SOCIAL CLASS AND INEQUALITY IN THE UNITED STATES

Quiz Study

1/27/2020

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HOMEWORK- Study for the QUIZ on Thursday!

Quiz #1 Study Guide
Start creating study notes for yourself!

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Intersectionality

1/24/2020

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Starter 5: Graphs from Pew Research

Describe what you see here in terms of data. What stands out to you?
What are some potential explanations for this? How do these graphs inter-relate?
What questions does this raise for you? List at least 3.

Intersectionality

What it is: The recognition that are social identities are complex, and that different social categorizations such as race, class, and gender often overlap and interconnect, creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage.
Why it’s important: The idea of intersectionality helps keep us from reducing people’s identities to just one social category. Keeps us from oversimplifying. Helps us recognize how different systems of oppression intersect.
Big Realization: We are not just one thing, we are many things.

Intersectionality Activity
This is like a more complicated version of 4 corners. The purpose of this is to get us thinking of social identities as a complex thing, so that we can see that though we are focusing on class here, these all impact each other. Social Identity Signs for:

Religious Affiliation
Gender
Class
Race
Sexual Orientation
Age

After each question, move under the sign that best fills in the blank.

The part of my identity I am most aware of on a daily basis is ________.
The part of my identity that I am least aware of on a daily basis is ________.
The part of my identity that was most emphasized or important in my family growing up was____________.
The part of my identity that I wish I knew more about is _____________.
The part of my identity that garners me the most privilege is ____________.
The part of my identity that I believe is the most misunderstood by others is ___________.
The part of my identity that I feel is difficult to discuss with others who identify differently is ____________.
The part of my identity that makes me feel discriminated against is __________.

Debrief/Exit Ticket

What patterns did you see here?
What surprised you?
How does this connect to the idea of intersectionality? Why is it important to see the multiple identities that people inhabit?

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Privilege- Definition and Discussion

1/23/2020

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HOMEWORK- None!

Feedback Results From Survey (key points!)

Let's be careful about what we are saying, and how we are saying. Remember, we have a huge variety of class experiences in here, so when you comment on classes, you may be commenting directly on the lived experience of a student in the class. Be sensitive to that, avoid judgments!
Lots of requests for research and current stuff- we will get there! The way this class is structured is that we build frameworks and vocabulary to apply to our personal experiences first, then move into looking outward into books, research, data.
Question for you- would you prefer to do one thing at a time (book study first then research or vice versa), or to split our time between research and books? I can see advantages or disadvantages to each.

Starter 4-

How do you feel about the concept of privilege (the idea that people have unearned advantages because of a part of their social identities)?
List all the different parts of your social identity you can think of. For example, my list would be:
1. Female
2. White
3. Straight
4. Cisgender
5. Middle class
6. Highly educated
7. Atheist
8. Married
9. Mother
10. Teacher
What parts of your identities are typically associated with privilege? Highlight them
What parts of your identities are typically disadvantaged in our society? Underline them

Vocab Lecture: Privilege

What it is: Unearned advantage because of prejudice or social structures, because our society values some social identities over others.
What it isn’t: Something you should feel guilty about, something that is meant to discount your hard work and efforts, accomplishments
Big realization: Being aware of your privilege simply means being aware that some people have to work much harder just to experience the things you take for granted (if they ever can experience them at all).

Privilege Quiz
Students take the quiz, enter their scores in a google doc.

Comp Book- Privilege Journal

What is your “gut reaction” to where you find yourself at the end of this list of privileges? Are you surprised at where you are?
What were your thoughts and feelings as you did this exercise?

Debrief Discussion in Small Groups

What is your “gut reaction” to where you find yourself at the end of this list of privileges? Are you surprised at where you are?
What do see in our data?
What were your thoughts and feelings as you did this exercise?
1. How do you feel about where you are relative to other people in the room?
2. What went through your mind as you answered these questions?
3. Which of the statements did you find surprising or unexpected? Why?
4. Which of the statements made you feel uncomfortable or hurt? Why?
5. Which of the statements you felt unsure whether it applies to you or not? Why?
How has your social position (i.e., your privileged or marginalized position in society based on your social group membership) affected you, your family, and your community, in terms of opportunity and access?
What does your position in the room say about societal messages about your worth and the worth of people with similar privilege levels?
Which of the privileges did you inherit from your family? For inherited privileges, how far does the privilege go back in your family tree?
How does this exercise make you think differently about your own identity, daily experience, or relationships with other people?

Exit Ticket

Choose one of the questions from the debrief discussion, write me at least 5 sentences in response to that question.

