The Week 7 notes have all links.
After thoroughly reading chapter 7 and week 7 notes, please prepare your paper in the
following way, and include at least one page number per paragraph when you refer to
the textbook:
Paragraph 1 (from Chapter 7 in book) 150 words
Discuss the major aspects of the functional, conflict, and symbolic interactionist
perspectives as they relate to social stratification. Describe the strengths and
weaknesses of each.
Paragraph 2 (from Chapter 7 in book) 150 words
Describe Erik Wright’s model of the U.S. class structure based on the theory of Marx.
Paragraph 3 (100 words)
After watching the two short clips (weekly notes), one on the biggest homes in the U.S.,
and one on Sierra Leone, please answer…
1. What aspects of the concepts of Power, Prestige, Wealth and Property (in
your book) were evident in each of these clips?
2. What are the chances for social mobility (both downward and upward) for
each of the people in these videos?
3. How would you expect the living conditions in each of these videos to affect
the individual lifestyles, attitudes, religious and political behaviors of people
living in these regions? For example, who would be more likely to be liberal or
conservative?
Paragraph 4 (75 words)
Links to an external site.
(sometimes you need to wait a few seconds for the site to load.) Examine the Forbes
400 list and note how much individuals have, how they earned their money, where they
live, and their important social statuses like age, race and gender. Discuss the patterns
you see.
Paragraph 5 (120 words)
Watch the TED talk discussed in Week 7 notes.
Links to an external site.
1. Why is it so difficult to determine whether aid increases or decreases
poverty?
2. What did Duflo’s experiment on immunization uncover? What did her
experiment on schooling uncover? What do her findings suggest about how
aid should be distributed?
Paragraphs 6 and 7 (about 300 words total, for both)
YouTube: The Coming Collapse of the Middle Class (57 min) . If you want, you can
probably start at the 8:00 or 9:00 minute mark to get to some of the data quicker.
Links to an external site.
1. What role does credit play in the social stratification system in the United
States?
2. What social factors create the increased propensity towards indebtedness?
Based on Warren’s projection, should we have expected this increase?
3. What social factors make carrying debt particularly threatening to middle
class families?
4. What is the relationship between debt and mobility?
5. How does the changing stratification system impact other social institutions
like the family?
BOOK:
Sociology in Our Times: The Essentials
,
11
th
Edition, 2018,
by
Diana Kendall ISBN:
9781337109659.
