1. Compare and contrast slavery, caste, and class as systems of stratification. What is the basis of inequality in each? How much social mobility exists in each? What system of stratification best describes the United States?
2. What are the differences in average income and wealth between whites, African Americans, and Latinos? What are the sociological explanations for why these gaps exist?
3. Many countries are considered newly industrialized economies (NIEs), including a handful in Eastern Asia whose growth is considered extraordinary compared to other NIEs. What are some of the problems that have accompanied NIEs in this part of the world?
4. What is the role of technology in deepening existing global inequalities?
5. What does the research on monkeys castrated at birth and the story of identical twins raised as different genders suggest about the role of social interaction and social context in explaining gender differences?
6. How do gender, marital status, and parental status interact in time spent doing housework?
7. Cuban Americans are relatively more successful than Mexican Americans. How can this difference be explained?
8. What is the evidence that American workers are working longer hours today than they did in the past? According to Arlie Hochschild, how is "the time bind" faced by "the overworked American" related to globalization?