Study Guide for Third Test – APLS 373 – May 6 at 2 pm, 2009

 

 

The test will be a combination of short identification and essay questions. It will be helpful for you to re-read and review the chapters in the Conway text and the other materials assigned, and to review the assignments.  This includes chapters 7,8, 9, and 10 in the Conway text and the associated readings. General topic areas are family policy, child care policy, criminal justice policy, and policy in the future. Of course, refer back to your class notes as well. I do expect you to be familiar with each of the readings and to be able to cite points that will back up any statements you make, and to know the primary arguments or content from each article. You don’t need to memorize the title and author but when you refer to something, I should be able to figure out where you found it. Also, there could be some identifications that come from each article.

 

 

                                                                       

 

Here are some suggestions for you in studying for the test. Some of these terms or modifications of these terms will be on the test. For each term, you need to describe the item in a couple of sentences:

 

 

State laws and policies concerning gay marriage

 

Gay marriage and civil unions (similarities and differences)

 

Status of gay marriage and civil unions in the states (see newspaper articles)

 

Status of state laws concerning men who want to change their names to that of their wives, and the ACLU lawsuit (see newspaper article)

 

Defense of Marriage Act

 

Married Women’s Property Acts

 

Common law marriage

 

Covenant marriages

 

Community property law and separate property law

 

Doctrine of coverture

 

English common law

 

Domicile and residence

 

Common law requires concerning the rights of an individual to choose a name

 

Necessaries doctrine

 

Doctrine of presumed coercion

 

Court positions today on a spouse testifying against his/her spouse

 

State positions today on marital rape

 

Survivor benefits for widows and widowers under Social Security and changes made by Congress and courts

 

No fault divorce

 

Alimony laws today and how changed from the past

 

Women as the “Sandwich” generation

 

Why the child care debate sometimes divides the women’s movement along class lines

 

How child care issues affect men

 

Three alternative perspectives on the relationship between women and child care (tasks, relationship between child and caregiver, and institutional arrangement of society)

 

Why child care issues are becoming more important

 

Types of child care available and their pluses and minuses (care in another woman’s home, in care home by a nonparent, professional day care center)

 

Pluses and minuses of having the father or a grandparent as the primary caregiver (see articles)

 

mother’s guilt”

 

the second baby syndrome” (see article)

 

Limits to coverage of the Family and Medical Leave Act (see text and article)

 

Hibbs case and Back decision (see article)

 

Pluses and minuses of having parents bring their children to the workplace as a means of daycare (see article)

 

General Electric v. Gilbert (1976 case)

 

Nashville Gas v. Satty (1977 case)

 

Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978

 

California Federal Savings and Loan Association et al v. Guerra (1987)

 

Bradwell v. Il. (1873)

 

Role of law in American society and its significance for women

 

Why women have achieved parity with men in jury service

 

Whether having women on juries makes a difference to women victims or perpetrators

 

Role of women as police officers and corrections officers prior to 1970s and how and why this has changed

 

Why the increasing number of female law students is significant

 

Why there are still relatively few women judges

 

Problems women face in making partner at big law firms (see article)

 

Why Reagan had only a small pool of women to select from when he picked O’Connor and how that has changed (see article)

 

Sandra Day O’Connor’s background and qualifications for Court (see article)

 

Judge Kaye’s accomplishments and unique status (see article)

 

Why the number of women in prison is increasing

 

Why fewer women than men are arrested (see text)

 

Why more women are being arrested now than in the past (see article)

 

Kinds of crimes for which women are arrested and/or imprisoned (see text and articles)

 

Why prostitutes but not their customers are generally prosecuted

 

Differences between men’s and women’s prison facilities

 

Rape shield laws

 

Changes in attitudes toward rape

 

Barriers toward proving a rape occurred

 

Issues surrounding wife battering

 

Violence Against Women Act of 1994

 

Why it is a myth that prostitution is a victimless crime (see text and article)

 

Areas of public policy that have not yet been “gendered”

 

 

 

 

Essay questions. You will have to answer one essay question only. One of these questions will be on your test, so prepare them all.

 

Economic opportunities and attitudinal changes have led to new perspectives on both marriage and divorce. Explain this statement within the context of addressing family law, in a well thought out, detailed essay that draws on the readings and class discussions.

 

 

Conway states: “ Public policy with regard to child care and family leave, perhaps more than any other area, reflects both the social changes that have occurred in the United States since World War II and the attitudinal changes that have taken place over that same period concerning the roles of women in the family and the workplace.” Address this statement and comment, in a well thought out, detailed essay that draws on the various readings on this topic and our class discussions.

 

In a detailed, well thought out essay, explain how “…the changing role of women…” has affected and changed criminal law and its applications.

 

Conway states: “The study of women and public policy raises important questions. How far can and should the government go in encouraging or facilitating cultural change? Is it the role of government to respond to the needs created by cultural change?”