Sociology 211 – Fall 2004

First midterm examination

11:30 – 12:20, Wednesday, October 6, 2004

Note: Answer each of the four questions – within each question you have choices.

1. Short explanation (9 points). Briefly define or explain the significance of three (3) of the following for the study of ethnicity and multiculturalism.

majority group	B and B Commission	Citizenship Act
ethnic/status honour	folk	melting pot
imagined community	framing by media	involuntary groups

2. Compare and contrast (16 points). Briefly explain the similarities or differences among the concepts in two (2) of the following lists.

• boundary from within and boundary from without (Isajiw)
• social practices, critical diversity, communal diversity (Parekh)
• ethnicity, equity, and citizenship multiculturalism (Fleras and Kunz)
• multiculturalism as ideology or fact (Fleras and Kunz)

3. Quotes (10 points). Select one (1) of the following quotes and explain the meaning and significance of the statement. Also attempt to state the source of the quote.

• “Full and equitable participation of individuals and communities.”
• “Assist immigrants to acquire at least one of Canada's official languages in order to become full participants in Canadian society.”
• “’Multicultural’ refers to the fact of cultural diversity, the term ‘multiculturalism’ to a normative response to that fact.”
• “A historical community, more or less institutionally complete, occupying a given territory or homeland, sharing a distinct language and culture.”

4. Paragraph (15 points). Write a paragraph or two critically discussing one (1) of the following topics.

• “Multiculturalism marginalizes and stereotypes members of visible minorities.”
• “Multiculturalism is a process of constructively engaging diversity as different yet equal.”
• “Unlike culture, race is a category of characteristics not possessed in common but individually.”
• Discuss the term visible minority, explaining its meaning and why Isajiw does not use it.
• Some groups that Isajiw refers to as ethnic groups might better be considered nations or national minorities.