Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
P. Currah's Core 3 Section JK
Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
FINAL EXAM REVIEW -- FOR SECTION JK ONLY
The Core 3 exam for this section is scheduled for Wednesday, December 23rd, from 10:30-12:30 a.m. in 5305 James. This exam is worth 50% of the final grade.
PART I: (25 points each for a total of 75 points). You will have to answer three essay questions. You will have four questions to choose from. The questions that will be asked on this part of the exam will not be given in advance for you to use in your studying. However, studying for these questions will help you prepare for the actual questions.
1. Explain the major features of both the pluralist and elite models of power, and discuss how present day U.S. society reflects both, either, or neither of these views. Identify the intellectual predecessors of pluralist and elitist theory.
2. Explain the five major theories of women's oppression. Which theory is the most convincing and why? Illustrate your answer with examples from U.S. society.
3. How does Tocqueville view the dangers inherent in the democratic form of government? What institutions and U.S. social and political customs might check those dangers, according to Tocqueville? How does Tocqueville's concerns speak to the current state of American politics and society? Be specific.
4. How does Madison view the role of government? Given this view, what dangers are present in U.S. society and how can they be controlled? Be specific.
5. Compare Marx's notion of class to Madison's notion of faction. What accounts for their different views on the role of government?
6. What is Charles Beard's argument about the creation of the U.S. Constitution? Be specific. What is his proof? Compare Beard's argument with Madison's defense of the U.S. Constitution in Federalist #10. Do you agree or disagree with Beard's position? Why or why not?
7. According to Thurgood Marshall, African Americans "were enslaved by law, emancipated by law, disenfranchised and segregated by law; and finally they have begun to win equality by law." Explain.
8. What poses the greatest threat to democracy? Refer to one of the social/political theorists from the course to illustrate your answer.
10. What, if anything, would race and gender-based analysis add to the understanding of class divisions in U.S. society?
12. How does Tocqueville view the role of voluntary associations?
PART II: (5 points each for a total of 25 points) Identify, explain the significance of five (5) of the following. Give examples where possible. (In this section of the actual exam, you will have no choice.) These are the actual questions below.
Liberal feminism
People v. Hall
The power elite
Dred Scott v. Sanford
Plessy v. Ferguson
Brown v. Board of Education
Federalist #51
Bowers v. Hardwick
Pluralism
Factions
Checks and Balances
Patriarchy
Radical Feminism
Federalist #10
The relation between heterosexism, homophobia, and sexism
The Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
The Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activist Alliance
The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
Voluntary Associations
Multiculturalism
Ethnicity
The Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
The Articles of Confederation
The Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
Comparable worth
Relation between racism, birth control and reproductive rights
Forum Syllabus Research Guide Writing Guide Questions Essay Review
Paisley Currah
Department of Political Science
Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
2900 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11210
pcurrah@brooklyn.cuny.eduCopyright © 1997, 1998 Paisley Currah
Revised -- 12/16/98