Sociology Midterm Exam Overview

Midterm Exam Breakdown

The midterm exam consists of three sections: multiple-choice, short answer, and long answer.
Multiple-choice questions will draw from reading concepts and lectures, totaling 15 questions.
Four short answer questions will be selected from a list of eight, and each answer should be approximately 2-3 pages double-spaced, worth 5 points each (totaling 20 points).
One long answer question will be selected from a list of four, and the response should be about 5 pages double-spaced, worth 10 points.

Short Answer Questions

Dark Figure of Crime: This refers to the amount of unreported crime, highlighting the gap between official crime statistics and the actual amount of crime.
Social Construction of Crime: This explores how societal norms, values, and power dynamics influence what is defined as criminal behavior.
‘Culture of Skepticism’ in sexual assault cases (Johnson): This concept delves into the skepticism and disbelief encountered by sexual assault victims within the justice system, including the police, legal professionals, and society at large. This skepticism often stems from societal attitudes and biases, hindering justice for victims.
Cesare Lombroso’s Construction of the “Female Offender” (Glasbeek): Lombroso, a prominent criminologist, developed a theory about criminal types, including his ideas on the female offender. He argued that women, biologically predisposed to be less intelligent and more prone to emotional outbursts, were prone to criminality. These ideas, however, have been widely criticized as being rooted in sexist and outdated views.
Value Consensus Model of Law: This model views law as a reflection of shared values and beliefs within society. Society agrees upon laws that reflect its collective morality and purpose.
Conflict Model of Law: This model proposes that law serves the interests of the powerful in society. It argues that laws are created and enforced to maintain the status quo and benefit the ruling class.
Police Sub-Culture: This refers to the values, beliefs, and norms held by police officers, which shape their perspectives and practices.
“Girls gone bad” thesis (Glasbeek): This thesis explores how society views female offenders as deviating from societal expectations of femininity, resulting in harsher judgments and punishments.

Long Answer Questions

Predictive, Algorithm-Based Policing & Racial Profiling: This question examines how predictive policing technologies, often relying on data analysis and algorithms, can inadvertently contribute to racial profiling by disproportionately targeting individuals based on their race or ethnicity. It also draws on the Tulloch report and lecture to analyze how systemic inequalities within the Canadian criminal justice system, exacerbated by racial profiling, undermine fairness and justice.
Normative Femininity and Criminal Justice Responses: This question delves into how societal expectations of femininity influence responses to crime, focusing on the "Ken and Barbie" killers case. Examining the voice clip from Thunder Bay illuminates how non-normative femininity shapes the treatment of non-ideal victims within the criminal justice system, highlighting biases and disparities.
Reasons Women Don’t Report Sexual Assault: Using three examples, this question aims to understand why women often choose not to report sexual assault, exploring factors like fear of retaliation, disbelief, stigma, and mistrust in the justice system.
Objectivist-Legalistic Approach to Crime: This question defines the positivist legalistic approach to studying and defining crime. It further explores criticisms of this approach, recognizing its limitations in capturing the complexities of crime, and its potential for reinforcing existing social inequalities.

Midterm Exam Breakdown

The midterm exam consists of three parts: Multiple Choice (15 questions), Short Answer (4 questions), and Long Answer (1 question).
Multiple-Choice questions will be primarily drawn from reading concepts and lectures.
Short-Answer questions are worth 5 points each, totalling 20 points.
Long-Answer questions are worth 10 points.

Short Answer Topics

Dark Figure of Crime: refers to the unreported crime, which is the difference between the number of crimes that actually occur and the number of crimes reported to the police.
Social Construction of Crime: Suggests that crime is not an objective phenomenon but rather a social construct. This means that what is considered criminal or deviant is shaped by society's values, beliefs, and power structures.
‘Culture of Skepticism’ in sexual assault cases (Johnson): Refers to the prevailing attitudes and beliefs that often make it difficult for victims of sexual assault to seek justice.
Cesare Lombroso’s Construction of the “Female Offender” (Glasbeek): An early criminologist who developed a theory of criminal atavism, arguing that criminals are biologically predisposed to crime and can be identified by certain physical characteristics. His theories were applied to women, often reinforcing gender stereotypes and leading to discriminatory practices.
Value Consensus Model of Law: Assumes that laws reflect the shared values and beliefs of society, and that they are created to maintain order and protect the interests of the majority.
Conflict Model of Law: Views law as a tool used by the powerful to maintain their dominance and control over others. It suggests that laws are often created and enforced in a way that benefits the ruling class and disadvantages the less powerful.
Police Sub-Culture: The set of values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that are shared by members of a police force.
“Girls gone bad” thesis (Glasbeek): A theory that attempts to explain female delinquency and criminality as a result of women deviating from traditional gender roles and expectations.

Long Answer Topics

Predictive, Algorithm-Based Policing Strategies and Racial Profiling: Examines how policing strategies that utilize algorithms and data to predict crime can contribute to racial profiling and systemic inequalities within the Canadian criminal justice system.
Normative Femininity and Responses to the ‘Ken and Barbie’ Killers: Explores how societal responses to female offenders are often shaped by perceptions of femininity and societal expectations of women's behavior.
Reasons Women Do Not Report Sexual Assault: Delves into the reasons why many victims of sexual assault do not come forward to report the crime.
Objectivist-Legalistic Approach to Crime: Defines crime as a violation of the law, with an emphasis on objective and measurable criteria.