QUESTIONS ON ‘BLACK MEN AND PUBLIC SPACE”



Name________________________________________________ Date_________Hour_______

Response Questions Sociology

“Black Men and Public Space”

by Brent Staples

THINKING SOCIOLOGICALLY

1. What might be some other responses to this experience of having others assume one is dangerous and untrustworthy?

2. How might one’s sense of self be influenced by these responses of others?

3. How are the looking-glass self and role-taking at work in this scenario?

4. What does Staples mean in paragraph 2 by “the ability to alter public space?”

5. What does he learn from his encounter with a white woman as recalled in paragraphs 1 and 2?

6. Why has he forced himself “to smother the rage [he] felt at so often being taken for a criminal? (para 11)

7. Who are Beethoven and Vivaldi? Why does Staples whistle their music?

8. Is Staples’ experience unique from his perspective as a large, tall black man? Explain.

9. Staples handles his rage in a rather unique way. What is it?

10. What does Staples’ subdued tone tell you about his character?

11. Do you think we make false assumptions that people are up to no good if they are on the street late at night, even if they have a good reason for doing so? Before you know his reason for being out late at night, why do you think he was out late?

12. If you had been in Staples’ situation, how would you have handled it?

13. Would Staples have been successful in his profession is he had remained in Chester, Pennsylvania, his hometown? Why or why not?

“Socialization in Japan: The Family and Early Schooling”

by Wendy Ng

14. How did agents of socialization influence who you are today, and how did your experience differ from that of Japanese children described in the essay?

“Gender Socialization in American Public Schools”

15. Recall your own playground days or when you have watched a sibling or child play on the playground. What do your observations tell you about the role of play in gender socialization?

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