Quiz Study Guide
Take a look at this- if you know you struggle with test taking, get a jump start this weekend! Otherwise, wait until next week when we will have study time in class.

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Notes on Class- Seminar Response

1/21/2020

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HOMEWORK- Finish Seminar Response. DUE: Start of Class, Thurs 1/23.

Starter 3- Feedback Survey
Students take this

Seminar Response (Seminar questions can be found on Friday's post)

2 paragraphs + Questions. These will be graded on clarity of thought, use of evidence to support your claim, and to a smaller degree, your writing skills (organization, proofreading, etc.).
Paragraph 1: Choose one quote from this article, and write a paragraph about it that discusses how it connect to your life, with specific examples (you’ll definitely need to quote the text here!).
Paragraph 2: Choose one seminar question, and write a paragraph that answers it. This paragraph should have a clear topic sentence, evidence from the text (with the addition, potentially, of examples from your own life/experience), and clear analysis.
Paragraph 3: Not really a paragraph, but create a list of questions that you have after reading and discussing this piece. You must have at least 5!

Absent for the Seminar? You need to write one additional paragraph that answers a SECOND seminar question.

HW- Finish Seminar Response if you didn’t finish in class today. Share with Lori before the start of class on Thursday.

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Notes on Class- Seminar

1/17/2020

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Seminar: Whole Class
Opening Questions

Why is it hard for Americans to talk about class?

Core Questions

What is the relationship between status and class?
What is the relationship between democracy and class?
How do we see social class structure? Do we fall into what he describes, where we deny there are class divisions, but then can quickly name them when asked?
What makes class in the US more complicated than in Europe or other places? Why is it harder to detect? (paragraph 6-8)
How much do you think class determines? Do you think that people are “trapped in a class system you’ve been half persuaded isn’t important?” (paragraph 11)
Where do you stand on the question of whether Americans, in their heart of hearts, “don’t want agglomeration but distinctions”? Why?

Closing Questions

Is there value in talking about class? What is the value in talking abstractly vs. sharing personal stories?
How much of what he describes rings true to you? Do you feel like this is a forbidden or awkward topic?

Seminar Response

2 paragraphs + Questions
Paragraph 1: Choose one quote from this article, and write a paragraph about it that discusses how it connect to your life, with specific examples (you’ll definitely need to quote the text here!).
Paragraph 2: Choose one seminar question, and write a paragraph that answers it. This paragraph should have a clear topic sentence, evidence from the text (with the addition, potentially, of examples from your own life/experience), and clear analysis.
Paragraph 3: Not really a paragraph, but create a list of questions that you have after reading and discussing this piece. You must have at least 5!

At the end of the seminar, jot down a few ideas to help jog your memory for the reflection next Tuesday!!!

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Notes on Class- Seminar Coaching

1/15/2020

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HOMEWORK- Finish and PRINT (or handwrite) your seminar prewrite. DUE: Start of class, Friday.

Notes of Class- Seminar Coaching

Summarize his main point in one sentence.
Go paragraph by paragraph. For each paragraph:
1. What is the main point of this paragraph?
2. How does this relate to previous paragraphs, OR to class concepts we’ve been discussing?
3. Is there anything here you find confusing? Discuss, and clarify your confusions!
Write two discussion questions, give them to Lori

Seminar Prewrite (rest of class)
For your seminar prewrite, choose one quote from this text that strikes you. This could strike you as particularly insightful, invoke a strong emotional reaction, or be something that you dispute. In your prewrite, write down the quote and then react to it. Describe what you think the quote means, then discuss why you chose it, and what it makes you think.

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"Notes on Class"- Paul Fussell

1/13/2020

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HOMEWORK- Finish reading and annotating "Notes on Class". DUE: Thursday, Start of Class

Hidden Rules Chart (10 min)
Okay, now let’s compare the hidden rules you came up with to this chart created by Dr. Ruby Payne, based on her research. In your groups, discuss

What did you get right? What did you get wrong?
Which rules does school follow?
What happens when you work or study in a place with middle class rules, but you personally are accustomed to the hidden rules of another class?
Are you at risk of being judgmental when someone uses one of the hidden rules? What hidden rules of another class are hard for you accept? Why?
How might these hidden rules cause conflict?
Can you come up with a situation in which you have seen the hidden rules of a class hinder someone’s education? Work life? Relationships with another?

Reading Time: Notes on Class
Read, and annotate. Read carefully, looking for complexity! What are the reasons that Americans are uncomfortable talking about class?

Make SURE you are looking up vocab and references you don’t understand- this guy uses lots of big words, and you need to understand what they are to get the subtle arguments (and humor) here!
Looking for a total of at least 10 annotations- definitions, comments, questions, reactions. Underlining/highlighting don’t count!

