1. Which population of workers has changed the U.S. workplace the most—women or foreign-born workers? Explain the reason for your answer.

2. Using a coffee barista as an example, identify and explain Karl Marx’s theory of worker alienation.

3. Why and how are women disadvantaged in the workforce—in both the types of jobs they occupy and their salary level?

4. Identify the positive and negative consequences of globalization.

5. From a functionalist and conflict perspective, examine the role of a contingent workforce in the U.S. economy.

6. Why have labor unions declined in membership? How can labor unions expand their appeal and membership to workers, and how can they do this during the economic recession?

7. Human trafficking includes the involuntary movement of individuals within one country or from one country to another for exploitation. Exploitation may include physical labor or sexual exploitation (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Anti–Human Trafficking Unit 2006). In 2012, the United Nations reported that 2.4 million people are victims of human trafficking at any one time, with the majority being exploited as sexual slaves (Lederer 2012). The United States is reported to be a frequent destination country where victims are brought to be exploited, yet not much is discussed about our country’s role in human trafficking. Is trafficking a U.S. social problem? Why or why not?