Part I - Introduction To Social Class

Will Barratt, Ph.D.

Department of Educational Leadership

Indiana State University

I am putting together a manuscript for eventual publication in addition to thought that I would get down past times posting it to my really tranquillity blog. As the "privilege meme" took off in addition to the conversation turned out to last quite interesting, after the initial loathe mail, I receive got a novel agreement that the blogsphere is a novel marketplace of ideas.

Introduction to Social Class

Talking nearly social degree makes people nervous. Milton Bennett’s (1998) model is a useful tool to deconstruct conversations nearly class. Many people are inward the denial phase nearly degree “We actually don’t receive got degree inward the US”, they are unaware of the of import cultural in addition to personal differences that degree apprehends. Others are inward the defence phase nearly degree in addition to receive got a negative mental attitude nearly the classes higher upward them or below them “They’re pitiable because they don’t piece of work hard, in addition to those rich snobs intend they’re amend than the repose of us.” Still others repeat the myth “Well, we’re all actually centre degree anyway” minimizing in addition to belittling existent degree differences. Personal reactions to differences depend on many things, in addition to Bennett’s Intercultural Sensitivity model is ane amid many useful tools for self exam when degree comes upward inward conversation.

Many people learned inward schoolhouse that degree is nearly money, which is the same every bit proverb that ethnicity is nearly peel color. Money is piece of work of degree in addition to peel color is piece of work of ethnicity. The viscid thought here, the audio bite, is that social degree is to a greater extent than than rich in addition to poor. Most models of degree are useful inward sure ways in addition to inadequate inward other ways. The fob is to figure out which tool plant best for what yous ask to do.

How nosotros meet degree is important. If nosotros meet degree every bit nearly coin in addition to hence nosotros volition seat coin problems inside degree in addition to pursue coin related solutions to these problems. If nosotros meet degree every bit external to the individual, in addition to hence our agreement of class, the problems nosotros see, in addition to the solutions nosotros promote volition reverberate this thought that degree is external to the individual. If nosotros meet degree every bit internal to the individual, in addition to hence the problems nosotros see, in addition to the solutions nosotros promote volition reverberate this stance of class. If nosotros meet degree from multiple perspectives, from a to a greater extent than complicated view, the our agreement of the problems of degree volition last richer, the problems nosotros meet volition last to a greater extent than complete, in addition to the solutions nosotros promote volition last to a greater extent than wide based. Class is to a greater extent than than rich in addition to poor.

The reality of class

Class every bit income. The reality of degree depends on how nosotros push clit class. The simplest response is that degree is nearly money, in addition to coin is income. There are huge disparities inward US American’s income. While income surely is a ane means to score wealth, is a trucker who makes $80,000 really upper centre class? Income tables from the US Census Bureau inward 2006 (2006) dot that inward 2006 dollars

5% of US American Families brand to a greater extent than than $174,102

20% of US American Families brand to a greater extent than than $97,032

40% of US American Families brand to a greater extent than than $60,000

60% of US American Families brand to a greater extent than than $37,774

80% of US American Families brand to a greater extent than than $20,035

Class every bit wealth. Wealth is accumulated economical assets in addition to income is potential wealth. In the contemporary US exclusively a small-scale percentage of the population has whatever wealth at all. Most people owe to a greater extent than coin than they have. Mortgages, machine loans, credit bill of fare debt, schoolhouse loans are all balanced against savings in addition to retirement dollars. Class every bit wealth is useful when making distinction amid the wealthy, but most people receive got no wealth.

Class every bit capital. While Marx (Marx, 1885) used economical uppercase every bit ane analytic tool to examine degree others similar Bourdieu (1986) inward Forms of Capital suggested that degree should also include social uppercase in addition to cultural capital. Other forms of capital, such every bit academic capital, receive got been used to examine the piece of work of degree on campus. Social uppercase is ane criteria used past times the World Bank inward examining loans.

Class every bit education. August Hollingshead (Hollingshead, 1957) developed the Two factor model of social position in addition to later on the Four factor model of social status to assistance his research. These measures looked at educational attainment in addition to occupational prestige in addition to both are related to income. According to the US Census Bureau (2006) inward 2006 of adults over 25

1% receive got a Doctoral Degree

1 % receive got Professional Degree

6% receive got completed a Master’s Degree

28% receive got completed a Bachelor’s Degree

86% have attained a High School diploma

It must also last noted that 50% of the students at community colleges are “first generation students” whose parents receive got no sense on whatever campus, only similar the national average. However, exclusively 27% of students at iv yr colleges are commencement generation students (National Center for Educational Statistics, 1998).

Class every bit prestige. Prestige is an obvious mark of what is amend inward US American culture. Higher prestige colleges are considered amend colleges. Higher prestige English linguistic communication dialects in addition to varieties are considered amend English. Higher prestige clothing, purses, in addition to accessories are considered better. Higher prestige beer is considered better. When higher prestige is set to the attempt out it is non oft better. While most people intend of degree every bit money, most people send every bit if degree is prestige.

Class every bit occupation. Hollingshead’s social condition stair out (1957) (1975) examined occupational prestige every bit ane mark of class. In US America describe is really of import every bit a condition marker. The most recent exam of occupational prestige comes from Davis, Smith, Hodge, Nakao, in addition to Treas (1991) in addition to provides an overview of what the US American people believe nearly describe in addition to prestige.

Class every bit culture. Social degree is a collection of subcultures arranged inward a hierarchy of prestige. (Barratt, 2005). Class tin last seen every bit cultures that receive got shared values, rituals, beliefs, in addition to fifty-fifty language. When degree is seen every bit civilization in addition to hence all of the tools of ethnicity come upward into play. The exclusively job is that ethnicities are oft seen every bit equal, which neglects the inherent inequality of class.

