One of the challenges in tackling the topic of social inequality is the pre-existing mindset that many have. Particularly in the U.S., the land of the American Dream, a strongly-held belief is that “if you work hard enough, anyone can get ahead.”
While “working hard” can never be downplayed, there is another significant factor at work: the often invisible structural factors that contribute to wealth and poverty — i.e., the life circumstances that we are born into, and that continue to shape our lives.
STEP 1:
1. Review the worksheet, Knowledge of the Hidden Rules of Social Class
(Links to an external site.)
.
2. Choose whether you would like to complete this yourself, or enlist the help of a friend or coworker to do so.
STEP 2:
Instructions for Respondent:
1. For each of the three questionnaires, place a check mark in front of each item that you definitely know how to do — right now, today, at this very minute. Be honest (you do not need to turn this in as part of the assignment, it is for your notes only).
Note: If you are the least bit unsure, do not check the item. If you don’t have children, use your siblings/extended family as a reference group.
2. Count the number of checkmarks in each category.
STEP 3:
Assignment:
Write a response paper (guideline: at least 500 words, double spaced) to address the following:
Analyze the type of “taken-for-granted information” found in each questionnaire.
Identify the social class category that received the most checkmarks.
Explain how and where you (or the subject) learned this information, using three specific examples.
Select the social class category that received the fewest checkmarks and identify three examples of “hidden knowledge” that surprised you (or the subject).
Explain how a person might learn this information (i.e., how would one gain access to the people and places where it can be learned?)
Summary: What conclusions can you draw about the nature of “hidden knowledge” necessary to be successful in each social class? How could this activity help to bridge misunderstandings among others of diverse backgrounds?
Save your double-spaced essay in Word & submit.
Reference:
Ashton, Patrick J. “Knowledge of the Hidden Rules of Social Class.” Assignment published in TRAILS: Teaching Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology. Washington DC: American Sociological Association. (http://trails.asanet.org)
Used with author permission and citation.
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