Blog Archives

Functionalist Theory and Deviance

3/31/2023

Finish debrief of social construct concept- last TWO slides
Take notes on how deviance is relative over time, space, circumstances
Deviance as Social Construct

Functionalist Perspectives on Deviance Lecture
Take notes based on the slides.

Deviance Project
Talk through requirements of project, goal today is to choose a group to focus on (individually).

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Introduction to Deviance

3/31/2023

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Deviance Intro Lecture

What is deviance?
Exploring deviance
Types of deviance
Social Control
Review of Sanctions
Deviance as Social Construct

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Social Class/Mobility Write Up

3/28/2023

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Social Class/Mobility Review

Perspectives:
1. Structural Functionalism
2. Symbolic Interactionist
3. Conflict
Social Mobility Factors
1. Parenting style/childrearing
2. Education
3. Geography
4. Cultural Capital/Social Networks

Social Mobility Write Up
This should be about 6 paragraphs total (see the assignment for paragraph totals for each section). A few things to remember as you write this document:

You should be using EVIDENCE from your research. This could be specific quotes, detailed descriptions of scenes/behaviors, patterns that you noticed with specific examples.
Use the theoretical lens you have chosen to guide your conclusions.
Make connections to other things we have read and studied in this unit. This could be from lecture, from readings, from discussions you have had in class.
You should write 2-3 paragraphs a day in class to keep up on this. It is due at the start of class on Monday, April 3.

This will be assessed on the following criteria:

Does it answer the questions in each section (in other words, are you following the directions?)
Have you applied a theoretical lens accurately in your analysis?
Do you use evidence from your research to support your conclusions?
Do you provide insight into social mobility or inequality in the United States?
Have you generally followed the rules for good writing (organization, paragraph structure, proofreading, etc.)?

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11:00-12:00- Mosaic Planning
Later this week, you will each receive a 12 x 12” plywood squares to create a tile mosaic on. For the next hour, we have time to plan out what you want on that square. Check these out for inspiration. You can:

Design an image yourself- it should be a simple line art image. You can find one, draw one, or turn a photo into one with the following apps:
1. https://tech-lagoon.com/imagechef/en/image-to-edge.html
2. https://online.rapidresizer.com/photograph-to-pattern.php
Find an image online- again, a simple line art image, mandala, or coloring page
Get it to 12 x 12 (see Lori or Cameron for help with this!)
Make lines heavy- trace with a sharpie.
Trace tile shapes (squares, diamonds, triangles) into the shape on the line drawing. Make sure to leave ⅛” between tile edges.
Color (if time)

12:45-3:00- Project Planning
Project Planning Document

Please make a copy of the document above
SHARE IT with Cameron and Lori
Complete each of the steps on the document!
See Lori’s Example Planning Document to see what it should look like when it’s complete!

Let’s watch a movie and finish our planning! Tomorrow we SHOP!

Done with Planning?

Finish mosaic planning
Find more tutorials/inspiration
Make more paper beads

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OSPREY WEEK

3/8/2023

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Forms and Logistics

Check in to make sure we have all permission slips, etc.
Make sure students know where to meet each day, where they are dismissed from

DAILY SCHEDULE

Planning for Projects
Your main task for today is to start to figure out what you want to do for your individual project, and to gather inspiration and tutorials for this!

We will also ask you to start creating your materials list, so that we can accurately plan for Tuesday morning, when we will be shopping for your projects.

Project Planning Document

Please make a copy of the document above
SHARE IT with Cameron and Lori
Complete each of the steps on the document!

See Lori’s Example Planning Document to see what it should look like when it’s complete!

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Social Class and Mobility Research Assignment

3/7/2023

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Today’s Work Goals: Media Observation

Set up note sheet
Watch/observe media and take notes

Today’s Work Goals: Interviews

Finish interview questions
Conference with Lori about interview questions- revise, get final approval
Get interviews scheduled for this week!

Research Assignment Option 1: Media Survey
For this assignment, you are going to look at how the media portray class/social mobility, to determine what we can learn about it.

Step 1: Watch/Read Media. For this, you could look at…
1. 10-15 TikTok videos
2. 2 episodes of a TV show
3. 2-3 magazines
Step 2: Take Notes
1. As you watch, write down the title, channel/username, time watched
2. Take notes as you watch/read on the following:
  1. Who is represented here? How are they shown? Are there social classes missing?
  2. How do you see different social classes portrayed? What are specific markers that let you know what their social class is?
  3. Is there social mobility shown in this? How?
  4. What assumptions are made (but not discussed explicitly) about what is “normal?” How does this show attitudes towards social class or social mobility?
  5. Anything else related to social class/social mobility that you notice
Step 3: Write Up Your Research
1. I will give specific instructions in class for this on Thursday/Friday. You will be asked to apply the sociological concepts we have covered in class, and to discuss what different sociological perspectives (symbolic, functionalist, conflict) would say about your findings.

