SWLF 1006
Final Exam Study Questions
Winter 2017
All four study questions will be on the final exam. Be prepared to answer any three
questions. Each question is worth one-third of the exam grade.
Questions and Readings
Note that the readings listed below under each question are suggestions only. You
can use any course readings to answer any question.
1. Is capitalism mostly fair, offering almost everyone a relatively equal shot at the
“good life,” or is it mostly exploitative, providing for all the needs and wants of
a small minority at the expense of the vast majority – or is it something in
between these two poles?
Readings: Weeks 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6
Joanne Naiman, How Societies Work, pp. 52-64, 78-85, 87-93, 117-29,
131-3, 199-206, 216-35, and 291-9.
Danny Dorling, The No-nonsense Guide to Equality, pp. 13-22, 26-34, 36-9,
41-2, 45-63, 81-9, 98-113, 115-35, and 149-60.
2. Does the state act mostly in the interests of one social class or mostly in the
interests of all social classes?
Readings: Weeks 7 and 8
Joanne Naiman, How Societies Work, pp. 95-114, 165-89, and 193-9.
3. Why do inequalities rooted in race and gender still exist? Are race and gender
equality possible in capitalist societies?
Readings: Weeks 9 and 10
Joanne Naiman, How Societies Work, pp. 240-61 and 264-85.
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4. What could be done in the next 20 years to significantly improve the social and
economic status of Indigenous peoples throughout the world?
Readings: Weeks 11 and 12
Lotte Hughes, The No-nonsense Guide to Indigenous Peoples, pp. 10-58,
80-108, and 121-43.
Videos
Note: Some of these titles may be replaced, depending on their availability.
Wealth Inequality in America
Wealth Inequality in Canada
Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?
(“Not Just a Paycheck” and “In Sickness and in Wealth”)
The Story of Stuff
The Hidden Face of Globalization
Roger and Me
People Like Us: Social Class in America
The War on Democracy
Baby Reveal Gone Wrong
Sex and Gender
Stonewall Uprising
Race: The Power of an Illusion, Episode 2: The Story We Tell
White Like Me
Cry of the Forgotten Land
Sacred Land, Scarred Land
Additional Information
Your answers must be comprehensive and must be based on the information in the
required readings, the videos shown in class, the lectures, and the class discussions.
The best answers are those that make many good arguments. The worst answers
consist of a single paragraph, sometimes stretching for a number of pages, which is
little more than a series of unrelated sentences, pulled almost at random from the
texts.
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Do not simply list definitions (for example, “Race is ….”, “Discrimination is …”)
and then abandon these definitions, leaving them to sit there on the paper.
Everything you put in your answer – including definitions – should contribute to
your argument.
Think of your answers as “mini-essays,” with one exception: you should get to the
point quickly. Unlike a formal paper, your exam answers do not require an
introduction or a conclusion, and there should not be any quotations. And don’t
just “copy and paste” from the texts; synthesize, don’t plagiarize!
Write in paragraph form (and that means starting a new paragraph every now and
then!). Write in pen, not pencil. If you make a mistake, just scratch it out; you
don’t need to use “whiteout.” Your answers may be single-spaced or doublespaced.
Given the value of the questions, you have an average of 60 minutes to answer
each one.
The exam will be “closed book.” You will not be allowed to refer to texts or
lecture notes.
You will be allowed to have with you one, typed 8½” x 11” “cheat sheet” with
writing on one side only. You must use Times New Roman font of 12 points or
higher. (If you use a font of 11 points or smaller, you will receive a 20 point
penalty on the exam.) You may type to the edges of the page (that is, no margins
are required). You may use abbreviations and highlighting. You may single-space
the text.
The cheat sheets will be inspected before the exam begins. Your cheat sheet must
be original – that is, it must not be written in conjunction with another student.
You must hand in your cheat sheet with your exam. Write your name in the upper
right-hand corner of the sheet.
The exam is worth 35 per cent of your overall course grade.
Good Luck!