...Bisola Mary Bello SPEA –V 443: Social Class Assignment. August 11th 2014 3:21 AM. 1. Discuss and explain PEW’s definition of social class in America and how it pertains to income, society and culture. The definition of social class according to Pew research and based on the results of their survey is the stratification of individuals based on income, education level, financial satisfaction, occupation wealth and prestige. Based on those factors individuals are grouped into levels of socioeconomic class namely: upper class, upper-middle class, lower-middle class, and lower class. For the sake of their survey, Pew research grouped together the individuals in the lower-middle class and lower class into one group. Any observer of American society would quickly note that there are large variations in wealth, material possessions, power and authority, and prestige in our society. They would also note differences in access to education, healthcare and leisure. Income is one of the biggest measures or indicator of socioeconomic status. In the United States there is inequality in the distribution of income. Those in the upper class aka the elite represent the smallest percentage of the population yet they hold majority of the income. The opposite can be said for their friends at the end of the spectrum, they make us the largest part of the population and have the least amount of the income. According to Leonard Beeghley a household income of roughly $95,000 would be typical...
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...9/22/14 Social Transformation Social Change Hunter Gatherers Symbiosis with “nature” Horticultural: Domesticated plants Pastoral: Domesticated animals H+B= Agricultural Revolution Specialized labor Empire E= Industrial Revolution • Mechanical labor • Surplus goods Present: Post • Information/Economy • Specialized Knowledge Bio-Tech Society • Changing human biology/genome 9/24/14 Social Construction of Reality Thomas Theorem- Definition of the situation Perception are reality: People can occupy the same social space but perceive a different reality Background Assumptions Stereotypes: Cultural assumptions Ethnomethodology Emotional disrupting creativity Dramaturgy Goffman- Life is a con game Impression Management One person’s attempt to control the perceptions of others Front- Social acting Backstage- Preparing Proxemics-Personal Space Proxemic Bubble 4 Rings Intimate Space Personal Zone Social Space Public 9/26/14 Social Groups Two or more people Share like activities and common goals Possesses the spirit of “WE” In-Group (US): Group to which you are a member Out-Group (THEM): People outside or opposed/in competition with your group Typology of Groups Primary (Close Association) Intimate Long-lasting Expressive- emotional connection Secondary (Loose Association) Super revival Short-Duration Instrumental-...
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...Social class discrimination 1Social class discrimination is the actual behaviour that people treat others differently according to their social situation, such that someone on benefits is treated unfairly compared to that of someone who works for a living. There are great differences in the condition of the class discrimination in different countries. In the following three paragraphs, I would like to show you three causes and relevant effects of social class discrimination. The main cause of social class discrimination is that people in high class are more powerful in the society. Noble people always occupy higher status. Undoubtedly, it is much easier for upper classes to achieve something. They are accustomed to control, accustomed others to obey. As time passes, despotism appears. Some noblemen united to form a council governing the country. This is just the way some kingdom died out. Nowadays, even though this phenomenon is unlikely to emerge any more, the epitome of despotism still exists as a result of class discrimination; for instance, the law of hereditary kingship and the rank of nobility. As the discriminatory hierarchy exists, the society cannot be united and peaceful which has been proved by the history. The class consciousness is indoctrinated when people growing up. They observe how their parents treat lower- class people, so that they imitate. However, the inveteracy of class- based discrimination can influence their psychological health. They look down upon...
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...Race and Social Class I don’t believe there is a true relationship between race and social class. I think we need to explore beyond race to find the true relationship to social class. I believe that the relationship we should be focusing on is the one between social class and education. Races and cultures that put a higher value on education tend to produce more members of society that move from a lower social class to a higher social class or retain their social class from one generation to another. Also, I believe that the movement between social classes becomes more available within a society that does not apply a caste system on its members. Ultimately, it is an individual’s personal responsibly to determine their outcome. This goes beyond race, social class, and culture. I believe America has equal opportunity, but not equal outcomes. As Martin Luther King famously said in his “I Have a Dream” speech, “be judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” We are unique individuals and have an opportunity to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These rights are natural rights that are given to us by God. Today the President of the United States is of mixed White and Kenyan heritage. Any remnants of a caste system, perhaps from the days of Jim Crow and the laws of “separate, but equal” are but all behind us in America. If you look at the achievement gaps in the Jersey City, NJ public schools, there is a significant gap in the graduation...
