the feminist conference she attended?
What is situated knowledge? Choose any of the theorists we’ve learned about so far in this semester and describe how their knowledge is situated. What is their standpoint? How does this position affect their understanding of society and social problems?
For Patricia Hill Collins, how should the concept of intersectionality change how we analyze social categories like gender, race, or class? Explain with a specific example that demonstrates your understanding of the concepts.
For Allen, why is the question, “who is your mother?” important to some Native American communities? How does this reflect a distinction from the norms and ideals of “modern” society? You should draw on one of the classical theorists from the beginning of the course to represent the modern in your answer to this question. More than one answer is possible.
