Overview
Essay 1 (15-Points): Choose one
Define Marx and Engels’ historical materialist approach. Then illustrate how Engels’
analysis in Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State demonstrates this
approach in the context of gender and familial relations.
Assign the ‘slave’, the ‘serf’, and the ‘proletariat’ to their respective modes of
production, and describe what Marx and Engels say about the relative freedom of
each one. How is this relevant to their overall theory?
Essay 2 (15-Points): Choose one
Marx/Engels and Durkheim both have theories of history: Marx/Engels discuss the
transition from capitalism to communism; Durkheim explains the evolution from
mechanical to organic solidarity. Compare and contrast these theories of history.
For each theoretical tradition, identify what propels the evolution from one type of
society to the other? Be clear about the causal steps.
Compare and contrast Marx/Engels and Durkheim’s view of the division of labor.
How does each theorist describe the division of labor and its consequences for
society?
Extra Credit (1.5-Points): According to Durkheim’s theory, what might children’s
education look like under mechanical versus organic solidarity?