Writing Homework Help

Reading Questions:

1. According to Eric Schneider, how did changes in the social geography of postwar America shape the heroin boom of the 1960s? By “social geography,” I refer to the sociological dimensions of urban spaces. In your response, consider such factors as urban demographics (e.g., race, ethnicity, gender, and age), economic disparities (job and income gaps), generational cohorts (peer-groups), and street gangs.

2. In what ways did the illicit heroin trade give rise to corruption? How did the form of police corruption change between the older era of machine politics and the heroin boom of the 1960s? What role did law enforcement play in “regulating” and sustaining the underground heroin economy of New York?

Note: These questions pertain to the Schneider reading so focus on that one for now. You will be responsible for some information in the Walker reading on the final exam, however, which I will refer back to in a later lecture. This material will be covered in the final exam, not the midterm.