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...In all social groups class plays a major role in the attainment of children in education. At all age groups in the education system it is apparent that working class children achieve lower attainment than children from a middle class background. It is suggested that the system is biased and designed for white, middle class children disregarding the needs of the working class and ethnic minority children. However most researchers believe that there is a similar ‘range of ability’ in every social class which could mean that class differences in educational achievement are not due to class differences in intelligence but more to do with other factors in society such as low expectations and low aspirations, lack of deferred gratification and economical issues all of which are more apparent in the working class. Children from working class backgrounds tend to experience economical hardship more so than any other class; this is often linked to material deprivation which these children are exposed to throughout their life. Material deprivation in social class five has been closely linked to the underachievement of working class pupils in schools since the 1960s when sociologists claimed that a child’s attainment could be linked to a lack of something which was then found to be a kind of deprivation. A lack of money and the things that money could buy combined with a lack of skills and the absence of a good attitude contributed to a child’s achievement in school. These children are...
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...children from poor backgrounds succeed, but the overall pattern is clear: social class, defined in terms of socio-economic status, correlates closely with attainment at school.” (Cole, Mike. (2006). Social class and schooling. In: Education, equality and human rights. Taylor and Francis. 202.) This extract shows that social class defines how good or how bad a student will perform in their educational years therefore it can be linked into what Gaine says “Many working class parents will want a wider range of opportunities for their children than to what they have experienced […] many will socialise their children into the world they know” (Gaine, Dr.Chris, George, Ms Rosalyn (30 Nov 1998). Gender, 'Race' and Class in schooling: A new introduction. 3rd ed. l: Taylor and Francis. 35.) Although parents would want their kids to have high aspirations they know that because of the social injustice and because they belong to working class families that’s all they’ll be aspirations. Furthermore such decisions as to what the child receives in terms of education wise and career wise all depends on the students willingness and those that don’t have the determination and for some the ones that come from lower classes it is a constant circle for them of dropping out of education and living on government benefits because they feel out of place when attending schools that are highly populated with middle and higher class...
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...The British social class system simply relates to, as in a class society, a set of concepts based and centred on models of social stratification. This, in which, people are grouped into separate sets of hierarchal social categories – these being known as the lower class, working class, middle class and upper class. The lower class is typified by poverty, homelessness, and unemployment. The working class are those minimally educated people who engage in “manual labour” with little or no prestige. The middle class are the “sandwich” class. These white collar workers have more money than those below them on the “social ladder,” but less than those above them. The upper class have much money, which leaves them with much leisure time for cultivating a variety of interests. A number of sociologists have attempted to define social class. It is not an easy concept to describe. Marx and Engels (1848) defined social class as being divided into 'The Bourgeoisie' who owned the land and factories. They exploited the lower working masses that were termed, 'The Proletariat'. Marx's (1848) view was that social class was linked to the conflict between the two classes. Marx and Engels (1848) defined social class in relation to the ownership of means of production Weber (1946), on the other hand, divided social class into power, wealth and prestige. Social class was based on social order. Power was distributed according to a set of formal rules. Weber (1946) stated that 'class' was based on individuals'...
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...A social problem that arises from social class consists of the problem that social class is only related to those people who are in paid employment. Nevertheless, social class does not apply directly to the entire population. Unfortunately, it does not include people who are not in paid employment due to the lack of an occupation. Without an occupation, individuals cannot be assigned to a social class. However, individuals without a job tend to record the details of their most recent job when attempting to determine the social class. It is a huge issue if the individual has never had a job because there is no previous job to use. These certain people are assigned to a “not stated” group in the social class system. Wealth is the most significant factor in determining social class. Without an income, it is rather difficult to determine what class an individual belongs to which can be considered a social problem....
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...between social class and crime has been a topic that has been discussed in criminology for quite some time. Social class is the division of society in social and economic classes. The upper class is composed of the wealthiest people in society, such as successful entrepreneurs, politicians, investment bankers, CEOs, and celebrities. The middle class is considered to be the median between the working class and upper class. For example, lower level managers, doctors, small business owners, educators would be considered middle class. The lower class is loosely defined by definition generally though it would be described as individuals working positions at a job that can be filled easily without having a substantial amount of...
