Exam 18: Politics and Social Movements

Thomas was pulled over by a police officer and after a breathalyzer was charged with impaired driving. Thomas appeared in court two weeks later. He was fined $600 and his license was suspended for a year. Outside the courtroom, Thomas was interviewed by a newspaper reporter for an article he was writing on the harsh impaired-driving laws. Which state institutions did Thomas personally encounter as a result of this incident?

Ming wrote a letter to her Member of Parliament complaining about the lack of services for street youth in the city. What social group does Ming most likely belong to?

A young Canadian activist attends a summit meeting of the world's top economic powers in Quebec City. He is protesting peacefully when the police pepper spray the crowd and arrest him; he then complains that his rights are being violated. What rights is he invoking in his complaint?

Do you believe that Canada will be a more democratic society 25 years from now? Discuss your position, incorporating concepts and theories addressed in this chapter.

How can the current rise of Islamic fundamentalism in Muslim countries be explained?

In a class discussion Wayne asserted that considering Canada to be a democratic society was a joke. When asked to explain, Wayne retorted that in a truly democratic system you would not see the huge economic inequality that currently exists in Canada, with the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, and the majority of government policies aimed at benefiting the corporations. What theoretical perspective has Wayne adopted?

Official voter turnout for the May 2011 federal election was 61.1 percent, which is comparable to turnout seen in other elections since 2000. For voters aged 18-24 the turnout was 38.8 percent. Why do younger people tend not to participate in the electoral process? If you were hired by Elections Canada to address this situation, what ideas would you propose and explain how they would increase voter turnout for the 18-24 age category.

What is the new, or fourth, stage of social movements working toward?

Social movements often used their power to expand the rights of citizens and this expansion of rights has occurred in stages. Which of the following was the first stage of this process?

The main focus of the study of social movements and politics is to find out why people vote the way they do.

The level of unionization increases working-class power and is reflected in the political behaviour of citizens.

When discussing Weber's three bases of authority in class, Simone was asked to give an example of a person with charismatic authority. Which of the following would she offer?

Homeless people are a constituency largely without a voice. However, until an organization such as Canada Without Poverty can coherently organize this constituency to become an effective source for change, the poor will remain poor. Which theoretical perspective would endorse this statement?

During a protest about the treatment of animals, Kamila was tasered and taken into custody. What kind of power is reflected in this incident?

What are the four stages in the process of the expansion of citizen rights that were achieved/are being achieved as a result of social movements?

Discuss and give examples of the globalization of social movements. How do globalized social movements differ from movements at earlier periods in history?

Max Weber argued that authority could have one of three bases. Which of the following is an example of one of those bases?

What is the term for power that has been legitimized?

Sergei and his friends wanted to create a recycling program in a small rural community. They convinced many people of the potential benefits that could result from their ideas and gained their support for moving forward. If Sergei and his friends use this support to obtain the authority to complete the task, what will Sergei and his friends have created?

In 2010, the media reported widely about a federal government cover-up concerning evidence that authorities knew Afghans detained by Canadian troops and transferred to Afghan authorities were being tortured. What term best describes the social role played by the media in this scenario?