INSTRUCTIONS: Answer all four questions. Responses should be clear, precise, and thorough. Each question is worth 25 points. The complete exam is worth a total of 100 points.
- Discuss and evaluate the central concepts of Marx’s historical materialism: mode(s) of production, base and superstructure, ideology, and the dialectics of the forces and relations of production. How did Marx use these concepts to analyze processes of social change? What role is assigned to culture and politics in processes of change? How adequate is Marx’s explanation of social change?
- Discuss and evaluate Marx’s prognosis for the development of class relations in capitalist societies. How did Marx expect the class structure and dynamic of capitalist societies to develop over time? How well did Marx’s expectations fit the actual development of class relations in the advanced capitalist societies? How well does it fit today? Draw upon the Marx selection titled “Manifesto of Class Struggle” in the Lemert reader as you construct your response.
- Discuss the central themes of Weber’s Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. What is meant by his characterization of Protestantism as marked by “worldly asceticism”? How is Protestantism linked to the rise of modern capitalism? Why is the connection fraught with irony? Draw upon the Weber selection titled “The Spirit of Capitalism and the Iron Cage” in the Lemert reader as you construct your response.
- Discuss Durkheim’s analysis of the problem of anomie and its connections to modern forms of suicide. How does anomic suicide differ from egoistic, altruistic and fatalistic forms? Draw upon the Durkheim selection titled “Suicide and Modernity” in the Lemert reader as you construct your response.