Video List for Fast Readers
Done? Watch one of these videos for more content that you can use in our seminar!

The Impacts of Social Class (10 min)
How Social Class Effects Our Behavior (12 min)

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Social Stratification in the US: Why do social classes exist?

1/13/2020

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Starter 2: Why are there different classes?
What do you think explains the stratification in the US class system? Why do you think that every society is stratified (divided) in some way? Write first, then share out your theories.

Key Questions

What are different theories that explain why we have social stratification?
Why do Americans struggle to talk about class?

Lecture: Social Stratification and Theories

Lecture Notes

Application of Theories
In your group, discuss:

Which of these theories do you think is dominant in the popular American narrative? Explain.
Which of these theories do you think best explains class stratification in the US? Why?
What questions do you have about social stratification? Put them on the board!

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Hidden Rules of Social Class

1/10/2020

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Key Takeaways:

What are “hidden rules?”
How do hidden rules work?
Which rules do I know? What rules make me uncomfortable?

Starter-Hidden Rules of Social Class: The Wire
This clip is from The Wire, a tv show that explores poverty in a Baltimore neighborhood. In this clip, Bunny, a police officer, is taking a group of teenagers from the inner-city out to a fancy dinner as a reward. This has mature language. As you watch this, keep track of the following:

When do the students seem confused or uncomfortable?
What “rules” were they unaware of?
Why were they unable to relax and enjoy this experience?

Could you survive in a different class?
Take the quiz on the Hidden Rules of Social Class. Debrief:

Which class are you best equipped to survive in?
Were there any of these skills that stood out or surprised you in any of the classes?
How do you think it would feel if you were in a situation where it was assumed that you had the skills of a particular class...and you didn’t?
Have you ever been in a situation where you didn’t know the rules?

Hidden Rules of Social Class: Notes and Predictions

Hidden Rules = unspoken rules, cues or habits that let you know if you do or do not belong
Economic class rules based on how stable your life is (more money generally = more stability)
Hidden rules are about how well we navigate different situations and understand economic environments different than our own.
It is helpful to learn hidden rules in order to improve relationships and resolve conflicts.
Hidden rules come directly from the environment in which we live. All of us bring with us the rules.
Let’s make some predictions. For each of the following, predict the hidden values or rules for lower, middle, and upper class.
1. Personality: What is valued?
2. Food: Key question, what is valued
3. Education: How is it seen?
4. Family Structure: What is it?
5. Driving Forces: What are they?

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Social Class Stereotypes

1/9/2020

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Stereotypes Activity
Now that you understand the differences, we’re going to work on identifying what stereotypes we are carrying around with us about different classes--ultimately, we hope to be able to make generalizations, but we probably don’t have the data for that yet.

By examining and making visible these stereotypes, we will start to understand how we mentally define and categorize people- making stereotypes visible is the first step to combating them.To make this simple, we’re going to do this on only 4 classes: Lower Class, Working Class, Middle Class, and Upper Class.

Tape poster down to table, each poster is labeled with one of the classes:
In groups of 5-6, on poster, we’re going to create class descriptions. These will be a mix of stereotypes and generalizations. For now, don’t think too hard about this! Think about:
1. What do they wear? What are visible external markers of class?
2. Where do they live?
3. What are their houses like?
4. What are their hobbies? What do they do for fun?
5. How do they talk and act?
6. What kinds of jobs do they have?
7. What kind of education do they have?
8. What bad or negative traits or habits do they have?
9. What do they value?
10. What skills do they have?
11. Anything else?

Take 5 minutes to walk around and look at the groups.

Group discussions:
1. What similarities or patterns do you see?
2. Where do you think these impressions and stereotypes come from?
3. Anything that is surprising, or that stands out?
4. Where was the process uncomfortable? Were there classes that were easier to do this activity for? Why?
5. Did this make you realize anything about class in the US? What?
6. Is there anything on here that makes you uncomfortable? That seems wrong or inaccurate?

Exit Ticket- Choose one of the questions from your discussion to answer on an index card. Write me at LEAST 5 sentences in response to the question.

Close: We have now purged! Our task for the rest of this project is to take these stereotypes, and figure out which can made into more accurate generalizations, which need to be thrown out, and ultimately to explore WHY these perceptions exist.

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Quiz Study

Intersectionality

Privilege- Definition and Discussion

Notes on Class- Seminar Response

Notes on Class- Seminar

Notes on Class- Seminar Coaching

"Notes on Class"- Paul Fussell

Social Stratification in the US: Why do social classes exist?

Hidden Rules of Social Class

Social Class Stereotypes

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