Final Study Guide. Exam: Tuesday, Mar 17, 11 Am - 1 PM, Discovery Hall 162

Final Study Guide.
Exam: Tuesday, Mar 17, 11 am – 1 pm, Discovery Hall 162
Read the Study Guide Carefully. You should read this study guide carefully and be sure
that you understand each element of the exam.
Exam Format
The exam will consist of two sections:
I. 10 multiple choice questions (2 points each = 20 points)
II. 8 short answer questions (10 points each = 80 points)
You will have the full two-hour period. You can bring one 4x6 index card study guide
with you to the exam.
Preparing for the exam

Review your readings, class notes, lecture slides, worksheets, and any other course
materials. I also recommend reviewing the films. Use this study guide to help you figure
out what sections of films to focus on.
In studying for the exam, I recommend that you write out an answer for the items listed
below. It will help you get your thoughts in order.
In general, I am looking for you to

• Show me that you’ve done and understood the readings (including banner session
readings as well as readings the whole class has read).
• Show me that you can connect individual events or concepts to larger class
themes.
• Keep in mind our class context as you answer the questions. For example, people
might discuss “private prisons” differently outside of our class. But you should
address its significance in the context of our class.
Effort in studying (working hard) is the first step you need to take to do well. But the test
is a case where execution is the ultimate goal and what you will be assessed on.
Study Groups
I encourage you to study with one or more of your peers. Sharing class notes and
reviewing material with others can fill gaps and lead you to think through your answers
more fully. I do not recommend simply swapping draft answers. There is no substitute
for doing the work yourself as an initial matter.
Blue Books and Pens

Please bring a blue book and a pen to class on the day of the midterm. Consider bringing
two books if you think you might need them. You can purchase them at the bookstore.
You must write in black or blue ink on the exam—no pencils. Write as neatly as possible.
Cheating
Any kind of cheating on the exam will result in an automatic “0” for the entire exam.
1
Multiple Choice
The multiple choice questions concern concepts we have read and/or discussed in class,
including issues discussed in the sections below.
Short Answers
The short answer sections also concern concepts we have read and/or discussed in class.
In each, I am looking for you to identify and explain the significance of a particular issue,
event, or concept. For each you should identify what it is and why it is significant in the
context of our class themes. Your answer should cover as many of “the 5 W’s” as
possible (who, what, when, where, and why) as well as how this concept, process, or
event is important in the context of our class. In other words, you need to answer what is
often called the “so what?” question. Note: in discussing “when,” you do not need to
identify exact years. While doing so may be helpful, I am most interested in your
correctly identifying the time period and the relationship between events.
**Do not use the 5 “Ws” to structure your answer. For example, don’t do this: “Who:
(answer) What: (answer) When: (answer).” Instead, your answers should be in sentence
and paragraph form. See the sample answers below for clear examples of how you should
structure your responses.
You must complete 8 short answers out of 11 possible questions. You may answer one
(and only one) additional question for extra credit.
Key Concepts
You can expect questions about many of the following concepts:
13th Amendment
Civil rights movement & incarceration
Convict leasing
Crimmigration
Disenfranchisement
Domestic wars (war on crime, drugs, terror)
Geography of incarceration
Law Enforcement Assistance Administration
Models of incarceration (Big House, Warehouse, Workhouse)
Political prisoners
Prison labor
Prison rebellion years
Prison reform (as concept, and at different historical moments)
Prison slavery
Private prisons
Solitary confinement
Surpluses and mass incarceration
Types of incarceration (jails vs. prisons vs. detention centers)
Zero tolerance
2
Examples:
Here some sample ways to approach the short answer questions. Note that these exact
questions do not appear on the exam, but they should give you a feel for both the types of
questions and how to respond to them.
Question: What was the Chinese Exclusion Act?

This law was passed in 1882. It prohibited the immigration of Chinese laborers for 10
years and barred all Chinese immigrants from naturalized citizenship. It was the
country’s first law to restrict a group of immigrants based on their race. Apart from being
an important chapter in the history of discrimination again Chinese people, it is
significant because it introduced the “gatekeeping” ideology that transformed the way the
country thought about immigration. It established an example of how to contain other
“threatening” and “undesirable” foreigners through exclusion. It also set in motion the
government procedures required to regulate and control immigrants arriving to the U.S.
(e.g. passports, green cards, deportation policies) that would be expanded to a large
number of immigrants coming from many different countries.
Question: What is the relationship between prisons and geography?

Most prisons are built in rural areas. This has been especially true in the era of mass
incarceration. Since the 1970s, states and the federal government have built hundreds of
new prisons in largely rural areas around the country. As an example, Ruth Wilson
Gilmore showed California converted former farmland into prisons beginning in the
1980s. Yet most of the people who are incarcerated come from urban areas. Big cities
have the most police and, until recently, have had the toughest prosecutors. The domestic
wars that have fueled mass incarceration—wars on crime, drugs, gangs, terrorism—have
been focused on cities. Yet once people enter the system, they are sent to rural prisons.
And because of prison gerrymandering, this movement from urban to rural has increased
the political power of rural areas at the expense of urban ones.

Final Study Guide. Exam: Tuesday, Mar 17, 11 Am - 1 PM, Discovery Hall 162

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Final Study Guide. Exam: Tuesday, Mar 17, 11 Am - 1 PM, Discovery Hall 162

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Final Study Guide. Exam: Tuesday, Mar 17, 11 Am - 1 PM, Discovery Hall 162

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Final Study Guide.

Exam: Tuesday, Mar 17, 11 am – 1 pm, Discovery Hall 162

Preparing for the exam

In general, I am looking for you to

Blue Books and Pens

Question: What was the Chinese Exclusion Act?

Question: What is the relationship between prisons and geography?

You might also like