Immigration and Race
What is double consciousness?
According to Du Bois, double consciousness is the dual self-perception ("twoness") that Black Americans experience as a result of racism and white supremacy. Double consciousness describes how Black Americans are forced to view their "selves" not only through their own lens but also through the racially prejudiced lenses of white Americans, thus resulting in a conflicting and fragmented identity.
What does it mean to examine place sociologically?
To look at place not just as a physical or geographic location, but rather as a site of culture and meaning-making that shapes people's social relationships and perceptions of the world around them.
Note: Ewing examines place sociologically
Give one example that illustrates the social construction of gender.
Examples may vary, but should show how gender takes on social meaning in ways that are unrelated to biology (e.g., pink being for girls and blue being for boys).
According to M&E, what is alienation?
When, as a result of working conditions, a worker becomes detached from aspects of their own life and existence. Labor becomes an object outside of the worker.
According to Levy, how did the introduction of ELD's impact truckers' everyday work experiences?
CONS: Infiltrated truckers' "sacred spaces;" limited truckers' judgement and autonomy; made drivers' time instantly accessible to dispatchers; increased motivation to speed.
PROS: illuminated problem of detention time; increased advocacy (in some cases).
What is the veil?
The veil is a metaphor used to describe the racial barrier separating Black and white Americans. According to Du Bois, Black Americans can see both sides of the veil ("second sight") while white Americans cannot.
Note that the veil is part of Du Bois' broader concept of double consciousness.
How does Ewing use Du Bois' concept of the veil in her work?
Ewing uses the veil to explain the different perspectives of community members on the one hand and Chicago Public School officials on the other.
(See Ghosts in the Schoolyard and course lecture slides for more information on what each of these groups' perspectives are -- you will be expected to provide details about each group's perspectives on the final exam).
What does it mean to "do" gender according to West and Zimmerman?
To act in everyday, interaction-based ways that uphold a certain gendered presentation.
What are the four dimensions of alienation?
People are alienated from:
1. The product of their labor
2. The process of their labor
3. Their "species being" (human essence)
4. Other people
Name one unintended consequence of mandating ELD's.
Answers should highlight a strategy that truckers use to resist the ELD. Answers may include: increase in speeding violations; solidarity in rule breaking between law enforcement and truckers; solidarity in rule breaking between truckers and dispatchers.
How is Du Bois' double consciousness relate to Mead's theory of self?
Du Bois complicates Mead's theory by highlighting the role that power and oppression (in this case, racial marginalization and white supremacy) play in shaping one's identity (especially the "me," which is responsive to what the "generalized other" thinks).
What is institutional mourning according to Ewing?
The community-level process of mourning the loss of a particular institution. Institutional mourning is especially present in disenfranchised communities, where the closed institution (in this case schools) often provided necessary resources to the community.
How can Goffman's concepts of roles and scripts help us understand the process of "doing" gender?
In order to "do" gender, we usually follow certain gendered scripts (e.g., painting nails, growing a beard) and practice certain gender roles (e.g., holding the door for someone if you're a man).
These roles and scripts aren't fixed and we can choose not to participate in them, but we may lose face (or even face violence) if we push back on them.
According to Hochshield, what is emotional labor?
The process of managing one’s emotions in order to produce the feelings needed (in oneself and in others) to do a job according to organizational expectations
What does Levy mean when she says that the ELD provided a technological solution to an economic problem?
Truckers were "fudging" driving logs in order to make a living because wages are low and hours are limited. ELDs were designed to prevent the "fudging" but did nothing to address the underlying economic problems leading truckers to "fudge" their numbers in the first place (pay-by-mile structure, low wages).
What is the main argument of the Gonzalez article on the social construction of immigration status?
When undocumented children transition into adulthood (and out of the K-12 system) they move from being protected to unprotected and must learn to be illegal, "a transformation that involves the almost complete retooling of daily routines, survival skills, aspirations, and social patterns."
What is standpoint theory?
Standpoint theory argues that a group’s social structural position in society produces a particular perspective (standpoint) that informs the research process.
According to Friedman, how do different kinds of girls' sports correspond to gendered scripts?
Graceful girls = girls who dance
Pink Warrior girls = girls who play chess
Aggressive girls = girls who play soccer
Provide an example of someone engaging in emotional labor.
Examples may vary, but should highlight a person presenting and/or recalling ("transmuting") a certain emotional state in order to do their job (e.g., a food service worker greeting customers with a smile).
After reading Levy's Data Driven, what kind of policy would you recommend to improve the trucking industry?
Answers will vary by person, but should consider the rise of driverless trucks, the pay structure of trucking (currently pay-by-mile), legal limits on driving hours, and the oversight/surveillance of truckers (currently ELD's).
What methods does Gonzalez use in "Learning to Be Illegal"?
150 in-depth interviews with undocumented 1.5-generation young adult Latinos in Southern California. Gonzalez uses qualitative methods to study the social construction of immigration status.
How does Ewing's standpoint inform her sociological approach?
Ewing is upfront about her standpoint--Chicagoan, teacher, researcher--and how it impacts her interest in her topic, the kinds of questions she asked, and her findings.
For Ewing (and other standpoint theorists), having a particular perspective is a good thing and all researchers should be open and honest about how their standpoint impacts their research.
According to Friedman, which sports are upper-class parents more likely to enroll their girls in and why?
"Parents higher up in the class hierarchy of the middle class promote a more aggressive femininity, and we see this in both soccer and chess families" (Friedman, p. 9).
What does Vallas mean by "ethical compulsion to work"?
Vallas is referring to the moralization of work in contemporary US society. Working is not just rationally necessary, it is considered morally good.
Use your sociological imagination to analyze the rise of AI and its social consequences.
Answers should link "personal troubles" or reasons for using AI (e.g., feeling pressured to work quickly, being interested in technology, being lonely, etc.) with "public issues" or broader social forces leading to the rise of AI (e.g., rapid pace of work, widescale investment in tech, lack of regulation of AI, pandemic and social isolation, etc.).
Answers should ALSO explain and/or hypothesize about some potential social consequences of the rise of AI (hint: refer to readings for final week of class).