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...Valle English 101, Evans Correlation between Social Class & Education Today, criticism exists between the correlation between social class division and linguistics which suggest to a reflection of United States’ educational system. Presently in the U.S. the controversy lies between society, where a fine line that divides and correlates education and social class. Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis, a group of scholar researchers, concluded in their article Bowles and Gintis on Schooling in the United States that being born into a specific social class could potentially determine the future of a person’s academic potential, life goal achievements, and more specifically their respective social class. In my opinion, however, education and linguistics do not adhere to predictive social classes. Education and more specifically linguistics are being suggested as an inferiority of our school system. What is known as Ebonics or AAE (African American English) is widely used though out the modern United States; not only AAE is used today but other forms of slang like those used in Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and other social media. Geneva Smitherman and others also suggest certain dialects such as AAE do not reflect nor lack control over education, but it is rather an enriched language of diverse cultures. Moreover Bowles and Gintis argue that students’ “lack of control over his or her education” reflect their respective social class. According to Basil Bernstein, another scholarly...
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...Social class is the key factor influencing a child’s education attainment. There are major differences between the levels of achievement of the working class and middle class. Generally the higher the social class of the parents the more successful a child will be in education. Social class inequality begins in primary school and becomes greater as you move up through the education system with the higher levels of the education system dominated by middle and upper-class students. There are many other factors that can explain differences in educational achievements for different social classes, these include material explanations which put the emphasis on social and economic conditions, cultural explanations which focus on values, attitudes and lifestyles and factors within the school itself. Material factors such as poverty, low wages, diet, health and housing can all have important direct effects on how well individuals do at school. Material deprivation such as this helps when explaining the pattern of working-class underachievement in education. Douglas (1964) found that poor housing conditions such as overcrowding and insufficient quiet can make study at home difficult meaning they cannot complete homework and may not pass exams. In working class families, low income or unemployment may mean resources such as computers and text books cannot be bought which will restrict the amount of studying the child can do. They may also not be able to attend school trips that could...
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...view i will be refering to "Social Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work". Before reading Anyons essay i noticed the difference of teaching and learning of the different social classes. After graduating from middle school and starting high school i was exposed to many of the different social classes and the difference of the teachings. Its amazing how obvious it is that schools are placed in different social groups based on family income or different areas, and how the students are suffering from it. I've observed that in lower class schools, or schools that are filled with majority of children of parent s with blue- collar jobs are usually the students who are offered poorer education from the available teachers. Anyon states "The teachers rarely explain the work that is being assigned, how it might connect to other assignments, or wht the idea is that lies behind the procedure or gives it coherence and perhaps meaning or significance". When a student moves on to the next level of education this is clearly shown in their performance. It only damages the cilds potential because they are affected by the ineffective communication from the teachers, which develops a slower learning process. The children only have one objective in mind, which is completing the assignment. With little to no explanation behind it, its more likely that they will not find the proer answer nor will they know how it shall be corrected. What I reviewed from the middle class schools that ate a mied population...
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...the past and will continue to rise, is social class. Throughout history, in any government, has faced the issues of social class and the stratifications that break up the population. Focusing on the issue, I conducted an interview with my father that opened my eyes to the similar views we both hold on social class and also helped me realize things I hadn’t before. In my own opinion, social class can be viewed from a functionalist point of view. Social class is inevitable and inescapable due to the need for the levels of social classes to be filled in order for a society to function. The function of society would ultimately fail if the social class system didn’t exist due to people...
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...How does social class affect education? Education is available to all people from different social class background, but not everyone is able to accomplish high level of education. The level of education an individual acquires is based on an individual’s position in the social class hierarchy. Depending on which social class a person falls in affects person’s education level and quality of education. An individual from higher social class spectrum will be more likely to have a better education than an individual from lower social class spectrum. A person’s home background, resources available, and access to take advantage of opportunities tells whether or not a person is capable of getting good education. An individual that has ability to...
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...Social class is made up of people with similar social status which are classified on the basis of prestige and esteem gained through accumulation of wealth and economic success. Each class (upper/middle/lower class) has a set of values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviour norms which are different from other classes. Quoting from Dr. Anthony Giddens, “A class is a large-scale grouping of people who share common economic resources, which strongly influence who share common lifestyle they are able to lead.” Despite the term ‘class’ first came into wide use in the early 19th century, reflecting changes in the structure of western European societies after the industrial revolutions of the late 18th century, replacing such terms as ‘rank’ and...
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