Social class and its determinants
SOC 131
The results of our poll
- What do you think we’ll find?
- Why did you respond the way you did?
- How does one know what class they’re a part of?
Indicators of social class
- After discussing Alex Russo’s reflections on social class, our textbook wraps up by saying:
we can’t always figure out someone’s social class just by looking at them. But if we are seeing the world sociologically, indicators of social class quickly come into focus.
- If this is true, what are the principle “indicators of social class”?
- Relatedly, how should we complete the following definition? Social class refers to a group of individuals with a shared economic position due to [blank], [blank], and [blank].
The class structure of the USA
Dennis Gilbert’s model of the class structure
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Social class: ascribed or achieved?
I’d like you to break into some small groups and ask you to try to come to a consensus about whether social class is an achieved or an ascribed status. We’ll just spend a few minutes in these groups. When we come back, each group should be ready to explain the consensus they came to.
- So what do you think … is social class ascribed or achieved?
- In the end, what do you all make of the fact that sociologists “often refer to the American Dream as a myth”?
- What evidence do sociologists use to make this (semi-heretical) claim?
Social class: ascribed or achieved?
I’d like you to break into some small groups and ask you to try to come to a consensus about whether social class is an achieved or an ascribed status. We’ll just spend a few minutes in these groups. When we come back, each group should be ready to explain the consensus they came to.