Class every bit identity. Contemporary US America has been called an identity society. We all educate a gender, ethnic, in addition to degree identity at an early on historic catamenia every bit nosotros become through a procedure of identification in addition to differentiation. Gender in addition to ethnic identity does non alter for most people, in addition to inward a lodge without degree displace degree identity does non change. However nosotros know that degree displace is a fact of life for many, both rising inward degree in addition to falling inward class. This dynamic gives rising to the thought that nosotros all receive got a social degree of origin, a electrical flow felt social class, in addition to an attributed social class; where nosotros came from, what nosotros intend of ourselves, in addition to what others intend of us. As a commencement generation educatee moves upward inward social degree a mismatch betwixt their degree identities arises. It should non become without honour that this tin engender internal conflict.

Class every bit a system. The key interconnectedness, the multicausality in addition to the equifinality of the elements of degree brand systems theory an effective tool for working amongst class. When seen through the lens of degree in addition to systems institutions similar banks in addition to schools accept on a dissimilar image. One effect of the piece of work of these institutions is the recreation in addition to reproduction of degree (Bourdieu, 1986). When didactics is seen every bit a commodity in addition to hence it is possible to meet luxury goods, majority marketplace items, in addition to discount items that reverberate social classes, prestige, in addition to admissions requirements.

Social Class on Campus

Using Strange in addition to Banning’s (Strange & Banning, 2001) model each campus has a social degree environs that has coevolved amongst the campus human aggregate, physical campus, organizational environment, in addition to the constructed campus. Average SAT scores, admissions selectivity, students’ dress, cars, language, in addition to fifty-fifty disposable income are all markers for the campus social degree human aggregate. Similarly, the campus physical found reflects the campus social degree environment, amongst high prestige campuses having to a greater extent than prestigious architectural in addition to physical features. Campus organisation reflects stakeholder needs in addition to higher social degree students volition receive got dissimilar needs than lower social degree students. Consequently the campus organisation volition last different. The constructed social degree environment, seen inward the lite of social degree every bit a social construct, reinforces the collective beliefs of the campus members.

College is a middle classing sense for commencement generation in addition to lower social degree students. The college sense is an chance where students tin larn the attitudes, values, in addition to behaviors similar the vocalism communication in addition to clothes patterns typical of a higher social class. Disparity betwixt educatee social degree of root in addition to campus social degree environs is no doubtfulness a source of educatee campus mismatch (Terenzini, Springer, Yaeger, Pascarella, & Nora, 1996) (Pascarella, Wolniak, Pierson, & Terenzini, 2003) (Pascarella, Pierson, Wolniak, & Terenzini, 2004).

The model, or metaphor, that nosotros occupation for degree determines what nosotros do. How nosotros intend nearly degree determines how nosotros human activity nearly class. If degree is seen every bit a sociological or grouping phenomenon in addition to hence our piece of work amongst degree volition last amongst groups in addition to non amongst individuals. If degree is seen every bit economic, in addition to hence our piece of work amongst degree volition last economic. If degree is seen every bit cultural in addition to hence our piece of work amongst degree volition last nearly culture. Having multiple models, beingness multiparadigmatic, volition enable multiple interventions.

References

Barratt, W. (2005). Socio Economic Status: The inequitable campus. American College Personnel Association Annual Meeting. Nashville, TN.

Bennett, M. (1998). Intercultral communication: H5N1 electrical flow perspective. . In M. Bennett, Basic concepts of intercultural communication (pp. 1-34). Boston: Intercultural Press.

Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. Richardson, Handbook of theory in addition to query for the sociology of education. New York: Greenwood Press.

Davis, J., Smith, T., Hodge, R., Nakao, K., & Treas, J. (1991). Occupational presitge ratings from the 1989 full general social survey. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political in addition to Social Research.

Hollingshead, A. B. (1975). Four factor index of social status. New Haven, CT: Unpublished manuscript. Department of Sociology, Yale University.

Hollingshead, A. B. (1957). Two factor index of social position. New Haven, CT: Unpublished manuscript. Department of Sociology, Yale University.

Marx, K. (1885). Das kapital: Kritik der politischen oekonomie. Hamburg: Verlag von Otto Meisner.

National Center for Educational Statistics. (1998). First generation students: Undergraduates whose parents never enrolled inward post-secondary education. Retrieved Feb 18, 2008, from http://nces.ed.gov/pubs98/98082.pdf

Pascarella, E. T., Pierson, C. T., Wolniak, G. C., & Terenzini, P. T. (2004). First-generation college students: Additional bear witness on college experiences in addition to outcomes. Journal of Higher Education, 75, 249-284.

Pascarella, E. T., Wolniak, G., Pierson, C., & Terenzini, P. (2003). Experiences in addition to outcomes of first-generation students inward community colleges. Journal of College Student Development, 44, 420-429.

Strange, C., & Banning, J. (2001). Educating past times pattern . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Terenzini, P. T., Springer, L., Yaeger, P. M., Pascarella, E. T., & Nora, A. (1996). First generation college students: Characteristice, experiences, in addition to cognitive development. Reserach inward Higher Education , 37 (1), 1-22.

US Census Bureau. (2006). Educational attainment inward the United States: 2006. Retrieved Feb 18, 2008, from http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/education/cps2006.html

US Census Bureau. (2006). Historical Income Tables - Households. Retrieved Feb 18, 2008, from http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/income/histinc/h01ar.html

More to come

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