Research Assignment Option 2: Interviews
For this assignment, you will conduct two in-depth interviews to dig more deeply into the experiences of people with social class and social mobility, and to uncover their implicit attitudes about social class in the United States. These could be any ages, any class. You may choose to do two people from the same class, to dig into the similarities and differences of their experiences and attitudes, or two people of differing social classes to focus on the contrast.

Step 1: Choose Interview Subjects, Schedule Interviews. You must interview two people total. You should complete the interviews no later than the start of class on Friday..
Step 2: Write Interview Questions. Write a list of interview questions, and show them to Lori for feedback! Use the resource linked here (especially pages 3 and 4) to help you structure your questions. If you would like to do the questions collaboratively, feel free! Your interviews should focus on a specific topic within social class- education, parenting, attitudes towards a specific subject…whatever you think would be interesting.
Step 3: Conduct Interviews. Conduct your interviews! These should be around 10-20 minutes per interview. I highly recommend RECORDING them, and writing the time you ask each question on your list of interview questions. That way you can easily find quotes if necessary.
Step 4: Write Up Your Research
1. I will give specific instructions in class for this on Thursday. You will be asked to apply the sociological concepts we have covered in class, and to discuss what different sociological perspectives (symbolic, functionalist, conflict) would say about your findings.

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Social Mobility Discussion + Research Assignment

3/6/2023

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Social Mobility Jigsaw

Get in groups with at least one person from each group represented.
Each person shares their poster, talks about major takeaways.
1. Others take notes on that factor and how it influences social mobility
Discuss:
1. What surprised or stood out to you about what you learned here? What new things did you learn about social mobility?
2. What connections do you see between these different influences (education, parenting, geography, social capital/networks)? How do they challenge or reinforce each other?
3. Which of these factors is easiest to address/change? Which is hardest? Why?
4. Knowing what you know now, if you had one piece of advice for someone trying to achieve social mobility, what would it be?

Research Assignment Option 1: Media Survey
For this assignment, you are going to look at how the media portray class/social mobility, to determine what we can learn about it.

Step 1: Watch/Read Media. For this, you could look at…
1. 10-15 TikTok videos
2. 2 episodes of a TV show
3. 2-3 magazines
4. Other? Make a proposal
Step 2: Take Notes
1. As you watch, write down the title, channel/username, time watched
2. Take notes as you watch/read on the following:
  1. Who is represented here? How are they shown? Are there social classes missing?
  2. How do you see different social classes portrayed? What are specific markers that let you know what their social class is?
  3. Is there social mobility shown in this? How?
  4. What assumptions are made (but not discussed explicitly) about what is “normal?” How does this show attitudes towards social class or social mobility?
  5. What do you notice about your own class-based assumptions as you watch/read this?
  6. Anything else related to social class/social mobility that you notice
Step 3: Write Up Your Research. I will give specific instructions in class for this on Thursday/Friday. You will be asked to apply the sociological concepts we have covered in class, and to discuss what different sociological perspectives (symbolic, functionalist, conflict) would say about your findings.

Step 1: Choose Interview Subjects, Schedule Interviews. You must interview two people total. You should complete the interviews no later than the start of class on Friday..
Step 2: Write Interview Questions. Write a list of interview questions, and show them to Lori for feedback! Use the resource linked here (especially pages 3 and 4) to help you structure your questions. If you would like to do the questions collaboratively, feel free! Your interviews should focus on 2-3 specific themes. Ideas for this include- physical environments, cultural experiences, educational experiences/attitudes, parenting relationships and styles, awareness of class/inequality, etc.
Step 3: Conduct Interviews. Conduct your interviews! These should be around 10-20 minutes per interview. I highly recommend RECORDING them, and writing the time you ask each question on your list of interview questions. That way you can easily find quotes if necessary.
Step 4: Write Up Your Research. I will give specific instructions in class for this on Thursday. You will be asked to apply the sociological concepts we have covered in class, and to discuss what different sociological perspectives (symbolic, functionalist, conflict) would say about your findings.

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Social Mobility Poster + Quiz Corrections

3/3/2023

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Social Mobility Poster
You are now going to create a poster based on the article you read yesterday. Your poster must include:

Title: Clearly states the focus of the poster
Summary: One sentence summary of how this factor impacts social mobility
2-4 Important Points: Each one needs one sentence of explanation and a relevant symbol/visual
Proposed Solution: 1-2 sentences describing a proposed solution and a relevant symbol/visual
Citations: SMALL, at the bottom- put the title of the article and the author name(s).
Size: 11 x 8.5". Regular printer paper size.
In Color? Email to me and I will print it.
By Hand or Digital: Your choice, but it needs to look polished and professional! Plan it out!

Finished Early?
Work on test corrections! Get them turned in.

