1. There has been a resurgence of the veil in several Middle Eastern societies over the past few years. How can we explain this change?
2. Give three examples of stratification and discuss each in relation to the notion of private ownership and surplus.
3. Explain why economic benefits and social privileges are unequally shared in human societies? When did it all start? What is it due to?
4. Dehumanization as a process, overcomes the normal human revulsion against murder and injustice. One group denies the humanity of the other group and in the most extreme cases, genocides, attempts to eliminate the minority group which are equated with animals, vermin, insects or diseases. In that light, explain the relationship between majority and minority groups in various societies.
5. How were the Nazis and the Khmer Rouge, comparable in their treatment and purge of undesirable citizens? Compare the use of poison and/or firing squad and the use of hard beating and hard labor as tools of terror. Compare the leadership. What were the driving ideologies in both systems and how did they differ? Compare Aushwitz and Tuol Sleng as incarnation of a Holocaust.
6. If "Anatomy is destiny", how can you explain gender inequality? And how does patriarchy relate to our understanding of family and family formation? Provide examples.
7. What makes humans accept inequality? Discuss. Give examples from three (3) specific cases.
8. Discuss the Marxist concept of Modes of production in relation to social hierarchy, with examples.
9. Is the class system an open or closed system of stratification? Why is it so? How is it legitimized? Compare the caste system of India with the class system of the Western world and provide examples from both systems to highlight your point.
10. List the symbolic meanings of the veil in several Middle Eastern countries and discuss how these meanings relate to the Muslim concept of Purdah and to other important values?
11. Why is the concept of race outdated and why is it still used?
12. Are ideologies always at the root of social stratification? Why?
13. What are the major differences between the social structure of the Estates and the Class system?
14. What explains the content of stereotypes? How and why do stereotypes of groups change over time? Provide examples (2).