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Social Mobility- Research + Poster

3/2/2023

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Quiz Corrections- Due Monday, 3/6 at Start of Class
You may do quiz corrections for 50% credit. To complete these, please do the following for each question you missed, on a separate piece of paper:

What did you answer on the original quiz?
What is the correct answer?
Why did you miss it?

To turn in, staple your ORIGINAL quiz to the quiz corrections, and turn in to the basket, OR take a picture of your original quiz (front and back), and turn in those photos plus the corrections on Google Classroom.

Social Mobility Groups

Choose sub-topics/sources. In those groups, look at the list of sub-topics/sources. Each student should choose ONE source to read, and they cannot overlap (so, for education, only one of you can read “America’s Poverty-Education Link”).
Read and take notes. Once they have each chosen their source, they should read that source and take notes, focusing specifically on:
1. How this impacts social mobility
2. A list of main ideas or key points/evidence
3. Proposed solutions, or ways to mitigate this impact
This is not homework- you will have additional time to read on Thursday, and time on Friday to create to your posters.

SOURCES
Education

Overall Trends
1. America's Poverty-Education Link- Addresses preschool, public school funding, and college costs.
College Culture and Funding
1. The Subtle Ways Colleges Discriminate Against Poor Students- An in-depth (and illustrated!) look at how the culture of college sets up barriers to disadvantaged students.
2. The Role of Higher Education in Social Mobility- A study that analyzes exactly what the title says. This is longish, but really detailed and interesting for those who want more depth.
3. Does College Really Improve Social Mobility?- A quick look at how a college education can aid in upward social mobility, and who it leaves behind.
4. Why American Colleges are Becoming a Force for Inequality- Examines how the economic systems, including rising college costs, impacts inequality.
Early Childhood Education
1. There’s More to Gain by Taking a Comprehensive Approach to Early Childhood Education- A Summary of a major study done on the long term effects of early childhood education.
Public Education: Funding and Curriculum Inequity
1. Social Class and Public Schools- From Harvard, a good short study on the various ways that public education reinforces inequality.
2. Unequal School Funding in the US- A research synthesis on the causes and effects of unequal public school funding in the US.
3. Kozol- An excerpt from Kozol’s book, Savage Inequalities, that details how unequal funding creates an unequal education.
4. Kohn- Poor Teaching for Poor Children- An article about how public schools in high poverty areas use different types of teaching methods that ultimately reinforce class differences.

Geography (density, neighborhood, sprawl)

What factors influence upward mobility in the US?- A summary of various geographic factors, including sprawl, density, and neighborhoods.
In Climbing Income Ladder Location Matters- NYT write up of the major study of this, complete with interactive maps and charts.
The Changing Geography of Social Mobility in the United States- A look from 2020 at regional differences in intergenerational mobility.
The Impacts of Neighborhoods on Intergenerational Mobility- A non-technical summary of the major study done to establish this link.

Cultural Capital/Social Networks

Social Mobility and the Importance of Networks- Evidence for Britain- A really interesting study done in Britain trying to track the influence of social networks on income and mobility.
Cultural Norms and Social Mobility- A short report detailing many ways that social networks and cultural norms can impact social mobility in both positive and negative ways.
Wikipedia on Cultural Capital- A straightforward discussion on what cultural capital is and what it influences.
Doctoral Dissertation on Cultural Capital and Social Mobility- A full and enormous dissertation! You don’t have to read the whole thing, just go to pages 292-305 for the main conclusions.

Family Culture/Childrearing

Word Gap
1. The Early Catastrophe: The 30 Million Word Gap- An article discussing the impacts of early exposure to language, and the long term effects.
Parenting Styles
1. Why Parenting Style Ensures Inequality- An article discussing why different parenting styles contribute to social inequality.
2. Concerted Cultivation and Academic Achievement- A study trying to determine the impact of parenting style on academic achievement. Read Conclusions, from page 57-65.
3. Concerted Cultivation vs. Natural Growth- A very brief outline of two class-based parenting styles.

Social Mobility Poster
You are now going to create a poster based on the article you read yesterday. Your poster must include:

Title: Clearly states the focus of the poster
Summary: One sentence summary of how this factor impacts social mobility
2-4 Important Points: Each one needs one sentence of explanation and a relevant symbol/visual
Proposed Solution: 1-2 sentences describing a proposed solution and a relevant symbol/visual
Size: 11 x 8.5". Regular printer paper size.
In Color? Email to me and I will print it.
By Hand or Digital: Your choice, but it needs to look polished and professional! Plan it out!

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Functionalist Theory and Deviance

Introduction to Deviance

Social Class/Mobility Write Up

Osprey Week- Mosaic Designs

OSPREY WEEK

Social Class and Mobility Research Assignment

Social Mobility Discussion + Research Assignment

Social Mobility Poster + Quiz Corrections

Social Mobility- Research + Poster

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